China's musical instruments have a long history. Some of them, such as the se and the sheng, date from at least the Warring States Period ( 475 -- 221 BC ). When you go to a concert of traditional Chinese music, you can look for these instruments.

  There are many local Chinese operas, each with its own colorful style of music, dance, and costume. The six major ones are described below.

Developed in the midnineteenth century when Peking was the capital of the Qing Dynasty, this opera's lively repertoire includes many stories about political and military struggles.

Popular in northeastern areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, this is a lively and easy-to-understand folk opera.

The rustic tunes of this opera are popular in Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Anhui Provinces.

With chear singing and gentle gestures, this is one of the oldest traditional operas in China. It originated in the Kunshan area of Jiangsu Province.

The lyrical tunes of this opera originated from the folk song of Shengxian Country in Zhejiang Province.

This opera has rich musical instrumentation and is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao.