About: Nanjing baiju

Baiju (Chinese: 白局) or Nanjing baiju, also called baiqu (Chinese: 百曲), is a traditional type of Chinese singing-storytelling and a form of quyi, formed in the rural Luhe District in the city of Nanjing during the Yuan dynasty more than 600 years ago. Though belittled by the upper class, baiju was very popular among the lower classes. It is also the only kind of old local opera in Nanjing, known as a native art which includes singing and telling in the Nanjing dialect, and is particularly rich in rhyme. Baiju is often performed in the form of a solo monologue or a dialogue, like xiangsheng (a traditional Chinese oral art). When acted, it needs from two to five performers. It is very easy to understand, with strong local characteristics, but unfortunately, due to the decline of both performe