Studies of the characteristics of Sichuan Opera to date are mostly on certain vantage points, such as the poem-like style, the profound cognition of life, the traditions of comedy, and the aesthetics of the stunts. Summing up, all agree that Sichuan Opera contains cultural elements of “literariness,＂ “aestheticism,＂“ folk custom,＂ and “all-embracing union.＂ However, the characteristic that distinguishes Sichuan Opera from the Liyuan Opera and the Kunju Opera, giving it profoundly dramatic cultural connotation, is precisely its performing art of the stunts. Examining theater related documents one finds the stunts performances in Sichuan Opera are inherited from historical tradition. Consequently, Sichuan Opera obtains the characteristics of the traditional opera types. This article discusses the characteristics of Sichuan Opera and its historical traditions from three aspects: the performing art of the stunts in Sichuan opera, the vocal tune system that provided developing condition for the stunts in Sichuan Opera, and the historical traditions of the performing art of stunts in documents. It is significant that the stunts performances in Sichuan Opera retain the performances from jiaodi xi (wrestling show) and baixi (variety show) of the Qin (221-207 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C.-A.D.220) dynasties, and canjun xi (joining army opera) of the Tang (618-907) and Five Dynasties (907-960). The design of Sichuan Opera's mechanical stage can be traced back to the time of Wang Yan. Through this study one sees that Sichuan Opera is not only a visual performing art but also an embodiment of the performing traditions that developed in Sichuan over a long period of time.