Jinxī Huāxì Lóu (Jinxī Flower-Opera Tower)

Jinxī Huāxì Lóu

Jinxī Huāxì Lóu is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

In Jinxī Village, Xiyang Township, Jing County, there stand two flower-opera towers: one is the Inner Xiyang Huāxì Lóu, and the other is the Outer Xiyang Huāxì Lóu. Built in the same era with similar architectural styles, they are locally referred to as the Sister Flower-Opera Towers. Since temple fairs are held here every September to worship the gods with opera performances, they are also called Wànnián Tái.

Architectural Features

Both towers are of brick-and-wood structure, built during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty. The front section of the Inner Xiyang Wànnián Tái features a single-eave Xieshan-style roof, while the rear section has a flush-gable roof. The rear eave of the front section intersects with the front eave of the rear section. The stage base is 1.8 meters high, 12 meters wide, and 10 meters deep, with the front extension being 6.5 meters wide—covering about half the depth of the entire stage. The ceiling is adorned with large square wooden lattice patterns. The stage is divided into front and back sections by parallel painted screens. Beams and diagonal supports on the eave pillars are carved with opera-related images and texts, and the main ridge and hip ridges are decorated with ornamental ridge beasts.

The Outer Xiyang Wànnián Tái resembles the Inner one in shape but has a more complex structure and more refined craftsmanship. Its roof features six upturned corners arranged in three tiers, with flying eaves and dougong brackets, giving it a distinctive and elegant form. Inside the stage, there is a single-dome beamless caisson ceiling and various colorful paintings of flowers and opera characters, with exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters. The stage base is about 2 meters high, the total width is 13.5 meters, and the depth is 10 meters.

During the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns, this area was a battleground where the Taiping Army and Qing forces fought back and forth. No temples in either Inner or Outer Xiyang survived. In the early Tongzhi years, the Taiping Army suffered defeat here at the hands of the Qing. Fighting ceased between the fourth and fifth years of the Tongzhi reign. From the sixth to the tenth year of Tongzhi, agricultural activities resumed, the economy recovered, people lived in peace, and livestock thrived. The local Hu clan began constructing their ancestral temple—Xuántán Guān. As the Hu clan was large with many branches spread across twelve jiǎ (local administrative divisions), descendants built one temple each in Inner and Outer Xiyang for the convenience of worship. Each temple housed an opera stage. Every September, the whole clan gathered here for lantern displays, competitions, god worship, and opera performances. At the height of the performance season, shows ran for as long as 20 days from the first day of the ninth lunar month to the twentieth, featuring mainly Hui and Peking operas. The twelve Hu branches took turns hosting the events annually. With more Hu people in Outer Xiyang, they hosted performances five times every 12 years on their own Outer Xiyang Wànnián Tái, while other branches sometimes performed on the Inner Xiyang Wànnián Tái.

To ensure grand performances, rituals such as firing cannons and smashing bowls were carried out upon the inauguration of a new season or after renovations. On the first day of performances at dawn (the yín hour), one cannon was fired; on the second day, two; on the third, four; and thereafter the number increased geometrically each day. Empty bowls were also prepared at the front of the stage and hurled toward the stage from a certain distance until none broke—only then would the show begin, creating a lively atmosphere. On the back wall of the Inner Xiyang Wànnián Tái, around 300 opera titles are preserved, with the earliest performance date recorded as the second year of the Guangxu reign (1876). Troupes included Chángchūn, Sìxǐ, and Shuāngxǐ, performing main plays such as Bǎirěn Tú (The Hundred-Patience Picture), Qǔ Luòyáng (Capturing Luoyang), Gōnglà Miào (The Centipede Temple), Duānwǔ Mén (The Dragon Boat Gate), Huánghè Lóu (Yellow Crane Tower), Dǎ Yīngtao (Beating the Cherry), Jiǔxī Gōng (The Nine-Bestowals Palace), Jièpái Lán (The Boundary Plaque Orchid), Nàolóng Gōng (Rousing the Dragon Palace), Qǔ Jīngzhōu (Capturing Jingzhou), Qiánkūn Tú (The Heaven-Earth Picture), Wèishuǐ Hé (The Wei River), and Mà Cáo Cāo (Scolding Cao Cao). The Outer Xiyang Wànnián Tái underwent renovations, and most inscriptions left by troupes—including performance dates and troupe names—were painted over. Only some ink marks remain on the back of the central wooden screen, such as “On the 26th day of the third month in the 21st year of Guangxu, the Shàngyuán Troupe broke the stage at the yín hour” and “Perform earnestly; if not, you will be fined three plays.” Main plays included Dàbǎo Tú (The Great Protection Picture), Wèishuǐ Hé, Luòmǎ Hú (Falling Horse Lake), —, Cǎishí Fán (Stone Crag Wharf), Bǎishòu Tú (The Hundred Longevity Picture), Shuāng Jìnzhōng (Double Loyalty), and Mài Yānzhī (Selling Rouge).

Chinese opera activities have a long history. From the Northern Song to the early Ming Dynasty—over three centuries—the formation, flourishing, and development of northern zaju and southern drama, along with the southward relocation of the Song court and the gradual prosperity of southern commerce and transport, enhanced the blending of northern and southern opera arts in southern Anhui. The existence of ancient stages in Jing County demonstrates the long-standing history and deep folk roots of opera activities in the region.

In May 1998, Jinxī Huāxì Lóu was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Anhui Provincial Government.

Protected Area: Southeast to courtyard wall (4 m), southwest to office building (20 m), northwest to the outer edge of the front plaza of the flower-opera tower (30 m), northeast to courtyard wall (10 m).

Construction Control Zone: 50 m beyond the protected area in all directions (east, south, west, north).