Shanghai Opera House is the largest comprehensive performing arts ensemble among Shanghai's state-owned cultural troupes, and one of China's leading professional institutions in the fields of opera and musical theatre. Its roots can be traced back to 1935 with the establishment of the Xin'an Travel Troupe and several other revolutionary performing groups; the company was officially founded in October 1956. Since its inception, it has nurtured a distinguished roster of veteran artists including Ren Guizhen, Shi Hong'e, Li Zhonglin, and Shu Qiao, leaving an illustrious mark across opera, ballet, choral music, symphony, and musical theatre.

Today, under the leadership of Wei Song, Xu Zhong, and Shi Yijie, the Shanghai Opera House comprises professional departments including the Opera Company, Chorus, Symphony Orchestra, Dance Company, Opera Production Department, and Stage Design and Technology Department. The company has created and staged over one hundred major works, including operas such as Tianmen Island, The Overlord of Chu, Thunderstorm, March of the Volunteers, and The Dream of Splendour; the musical Song of the Nation; ballets including The Dagger Society, Zhou Xuan, Journey to the Moon, Chang'e, and Yonghe Nine Years; and the symphonic chorus The Land of Revival – A Symphonic Poem for the New Era. The company also preserves and performs classic revolutionary repertoire such as Sister Jiang, The Long March Suite, and The Yellow River Cantata. In collaboration with world-renowned opera houses and artists, the Shanghai Opera House has co-produced numerous Western operatic masterpieces—including Tosca, La Traviata, Turandot, Madama Butterfly, Der fliegende Holländer, and Le Nozze di Figaro—as well as major symphonic-choral works such as Carmina Burana and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Its performance spans more than thirty countries and regions across five continents.

As a key force in Shanghai's ambition to become the "Asian Capital of Performing Arts," the Shanghai Opera House adheres to an artistic philosophy of "diversity, innovation, and excellence," and remains committed to its vision: "championing original Chinese works, preserving and performing the best of both Chinese and international classics, and embodying the spirit of the times"—consistently enriching the cultural fabric of this global metropolis.