Fènggāng

Yihuang lies among the hills of eastern Jiangxi, where the Yi and Huang rivers feed the Fu. The county is known for its theatre, which drew on melodies and performance traditions from several parts of China. Local stages and travelling companies made its actors familiar throughout the surrounding river country.

In the Ming, the general Tan Lun brought a Haiyan opera troupe home from Zhejiang. Its music mingled with the Yiyang style and local song, contributing to a distinctive Yihuang tradition. Performers were among the first to stage the plays of Tang Xianzu. In 1602 Tang wrote an inscription for their temple to the theatrical patron Qingyuan, recording the esteem in which the actors held their craft.