They were originally human expressions of spontaneity.

The origins of dancing and singing date back to the very beginning of the history of mankind. This article purports to be no more than a mere introduction which, it is hoped, will attract more valuable opinions from others and stimulate a concern for the future of Chinese traditional opera. I have written this article to introduce the history of Chinese traditional opera, and in particular of Beijing opera, the 'Opera of the Nation', at its highest achievable point. To most readers of this article in Macau, very few except for opera fans have even the slightest idea about the development of Chinese traditional opera, its richness in local varieties throughout the country, and Beijing opera, which is claimed to be the 'Opera of the Nation'. His unique style gave rise to the 'Yu' school of dramatic interpretation which had a major influence on Peking Opera. Yu Shuyan was a student of the great master of Peking Opera Tan Xinpei. The famous actor Yu Shuyan (1890-1943) is pictured in the costume of General Yue Fei.

How old is chinese opera