China Kunqu Opera Museum
Kunqu opera, the 'ancestor of a hundred operas' (ancient stage / tangmingdan portable stage / costumes and documents), weekend Kunqu excerpt performances
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 09:00-17:00 · Closed Mondays
- Ticket
- Free
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Kunqu opera, the 'ancestor of a hundred operas' (ancient stage / tangmingdan portable stage / costumes and documents), with weekend Kunqu excerpt performances. Kunqu was inscribed by UNESCO in 2001 among the first 'Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity'; as one of China's oldest opera genres, its standing as 'ancestor of a hundred operas' is fully presented in this museum. The museum occupies the Qing-dynasty Quanjin Guild Hall, whose stage has a spirally corbeled caisson ceiling with superb sound-focusing effects, one of the finest surviving classical stages in Jiangnan; a tangmingdan (a demountable portable stage), Ming and Qing opera costumes, and gongchepu (traditional musical notation) documents systematically showcase Kunqu's 600-year transmission. Free public Kunqu excerpt performances run on weekends — when the mellow 'water-mill' melody (shuimo qiang) sounds on the ancient stage, six centuries of refined music come back to life before your eyes. Free (reservation required); follow the museum's official WeChat account to lock in performance information in advance.
Getting there: Quanjin Guild Hall
Photos
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