Liyuan Opera [Photo provided to enquanzhou.com]

Liyuan Opera, which originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), is an ancient opera genre prevalent in southern China that features singing in the Quanzhou dialect.

Liyuan Opera has preserved a lot of literature and performance forms of classical opera in a relatively complete way. It is reputed as the "living fossil of ancient southern opera".

During the Republic of China period (1912-1949), many opera troupes in southern Fujian disintegrated and Liyuan Opera was on the verge of extinction.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, under government protection, Liyuan Opera was saved and made many remarkable achievements in provincial and national drama competitions.

In 2002, Liyuan Opera, as a typical representative of China's oral and intangible cultural heritage, was listed in the database of traditional folk performing arts by the Asia-Pacific Cultural Center.