The barbarian fiddle, or hu qin, was probably brought into Sichuan by the famous Peking Opera. On the other hand, the masked theater known as deng diao, which evolved from exorcist ceremonies practiced in the villages, is clearly of Sichuan origin. Deng diao was only accepted very gradually and with much hesitation from professional performance troupes. Removable masks are distinct from the painted masks, which are traditionally worn by performers on stages elsewhere in China. Alongside the dominant dialogues there are also numerous old folkloric themes that were typically heard in the past at rural festivals, weddings and funeral processions. The accompanying instruments are primarily small drums and gongs.

Itinerant troupes from northern China probably brought the clapper element, tan xi, to Sichuan. This style is characterized by cunning, emotionally fraught rhythms played on wooden clappers, accompanied by the so-called "moon guitar."

The fifth stylistic element in Sichuan Opera is called kun qu. It originated in the southern Yangtze Basin and was later imported to Sichuan as a variant of the traditional and respected Kun Opera, with its discriminating literary dramas and fluent, highly artful melodies. The dominant melodic instrument here is the bamboo flute (di zi).

A single theater piece of Sichuan Opera usually combines two or three of these musical styles. Only very rarely do all five systems appear together. The gao qiang style is the most frequent and its structure is most clearly developed.