Quanzhou Liyuan Opera is a rare opera in China, which retains the characteristics of Tang and Song Dynasty Southern Opera. It is rooted in Quanzhou and spread to Taiwan and Southeast Asia with the footprints of Quanzhou people. Origin Liyuan Opera originated in Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Together with Zhejiang's Southern Opera, it is known as the "Sound of Fujian and Zhejiang", which "performs the singing and reciting of Southern Song Opera". It has a history of more than 800 years and is known as the "living fossil of ancient Southern Opera". It is widely spread in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Xiamen, Guangdong Chaoshan area, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries where Minnan Chinese live, and has preserved many scripts, literature, music, singing and performance regulations of Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Classification Liyuan Opera is divided into three schools: "Shanglu" and "Xiannan" of Xiaoliyuan (Qiziban) and Daliyuan, each with its own reserved repertoire "Shibapengtou", which preserves 25 southern opera repertoires such as "Zhu Wen", "Liu Wenlong", "Cai Bozui", and "Wang Kui". The script is similar to the stage prompts such as "Gua", "Sanhe", and "Jingbanpo" in "Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan". Liyuan Opera still exists in the dance performance, retaining the original ecological stage art. Form Liyuan Opera performance has a set of strict and standardized performance forms, and its basic movements are called "Shibabu Kemu", and each profession is strictly regulated by it. The music retains the form of the southern opera with drum, flute and string accompaniment as the main instrument; the singing style originated from the ancient music of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, with multiple tunes for one word, and it is sung with spring sound, which belongs to the style of qupai, and the ancient qupai names are still used today: such as [Mohe Dou Le] and [Nichang Yuyi Qu]; the pipa is a southern pipa, played horizontally, similar to the Tang system; the upper string is the legacy of the Xiqin of the Jin Dynasty; the Dongxiao is the shakuhachi of the Tang Dynasty; the percussion instrument is mainly the southern drum (pressing foot drum), and the playing method is unique. The ritual "shed" is the traditional performance venue of Liyuan Opera. Before the performance, a "shed offering" ceremony is held to offer sacrifices to the ancestor of the opera, Tian Du Yuanshuai, and then the role and the official dance begin. There is only a long chair at the back of the shed, which is different from the one table and two chairs on the general opera stage; the "bamboo cup" in the Southern Song Dynasty drama "Eye Medicine Acid" is still used in the performances of the two roles of Jing and Chou in Liyuan Opera. Significance The preserved documents and living materials of Liyuan Opera provide a glimpse into the essence of southern opera culture, southern Fujian regional culture, and local folk art. From the perspective of historical culture, Liyuan Opera is an intangible comprehensive art information library.