National ICH: Dacheng Opera

Dacheng Opera, also known as Religious Ceremony Opera, Monk Opera, and Taoist Opera, is a traditional Chinese opera genre that originated and developed from the Buddhist and Taoist rituals in the Quanzhou and Jinjiang areas during the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Primarily performed in Quanzhou city and its surrounding regions in Fujian province, Dacheng Opera has been recognized as a representative project in the second batch of the national intangible cultural heritage traditional drama category.

Deeply embedded in Quanzhou's folk arts, the early stages of Dacheng Opera were heavily influenced by puppet shows, particularly its performance style and movements portraying traditional Southern Shaolin martial arts techniques. In its later stages, the martial arts scenes integrated elements from Peking Opera, incorporating many of its martial techniques, while the dramatic scenes absorbed certain movements from Liyuan Opera and Gaojia Opera.

The musical melodies of Dacheng Opera are a blend of Taoist ritual music, Taoist emotional tunes, percussion, and Buddhist chants, heavily incorporating the musical styles of puppet shows. Although later additions included some elements of Nanyin music and folk songs, the puppet show melodies remained dominant. This unique combination gives Dacheng Opera both local characteristics and its distinctive style, making it a treasured art form of Quanzhou's folk culture.

The traditional repertoire of Dacheng Opera can be broadly categorized into three types: mythological and supernatural plays, historical stories, and martial arts dramas. These traditional works often embody religious themes such as encouraging virtuous behavior, the concept of karma, the importance of filial piety, and the boundless power of Taoist (or Buddhist) teachings. The transmission of Dacheng Opera is characterized by a non-familial, socially loose troupe-based apprenticeship system, where students typically do not have fixed master-disciple relationships.