The Never Ending Opera Dream

Operas can sound very different across cultures, but did you know there are over 360 kinds of operas just in China? Here is an oversimplified classification of Chinese operas: northern Chinese operas often have themes of battles, with high pitched and powerful singing accompanied by distinctive percussion instruments. Southern Chinese operas on the other hand, with romance as the common theme, often have graceful and flowing styles of singing, accompanied by much more gentle instruments such as the flute and Pipa that are superb in stoking up sentiments.