The Huangmei Opera Theater of Anhui province grew out of the Huangmei Opera Troupe of Anhui Province founded in April 1954. It was expanded into a theater in1988.

At its early stage, the Huangmei Opera was called "Huangmei Tune". Because it is from the masses and full of local flavor with an art style of pastoral song, it is pleasant to hear, nice to look at, easy to learn and easy to understand, suits both refined and popular tastes; hence, the name: "The country music of China from foreign friends.

Over the years, the Theater has rearranged, revised and created more than 400 plays. There are revised traditional repertoire programs such as "A Good Match (from stage to film), "Female Son-in-Law of the Emperor" (from stage to film) and "Silk Handkerchief; plays revised and created on the basis of classics and popular legends such as "A Dream of Red Mansions", "Fate in Tears and Laughter", "The Cowhand and the Weaving-girl" (film), Dragons Daughter (from stage to film), A women Named Meng Jiang (from stage to film), "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", "Swing Frame and "walking in the Rain"; plays revised from foreign repertoire like the Korean play "The Story of Chunxiang", William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing and revised modem plays such as "Hard Journey of a Woman Painter, "Pointing at the Xinghua Village", "Ke Lao Er Joins the Party and "Papaya is on the Market" .Among them, "A Good Match" received encouragements and rewards for its script writing, best performance, director and  music at the Local Operas Performance for Discussion And Emulation in East China in 1954, the film based on the same play has participated in the international film festivals in France, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Switzerland and Finland. The play was made into a color, wide-screen film with a new name "The Chinese Scholar Tree" and was released aboard. A Dream of Red Mansions won the Grand Wenhua prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture in 1992. "Much Ado about Nothing was commended by the Ministry of Culture. The Theater toured all over the country and paid visits to DPR Korea, Germany, Singapore as well as Taiwan and Macao regions. Everywhere they went they received warm welcome.

In the last more than 40 years, the Theater gathered generations of excellent Huangmei Opera artists. There are artists of o1d generation Yan Fengying, Wang Shaofang, Pan Jingli and Zhang Yunfeng, and young and middle-aged artists Ma Lan, Huang Xinde, etc. Through their continuous efforts to introduce the local Huangmei Opera to the nation and abroad, they have improved their artistry and got brilliant achievements.

The Theater has grade l artists Ma Lan, Huang Xinde, Wu Yaling, Huang Zhongyi, Chen xiaocheng and Li Wen, grade 1 director Sun Huairen, grade l composer Chen Jinggen. They are all very active on the stage. Acting the male role of Jia Baoyu in the "A Dream of Red Mansions, Ma Lan has won the Wenhua performance prize and the White Magnolia chief role prize. She played Yan Fengying in the TV series "Yan Fengying" and therefore won TV Series Flying Apsaras prize, Golden Eagle prize and the best actress award. She was also entitled one of the Ten-best Actresses at the 2nd National Television Series Award Competition. By acting Ke Lao Er in the play "Ke Lao Er Joins the Party", Huang Xinde won the Plum Blossom prize and by acting Jiang Yuhan in the play "A Dream of Red Mansions", he won the White Magnolia supporting role prize. Wu Yaling was entitled one of the Ten-best Actresses at the 1st National Huangmei Opera Youth Actors' Television Award Competition .Li Wen, young artist of the new generation, won the "Yan Fengying Prize" and a gold medal at the Huangmei Opera Actors and Actresses competition.

Website:   www.huangmeixi.com.cn

Address: No.136, Tongcheng Road, Hefei City, Anhui Province

Post code: 230061

Tel: (0551) 2677896    2676856

Fax:  (0551)  2617555