Yang Opera, originally called "Weiyang Opera", is one of the local operas in Jiangsu Province. The opera, popular in northern Jiangsu Province, areas south of Yangtze River, Shanghai and Anhui Province, is based on traditional "flower drum opera" and "xianghuo opera," and developed by absorbing Yangzhou melodies and folk tunes. The "flower drum opera" is a folk performance featured during festivals in Yangzhou, while "xianghuo opera" is mainly a folk custom of praying for happiness accompanied by gongs and drums.
Yang Opera has over 100 tunes. The characters include sheng (male character type), dan (female character type), jing (painted face) and chou (clown). The performance, mainly absorbing that of Kun and Beijing operas, has kept the simple and vivid characteristics of the flower drum opera. It has over 400 traditional plays, and over 100 modern and re-written plays. In the 1950s, the "100-Year-Old Marshal" was put on stage in Beijing, becoming a hit praised by Premier Zhou Enlai. In recent years, many plays have won awards at national opera competitions. A group of new actors have also emerged.