Yong Opera
Having a long history of above 200 years, Yong Opera, formerly called "Chuanke", is a kind of folk tune sung in the dialect of the farmers of Ningbo.
The professional Chuanke troupe appeared in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. From then on, the performance form of Chuanke gradually changed from the solo sing to the opera accompanied with musical instruments. The main programs of Chuanke in the early stage is "Selling Haystack", "Recognizing Mother in the Hall" and "Playing Lanterns" etc. in the 16th year of Qing Emperor Guangxu's reign, the Yong Opera spread from the rural area to downtown Ningbo and even to Shanghai. The name of Chuanke was then changed into "Ningbo Tanhua", "Siming Wen Opera", "Improved Yong Opera" and ultimately into "Yong Opera" in the 1950s. Yong Opera, performed in strong local official dialect, absorbing tunes of popular local folk songs, figuring the characters of the ordinary folk, is deeply welcomed by local people. The outstanding Yong Opera programs include "Two Brothers", "Wonderful Experiences of a Prodigal" and "Scissors in Half" etc.