What is the origin of Shexian, one of the four ancient cities and the quintessence of Peking Opera?

Shexian County, located in the southeast of Anhui Province, China, is a county under the jurisdiction of Huangshan City. Shexian county has been the first county in Huizhou for thousands of years since Qin Shihuang implemented the county system in 22 BC/KLOC-0 BC. Shexian, an ancient city, is also called "Four Ancient Cities in China" with Langzhong, Lijiang, Yunnan and Pingyao.

Shexian County is the seat of the ancient Huizhou government, the birthplace of Huizhou culture and the quintessence of Peking Opera, the main birthplace of Huizhou merchants, and the main producing areas of Four Treasures of the Study Zhonghui Mo and She Yan. The formation of Peking Opera is inseparable from the spread of Huizhou Opera!

The most glorious history of Anhui opera is that the "four Huizhou classes" entered Beijing. In the fifty-fifth year of Li Hong's reign (1790), the "Huizhou Four Classes" such as Sanqing Class, Sixi Class, Hechun Class and Chuntai Class of Huizhou Opera, with the support of Huizhou merchants, performed in Beijing one after another to celebrate Li Hong's eightieth birthday, which was very popular and soon became the mainstream of Beijing Opera.

Soon after Anhui Opera entered Beijing, Han Opera also entered Beijing. Therefore, the Hui Opera, which is dominated by Ersong, has absorbed the "Xipi" of Han Opera and further enriched and developed its own voice.

Since then, Huizhou Opera rooted in the north has gradually absorbed the "Beijing dialect" in the north, and combined its high-pitched dialect with the northern language to develop into a Peking Opera with both skin and spring. Cheng Changgeng, an outstanding old artist who made outstanding contributions to the performing arts of Huizhou Opera and the monitor of Sanqing Class, became the originator of Peking Opera.

Shexian county! Shexian county is a national historical and cultural city, which has preserved many cultural relics. The current Shexian county back to the town is the original Huizhou Fucheng. There are two mountains in Shexian city, which divide the ancient city into two parts: to the east is the ancient Shexian county with Guo Cheng, surrounded by mountains and shaped like a half moon; To the west is the ancient Huizhou city, facing Lianjiang, with open terrain. The city wall was built in the Ming Dynasty, with only a few gatehouses and some city walls.

In addition to the county seat, there are a large number of historical blocks and ancient buildings in ancient villages such as Yuliang Village, Tang Yue Village and Bei 'an Village, among which folk houses, ancestral temples and memorial archways are called the three wonders of Huizhou architecture.

Summary: Shexian County, known as the "hometown of archways", built more than 250 stone workshops throughout the county during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. These archways outline the ethical profile of "loyalty, filial piety and righteousness" in feudal society. Huizhou architecture and Huizhou art preserved in the ancient city have left endless wealth to future generations. It can be said that Shexian culture fully represents the essence of Huizhou culture.