Ancient Chansha Opera House

Ancient Chansha Opera House

Location: Chansha Village, Liuzan Town

Ticket Price: 20 RMB

Introduction: The Ancient Chansha Opera House is located in Chansha Village, Luannan County, Hebei Province. It was first built during the Yuan Dynasty, approximately 700 years ago. Initially, performances were held here to entertain soldiers and comfort civilians on regular days, while during temple fairs, opera music was used to "welcome and offer" entertainment to the gods. At first, soil was piled up to create a stage, later elevated stages were constructed using poles and planks. Eventually, merchants from the south gathered, pooled their resources, and collectively funded the construction of the Ancient Chansha Opera House using locally sourced materials. It then became a prominent venue for traditional opera performances through the generations. In ancient times, one could gaze upon the vast Bohai Sea from atop the house, hence it was also called the “Sea-Viewing Tower.” For centuries, it gained fame across the region for its grandeur and miraculous architecture, renowned both within and beyond the pass.

The Ancient Chansha Opera House stands about fifteen meters tall and faces north. The stage is approximately twenty meters deep and fifteen meters wide, covering over three hundred square meters. On either side of the main structure are auxiliary towers, which are scaled-down replicas of the main building and positioned on its flanks, giving the entire complex a “品”-shaped layout and forming a Song and Yuan dynasty-style stage with “three-sided viewing” – front, left, and right. Both the main and auxiliary towers feature pyramidal roofs with triple eaves and four corners, each crowned with twelve high upturned eaves adorned with hanging bells. The rooftops are covered with green glazed tiles, and the ridges are decorated with glazed and ceramic animal figures. The eave tiles are inscribed with beast faces and floral patterns, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and vibrant colors. The main tower leans against the rear tower, which has a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof made entirely of brick and stone. Three sides of the rear tower’s walls are fitted with circular carved cloud-pattern windows. The interior ceiling follows traditional Chinese wooden architectural design, with multiple layers of interlocking brackets (dougong) creating an intricate layered structure. These brackets are adorned with gold-lacquered paintings depicting dragon heads with wings, golden dragons, floating clouds, water waves, vases, and fragrant plants — all beautifully crafted and finely detailed. The opera house contains over a thousand structural components including beams, pillars, brackets, and dougong, all joined using mortise-and-tenon techniques, making the construction solid and robust. A gold-traced openwork screen separates the main tower from the rear tower on the stage. This intricately carved screen features motifs of dragons, clouds, flowers, birds, and animals, arranged with balanced density, partially revealing and partially concealing, cleverly dividing the stage into front and back areas. Two ten-ring, sapphire-blue octagonal stone pillars on the front stage are inscribed with a couplet in white characters on a black background:

In prosperous times, diligence sustains all things; let the delightful sounds temporarily delight our eyes and ears.

In an era of peace, all people share joy; may this ancient site inspire reflection.

A black plaque with golden characters hangs prominently at the center of the front stage, inscribed with: “Ancient Chansha Tower.”

Zhang Can, a local scholar who served as a Manchu language tutor for the imperial family during the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty and was an early teacher of Emperor Guangxu, praised the opera house in his poem “Chansha Port Poetry”:

A hundred feet near the sky, the towering tower seems divinely crafted.

Resembling the Vulture Peak, it alights at the edge of the eastern sea…

In 1968, it was demolished as part of the campaign against the “Four Olds.” In the second half of 2013, Chansha Village raised 3 million RMB independently to restore the Ancient Chansha Opera House, and construction began in October 2013. The new Ancient Chansha Opera House was rebuilt on the original site in the style of the old structure, largely preserving the original architectural form, decorative style, and historic charm. To accommodate practical needs, electrical systems, sound equipment, and lighting were installed inside to support modern theatrical and other cultural performances.

In April 2014, the restoration project of the Ancient Chansha Opera House was completed. With its carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves, and soaring ridges, the “Sea-Viewing Tower” regained its former glory. The restored opera house also serves as the Mazu Culture Exhibition Hall.

Legends & Anecdotes:

The Dragon King Builds the Opera House

In a remote, hundred-mile beach area, the striking presence of the ancient tower standing alone resembles a solitary peak; its ingenious and unique construction is thought to be the work of supernatural forces. Since there are no records of when the tower was first built, many beautiful legends have emerged. One tale says: The Dragon King of the Bohai Sea loved music and would sneak into the human world every year on the 23rd day of the third lunar month to watch operas. On his way, he would always rest at the mouth of the Chansha River. So, he summoned divine craftsmen and ordered them to build an opera house overnight at the Chansha River estuary. That night, from the river mouth to the deep sea, torches and lanterns lit up the area like daylight, and artisans came and went in an endless stream. By the next dawn, an opera house had miraculously risen from the ground. To this day, locals still pass down this legend to future generations.

The Ancient Opera House’s Sound Carries Ten Miles

The acoustics of the opera house are extraordinarily powerful. Due to its unique design, open stage, and proximity to the Bohai Sea, with nearly ten miles of sparsely populated villages, free of trees or hills that might obstruct the sound, performances would echo far and wide. “When a song ends, its melody stops the drifting clouds.” During one temple fair, the sound of the opera performance reached the villagers of Shuangjing, ten miles away, who could hear it clearly without leaving their homes. Amazed, the villagers voluntarily pooled money and even gifted the fair with continuous performances of local opera.

The Ancient Chansha Opera House and Local Drama Development

Built during the height of Yuan zaju (variety plays), for hundreds of years, the stage saw “the flourish of zaju and contests of countless performing arts.” By the Yongzheng and Kangxi eras of the Qing Dynasty, Yiyang tunes and clapper operas were performed in succession, truly a scene of “drumbeats and songs, actors in splendid costumes.” By the end of the 19th century, the stage primarily hosted clapper opera and folk duet operas. In the early 20th century, Cheng Zhaocai, founder of Pingju opera, brought his troupe to perform on this historic stage. Later, in the 1930s, Liu Zhaoxiang from the Tianjin Xianlingxia Troupe performed Pingju operas such as “Baolong Mountain” and “Sheepfold” at temple fairs. During the Liberation War, some theater troupes wrote new plays to support conscription efforts, staging works such as “Sending Sons to Join the Army,” “Executing Old Jiang Five,” “Sawing the Big Jar,” and “Brother and Sister Open Up the Wasteland” on this very stage, effectively promoting and supporting the revolutionary cause. In the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic, Gao Fengying, who later joined the Hong Ying Troupe, along with other famous performers such as Jin Yuying, frequently toured and performed Pingju opera here.

From the early years of the People’s Republic to the late 1950s, opera troupes were established in Chansha Village and neighboring villages. Dozens of local Pingju drama groups from coastal villages regularly performed and held joint shows on this stage, allowing newly liberated fishermen to truly experience “the prosperity of all people sharing joy.”

Transportation:

Transportation is relatively convenient, with direct road access. The site is in the same area as the Heavenly Queen Palace.

Surrounding Environment:

The surrounding area consists of squares, streets, and residential buildings, with shops and small restaurants offering basic amenities.

Chansha Village: Located in the northwest of Liuzan, Chansha Village covers an area of 1,200 mu, with a total population of 2,435. It has 1,550 mu of arable land and 5,500 mu of aquaculture area. Since 2012, leveraging the advantages of Mazu culture resources, the village has vigorously developed tourism, completing infrastructure projects such as the Mazu Cultural Square, expansion of the Heavenly Queen Palace, and a tourist service center. Currently, based on the development of the Mazu Cultural Tourism Area, the village continues to improve facilities and deeply explore Mazu culture, making it a beautiful calling card for Caofeidian District’s cultural tourism. …… More details about Chansha Village ++