In the early Qing Dynasty, Kunqu Opera prevailed in Chenzhou. During the Jiaqing period, Kunban from Jixiu, Chenzhou went to Guangzhou to perform, and Guangzhou's "Inscription on the Site of Liyuan Guild Hall" was inscribed and described. During the period from Xianfeng to Tongzhi, the performing arts of Kunqu Opera in Chenzhou became more and more mature, with exquisite body expressions, white singing and costume props, and gradually formed a system. At that time, He Yalian, a famous Dan in Chenzhou, performed Kunqu Opera, and Yang Enshou highly praised him in his Diary of Yuan Tan, which was written in the first year of Tongzhi (1862): "The volume is cool and vivid." From the end of18th century, the contention between the "coloratura" of Peking Opera, Shaanxi Opera, Yiyang Opera, Bangzi Opera, Luoluo Opera and Huang Er Opera and the "elegance" of Kunshan Opera led to the decline of Kunqu Opera in China. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the civilian class rose and the literati began to be pragmatic. Kunqu opera was not favored by the public and lost its position as a literati class. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Kunqu Opera declined in China and Kunban disappeared. However, in Chenzhou District, Hunan Province, a miracle happened, Kunqu activities showed an upward trend, and many Kunqu classes and new Kunqu talents appeared. Hunan Kunqu opera base camp moved south to Chenzhou, and Chenzhou became the base of Hunan Kunqu opera art. From the 13th year of Tongzhi to the 16th year of the Republic of China (1874-1927), Kunban in Guiyang County, Chenzhou has successively established Kunban Wen Xiu, Xinkun Wen Xiu, Shengkun Wen Xiu, Jikun Wen Xiu, Kunmei Garden and Kunshi Garden. 1927, all Kunban classes in Chenzhou were forcibly dissolved. After the dissolution of these Kunqu Opera classes, Kunqu Opera artists changed to Qi Opera and xiang opera Class Club, and then continued to carry out Kunqu Opera artistic activities.
After entering Hunan, Kunqu Opera has been influenced by local language, folk music, other operas (mainly xiang opera and Qi operas) and folk customs for a long time. In order to meet the needs of the audience, through the long-term practice of artists, Hunan Kunqu Opera has gradually improved into a Kunqu Opera faction with unique, complete and standardized procedures, which not only maintains the essence of traditional Kunqu Opera art, but also has a unique local flavor of Chu culture. The improved art of Hunan Kunqu Opera (referred to as Xiang Kun for short) strives to change the defects of long script, procrastination and similarity, and boldly abridge and tighten the script. The white mouth is more lively, and the distinctive drums are added to the musical instrument, which relaxes the requirements for tone, sentence pattern and four tones in rotation. The style that is too sad, sad, melancholy and lingering is restrained, tightened and handled with care. The timbre is integrated with Hunan local music and Kunqu opera, and strives for perfection. The rhythm of music is three eyes and one board, and the processing is accelerated, which makes the music layout more diverse and highlights the characteristics of citizens' needs. During the performance, the clown changed into the mandarin of Chenzhou, Hunan Province, with a strong flavor of life. The adoption and use of props is changed to familiar objects commonly used and used in Hunan local drama. On the basis of inheriting the artistic achievements of the previous generation of Kunqu Opera, he innovated the music and performing arts of Hunan Kunqu Opera, which was highly praised by expert Wu as: "This breakthrough development has created a miracle in the history of China drama." Dramatist A Jia prefers to say, "The fragrance of Lan Zhi is just Hunan flavor."
After the decline of Kunqu Opera, there was no professional Kunqu Opera Troupe in China for several decades before the founding of New China. 1955, Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe, the only new professional Kunqu Opera performance group in China, was established. 1956, the traditional Kunqu Opera "Fifteen Passes", which was composed and performed by the troupe, caused a sensation in the whole country with its high ideological content, popularity and artistry, resulting in the miracle of "saving one drama by one drama" (Kunqu Opera) and becoming "letting a hundred flowers blossom and bringing forth the new". Zhou Enlai praised Kunqu Opera as an "orchid in a hundred gardens of art". Kunqu Opera was highly valued by the Party and the government, and Kunqu Opera Troupes were established in various places. Since then, the art of Kunqu opera has entered a new historical development period, and the ancient Kunqu opera has regained its youth and vitality.
In the same year, Jiahe County, Chenzhou region, organized by the county cultural and educational department, excavated and arranged the performance of Kunqu Opera "Three Strings and Negative Scenery", which attracted the attention of people from all walks of life in Hunan Province. In February 65438, the artist Mei Lanfang listened carefully to the report on the excavation of Kunqu Opera in Changsha, expressing his appreciation and support. 1In August, 957, Song Wu Killing Sister-in-law, starring Kuang Shengping and Liu Guoqing, was a great success in Changsha, the provincial capital. In the same year, the Hunan Provincial Bureau of Culture entrusted Jiahe, where the actors of Kunqu Opera in Wen Xiu were concentrated, to start a training class for Kunqu Opera students, and trained a group of influential new Kunqu Opera successors both inside and outside the province.
1966 On March 6th, Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe, the only professional Kunqu Opera performance group in Central and South China, was established (the troupe was formerly the state-owned Xiang Kun Opera Troupe in Chenzhou Special Zone, and came into being on October 27th on the basis of Jiahe Kunqu Opera Training Course). The cause of Kunqu Opera in Hunan Province has entered a new period of development. After the establishment of the troupe, it created a style of "being good at inheriting, being brave in innovation, being good at shaping characters, constantly absorbing the artistic essence of other schools of Kunqu Opera and enriching itself". In the early days of the alliance, a number of influential Kunqu newcomers emerged, such as Tang Xiangyin, Lei, Wen Julin, Guo and Sun Jinyun. When the troupe first entered Beijing, Tian Hanyu, a famous dramatist and former chairman of the National Dramatists Association, said, "golden phoenix flew out of the mountain nest."
During the Cultural Revolution, Kunqu Opera Troupe was once dissolved. After ten years of civil strife, Kunqu Opera took the lead in the restoration of the country. Since the beginning, Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe (formerly Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe)
General Xiao Ke's poem describes: "Kunqu opera is orchid, Hunan and Kunming are different, and after several severe frosts, it is graceful and heroic." Kunqu Opera Troupe has taken on a brand-new look, criss-crossing everywhere, and has been to Beijing, Hong Kong and Taiwan for many times to participate in major performances. The repertoire accurately interprets the connotation of Kunqu opera works in different periods and schools, and highlights the unique artistic style of simplicity, elegance, boldness and delicacy. Many traditional and newly edited plays, such as: The Story of Chai Jing, The Legend of Su Xianling, The Satrap of the Day, Lost Tower in the Fog, etc. He has won many awards in provincial and national performances. Such as Song Wu's killing sister-in-law, drunkenness at the entrance of the mountain, showing your majesty to the cottage, meeting your mother, discussing swords, meeting your mother, grabbing sticks, picking plums, guessing letters, collecting firewood, seeking dreams and stopping horses, and so on, a number of up-and-coming stars have appeared. Zhang, winner of the National Plum Blossom Award, Cui, Zhou Fuxiang, Wu Shaojuan, Tang Fei and Zhang Xiaoming, winners of the first National Young Actors' Exhibition of Kunqu Opera, and winners of the third Hunan Young Actors' Drama Grand Prix, have become rare outstanding performing artists on the stage of Kunqu Opera in China. After several struggles, Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe gained great fame in rescuing Xiang Kun's heritage and inheriting Kunqu Opera, and became one of the "famous art performance groups in China".