Four Great Characteristic Melodies (四大声腔 pinyin: Sìdà Shēngqiāng) in Chinese opera are Bangziqiang, Huangpiqiang, Kunqiang and Gaoqiang.
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Bangzi qiang
Bangziqiang (梆子腔) consists of Qinqiang (秦腔), Yu opera (豫剧), Jinju (晋剧), Hebei Bangzi (河北梆子), Sixianqiang in Dianju (滇剧的丝弦腔), Tanxi in Chuanju (川剧的弹戏), etc.
Pihuang qiang
Pihuang qiang (皮黄腔, a coinage made from xipi and erhuang) comprises Huiju (徽剧 Hui theatre), Hanju (汉剧), Beijing opera (京剧), Cantonese opera (粤剧), Xiangju (湘剧), Chuanju (川剧), Dianju (滇剧), etc.
Kun qiang
Kunqiang (崑腔), also known as Kunshanqiang (崑山腔), or Kunqu (崑曲) was listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001.
Yiyang qiang (Gao qiang)
Yiyang qiang (弋陽腔) or outside Peking called Gao qiang (高腔) consists of Chaoju 潮剧, Chuanju 川剧, Xiangju (湘剧 also in Pihuangqiang), Ganju 赣剧, Dianju (滇剧 again also in Pihuang qiang), Chenhexi 辰河戏, Diaoqiang 调腔, etc.