The Museum Of Dian Opera

The Museum Of Dian Opera

Dian Opera plays an important role in the local culture of Yunnan Province. Absorbing the advantages of other kinds of operas in the middle of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Dian Opera, which is based on Yunnan dialect, has taken in the local and especially minority tunes since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to become a brand-new opera. In its heyday, the Dian Opera master Li Chengzhi and Peking Opera master Ma Lianliang were laurelled "Bei Ma Nan Li" which means "for Chinese opera art, Li Chengzhi is the best-known in the south of China, while Ma Lianliang is most reputed in the north of China".

Niujiezhuang Village in the east suburb of Kunming is the most famous for the Dian Opera. In this village, the Dian Opera has been surviving for over 200 years. Villagers put on a Dian Opera show once a week on average; and when it comes to main festivals such as the Lantern Festival, they are invited to perform in many places around the province.

In 2009, Mr Zhang Yong (60s), the head of the amateur Dian Opera troupe of the village, organised to establish the first Dian Opera museum of Yunnan. What is displayed in the museum is precious relics of different eras including costumes, props, notations and photos.

No matter how fast the entertainment develops and how diversified it becomes, villagers from Niujiezhuang Village are capable of performing Dian Opera more or less.

Zhang Yong said his forefathers were fans of the Dian Opera and he is the fifth generation of his family in this regard. "These relics are quite valuable, and they will disappear in the future if nobody protects them,” He said, “Today, people who are interested in the Dian Opera and hunting for Dian Opera notations often visit our museum."

Today, entertainment has diversified and the Dian Opera is gradually fading out of the cultural life. To preserve the Dian Opera appears to be a dilemma. In order to make more people get to know about the Dian Opera, Mr Zhang has purchased dozens of costumes and props personally, and invested to build the Dian Opera Museum. In June 2009, He was honoured "a heritor of intangible cultural heritages of Kunming".

Address：Niujiezhuang Village, Guandu District, Kunming