Alive and well in the countryside

Yueju, or Cantonese Opera, is one of a dozen folk operas popular in South China's Guangdong province.

The name Yueju is also associated with another, better known, opera tradition of East China's Zhejiang province. This 100-year-old opera is defined by its all-women cast.

Cantonese Opera is popular in the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong, Macao and western Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Dating back to Emperor Jiajing (1507-66) from the Ming Dynasty, Yueju is referred to as "Big Opera" (Daxi) by its lovers. With people in Guangdong began moving overseas some 500 years ago, it is often said that where there are Chinese immigrants, there is Yueju.

Despite its decline in urban areas in recent years, Yueju continues to enjoy popularity in the countryside with the elderly and migrant workers forming the bulk of the fan base.

Troupes are often invited to perform during festivals and to mark the birth of deities.

Yueju has absorbed many of the elements of other traditional Chinese operas. Nearly all the acrobatic fighting comes from Peking Opera, and the singing can be traced to Kunqu, an opera originating in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Among the most famous original plays in Yueju are The Snow-white Cup (Yipengxue), When Plum Blooms Again (Erdumei), The Long Night (Jiugengtian) and Eighteen Warlords (Shibalu Zhuhou).

The most famous actress is Hong Xiannu (stage name for Kuang Jianlian), who has starred in more than 100 operas and films, such as Wang Zhaojun (Zhaojun Chusai).

Wang Mingquan, a famous Hong Kong star and president of the Hong Kong Cantonese performers' association, Bahe Huiguan, is planning to launch a middle school specializing in Cantonese Opera.