Nanxi, also known as Xiwen, is hailed as the "ancestor of all forms of opera" and originated in the Wenzhou area of Zhejiang Province during the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the records of Xu Wei in the Ming Dynasty's "Records of Southern Poetry", the origin of Southern Opera can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Guangzong of Song Dynasty. The initial works were "Zhao Zhennu" and "Wang Kui", both of which were created by local people in Yongjia. Another theory is that Southern Opera originated during the Xuanhe period and became popular when the Song court moved south: during the decline of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Song court migrated south to Lin'an Prefecture, and at this time, Song zaju moved south. To distinguish it from local Southern Opera, the dramas performed in Southern Opera were called Southern Opera. Among the existing Southern Opera plays, the representative ones are the "Five Types of Yongle Grand Ceremony Dramas": "Jingchai Ji", "White Rabbit Ji", "Moon Worship Ji", "Dog Killing Ji" and "Pipa Ji". As night falls, in the Nanxi Art Space of Jiushan Book Fair in Lucheng, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, a small theater of only one or two hundred square meters, audiences from all over come as scheduled, and actors from all walks of life dance to it, all for one play - the immersive drama "Phoenix Crown". This is a performance that lasts only one hour, but as soon as it was released, the tickets were sold out in seconds and the show was extremely popular. It quickly gained popularity on various social media platforms and attracted audiences from all over the country. Once upon a time, Wenzhou people set off from a millennium old port and crossed mountains and seas along the Maritime Silk Road, spreading cultural elements to the world and integrating world civilization into Wenzhou. Today, Wenzhou is promoting cultural Wenzhou to the whole country and the world under the name of "Drama Comes from Wenzhou". In 2023, Wenzhou launched the Southern Opera Cultural Tour - the "Opera Comes from Wenzhou" Southern Opera Classic Cultural Brand Activity. The first stop is entering Shanghai, heading north to land in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, then heading south to sing about Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, heading west to Sichuan and Chongqing, and finally shining in Hong Kong, China and Paris, France. The event not only promotes the integration and innovation of traditional Chinese opera culture, but also highlights the golden calling card of "Hometown of Southern Opera", telling the story of Wenzhou to the world with the "most Chinese" artistic language. Wenzhou, located on the southeast coast, was a major foreign trade port in China during the Song Dynasty. The developed foreign trade has promoted the prosperity of industry and commerce. Wenzhou's paper-making, lacquerware, Ou kiln celadon, copperware, and other products are exported overseas and famous throughout the world. The southward migration of the Song dynasty led to the migration of people from the north, from noble families to various artists, all of whom moved to Wenzhou. Wenzhou, which was secluded in a corner, quickly moved towards prosperity. The prosperity of material goods has promoted the growth of spiritual needs. At that time, in Wenzhou, the urban class represented by industrial and commercial workers formed a huge audience group, and the influx of musicians and craftsmen promoted the integration and collision of southern and northern crafts in Wenzhou, giving rise to folk organizations such as the "Nine Mountains Book Society" that could "weave" and "perform". As a result, "Nanxi" emerged with the theme of "singing and dancing stories" and gradually matured. In Wenzhou, the "First Chinese Opera" "Changxie Zhuangyuan", Qu Zu's "Pipa Ji", one of the earliest southern operas "Wang Kui", the four major southern operas of the Song and Yuan dynasties "Jingchai Ji", "Kill the Dog Ji", "Moon Worship Ji", "White Rabbit Ji", and "Washing the Horse Bridge" have emerged, among other popular classic southern opera plays. As of today, Wenzhou has a total of 15 "provincial-level traditional drama hometowns", 1 world-class representative project of traditional drama, 6 national level representative projects of intangible cultural heritage, and 15 provincial-level representative projects of intangible cultural heritage, accounting for 29% of the total number of traditional drama projects in Zhejiang Province. Opera has become one of the significant cultural symbols of Wenzhou. For Wenzhou, Nanxi is a cultural golden card and a carrier for telling Wenzhou stories well. Unfortunately, the historical fact and understanding of "opera comes from Wenzhou" have remained in the academic circle for a long time and have not been able to break through the circle and popularize to the general public. Whether the concept of "opera comes from Wenzhou" can "go viral" is related to whether it can truly establish the brand of "hometown of southern opera". For this reason, the Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee and Government have made high-level plans. In 2023, with the popularity of the "2023 Spring Festival Opera Gala" recorded in Wenzhou, "Drama Comes from Wenzhou" quickly gained popularity. Wenzhou has taken advantage of the opportunity to innovate and launch the "Drama Comes from Wenzhou" Southern Opera Classic Cultural Brand Activity, systematically shaping the cultural brand of "Southern Opera Hometown". The "Drama Comes from Wenzhou" Southern Opera Classic Cultural Brand Activity has opened a new chapter in cultural exchange. In the special performance of the Southern Opera Classic Culture Week, special programs such as Peking Opera, Shanghai Opera, Cantonese Opera, Hebei Bangzi, Quju, and Pingju were added, which effectively promoted the promotion, exchange, and dissemination of Chinese opera nationwide, and integrated the cultural genes of Wenzhou people's entrepreneurship and innovation with stronger cultural strength, allowing excellent traditional culture to develop more brilliantly in Wenzhou. Taking this event as an opportunity, Wenzhou has launched strategic cooperation with China Academy of Performing Arts, as well as Chongqing University and other universities, to establish the "Jiushan Book Society" teaching practice base of China Academy of Performing Arts, explore new models of joint education, academic research, and cultural exchange, introduce strong foreign aid for the development of Wenzhou Opera, and focus on promoting the inheritance and development of Chinese Opera, and assist in the discipline construction of Chinese Opera; Participate in a series of activities such as the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the "China Drama Award · Plum Blossom Performance Award", invite the China Drama Association to Wenzhou to carry out activities such as Mei Ying Jiushan - Plum Blossom Performance Award Actor Workshop and Opera Performance Season, promote in-depth research and practice of opera education, and enhance the theoretical level of southern opera research; Deeply communicate with well-known theater troupes such as Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe and Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe, invite previous winners of the "Magnolia Award" to Wenzhou to hold a special performance of "Magnolia Blossoms · Opera Gathering in Nine Mountains", and jointly explore a new market for traditional Chinese opera; Conduct research and learn from the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, known as the "Teacher of Hundred Plays," and draw inspiration from stage art exhibitions; Using Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe and other theater troupes as the cradle of growth, we have sent young actors from local Yue Opera troupes to perform on site in "New Dragon Gate Inn"; Give full play to the platform role of the World Wenzhou Cultural and Artistic Alliance in "uniting forces and achieving development", make good use of international events and competitions such as CCTV Spring Festival Opera Gala, Hangzhou Asian Games, World Youth Scientists Summit, and Maritime Silk Road City Influence Mayor Exchange Conference, use ancient opera art to tell the story of China well, and let Nanxi break through the circle and shine on a broader stage. In recent years, Wenzhou has organized a series of projects such as "New Compilation of Wenzhou Nanxi", "Song Yun Nanxi Cultural Conference", and "Exploring the Roots of Opera Nanxi Cultural Season", which have effectively promoted the development and prosperity of Wenzhou Nanxi culture. At the same time, it has successively created and produced excellent opera works such as Ou opera "Lan Xiaocao", "Shuomen Chao", Yue opera "Feng Zha Qi", "Liu Shi Story", "Xia Guang", etc. It has successfully held the 3rd China Yue Opera Festival and the 14th Zhejiang Provincial Drama Festival, launched the first national opera life market, CCTV "Jiao Er Lai" recording and other brand activities and competitions, and continued to create the cultural brand of "Hometown of Southern Opera". On November 6, 2024, as the only fully preserved Song and Yuan Southern Opera in China, "Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan" emerged from classical texts and appeared in the form of Ou Opera at the Paris Chinese Opera Festival. "The Hometown of Southern Opera" once again entered the international vision with an innovative attitude. Nowadays, no matter where you are in Wenzhou, you can feel the traces and charm of Nanxi. Wenzhou regards the "Drama Comes from Wenzhou" Southern Opera Classic Culture Week as an important civilization tracing and cultural promotion project in recent years. From the "Great Source of Opera" to the "Great Pier of Opera", it aims to use ancient opera art to tell the story of China well, and make Southern Opera stand out on a broader international stage. In the name of opera, it traces back to Chinese civilization and showcases the Chinese spirit. This is an exploration of the path from "inheritance" to "activation". Nanxi is not a theatrical genre, it is a form of drama and the first form of storytelling in Chinese history that uses song and dance. Its contemporary value lies in the fact that it has established many artistic rules of traditional Chinese opera. Tracing back to Nanxi is to find a better development path for traditional Chinese opera in the future. Wenzhou has systematically planned and combined six aspects of Nanxi, including the shaping of its cultural brand, the creation and arrangement of classic plays, cultural exchanges with foreign countries, talent development, innovation platform construction, and the integration of drama and tourism industry development, to ensure that ancient Nanxi is actively inherited on today's opera stage, and that Nanxi plays are constantly performed and new, close to the audience. This is a new attempt from "national essence" to "China-Chic". How local opera genres can "break through boundaries" and embrace young people is a common challenge encountered in the development of traditional Chinese opera. The systematic construction of Nanxi Museum, Nanxi Cultural Park, Nanxi Hometown Historical Block, and Nanxi Town promotes Nanxi culture through the combination of culture and tourism. It not only showcases the rich heritage of Nanxi Hometown, but also uses innovative techniques and expression methods of "youthfulness, fashionability, technology, and internationalization" to revitalize the 900 year old Nanxi, allowing young audiences to experience the unique performance style and cultural connotation of Nanxi, and presenting the vitality of Nanxi in classics, cultural relics, and relics. Zhong Chengxiang, a curator of the Central Museum of Culture and History and the first chairman of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association, highly praised the "Drama Comes from Wenzhou" brand activity: this is an event that inherits and develops Chinese opera culture, and has demonstrative significance for the construction of Chinese opera discipline. It is a remarkable initiative that deserves to be promoted nationwide; Wenzhou has brought Nanxi to the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Guangdong Hong Kong Macao and other regions, making Chinese opera have a long history, spreading and promoting it, which will have an important impact on the national opera culture. (New Society)