Yangju was originally called Weiyang Opera, commonly known as Yangzhou Opera. It is popular in Yangzhou and Zhenjiang areas of Jiangsu Province, parts of Anhui Province, Nanjing and Shanghai. It is based on Yangzhou folk song and dance drama Huagu Opera and the incense opera performed by male wizards during folk festivals in northern Jiangsu, and finally took shape by absorbing Yangzhou Qingqu and local folk songs. In 1911, the incense opera in northern Jiangsu entered Shanghai from Yangzhou and was renamed "Weiyang Daban". In 1920, Yangzhou Huagu Opera entered Shanghai and was renamed "Weiyang Wenxi". In the early 1930s, the two operas merged to form Weiyang Opera, which was later shortened to Yangju. Yangju music belongs to the qupai style, mainly composed of Huagu Opera music, incense opera music and Yangzhou Qingqu and Xiaochang. Huagu Opera music includes tunes such as "Zhong Damai Tune", "Mo Doufu Tune", "Shenqin Tune", "Diehuai Tune", etc., which are healthy, simple, lively and vivid; Xianghuo Opera music includes tunes such as "Shangzi Jue", "Shizi Jue", "Kuaiban", "Chuandiao", "Yudiao", etc., which are high-pitched and rough, with a strong local flavor; Yangzhou Qingqu and Yangzhou Xiaochang include tunes such as "Manjianghong", "Dieluo", "Caicaidiao", "Chuangzhuangtai", "Jianjianhua", etc., which are beautiful, elegant and delicate, and pleasant to listen to. Yangju accompaniment is divided into civil and martial fields. The civil field has instruments such as the main hu, Zhengong, Pipa, Sanxian, Yangqin, flute, suona, etc., and the martial field has percussion instruments such as the bangu, big gong, small gong, cymbals, and hall drum. The accompaniment of Yangju is light and beautiful, both standardized and flexible, with bright colors and unique personality, which is relatively rare in general operas. Although the roles of Yangju are divided into Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou, the distinction is not strict. The actors have a wide range of roles, and the singing styles are only divided into male and female. The performances of each role are mostly borrowed from Kunju and Peking Opera, but they always maintain the simple and lively characteristics of Huagu Opera, with a strong sense of life. Yangju has always attached great importance to the performances of Chou and Dan, and there are many traditional plays with one Chou and one Dan, which has formed the unique comedy style of Yangju. There are more than 400 traditional plays of Yangju, among which the most influential ones are "Jade Dragonfly", "Pearl Tower", "Trial of Land", "Embroidered Talisman", "Wang Zhaojun", "Nighting Lanterns", "Three Plays of White Peony", "Feast of the Lady", "The Woodcutter and the Painter", "The Wild Goose Sends Letters", "One Hundred Years in Command", etc. Yangju has high ornamental and aesthetic value, rich ideological connotation, can convey the cultural concepts and aesthetic trends of a specific region, has the value of historical and cultural cognition and research, and is a precious treasure in the treasure house of Chinese drama culture. In the past decade or so, due to the impact of multiculturalism in modern society, people's aesthetic concepts have changed, the number of Yangju audiences has decreased, and the troupes have found it difficult to survive. The entire genre is in an endangered state and urgently needs rescue and protection measures.