Qinqiang is an ancient opera popular in northwest my country. Among the historical documents discovered so far, the term "Qinqiang" first appeared in the legend manuscript of "Lotus in the Bowl" during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620). In the manuscript, there is a section of the lyrics that the singing style is marked as "Xiqinqiang Erfan". In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 400 Qinqiang repertoires performed in Xiqinqiang in our county, all of which were passed down orally from generation to generation by artists. The existing six repertoires such as "Tianqitu" and "Wuleigou" cannot be found in the "Chinese Bangzi Opera Repertoire Dictionary". The facial makeup of the characters in the performance is unique and has a strong regional color, which is also quite different from the traditional Qinqiang character facial makeup. In the performance of Gaotai Xiqinqiang, some intangible things have also been preserved intact. For example, before the troupe opens the box to perform, the actors must worship the wooden statue of "Prince Zhuang", burn incense and kowtow, and then put on makeup and perform. There are regulations on the time and performance of Western Qinqiang, for example, on the first day of the first lunar month, "Return to Jingzhou" is performed; on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, "Yan Chasan" is performed; on the second day of the second lunar month, "Cai Lou Pei" is performed; on the Qingming Festival in March, "Du Kang Tu" is performed; on the eighth day of April, the rain-seeking play "Three Lakes", namely: "Visiting West Lake", "Dongting Lake" and "Poyang Lake" is performed; on the fifth day of May, "The Legend of White Snake" is performed; on the thirteenth day of May, "Out of the Five Passes" is performed; on the sixth day of June, "Picture of the God of Wealth" is performed; on the seventh day of July, "Tianhe Pei" is performed; on the fifteenth day of August, "Visiting the Moon Palace" is performed; on the thirteenth day of September, "Weiyang Palace" is performed; on the first day of October, "Xiangshan Scroll" is performed; on the twenty-eighth day of November, "Walking on the Snow Mountain" is performed; on the twenty-eighth day of December, "Imperial Orchard" is performed, etc. In addition, there are off-stage plays. Go to a certain place to perform a play. On a special day, go to the temple to perform a play about gods. The characters in the play about gods are the three gods of fortune, wealth and longevity. There is a plot and lines, and they only say words to wish the local people good fortune and longevity. If there is a newly built stage, there is also a "stage play". Two spiritual officials and two boys follow the heavenly official to perform. After singing, they hit five thunder bowls in a row and say at the same time: "The country is peaceful and the people are safe, the crops are abundant, the weather is favorable, and there are more filial sons and grandsons, and more pillars of society!" From the front stage to the back stage, the five thunder bowls are hit, and the stage play is over. There is also "beating the official", which is mainly a way to say blessing words to the local leaders to ask for money. Gaotai Xi Qinqiang began to spread in the 11th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (that is, 1378), and has a performance career of more than 500 years. There are historical records of the reorganization of the troupe during the Kangxi and Daoguang years. There is a saying in Gaotai that "Qinqiang in Dazhai and Mihu in Zhenjiangbao" proves that Gaotai Xiqinqiang is prosperous and outstanding. In addition, Gaotai County has more than 10 amateur opera troupes. Luocheng Township alone has "three stages and half opera". Hongshan, Tiancheng and Luocheng villages each have one opera troupe, and Hexi Village has half an opera troupe. At the same time, there is a folk song that "Tiancheng's clothes, Luocheng's voice, Hongshan's old man pretends to be a girl, and Hexi people wear leather coats to go on stage." Before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Hongshan Village once produced a famous Qinqiang actor Wu Xingchang who was famous in the Hexi Corridor, and Leshanbao also produced Feng Dajing, Erdanwa, Tianfuzi and other well-known good performers. From the reign of Emperor Guangxu to the 31st year of the Republic of China (i.e. 1929), the old Shaanxi artist Yang Sanbao settled in Leshan Village, taught his apprentices and passed on his art, which further promoted the development of Western Qinqiang and cultivated a group of influential famous actors, such as Sheng Zhengkui (stage name Tianfuzi), Yin Zhengxu (stage name Erdanwa), Feng Liangji (Feng Dajing), etc. Western Qinqiang was often active in Gaotai, Jiuquan, Jinta and other places, and their performances were once a sensation. In 1953, Gaotai County pulled down the mast of the opera building in front of the Guandi Temple in Leshanbao during the campaign to eliminate feudal superstition. The spherical glazed tiles on the top of the mast were broken, and a pile of costume fragments fell out (some said it was a red cloth bag), with the words "Hongwu 11th year, opera" and so on; there was also an account book with the words "Hongwu 11th year, the Zhongyi class was rebuilt", but these physical objects were taken away by the working group at that time. The witnesses at that time were Yin Tinggui, Liu Xinghe, Yin Sanjun, Wang Aiguo, etc., and three of the above four people are still alive. In May 1957, Chen Guang, the head of the Art Section of the Gansu Provincial Bureau of Culture, conducted a 40-day investigation in Leshanbao. He also believed that the above statement was correct and confirmed that the history of Gaotai Xiqinqiang was "credible". It can be seen that Gaotai County Xiqinqiang is a Qinqiang that has survived for 600 years without interruption or extinction, and can be called "the living fossil of Chinese Qinqiang art". There are more than 400 Qinqiang scripts that have been passed down orally. In its development process, many famous actors and actresses have emerged, and many good stories have been spread. It was once famous in the Hexi Corridor for its superb Qinqiang acting skills and outstanding stage art achievements, and it occupies an important position in the history of Gansu opera. At present, the performances of Xiqinqiang mainly include the Hongshahe Village Qinqiang Troupe, the Hongshan Village Qinqiang Troupe and the Leshan Qinqiang Troupe Rural Grassroots Troupe. Most of the performers are old, and some are even mentally retarded. The orally passed down opera scripts and facial makeup are on the verge of being lost and urgently need to be excavated and sorted out.