A renowned local opera mainly prevalent in Southwestern China's Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hubei provinces, Sichuan Opera is characterized by unique solos, refined acting, rich percussion and talented comedians, whose skills are unparalleled in the world.
The development of Sichuan Opera is intrinsically linked to the natural conditions in Sichuan. The principal agricultural products cultivated in Sichuan's extraordinarily fertile soil include rice, tea and mulberry trees, whose leaves are used in the traditional industry of raising silkworms. Rustic songs originally sung by boatmen, tea-plantation and rice-paddy workers developed into famous local folk songs, which, in a sense, can be regarded as the precursors of the province's great operatic tradition.