Lijia Opera House

Lijia Opera House

The Lijia Opera House is located at the southwest corner of Lijia Middle School in Liujia, Wujin District, Changzhou. Also known as the "Wuyun Tower," it was originally an annex to the Temple of the Fiery Emperor (demolished in 1957). Constructed in the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1799), it was destroyed by fire during the Xianfeng era but was later restored. The opera house faces north and is a two-story, brick-and-wood structure in the style of a traditional Chinese hall, with the stage elevated 2.3 meters above ground. It has a convex floor plan. The front stage consists of three narrow bays, spanning 5.7 meters in width and 4.5 meters in depth across five rafters, with a ridge height of 7.3 meters. The backstage has three bays spanning 10 meters in width and 5.7 meters in depth across six rafters. The stage ceiling features painted beams, brackets, and a central caisson painting. The building covers a construction area of 83 square meters.

A large number of Qing Dynasty and Republican-era playbills and performance schedules left by theater troupes were discovered on the wooden panels of the Lijia Opera House. In 1953, the Kunqu Opera repertoire “The Embroidered Jacket” performed by the Yongfeng Troupe was found preserved on the walls of the Lijia Temple of the Fiery Emperor Opera House, overturning the old belief that “Kunqu was not performed on temple stages.” As a result, the Lijia Opera House was included in the “Chinese Opera Chronicles.”