Baiju Opera

        Baiju Opera is a kind of ethnic opera developed from the traditional drama "Chui Chuiqiang" and traditional music "Da Benqu" of the Bai people. The libretto basically adopts the "San Huati" commonly used in folk songs of the Bai people and sung in the Bai Language or Chinese. There are over thirty kinds of tunes and melodies with distinctive rhythms, rigorous and simple rules as well as strict and fixed forms. Recently, over 400 operas have been collected, mainly including the opera about embroidered robes and jade belts, life opera, folk legends, new historical opera and modern opera. It has been included in the second national Intangible Cultural Heritage protection list publicized by the State Council in February, 2008.