Chinese traditional opera is a comprehensive performing art, which combines singing, music, dialogue, acrobatics, martial arts and pantomime. It represents the culmination and distillation of two thousand years of Chinese civilization.

Chinese traditional opera has a long history. As far back as the third century, simple plays were performed as part of court entertainment. in the twelfth century, the Yuan zaju is a landmark in the development of traditional drama. It took social life as its main subject matter and was very popular at that time. Guan Hanqing is considered the greatest Yuan dramatist.

In the later years of the Yuan Dynasty, Yuan zaju was gradually replaced by nanxi, a kind of southern opera. By the middle Ming Dynasty, a combination of Yuan zaju and nanxi, known as poetic drama, appeared. The Romance of drama was written by Tang Xianzu who is considered the "Chinese Shakespeare".

During the late Qing Dynasty, Beijing Opera came into being. Having incorporated the merits of many other local dramas, Beijing Opera not only appeals to Chinese audiences but also is warmly received by people all over the world.

In the course of the development of Chinese traditional opera, mutual borrowing has taken place among various types of local opera and new forms have appeared continually. Recent surveys show there are 368 different forms of opera throughout the country. The use of local dialects and unique melodies distinguish the different types of opera. Among the best-known forms are Beijing Opera (actually a national form), Pingju (popular in the north), Shaoxing opera (popular in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai), Yuju (a kind of Henan Opera), Kunqu (Kunshan Opera, popular mainly in Jiangsu Province), Qinqiang (Shaanxi Opera), Chuanju (Sichuan Opera), Hanju (Hubei Opera), and Yueju (Guangzhou Opera).