Abstract:
With the spread of The Outlaws of the Marshes and dramas and romances about it, plays describing the heroes of the marshes appeared in many local operas. The reaches of the Han River, situated in the borders of Shaanxi, Hubei and Henan provinces, boasted of varieties of operas many of which had their versions of dramas of the marshes, including the Guangguang and Erhuang of Han opera, Yue opera of Hubei and Han opera itself. There are more than 60 plays and drama genres, most of which are highlights of operas. Generally, there are three origins of stories of the marshes in operas in the reaches of the Han River: the heroes of the marshes, such as Song Jiang, Wu Song, Li Kui, Lin Chong, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, Shi Qian and the like; the female characters of the marshes, including Pan Jinlian, Yan Poxi, Wang Po, Sun Erniang, all of whom are characters in dramas familiar to audiences. Plays of the marshes helped to expand the spread and interaction of the stories of the marshes and were blended in regional and epical characteristics in re-production.
