Characteristics of tea-picking drama

The overall characteristics of Jiangxi tea-picking drama are: cheerful performance, humor, singing and dancing, strong comedy and strong local flavor.

The so-called tea-picking opera is a traditional opera popular in Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and other provinces. In each province, popular areas are always different, and they are distinguished by local names. For example, tea-picking opera in northern Guangdong, Yangxin tea-picking opera in Hubei, Huangmei tea-picking opera, Qichun tea-picking opera and so on. This kind of drama, especially in Jiangxi, is more common, and there are many kinds of dramas.

For example, Jiangxi tea-picking operas include Pingxiang tea-picking opera, Gannan tea-picking opera, Fuzhou tea-picking opera, Nanchang tea-picking opera, Gao 'an tea-picking opera, Wuning tea-picking opera, Jidong tea-picking opera, Ji 'an tea-picking opera, Jingdezhen tea-picking opera and Ningdu tea-picking opera. Although the names of these operas are different, their formation time is mostly from the middle of Qing Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty.

The origin of tea-picking drama

Jiangxi tea-picking drama mainly originated in Anyuan and Xinfeng areas in southern Jiangxi, which is related to tea production. In the tea areas of southern Jiangxi, eastern Jiangxi and northern Jiangxi in the Ming Dynasty, during the Grain Rain season, working women went up the mountain to pick tea and sang folk songs to stimulate their labor enthusiasm. This folk song, which is popular in tea areas, is called "tea picking song".

It developed from folk tea-picking songs and tea-picking lanterns, and later became a folk drama with characters and story lines. Because it usually has only two performances, one ugly or three performances, it is also called "triangle class".