The Harbin Opera Theater, previously known as the Harbin Song and Dance Drama Theater, was established in 1959. It has opera and dance troupes, folk and light music orchestras, and theatrical design and art centers. Its Lilac Music Hall can house more than 600 guests.

Since its establishment, the theater has put on 93 operas (among which 52 were self-created). They include foreign operas Lady Camellia and Street Vendor and Young Lady and the original operas Battle Song of the Xing’an Mountains, Jiao Yulu, Sisters of the Xia’s and Wedding of the Hezhe People.

Its plays have won prizes in national, provincial and municipal competitions, among which Jiao Yulu got the 1991 Performance Award by the Ministry of Culture.

The theater has co-performed with famous musicians from Germany, the ROK, Japan, the United States, Finland and the former Soviet Union. Its singers have been to Singapore for performances, and the conductors have been to the former Soviet Union. The musical Game Played in the Mountain Area was put on stage in the Soviet Union.

The theater has fostered a group of influential artists including Li Yuwen, Shen Zhengyun, Wei Zuofan, Liu Qing and Li Zongwen.

The theatre never stops creating. Its drama, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, in 2011 applied a 360-degree stage that offered audiences an intense and brand new experience.