BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games entertained the world with Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera, just two of the many kinds of this traditional entertainment. Here are some facts about China's many forms of opera.

    TRADITIONAL FORMS:More than 300

    MOST POPULAR FORMS: Peking, Yueju (Shaoxing), Huangmei and Kunqu.

    PEKING OPERA: Originally a form of local theater in Beijing, this variant later became the most influential. It assumed its current format during the early 19th century. It is a sophisticated form that combines singing, music, chanting, dancing, martial arts and colorful make-up. There are 355 classic Peking operas.

    YUEJU OPERA: Also known as Shaoxing opera, this variant emerged in the early 1900s in the eastern city of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, which is near Shanghai. Yueju operas are invariably romances, without acrobatics or battle scenes. The best-known Yueju opera is "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," which is regarded as the Chinese version of "Romeo and Juliet."

    HUANGMEI OPERA: Also called Huangmei melody, this type of opera has a history of nearly 200 years and is considered China's "country music". It has its roots in the tea-harvest songs of Huangmei, central Hubei Province, but it did not become popular until it was blended with Anhui folk songs. It excels in expressing emotions and describing personalities.

    KUNQU OPERA: This is the most ancient of the traditional opera forms, dating back more than 600 years. These operas originated in Kunshan, Suzhou, a city neighboring Shanghai. In May 2001, Kunqu Opera was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage item. The representative opera of this form is "The Peony Pavilion."