Meilin opera began to rise in the Song Dynasty. It is said that Zou Yinglong, the champion of Taining, specially selected a group of villagers from his hometown to study palace dance and palace entertainment culture in Kyoto in order to enrich the Han folk culture in Taining. After returning home, I integrated my knowledge with local Nuo dancing, jumping and Taoist culture. , created Taining local opera. During the Qianlong period of Qing dynasty, local operas were further developed, especially the introduction of Huizhou tune, which made local operas sublimate. At that time, Taining Zhukou Meilin was rich in women's week, and Huizhou opera was invited for her birthday. She felt that the development of Huizhou opera was more systematic and comprehensive, so she raised funds to hire Huizhou artists to perform arts for artists in her hometown, so that Huizhou tune and Taining local opera complement each other and enrich their content. Because it spread in Meilin, it was named Meilin Opera. Since then, local opera has been replaced by Meilin Opera, and it developed rapidly at that time. At that time, there was also a folk song: "The eighteen squares of Meilin, with ten disciples and nine boxes, tinkled drums and sang Molang tune (Taoist tune). Mao Dan carried the mortar hole to the middle of the festival, set up a stage and sang to the sky. " It can be seen that people in Taining, Fujian love drama, and Meilin opera was very popular at that time.
In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there was a popular Taoist singing activity in Meilin village. There is a folk song that says, "Merlin has eighteen squares, ten sons and nine boxes. Knock Ding Dong drums and sing Morang tune (local people call it Taoist Morang). Mao Dan lifted the mortar to the center of the bench. Set up a mud platform and sing to the sky. " This local accent is not accompanied by strings, but by gongs and drums.
During the reign of Qing Qianlong and Jiaqing (1736 ~ 1820), Huizhou was transferred to Meilin village. It is said that there was a widow named Zhou in the village at that time. Her family was rich and she liked going to the theatre. On her 50th birthday, she hired Huizhou class to celebrate her birthday, which had a great influence and aroused great interest of the villagers. Zhou decided to set up his own troupe to recruit children from the village into the class and perform in Meilin area every festival. Since then, Huizhou tune has taken root and absorbed the local folk arts of Han nationality such as Molang tune, so it is also called "local opera".
The early Meilin opera was half-agricultural and half-artistic, also called "Four Seasons Class". Class 14 people, the role is divided into "three students, four Dan, three flowers", collectively known as "ten children." In addition to performing in the village, the troupe often tours nearby towns and villages. Later, Anren in Jiangle County and Changping in Mingxi County also set up "Four Seasons Classes".
Meilin Opera flourished in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The amateur "Four Seasons Class" in Meilin Village first switched to the local "Tuguan dialect" singing method, which was further combined with local folk songs and had more local characteristics. At this time, Ai Qiyan and Wu Sheng raised funds to set up the first professional troupe, named Fuqing Class, and the role business developed from the initial "ten children" to "five doors and seventeen costumes". In the early years of the Republic of China, Ai Huoxian set up a professional troupe and named it "Huoxian Class". His traditional plays include Dragonfly Band, Blue Band, Gankun Band, Yuanyang Band, Door Bolt, Male and Female Whips, Qingshiling and so on. At the same time, the troupe also went to Jianning, Ninghua, Jiangle, Mingxi, Shaowu, Guangze and other counties in Jiangxi Province, and even performed in Lichuan, Guangchang and Shicheng. In the interaction with Jiangxi Gan Opera, Peking Opera and other operas, we absorbed their traditional plays and performing arts. According to the statistics of 1960s, there are more than 300 kinds of traditional dramas.
1960, taining county established Meilin troupe to participate in the performance of young actors in the province. During the "Cultural Revolution", the troupe was dissolved and its scripts, costumes and props were burned. 1979 resumed the organizational system and strengthened the construction of repertoires. The newly edited historical drama "Demoted Officials" won the prize in the 18 provincial drama exhibition. 1June, 1992, participated in the performance of "The Best Group in the World" (Southern Film) held in Quanzhou, and won the excellent drama award. 1995, the play won the first provincial Baihua Literature and Art Award. According to statistics, 14 has 202 repertoires, and 1995 staged "Declining the Official", "Bitter Fruit" and "Gu Qingyun". 1996, in the 20th drama exhibition in Fujian Province, the drama "Guan Gong Rage" performed by Meilin Troupe in Taining County won the drama and director award. On February 29th of the same year, Meilin's drama "Love in Jinhu" was commended at the commendation meeting of outstanding achievements of the "Five One Projects" of propaganda culture in Taining County.