The Forefather of Chinese Opera - Qinqiang

Also dubbed Luantan, Qinqiang Opera is a local Chinese opera that mainly thrives in north China’s Shaanxi Province It is said that the opera was called "the Emperor Qin Shihuang 's Opera" during the Tang period and was later renamed Qinqiang Opera, which boasts the most ancient, affluent, and largest musical system of all Chinese operas. 
The opera first originated from local folk songs and dance forms in the Yellow River Valley of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces -- the birthplaces of Chinese culture. As an opera art form, Qinqiang evolved in ancient China's political, economic, and cultural center - Chang'an -- with the persistent efforts of the local people over generations.
Its repertoires usually feature such themes as anti-aggression wars, the fight between the loyal and the treacherous, and the struggles against oppression, as well as a number of other topics of strong human interest that reflect the honest, diligent, brave, and upright characteristics of the local people. Qinqiang is also one of the earliest operatic musical systems to reflect the emotions of human beings. During the Qing Dynasty, Qinqiang Opera entered Beijing and directly affected the formation of Peking Opera. Qinqiang Opera thrived during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) when Qinqiang troupes were disseminated throughout the country; in North China's city of Xi'an alone there were 36 Qinqiang troupes.