Kunqu Opera, formerly known as "Kunshan Opera" or "Kunqu Opera" for short, has been called "Kunqu Opera" since the Qing Dynasty, and now it is also called "Kunqu Opera". Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest traditional operas in China, and it is also the treasure of traditional culture and art in China, especially the opera art. It is called the "Orchid" in the Hundred Flowers Garden. On May 200 18/day, it was even named as "representative work of human oral heritage and intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO, which became the pride of the nation. But until today, there are still arguments about the origin of Kunqu opera in academic circles.

Song and Yuan Dynasties is an important stage in the development of China's traditional operas. From Southern Opera to Jin Yuan Edition, and then to Yuan Zaju, China traditional opera gradually progressed and evolved. At the end of Yuan Dynasty, the peasant uprising overthrew the feudal rule of Mongolian nobles. At this time, great changes have taken place in China's dramas, with the decline of "Northern Drama" (Yuan Zaju) and the revival of "Southern Drama". Kunqu opera is produced under this background.

Speaking of the origin of Kunqu Opera, it is generally believed that Wei Liangfu was the ancestor of Kunqu Opera in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. Wei Liangfu, a native of Zhang Yu (Nanchang), Jiangxi Province, lived from Jiajing (1522- 1566) to Qin Long (1567- 1572) in Taicang Nanguan (under the jurisdiction of Kunshan in Ming Dynasty). Wei Liangfu used to be a Peking Opera actor. After arriving in Wuzhong, he devoted himself to the improvement of Southern Opera.

He thought that some Nanqu vocals at that time were "straight and unintentional" (with simple lines or slow rhythm), so on the basis of the original Kunshan cavity and referring to the advantages of Haiyan and Yuyao, he absorbed some vocals of Beiqu, and formed a common view and ideal creation with Zhang Meigu, Xie Linquan, Zhou Mengshan, Ji Jingpo, Dai Meichuan and Bao Mandi who were good at acting.

At that time, Zhang, a famous northern musical stringed instrument in Hebei, was assigned to Taicang Wei for his crime and was recruited as a son-in-law. He also helped Wei "adjust the syllables of stringed instruments to make them similar to southern sounds". This new cavity is characterized by gentleness and smoothness. "Call water mill, cold cuts. The sound is flat and harmonious, and the words are even at the end of the head, abdomen and tail ... The mouth is light and round, and the radio is pure and thin. " Since then, Kunqu opera has become a new sound that blends North and South music.

In the early 1950s, some people put forward different opinions. Because someone found such a record in the note "Lin Jingxu" in the Ming Dynasty: At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang invited some long-lived old people to Nanjing for dinner. One of them was an old man named Zhou Shouyi in Kunshan. Zhu Yuanzhang asked him if he could sing Kunshan dialect at that time, and praised Kunshan dialect for being very nice. It can be seen that there was a "very pleasant Kunshan accent" at that time, which shook Wei Liangfu's traditional view of creating Kunqu Opera.

Later, people discovered a monograph "An Introduction to Southern Ci" written by Wei Liangfu, in which a passage said: "Gu Jian was in the Yuan Dynasty. Although it is only 30 miles away from Kunshan, he is good at southern words ... and good at southern words, so his country was originally called Kunshan dialect. " According to this record, at the end of Yuan Dynasty, Gu Jian and others sorted out and improved the folk local cavity popular in Kunshan and Taicang, and founded Kunshan cavity. At that time, although it was only circulated in Suzhou due to the cultural differences between the North and the South and the limited means of communication, it has become one of the four major operas in the South, alongside Haiyan Opera, Yu Yaoqiang Opera and Yiyang Opera. Since Kunqu Opera originated from Kunshan Opera, Gu Jie, the originator of Kunshan Opera, should be regarded as the founder of Kunqu Opera. If this statement holds, then the history of Kunqu opera can be advanced for more than 200 years.

However, some scholars have questioned this. They believe that so far, there is no conclusive data to prove that there was a musician named Gu Jian in Kunshan at the end of Yuan Dynasty. Nan Ci says that he is friends with Yang Weizhen and Gu Zhongying, but there is no name of Gu Jie in Gu and Yang's poems. Some people think that Gu Jian was a scholar of Jiajing Dynasty in Ming Dynasty, not a Yuan person, or simply think that Gu Jian is just a little-known folk artist. In addition, some people question the authenticity of the book Andrew of Nanci, thinking that its real author is not Wei Liangfu, but someone else, and its content is not straightforward historical facts. Its purpose is to improve the status of Kunqu opera, which is conducive to the reform work.

Some scholars have pointed out that although Kunshan Opera and Kunqu Opera have historical origins, they are quite different. Kunqu opera is a new sound and tune to a greater extent, and it is creative. The biggest difference between Kunqu Opera and Kunqu Opera lies in its emphasis on elegance and smoothness. Kunqu Opera, after being improved by Wei Liangfu, absorbs the advantages of Northern Opera's agitation against Gao Shuang, combining rigidity with softness, which is both euphemistic and unrestrained, giving people a refreshing feeling. In addition, the accompaniment of Kunshan cavity is mainly string, which is too soft. Wei Liangfu introduced the flute, flute and sheng, which are commonly used in northern operas, into the accompaniment of Kunqu Opera, and combined them with gongs, drums and boards, so that all the music was integrated into one.

In addition, scholars have disputes about Wei Liangfu's identity and even his native place. Most people think that he is just an ordinary composer, who has a lot of contacts with the lower classes and practices medicine as a sideline. However, some people think that he is a scholar and served as a senior envoy because of his meritorious service in netting the uprising of Yao people. But if that's the case, why does he live in Taicang, so down and out? This is another question.

Kunqu opera is the treasure of our nation. Today, as it is listed in the world cultural heritage, it attracts more and more people's attention, and it will be more meaningful to explore its origin. With the emergence of new historical materials, I believe that in the near future, we can fully understand the ins and outs of Kunqu opera.