The Department of Chinese Operas and Performing Arts focuses on educating young artists in various branches of Chinese opera (excluding Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera). It offers programmes in Chinese Opera Performance, Music in Chinese Opera, Physical Training for Chinese Operas, and Dance in Chinese Operas. It is one of the most distinctive departments of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA) and the most influential center for the cultivation of Chinese opera talents in the country. The department enrolls students in Chinese opera branches that include 2 known as the world-class intangible cultural heritage: Tibetan opera and Cantonese opera, 33 known as the Chinese national intangible cultural heritage, and 2 newly emerging local ones. It has established 37 teaching practice bases and 9 talent source bases across 22 provinces in China, gradually covering the main Chinese opera branches in the country.
The department boasts a strong faculty with extensive teaching experience and significant influence in the industry. The team comprises both full-time teachers from within the academy and visiting professors from outside, creating a group of educators known for their high moral standards and professional excellence.
Since its establishment in 2009, the department has adhered to a talent cultivation model based on the integration of teaching, research, creation, and practice. It has developed a "2+1+1" or "2+1+0.5+0.5" educational format, combining on-campus education and off-campus practice bases. Many graduates have become key figures and young leaders in their respective opera branches and troupes. Among them, 7 have received the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theatre, over 200 have won national and provincial awards, more than 80 have attained national first- and second-level professional titles, and nearly 20 have become heads of opera troupes in various provinces and cities.