Liyuan was originally a place name of Chang 'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Because Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, taught artists here, it was later associated with China traditional drama and became synonymous with art organizations and artists.

"The Book of the New Tang Dynasty: Records of Rites and Music" said: "Xuanzong knows the melody and loves music, so he chose 300 children of geisha in the left to teach in Liyuan. If the voice is wrong, the emperor will feel it and correct it. He is a disciple of the Emperor Liyuan. " It is known that it was set by the imperial court during Xuanzong. The main duty of the pear garden is to train musical instrument players, and coordinate with the Taichang Temple and the internal and external teaching workshops specializing in ritual music for performing songs and dances. Later generations used to call the opera circle the pear garden circle or the pear garden line, and the opera actors were called disciples of the pear garden.