Ningxiang ancient painting opera is a folk opera created by working people. Formed in the Qing Dynasty, it is popular in central Hunan, eastern Hunan and Dongting Lake. It is a local opera with unique artistic style, deep mass base, bright local color and rich life flavor. With the creative practice of ancient painting and opera artists, many schools have gradually formed, including Liuyang, Ningxiang, Yiyang, Xihu and Liling. Because Ningxiang dialect is a unified stage language, these five dramas are usually called Ningxiang ancient painting dramas. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, "there were so-called lantern artists in central Hunan, who first performed as two actresses, each holding two dominoes, and each doing his best to dance". "Lantern Opera" refers to the forms of singing and dancing such as lanterns and ground flower drums. Ningxiang ancient painting drama is developed on the basis of this folk song and dance, absorbing labor folk songs, walking signs and opera music. At first, it developed from a floor-to-ceiling flower drum in the form of song and dance to a more story-telling two-person flower drum; Later, it developed into "Three Little Plays" (Xiao Dan, Xiao Sheng, Clown), which gradually became dramatic and became the performance stage of the Caotai class. Later, it absorbed the artistic expressions such as timbre, accompaniment and performance of other operas, and became a traditional opera in China. Its emergence and formation is in the folk, unlike other operas, which are first advocated by the court and elites, and then spread to the folk, so it is very mass. Before liberation, Ningxiang ancient painting drama was regarded as obscene by the rulers and strictly prohibited.