The traditional Chinese opera genre developed in Suzhou and recognized as one of the world’s oldest surviving opera traditions is Kunqu.
Kunqu developed from the Kunshan musical style in the Jiangnan region, especially around Suzhou, and flourished from the late fourteenth century onward. The form combines singing, instrumental music, dance-like movement, acting, and highly stylized gestures. Its melodies are associated with the kunshan qiang tradition.
Kunqu became especially influential during the Ming dynasty. The playwright Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion, first performed in 1598, is among the genre’s most celebrated works. Kunqu’s refined vocal style and literary texts also influenced later Chinese theatrical forms.
UNESCO proclaimed Kunqu a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 and placed it on the Representative List in 2008. It is not simply another name for Peking opera, which developed later and uses a different performance tradition.