Shaoxing, known as the hometown of opera, is a place where Lu Xun, a native of Shaoxing, inevitably focuses on this theme. He dedicatedly wrote about She Opera in his novella ‘She Opera’, essay ‘Impermanence’, and miscellaneous writings ‘Women’s Mourning’, and also mentioned it in various essays such as ‘Literary Talks Outside the Door’, ‘Art of the Second Ugly’, and in letters and diaries, indicating the profound influence of She Opera on Lu Xun.
The character ‘She’ in She Opera originally referred to the earth god, hence it was initially the drama performed during the spring and autumn seasons in Shaoxing’s urban and rural areas for the worship of the earth god, as a way to pray for blessings and good fortune. The spring season is called ‘Spring She’, praying for the prosperity of livestock and abundant harvests throughout the year; the autumn season is called ‘Autumn She’, celebrating the favorable weather, peace, and national prosperity of the year. The day of the sacrifice is called ‘She Day’, and influenced by this, Shaoxing still retains village names like ‘Ruan She’ and ‘Grain She’. Like many local operas, the performance venues for She Opera are generally divided into grass stages and temple stages. In the past, almost every village or region had a ‘Buddha Temple’, and there would be a birthday for the Buddha, so She Opera could often be seen on these temple stages. Generally, She Opera performances would follow the custom of having a divine seat, so Lu Xun mentioned in ‘Women’s Mourning’: ‘What I know is Shaoxing forty years ago, there were no high-ranking officials, so there were no dramas specifically for people (private performances). Any drama performance carried a bit of ‘She Opera nature’, with the divine seat being the main focus, and people went to watch merely as a favor. ‘ Opening Hours: 01/01-11/22 13:00-14:30; 11/24-11/29 13:00-14:30; 12/01-12/31 13:00-14:30; 11/23 19:30-20:30; 11/30 19:30-20:30.
Preferential Policies: Children: 1.2m (inclusive) – 1.5m (exclusive), Seniors: 60 years old (inclusive) – 70 years old (exclusive) with valid identification, Students: Full-time primary, middle, and high school students with valid student IDs.
Additional Information: The above information is for reference only; please refer to the specific information disclosed by the scenic area on the day.
