Liyuan was originally a place name in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Because Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, taught performing arts here, it was later associated with the art of opera and became synonymous with art organizations and artists. The origin of "Liyuan" can be found in the "Records of Laolang Temple in Wu County" written by Sun Xingyan, a Jinshi during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, and in the ninth year of Jiaqing (1804): "...I came to the capital and saw Laolang Temple (: refers to According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the son of Geng Linggong, named Guangzhe, was given the surname Li. The name is Liyuan. Later generations regard it as the founder of music..." The origin of Liyuan was verified in "A Research on Liyuan" written by modern man Li Youbai. During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (705-710), the pear orchard was just a fruit orchard coexisting with the jujube orchard, mulberry orchard, peach orchard, and cherry orchard in the royal forbidden garden. There are separate palaces, wine pavilions and golf courses in the orchard, which are places for the emperor, empress, relatives and noble ministers to have banquets and entertainment. Later, with the strong advocacy of Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the nature of the pear orchard changed. It was a simple fruit orchard and gradually became a pear orchard in the Tang Dynasty where the "pear orchard children" practiced singing, dancing and opera. It became the first pear orchard integrating music in the history of our country. A comprehensive "art academy" of , dance and opera. Li Longji himself served as Cui Gong (or Ya Gong) of Liyuan, which is equivalent to the current principal (or dean). There are two sets of people below Cui Gong: the editor and Le Yingjiang (also known as Kuiling). Li Longji created for Liyuan, and often referred to the Hanlin bachelors or famous literati at that time who compiled programs, such as the poets He Zhizhang and Li Bai, who had written and performed programs for Liyuan. Li Longji, Lei Haiqing, Gongsun Aunt and others have all served as Leying generals. During the Xuanzong period of the Tang Dynasty (712-756), the so-called "Kaiyuan Heyday", the development of feudal economy and culture reached unprecedented heights. Not only has it produced a number of well-known writers and poets at home and abroad, but it has also made outstanding achievements in the fields of dance and music. The "Liyuan", which plays an important role in the history of Chinese opera, was born in the fertile soil of the Tang Dynasty.

The disciples of Liyuan are divided into the sitting group, the standing group, the small group, the male group and the female group. The sitting part is usually made up of outstanding actors, the musicians sit in the hall and play, and the dancers are usually 3 to 12 people. They dance gracefully and are accompanied by silk and bamboo music; the standing part is made up of ordinary actors, the musicians sit in the hall and play, and there are 60 dancers. The number of people ranges from 80 to 80, with majestic and majestic dancing, and the accompaniment of musical instruments include drums and gongs (i.e. golden gongs), etc., with a loud volume; a small part is a children's performance team. In addition, there is also a dance department, which is divided into literary dance and healthy dance. The Royal Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama with such a large number of screenwriters and both men and women appeared more than a thousand years ago, and it must be said that it is rare in the world.

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Interesting Quotes about Liyuan

Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, loved singing and dancing when he was young. When he was 6 years old, his grandmother Wu Zetian held a grand feast for the officials in the palace courtyard. He performed an impromptu song and dance program "The Longevity Girl". His superb performance won the praise of the royal relatives and officials present. After Li Longji succeeded to the throne, he selected a pear orchard in the palace as a place for singing and dancing rehearsals. This is the origin of "pear garden".

When Tang Xuanzong was in the "Liyuan" theater troupe, he liked to play "harlequin" very much. Whenever there was a "harlequin" to play in the play, no matter how big or small the role was, Tang Xuanzong always took the stage seriously. Because he was the king of a country and performed on stage and acted as a clown, he lost his authority as an emperor. Therefore, during the performance, he hung a small piece of white jade on his face to cover his face. When later clown artists were acting, they followed the example of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and drew a white powder patch on their face that resembled a piece of white jade. Over time, the clown facial makeup we have on the opera stage today was formed. Because Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved to play clowns, people in the old theater troupe particularly respected the artists who played clowns. According to the legend of Liyuan celebrities and old-timers: "In the past, no matter how good you sang or how high your acting skills were in the troupe, you were still the second eldest in the troupe. Only the actors who sang clowns were considered the first eldest, because of respect for " "Ugly" means respecting the emperor."

Tang Xuanzong was also a talented musician and theorist. He pioneered the use of drums (now known as whip drums) to conduct other musical instruments. Whenever the Liyuan Opera Troupe rehearses its plays, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty would personally clap the drums. In the past, the place where the drum master studied when the theater troupe performed was called "Jiulongkou", which is where it comes from.

In the old troupe, boxes containing props such as yellow boa constrictors, official robes, Taoist robes, royal hats, phoenix crowns, nine dragon crowns, imperial edicts, wat boards, and Shangfang swords are not allowed to sit casually. Only ugly actors dare to sit. The clown actor can sit or stand as he pleases backstage, but other cast and crew members have to follow the rules.

Before acting, only the clown actor draws his facial makeup before other actors can put on makeup and draw their faces. When performing operas at temple fairs, the opera troupe must first respect the "god" and everyone must kowtow and kneel down. However, the actors who sing "ugly", regardless of their age, male or female, or seniority, are not required to bow, bow, or kowtow. These rules are all due to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

Historical opera artists all respected Tang Xuanzong as their ancestor, and scandalous performers even respected Tang Xuanzong as their ancestor. In the past, many theaters, stages, theaters and performance venues had clay sculptures or wood carvings of gold statues of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and some ugly actors also had memorial tablets and statues of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty in their homes. In the old days, before and after the performance, the actors, including the drummer and all the accompanists of the band and the stage service staff backstage, had to salute and bow to the statue of the ancestor Tang Xuanzong. The clown actors had to kowtow and kneel alone. To thank the ancestor for bringing him the identity and status.