Dai opera is one of the unique ethnic minority operas in Yunnan. It is popular in Luxi, Yingjiang, Ruili, Longchuan, Lianghe and other counties in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province and some Dai settlements in Baoshan City. Dai opera originated from Dai song and dance performances and Buddhist scripture storytelling with certain characters and plots. Later, it absorbed the artistic nutrition of Yunnan opera and shadow play, and gradually formed a relatively complete opera form. In the late Qing Dynasty, the Ganya Tusi Office in Yingjiang organized the first Dai opera troupe in Dehong's history. Soon, Dai opera spread to other areas of Dehong. Ten Tusi Yamen in Dehong successively established Dai opera troupes and built theaters. At the same time, Dai opera spread from Tusi Yamen to the people, and a large number of folk Dai opera performance organizations emerged. After the founding of New China, Dai opera has made new developments. In 1960, the first professional performance group, Luxi County Dai Opera Troupe, was established, and in 1962 it was expanded to Dehong Prefecture Dai Opera Troupe. At first, the female characters played by men in Dai opera wore Dai women's clothing, while the male characters' costumes and the action routines of male and female characters were similar to those of Yunnan opera and Peking opera. During the performance, the actors took three steps forward to sing or perform actions, and then took three steps back to listen to the prompts from the sidelines. The singing was accompanied by percussion instruments such as gongs and drums. Later, the singing style gradually developed into two basic tunes: [Han Hun] (male tune) and [Han Lang] (female tune). The tunes of Dai folk songs were widely absorbed as singing styles and instrumental music. During the performance, the actors wore Dai costumes, and the gait of Dai folk dance was integrated into the performance movements. The accompaniment was increased by instruments such as Hulusi, Erhu and elephant foot drum, making the ethnic style more intense. Some traditional Dai opera repertoires are derived from Dai folk stories, narrative poems or Buddhist stories, such as "Xiang Meng", "Thousand Petal Lotus", "Lang Tui Han", etc.; some are translated and transplanted from Han operas, such as "Zhuangzi Tests His Wife", "Ganlu Temple", "The Female Generals of the Yang Family", etc. Since the 1960s, Dai opera has been adapted, created and performed a large number of plays, such as "E Ping and Sang Luo", "Hai Han", and "Deep Love in Bamboo House". In 1962, "E Ping and Sang Luo" participated in the Southwest Minority Drama Performance and caused a sensation and was hailed as the "Pearl of Southeast Asia". In addition to professional groups such as the Dehong Prefecture Dai Opera Troupe, almost all larger Dai villages have amateur performance teams. At present, Dai opera is basically only loved by the elderly, and young people have little interest in it because they cannot understand it. The difficulties in the inheritance of Dai opera are becoming increasingly prominent.