The fifth China (Suzhou) Kunqu Opera and China Pingtan Arts Festival came to a close in Suzhou city, Jiangsu province, China. “The white rare” and “Jingchai” dramas performed by Hunan Kunqu opera troupe were awarded with excellent plays.

China (Suzhou) Kunqu Opera Arts Festival is the most influential and most concerned Kunqu festival in China, which is held by Ministry of Culture, Jiangsu Government, and Suzhou government every three years. The commendations and awards have always been highly authoritative in the industry. This time, there are 24 plays performed by 7 Kunqu opera troupes and famous Chinese operas institutions. After the severe competition, “The white rare” and “Jingchai” from Huan troupe, “Jinagyang” from Shanghai troupe, “A dream in read mansions” from Beijing troupe, “Jade hairpin” from Suzhou troupe, and “Baiyue kiosk” from Shanghai Theatre Academy were awarded with excellent plays. Excellent performance awards were honored to Leiling, Wangfang, Wangzhengyi, Shen Fengying, Yu Jiulin and Li An. Show awards were granted to Tang Hui and Wang Fuwen. Tang Shaohua was awarded with excellent composer and Jiang Feng was awarded with excellent flute player.

Kunqu also known as Kunju, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The style originated in the Wu cultural area. It is listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2001.

Kunqu was developed during the late Yuan Dynasty (14th century), and a famous early pioneer was Gu Jian of Qiandeng town in Kunshan.Kunqu has influenced on many other Chinese theatre forms, including Jingju (Peking Opera). Its emergence ushered in the second Golden Era of Chinese drama. However, by the early twentieth century, it had nearly disappeared, which was only exacerbated by deliberate attempts to suppress it during the Cultural Revolution. Today, Kunqu is performed professionally in seven Mainland Chinese cities: Beijing (Northern Kunqu Theatre), Shanghai (Shanghai Kunqu Theatre), Suzhou (Suzhou Kunqu Theatre), Nanjing (Jiangsu Province Kunqu Theatre), Chenzhou (Hunan Kunqu Theatre), Yongjia County/Wenzhou (Yongjia Kunqu Theatre) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province Kunqu Theatre), as well as in Taipei. Non-professional opera societies are active in many other cities in China and abroad, and opera companies occasionally tour.

There are many plays that continue to be famous today, including The Peony Pavilion and The Peach Blossom Fan, which were originally written for the Kunqu stage. In addition, many classical Chinese novels and stories, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin and Journey to the West were adapted very early into dramatic pieces.
Its melody or tune is one of the Four Great Characteristic Melodies in Chinese opera.