As a renowned local opera mainly prevailing in Southwestern China's Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, Sichuan Opera is characterized by unique solos, refined acting, rich percussion and talented comedians, whose skills are unparalleled in the world. The opera's application to be enlisted as an Intangible World Heritage is currently underway.

Sichuan Opera features vivid, humorous narration, singing and acrobatics. It also builds a system of stylized movements and its acting is both exquisite and lively. Sichuan Opera performances are always full of wit, humor, lively dialogues and pronounced local flavors. To portray special characters, the opera incorporates a series of stunts, including the famous "face-changing." In Chinese opera, facial makeup is usually painted, but in Sichuan opera, the performer can change his or her facial makeup in the snap of a finger right on stage.

Most Sichuan Opera repertoires are adapted from the Chinese classical novels, mythology, legends and folk tales. Statistics show that total number of Sichuan Opera plays exceeds 2,000.

Sichuan Opera is noted for its high-pitched tunes, accompanied only by percussion instruments and choruses, without wind or stringed instruments. In addition, this spectacular theatrical presentation features bright sets and costumes, plus a combination of music, dance and acrobatics. Among China's 300 current local theater traditions, Sichuan Opera has thrived and developed throughout ages as a distinct regional art form.

Its special characteristic -- one that distinguishes Sichuan Opera from other theatrical traditions -- is its immense vitality and dynamic performances that always strive to bring out an individual's artistic abilities into play to ensure fresh material, variety and creativity. In part due to its intimate connection to a lively treasury of folk songs, Sichuan Opera reveals an extraordinary flexibility and vitality of expression in its music and movements.

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