In modern times, Shanghai, known as the "largest city in the Far East", has been both a commercial city and a gathering place for literature and art. Shanghai is the cradle of modern Chinese drama, and various opera troupes such as Peking Opera and Yue Opera also use this "big wharf" as a touchstone and gold mining ground. The collision of China and the West, and the competition between the North and the South, create a gorgeous and unique Shanghai-style drama culture.
According to "Shanghai General Chronicles", by 1945, even though it had just survived the difficult years of the Anti-Japanese War, there were still 67 large and small theaters in Shanghai after the disaster. Among them, the four new Peking Opera theaters named "stage" are particularly shining. Their glory can be found in the history of Shanghai's theater performances and the development history of Peking Opera. Therefore, these four stages have also gained the reputation of "Shanghai's Four Major Peking Opera Stages" among theater fans. To this day, these four theaters still stand in place, making performances their business, welcoming audiences and silently witnessing the changes of the times. Walking into it, we seem to still be able to hear the lingering sound, carrying the passage of hundreds of years. There is the enthusiasm of "If you don't enter the world, you won't be a hero", and there is also the sadness of "where is the motherland when the moon shines" when the country is in danger; there is the stage star's curtain call in life when the world is unpredictable, and there is also the martial arts master who is still young. The growth begins. Engraved among the bricks and tiles, and on the rafters, are the ups and downs of the lives of generations of famous Peking Opera actors.
Tianchan Yifu Stage: No. 1 in Shanghai and the preservation of the national salvation picture
Go east from the People's Square to the intersection of Fuzhou Road and Yunnan Middle Road. You can see a four-story fan-shaped building on the corner of the street, with the calligraphy and painting "Tianchan" written by the calligrapher and painter Xie Zhiliu on it. "Two words. This is the Tianchan Stage (today's Tianchan Yifu Stage), which was the leader of Peking Opera venues in Shanghai and once enjoyed the reputation of "the largest theater in the Far East".
"Tianchan" can be divided into old and new ones. "Laotian Chan" is located at the intersection of Daxin Street, Erma Road (now the intersection of Jiujiang Road and Hubei Road), where the Seventh Heaven Building is now. In 1916, Xu Shaoqing, the owner of the original "Dangui No. 1 Theater" (located at the intersection of Hubei Road and Fuzhou Road today, which no longer exists) broke up with others and set up a new business, renting this theater. In order to overpower the popular "Dangui No. 1 Stage" at that time, he named the theater "Tianchan Stage" after the allusion of "the moon spirit toad breaks the osmanthus branches". People at the time also wrote a poem about the matter, "Why is the stage called Tianchan? Many people once deliberately guessed that they wanted to break the osmanthus in the middle of the moon, so the origin of the name could not be known." Sold to Gu Zhuxuan, a "Jiangbei tycoon" with a Youth Gang background. Gu hired Qilin boy Zhou Xinfang as the lead, and launched "Feng Shen Bang" and other series of scripts, which became a smash hit.
The architectural appearance of the Tian Chan Shaw Stage in 1959.
In 1930, Yongan Company wanted to take back the property where "Old Tianchan" lived and use it for other purposes. Gu Zhuxuan purchased a theater located on Sima Road (today's Fuzhou Road) and moved the "Tianchan" signboard to become "New Tianchan", which is today's Tianchan Yifu Stage.
"Xintianchan" was built in 1921. It has an arched roof and a protruding semicircular stage inside the venue. The auditorium is surrounded on three sides and divided into three floors with a total of 3,917 seats. It was the largest theater in Shanghai at that time. A hundred years later, although the interior of the theater has been renovated, with only about 900 seats, and the stage has been changed to a frame type, the appearance of Tianchan still retains its former appearance, like a crouching golden toad. This theater has indeed lived up to the ambition when it was named. Toad Palace won the title and became the largest Peking theater in Shanghai. It is still the first choice theater for Peking Opera performances in Shanghai, and has been singing for hundreds of years.
There is a proverb in Liyuanxing that "If you don't enter Tianchan, you won't be an actor." The Tianchan stage is the "touchstone" for famous actors. Xun Huisheng, one of the "Four Famous Dandans", started his career from this point on. In 1919, Tianchan Stage hired Yang Xiaolou, the "master of Chinese opera", to form Yongsheng Society and perform in Shanghai. Lao Sheng was named Tan Xiaopei, Qing Yi was named Shang Xiaoyun, and as for Dao Ma Hua Dan, Boss Yang personally designated Xun Huisheng, whose stage name is "White Peony". Xun Huisheng, who was only 19 years old, had just graduated from college and changed his career from singing Bangzi opera. He encountered a lot of gossip when he suddenly got such an opportunity. With a feeling of apprehension, he stood on the stage of Tianchan and played "Huatiancuo", which made him famous in Shanghai for the first time. Since then, "Three Little Ones" has become famous in Shanghai, setting off a wave of drama watching.After the performance ended in April, Xun Huisheng did not return to Beijing with Yongsheng Society. Instead, Tianchan tried his best to retain him, and the contract was renewed again and again for several years. Zhou Shoujuan, Wu Changshuo and other celebrities in Shanghai's cultural circles formed a "white party" for him and wrote books to promote his reputation. In this way, Xun Huisheng, who had suffered from being squeezed out by factions in Beijing, finally broke through.
Stills of Mei Lanfang (left) and Zhou Xinfang (right) performing on the Shaw Stage in Tianchan.
Tianchan Stage is not only the center of Peking Opera in Shanghai, but also witnesses the generosity and pride of countless people with lofty ideals who saved the nation. If you walk a few steps along Yunnan Middle Road from the theater gate, you will see a small memorial hall. The three inconspicuous rooms on the second floor on the east side of Tianchan are the former site of the Politburo office after the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. During the War of Liberation, the Shanghai Bureau of the CPC Central Committee also set up a secret base in the theater office. The huge popularity of Tianchan Stage has become an excellent cover for our party's underground workers. Once the rumor goes wrong, they can blend into the crowd of people watching the show to escape enemy pursuit.
After a 28-month overhaul, the Tian Chan Shaw Stage, a century-old opera theater, will return with a new look in 2021.
Behind the stage, the underground secret front is protected, and the actors in front of the stage also use their plays to arouse the audience's patriotic feelings when the mountains and rivers are broken. In 1931, Zhou Xinfang, who had been performing in Tianchan for a long time, heard that the "September 18th Incident" broke out and was very angry. He rushed to rehearse the play "Three Hundred Years of the Manchu Qing Dynasty" day and night. He incorporated "Remnants of the Late Ming Dynasty" left by Pan Yueqiao, a famous Peking opera star of the Southern School, into it, striving to "arouse people's hearts and work together to save the nation." In December of that year, Emperor Chongzhen, played by Zhou Xinfang, appeared on the Tianchan stage, and the words "You must know that those who have lost their country will have no freedom" were deafening and enlightening. It was not only the lament of the subjugated king in the play, but also the message of a generation of famous actors to the audience. Call with all your strength. After Mei Lanfang moved his family to Shanghai to avoid the disaster of war, he also presented two new plays on the Tianchan Stage, "Resisting the Golden Soldiers" and "Hate of Life and Death", using the old story of the Jin soldiers' invasion in the late Northern Song Dynasty to call on the audience to share their hatred. In particular, "Hate of Life and Death" was written to express the tragic feelings of the people in the occupied areas. Although it was blocked by the Japanese after only three performances, it still caused a sensation in Shanghai. Audiences rushing to buy tickets broke the door and window glass of the ticket office. After the fall of Shanghai, Mei Lanfang grew a beard and stopped performing. A series of new patriotic plays created by Zhou Xinfang were banned, and he himself was threatened by his enemies. Someone advised Zhou Xinfang to leave the stage, but he said: "To resist foreign humiliation, soldiers have guns. I, Zhou Xinfang, have Peking Opera, and Peking Opera is my gun!" Even if it cannot be performed, he still posted "Wen Tianxiang" and "Shi Kefa" in the theater 》poster, looking forward to the coming of light. On May 17, 1950, in the first spring after the founding of the People's Republic of China, "Wen Tianxiang" finally "stopped the clouds and saw the moonlight", and completed its premiere in Tianchan.
Common stage: Monkey King loves to drink sour plum soup
Starting from Tianchan Stage, walk for about 500 meters along Tibet Middle Road towards Yan'an East Road, which is the common stage connected to the big world. In 1917, Huang Chujiu, a wealthy man who was famous in Shanghai, opened the Great World Entertainment Center, which integrated more than 60 kinds of entertainment projects such as catering, acrobatics, drama, and movies. According to the "Big World News", the Big World "can accommodate more than 10,000 tourists" and has "seven stages that perform various operas in turn." The predecessor of Gongtai is the Peking Opera Theater attached to the Big World. In 1930, Huang Chujiu converted it into an independent theater and invited Zheng Faxiang, the "Monkey King" who specialized in Wukong plays, to perform the drama "Journey to the West". Therefore, he named the theater "Qitian Stage" to match the Monkey King on the stage. complement each other.
However, Huang Chujiu died of illness within a year, and Great World was acquired by Huang Huangrong as a whole. Huang Jinrong then changed the name of the theater to Gongtai which he had run.
There is a saying in the troupe that "learn art in Beijing, sing famously in Tianjin, and make money in Shanghai". "Business roads are theater roads." Business prosperity can bring huge economic benefits to the theater industry. Not only is the theater owner well-run, but the famous actors on stage also have business acumen. Zheng Faxiang was performing on the public stage. Seeing the hot summer, people who came to play had to buy drinks to quench their thirst.Taking advantage of the favorable location, he co-opened a Zheng Fuzhai food store in the eastern part of the Great World. The sour plum soup, which was refreshing and refreshing, became popular in Shanghai and became known as the "King of Sour Plum Soup". Zheng Faxiang also applied to the authorities to register the "Qitian" trademark in the image of the Monkey King, which can be said to have maximized his star effect. The restaurants that Peking opera actors left for Shanghai are not only Zheng Fuzhai, but also Hong Changxing, a century-old restaurant on Guangxi North Road. As the first halal mutton restaurant in Shanghai, Hong Changxing is the “enlightenment” of mutton-shabu-shabu for countless Shanghai girls. But it was originally just a kitchen opened by Ma Lianliang's second uncle for Majiaban, who was born as a Muslim, to solve the problem of feeding people when they came to Shanghai to perform. It can be seen that the theater road can also become a business road.
The main audience of Shanghai-style Peking Opera is the citizen class that has emerged with the process of urbanization, so the appreciation taste is different from that of northern audiences. Xu Ke once wrote in "Qing Bailei Chao", "There are two major schools of opera viewing, one is the northern school and the other is the southern school." He summarized the characteristics of the two schools, "In a nutshell, northerners value art, while southerners value art. It’s just sex.” Shanghai audiences prefer straightforward sensory stimulation, and the gorgeous and complicated mechanism scenes are very popular. The common stage is the base camp of "Shanghai-style organ-set drama", and has successively launched dramas such as "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" and "Hongbi Yuan". In order to cooperate with the use of various mechanical scenery, the stage is equipped with a removable movable turntable and movable flaps in the middle of the stage, and there is also a pool at the rear. The theater is equipped with a vertical winch and a slide rail for "hanging wire".
It is said that the setting of "The Burning Red Lotus Temple" is a three-story building with staircases and corridors, and each floor can be opened or closed independently. In 1936, Chaplin visited Shanghai and, accompanied by Mei Lanfang, went to the stage to watch the fourth volume of "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple". Various accounts of Chaplin's impressions of watching the play are inconsistent. Some people say that a play that only showcased grotesque skills and low-quality performing arts was not enough for Chaplin, so he went to the Shin Kong Theater to watch Ma Lianliang's "Famen Temple" and was fascinated by Ma Lianliang's exquisite singing and acting. It is also said that Chaplin was not stingy with applause when he watched "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple". He was especially enthusiastic about the sword handles in the play and praised it as "the only art in the East". He also praised the exquisite mechanical scenery of "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple", with frequent scenery changes and endless changes but still maintaining a perfect balance. He said that "the play has so many scene changes that can only be seen in the West when Shakespeare's plays are performed."
Multiple historical data mutually confirm that Chaplin indeed watched "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" first and then Ma Lianliang's "Famen Temple" that day. As for the different descriptions, it is vaguely visible that the writers hold two aesthetic tendencies of Peking Opera: the "Northern School" and the "Southern School". "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" and "Famen Temple" were staged on the same day, which proves that in Shanghai at that time, no matter what kind of Peking opera appreciation the audience preferred, they could find a performance that suited them. It doesn't matter whether Chaplin likes "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" or not. His arrival has provided huge commercial value to the theater. The public happily placed a flower basket with the words "Welcome Chaplin" at the entrance of the theater, and published advertisements in newspapers with letters such as "Funny Master Chaplin came to our theater to watch the show" and "Do you like it after watching it?" "Juekou", taking advantage of the "heat" of this international superstar.
People's Grand Stage: A stage accident brought father and son together
The People's Grand Stage, located on Jiujiang Road, is the earliest existing Peking Opera theater in Shanghai. Its predecessor was the Civilization Grand Stage, which was built in 1909, the first year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty. In 1932, Hartung Company invested 450,000 silver dollars to transform the theater, which was originally a brick and wood structure into a reinforced concrete structure with a three-story auditorium that could accommodate more than 2,500 spectators. During this reconstruction, the theater gate was turned from Sanma Road (today's Hankou Road) to Erma Road (today's Jiujiang Road). The renovated theater changed its name several times as the operator changed, but the word "big stage" never changed.
If we want to talk about celebrities who have emerged from the big stage, we have to mention a stage accident. Shanghai audiences have always been keen on the fiery Peking Opera martial arts. Martial arts actors have their own unique skills to attract customers, and some performances even use "real swords, real guns, real kung fu" as a gimmick. The stage effects may be intense, but they also greatly increase the risk of injuries to actors.In 1935, the newly completed grand stage signed a contract with Gai Jingtian, a famous martial arts master known as "Jiangnan Living Wusong", and newly arranged all "Wu Song". One day, Gai Jingtian performed to "Lion Tower". Wu Song went to the government office to file a complaint for his brother, but was beaten by the county magistrate forty times. Furious, he went to the Lion Tower and beheaded Ximen Qing. When this play was originally performed, there was only one table and two chairs on the stage, and the actors only had to perform the performance of going up and down the stairs. But Shanghai-style Peking Opera likes to use hard scenes, and actually built a two-story restaurant. Wu Song and Ximen Qing fight, and the two have to climb down from the window one after another, showing off their unique skill of "turning inside the clouds". According to the play, Ximen Qing should roll to the side immediately after landing to leave room for Wu Song. Unexpectedly, Gai Jingtian jumped into the air that day, only to find that Ximen Qing failed to change his position in time and was still lying on the same spot. In order to avoid colliding with him, Gai Jingtian had to dodge in the air and broke his right leg when he landed. Some viewers recalled that after the fracture, Gai Jingtian still stood on his left leg and managed to hold on until the curtain was raised, without losing the heroic spirit of Wu Song. After
was injured, his unexpired performance contract could only be completed by his eldest son Zhang Yipeng. At that time, Zhang Yipeng was just a little-known actor in Shanghai. Suddenly he was given the major role. The boss of the big stage was worried that it would not have enough box office appeal, and hoped that Zhang Yipeng would be dubbed the "Tiangongzi" so that he could benefit from his father's glory. But Zhang Yipeng did not want to be protected by his father and insisted on performing on stage under his real name. Looking at the advertisements published in newspapers at that time, at the beginning, the big stage still used the name "Gai Jiaotian" in large characters in the center, and below it was written in small characters "Zhesir Zhang Yipengdai". But a few days later, the big characters on the advertisement were changed to "Zhang Yipeng" and Gai Jingtian was no longer mentioned. This is the moment when an actor truly transforms into a "character". His name itself is enough to become a signature and symbol without any additional explanation. Zhang Yipeng has been starring on the big stage for a long time since then. He created and staged a drama series "Journey to the West" with his own characteristics. He performed it continuously for eight years and firmly established himself.
Perhaps out of jealousy of talent, Zhang Yipeng died suddenly at the age of only 45. I only had a few stills during my lifetime, and I haven’t had time to leave any video data in the future. We can only imagine the grand scene of that year from the subtle changes between the lines in the reminiscence articles and piles of old papers. In 1995, the old building of the Grand Stage was completely demolished and a commercial building was built on the original site. After a century-long reconstruction, the People’s Stage opened its doors again to welcome guests in 2011.
China Grand Theater: Rebirth and Farewell of Famous Actors
In June 2018, the renovated China Theater on Niuzhuang Road resumed hosting performances and opened its doors to audiences from north to south. For this renovation, the construction team referred to the design drawings of its predecessor, the Samsung Stage, when it was first built in 1929, retaining the main structure and exterior facade of the theater, and restored the two spiers on the roof and the three-story auditorium in the theater according to the historical original. In order to repair the old as before. Zheng Shiling, an expert who participated in the restoration of the China Grand Theater, recalled that when he was a student, he heard his teacher praise the acoustic quality of the China Grand Theater. Even if he was sitting in the last row of the third floor, he could hear the sound on the stage clearly, which shows that when it was built, level of attentiveness.
The China Grand Theater was completed in 1930. It was originally named "Samsung Stage", but was warned by Huang Jinrong that there could only be one big stage on Jiujiang Road in Shanghai, so it was renamed "Samsung Stage". In early 1936, "Scene King" Zhou Xiaoqing bought this theater and moved his Zhabei Renewal Stage, which was blown up by artillery fire during the Battle of Songhu, here to reopen it. Regardless of its audience capacity, geographical location or history of existence, the China Grand Theater does not seem to be as prominent as the other three stages. Perhaps the reason why it can be listed as one of the "Four Major Peking Opera Stages in Shanghai" along with the other three is that this theater has witnessed the beginning and end of the artistic careers of many famous Peking Opera actors.
Zhou Xiaoqing manages the updated stage and hires Li Yanzhi as the theater's first pianist and concurrently as the backstage manager. Li Yanzhi's several young children also live in the theater and play the role of children in the play. After the updated stage reopened on Niuzhuang Road, the children of the Li family got a little older and their art became increasingly sophisticated, and they were able to perform on the same stage as adult celebrities. It is common in Beijing to see well-trained child actors performing on stage, but this is rare in Shanghai.The Shanghai audience loves these young actors very much and gives them the name "Li Family Class". Li Ge Company also aimed at renewing the commercial value of Tong Ling, and invited people to record eight records with a remuneration of 800 oceans, which at the time was equivalent to the income of a skilled worker in Shanghai in nearly two years. Among the members of the Li family class, Li Huiliang was the most outstanding. A theater critic wrote, "This kid has been singing in Shanghai for several months. I wonder how many people he has charmed." He also asserted, "Such a talent is the best in the theater world in China." It is also rare to find here." As the comments said, Li Huiliang absorbed the talents of many schools with an open and advanced concept, formed his own unique artistic style, and later grew into a martial arts master who founded the sect.
The performance has a joyful beginning, but it also ends with a bitter ending. In 1947, Du Yuesheng's 60th birthday, the "Mr. Du Yuesheng's 60th Birthday Celebration Birthday Charity Performance" was held at the China Grand Theater, where famous actors from the north and south gathered together. "Winter Emperor" Meng Xiaodong posted two videos of "Searching for Orphans and Saving Orphans", and then announced her withdrawal from Jutan. The 36-year acting career of a generation of Kun Ling leaders has come to an end. The "Winter Emperor"'s "famous" performance caused crowds to empty out in Shanghai, and theater tickets were priced at more than ten times the price, but they were still affordable and unavailable. Even Ma Lianliang had to share a seat with others because he couldn't buy theater tickets. Spectators who were not able to attend the event listened to the live broadcast on the radio, but the price of the radio also increased a lot. Meng Xiaodong's "Searching for Orphans and Saving Orphans" was learned from Yu Shuyan, and it is a true biography. Listening to this performance live now, although the recording quality is not excellent, Meng's ability to convey emotions with his voice and his ease are still before my eyes. Among them, in the "execution field", Cheng Ying pays homage to his friend and young son, just like a cuckoo weeping blood, and each word expresses his love. When people today study Yu School art, they often use this recording as a Dharma reference and cherish it very much.
appeared on the stage as a woman. Even though her artistic level has reached the top, the troublemakers always speculate and spy on her emotional entanglement with Mei Lanfang and Du Yuesheng. I wonder what Meng Xiaodong was thinking the moment he stepped off the stage of the China Grand Theater after the song ended.
The restored China Theater reopened in 2018. Pictured is the interior of the theater. Photo by Yuan Jing
Only time in the world will not change because of anyone or anything, but time can change many things. Among the "Four Major Peking Opera Stages", except for the Tianchan Stage, which still mainly performs opera performances and continues its century-old glory, the other three theaters have further embraced the current turmoil in the performing arts market, and each has its own splendor: China's major theaters have transformed regardless of the type of opera. In order to accommodate professional theaters with comprehensive performances, we strive to incubate original dramas. After years of silence, the Common Stage and the People's Stage have also found a way to rejuvenate through talk shows and small theater musicals. The Asia Tower, which is "dependent" on the People's Grand Stage, has even become the most popular performance venue in Shanghai in recent years. If you go to these theaters before and after a performance, you can often see enthusiastic fans gathered outside, looking forward to catching a glimpse of their beloved actors. In a daze, it seemed like the scene where the audience gathered around the famous actress was reappeared. Time flies by for hundreds of years in this "change" and "unchangedness".
Author: Xiong Zhiying
Text: Xiong Zhiying (Ph.D. student, Department of Chinese, Fudan University) Editor: Xu Luming Editor: Shao Ling
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