ARTICLE
30 June 2026

Watershed, Immigration, and Vocal Music: Field Research on the Flow of Yuediao Theatrical Troupes and Localization of Vocal Music in the Middle Reaches of the Han River

Kai Wei1
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1 Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, Henan, China
CAS 2026 , 2(3), 99–105; https://doi.org/10.26689/CAS.v2i3.16140
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee: Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty Ltd, Australia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

The middle reaches of the Han River, as a transitional zone for the integration of southern and northern opera cultures, are the core field for the southern transmission and localization evolution of the Central Plains Yuediao. The existing research on Yuediao mainly focuses on the origin of opera genres and singing techniques, lacking systematic research on the correlation between watershed geography, immigration history, and vocal changes. This article takes Xiangyang, Laohekou, Gucheng and other areas in the middle reaches of the Han River as the research scope. Based on first-hand field research data, it explores the core driving forces of the flow of Yuediao theatrical troupes and the evolution mechanism of localized singing from three dimensions: watershed space, immigrant migration, and local customs. Research has shown that the Han River system has built a spatial corridor for the dissemination of traditional Chinese opera, Ming and Qing immigrants have provided a carrier for cultural heritage, and local customs have shaped the survival ecology of traditional Chinese opera. Together, these three factors have promoted the comprehensive regional reconstruction of the Central Plains Yuediao from the flow of troupes, accompaniment system, and aesthetic core to dialect phonetics, forming a unique Xianghe Yuediao vocal system.

Keywords
Middle reaches of the Han River
Watershed space
Migration of immigrants
Yuediao theatrical troupes
Localization of singing style
References

[1]   Tian YH, 2025, Flowing Sound Landscape – Construction of Fujian Shifan Music Information System Based on the Perspective of Music Geography. Voice of the Yellow River, (20): 32–35.

[2]   Ai JQ, 2025, Research on the Spatial Flow and Cultural Identity of Hubei Yuediao from the Perspective of Music Geography. Art Exploration, 39(3): 32–38.

[3]   Zhou LL, 2023, The Cultural Effect of Miscellaneous Courtyards: The Generation Mechanism of Hubei Local Opera. China Intangible Cultural Heritage, (6): 49–56.

[4]   Liu ZW, 2019, Da Yuediao – Xiangyang Opera. Huang Zhong (Journal of Wuhan Conservatory of Music), (1): 57–61.

[5]   Qiao JZ, 2017, Preliminary Study on Water Music Culture. Huang Zhong (Journal of Wuhan Conservatory of Music), (1): 98–104.

Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
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