Wanfu Stage

Wanfu Stage

Wanfu Stage is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located in front of the Lingying Ancestral Temple at the Foshan Ancestral Temple complex, Wanfu Stage was originally called Huafeng Stage. Built in the 15th year of the Shunzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1658), it is a stage exclusively used for Cantonese opera performances. It was renamed “Wanfu” (meaning “Ten Thousand Blessings”) to celebrate Empress Dowager Cixi’s 60th birthday. It is the best-preserved and oldest stage in South China, as well as one of only two ancient stages still in use nationwide. Since its construction, the stage has never ceased its sounds of gongs and drums, bearing witness to the rise and fall of Cantonese opera.

Built on a 2.07-meter-high base, Wanfu Stage features a hip-and-gable roof with rolled eaves. The stage is 6.25 meters high from the floor to the front eave, 12.73 meters wide, and 11.78 meters deep. In front of the stage is a spacious stone-paved performance area, with two-story corridors on the east and west sides for audiences, including commoners and local gentry, to watch the shows. The stage is divided into front and back sections by a gilded wood-carved partition, which also serves as scenic backdrop. At the top center of the partition are carvings of the Three Stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity, while the lower part depicts the opera scene “Cao Cao’s Grand Banquet at the Bronze Sparrow Platform.” On the left and right are carvings of the Arhats taming the dragon and the tiger, creating a strong theatrical effect. There are doors on both sides of the partition for actors to enter and exit. The entire structure employs an arched design that amplifies the actors’ voices, producing rich and resonant acoustics.

During the late Ming and early Qing periods, it was a tradition that every year between June and July, opera troupes performing elsewhere would return to Foshan, disband their old groups, and form new ones. The debut performance of a new troupe had to take place at Wanfu Stage in the Ancestral Temple. Only after a successful performance there could they go on tour around the nearby regions. Likewise, any visiting troupe wishing to perform in Foshan also had to first perform at Wanfu Stage. It was said at the time: “Only after having your play reviewed by the Northern Emperor can your tour proceed smoothly for the year.” Aside from seeking good fortune, troupes also used this opportunity to showcase their lineup. As a result, Wanfu Stage was known as the “Opera Review Stage.”

Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, only “ritual operas” performed for the Northern Emperor were staged on Wanfu Stage, so the selection of plays was very strict. Most were works like "The Grand Assembly of the Six States" or plays with themes of saving the world or praising the world, expressing gratitude to the Northern Emperor or praying for favorable weather and harvest in the coming year.

In the early years of the “0” period, Cantonese opera suffered a major blow due to the campaign against the “Four Olds,” and Wanfu Stage was once closed to performances. In 1972, Wanfu Stage reopened along with the Ancestral Temple and quietly awaited audiences for over a decade. By the mid-1980s, with the revival of Cantonese opera, it came alive again. Many renowned Cantonese opera performers and active amateur troupes (“private opera groups”) frequently performed here. On traditional festivals such as the Lunar New Year’s Day, the Birthday of the Northern Emperor on the Third Day of the Third Lunar Month, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival, Wanfu Stage hosted continuous performances, making it a favorite spot for opera fans. However, as modern Cantonese opera productions became more equipment-intensive and stage requirements grew, the small size of Wanfu Stage—just one-fourth the size of a standard modern stage—could no longer accommodate large-scale productions. Major performances gradually shifted to larger theater stages. When famous performers or lead actors (“da lao guan”) came, they mostly performed vocal pieces or sang opera arias, or at most, presented selected scenes. In 2002, although performances were held nightly, the regular schedule was eventually canceled due to lack of economic viability and innovation in the shows, noise complaints from nearby residents caused by the loud gongs and drums, and concerns about the impact of strong stage lighting on the preservation of the historical site.

On January 13, 1997, the State Council of China designated the Foshan Ancestral Temple complex as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.