Beijing’s traditional opera culture is rich in history. Mr. Cong Zhaohuan, a famous Kunqu opera expert and a national first-class director, said that Wang Guowei clearly pointed out in the first sentence of A Treatise on the Origin of Chinese Operal that the opera originated from Zaju, the dramas, of the Jin and Yuan Dynasty. Zaju have the name of “Yuanben” which means scripts used by courtesans at the beginning of Jin Dynasty. It is a kind of materials for the performance of folk performance organizations at that time. The content, form, characters and artistic characteristics of humor of Yuanben were quite popular at that time. It was Yuanben that gave birth to brilliant Zaju of the Yuan Dynasty, and gave birth to a large number of great playwrights such as Guan Hanqing, which pushed Chinese traditional drama to a peak. It can be said that Yuanben was the cornerstone of the origin of Chinese traditional dramas. And the location of Jinzhongdu was present Fengtai, Beijing. Therefore, it can be said that Fengtai District is the birthplace of Chinese opera culture.
During the Yuan Dynasty, Beijing was already the center of Chinese opera culture, and this status has not changed so far. However, most of the court royal dramas and artists serving the royal family are concentrated in the north of the city, while the folk operas that the people like are concentrated in the south of the city. Guan Hanqing and numerous dramatists also lived in the south of the city and rely on the nourishment of the Street Culture to create immortal plays. With the end of the Qing Dynasty and the decline of the royal family, opera cultural center of Beijing has been moving southward. After the establishment of People’s Republic of China, many large theatre troupes and opera schools were built together in Fengtai, which was actually determined by history, customs and cultural inertia.
It is precisely because of such a profound cultural and historical origin of opera that Fengtai has become the cradle of opera art talents. Fengtai is also known as the “Hometown of the Operatic Circle”. Fengtai District is usually rich in various kinds of drama performances, and many opera lovers are gathered. During festivals or holidays, it is usual to see folk theatrical troupes singing and dancing on the streets. In recent years, the government of Fengtai District has proposed to build a Chinese opera cultural center, and the “Opera Museum” that displays the history of opera culture is actively preparing for construction. Beijing Opera Culture Week will also be staged in Beijing Garden Expo during the May Day in 2016.