Jin Opera, also known as Zhonglu Bangzi, is a representative opera in Shanxi Province and one of the four major Bangzi operas in Shanxi Province. Because its activity area is in central Shanxi, especially around Taiyuan and Jinzhong, and this opera has always been welcomed and loved by the masses in central Shanxi, it is called Zhonglu Bangzi.

Zhonglu Bangzi is characterized by its melodious and smooth melody, graceful, mellow and friendly melody, and clear lyrics. It has the rich local flavor of Jinzhong area and its own unique style.

Zhonglu Bangzi originated from Puzhou Bangzi and became popular during the Daoguang and Xianfeng years of the Qing Dynasty. It absorbed many characteristics of Pu Opera, and after being enriched and developed by many artists, it gradually formed its own style. It can be said that it is a unique type of Bangzi Opera formed by bold breakthroughs and innovations based on Pu Opera.

In the past hundred years, some of Zhonglu Bangzi’s predecessors and old artists have made positive contributions to the development of this opera, such as Meng Zhenqing (stage name "Sanersheng"), Zhang Jingyun (stage name "Thirteenth Red") "), Gao Wenhan (stage name "Storytelling Red"), Qiao Guorui (stage name "Lion Black"), Tian Guizi, Mao Maodan, You Qiaodan, etc., are constantly innovating and improving in singing and acting, and are going further and further. Kuan, the play gets better and better as it goes on. Especially after the famous Shanxi opera actor Ding Guoxian came on stage, she made new improvements in singing, dialogue, style and other aspects due to her arduous opera stage practice, which played an important role in the formation of today's Shanxi opera style.

Zhonglu Bangzi was mainly active around Taiyuan at first, and it was easy to absorb the strengths of brother operas and integrate them. Therefore, the performance scope of this drama has gradually expanded. Before the Anti-Japanese War, it had expanded to western Hebei, northern Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. In the above areas, fixed Zhonglu Bangzi Theater Troupes were established one after another to perform Jin Opera. During the Anti-Japanese War, many Central Bangzi artists participated in the heroic struggle to save the nation from peril under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and performed in revolutionary base areas such as Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, Shanxi-Suiyuan, and Taihang. They not only perform traditional plays, but also modern plays and new plays. Performances at the front lines and base areas were praised by the people and played a certain role in boosting people's morale. Jinsui July Drama Club (Zhonglu Bangzi) has accompanied the army to Xi'an, Chengdu, Tianshui, Gansu and other places to perform long-term performances.

After liberation, the number of Zhonglu Bangzi troupes gradually increased, especially in Jinzhong, Luliang, and Taiyuan areas. Almost every county had professional troupes, and many villages and towns had amateur troupes. The famous play "The Art of Gold" has been made into a movie.

Shanxi Jin Opera Theater is the main performing group of Shanxi Jin Opera. Founded in February 1959. This troupe has a long history of performing. Over the years, it has trained many young actors and accumulated rich practical experience on the stage. Many outstanding actors have gathered here and are supported by Shanxi Province's Shanxi opera masters.

Shanxi Provincial Jin Theater is located in Taiyuan and currently has 287 performers and staff. This theater has historically brought together veteran performers of Shanxi Opera including Ding Guoxian, Niu Guiying, Guo Fengying, Liang Qiaoyun, Ji Meilian and others. These veteran artists have developed their own unique performance style and singing tunes through many years of stage life, which have left a deep impression and high prestige among the masses.

Now, the famous actors in this theater include Wang Aiai, Tian Guilan, Ji Ping, Ma Yulou, Liu Hanyin, Guo Fengying, Wang Baochai, etc. The representative plays of Shanxi Jin Opera Theater include traditional plays "Strike the Golden Bough", "Han Yan", "Small Banquet", "Killing the Palace", "Counting Grain", etc.

The traceability and development overview of Zhonglu Bangzi

Jin Opera, formerly known as Zhonglu Bangzi, is a type of opera that was nurtured by Puzhou Bangzi. At first, it was mainly active in the central area of ??Shanxi Province, that is, in the Qing Dynasty. The counties under the jurisdiction of Taiyuan Prefecture, Fenzhou Prefecture and Pingding Prefecture in the dynasty. Later, due to the rapid development, the spread area gradually expanded, and the social influence became more and more important, until it became the representative type of drama in Shanxi Province today - Jin Opera.

Origin Discussion

The origin of the Zhonglu Bangzi has been an issue that has been debated by researchers on the history of Jin Opera for many years. According to the research information I have, the origin of Zhonglu Bangzi should be during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty.

Under the leadership of the class leader San Deng, Kun Liyuan became very popular and was dubbed the "Zhao Class". The proverb goes: "Three lanterns entered the city, and the merchants and traders lost their souls..." "Three lanterns entered the village, and the long-term workers and the sheep herders took a break from work. I saw the Seven Star Temple one afternoon, and then the Shiwang Palace the next. "It can be seen that the performance is prosperous.

Another symbol of the brilliance of Zhonglu Bangzi is the ticketing classes and self-playing classes all over urban and rural areas. The so-called ticket class is an entertainment organization voluntarily established by businessmen, farmers, private gentlemen, etc. The participants are called ticket friends, and those with high arts are called "joint writers". Most of them are amateur farmers who gather together to play and sing, which attracts many people. Less audience. This kind of organization plays a voluntary role as a bridge to promote drama to the masses and deepen the masses' love for drama. The so-called Full Music Class is where wealthy families take advantage of their breaks to invite famous artists and cultural celebrities to their homes to perform, entertain, and discuss revising scripts, tunes, or improving performance moves. This kind of activity is also called "walking in the dark". After it matures, it will be formally performed on stage, which is called "walking in the bright". This three-in-one self-music class composed of wealthy people, intellectuals and famous old artists is a pioneering work in the development history of Zhonglu Bangzi. Among them, those with outstanding results include Juwenhui in Taiyuan County (now Jinyuan Town), Caojiaban in Beihuang Village, Taigu, and Qujiaban in Qixian County.

After the Zhonglu Bangzi reached its peak, the Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Class, Kyoto Coloratura Class, etc. basically withdrew from the Zhonglu stage. Only the Pu Bangzi occasionally returned, and the momentum was greatly reduced.

After the Revolution of 1911, the counties in the middle area were in turmoil, and most of the rich and powerful took a wait-and-see attitude. Therefore, the successors of Zhonglu Bangzi were mostly replaced by former Qing Yamen, old men from the Escort Bureau, etc. At the same time, the team of artists from Zhonglu has also grown. Except for the settlers, the Pu Bang artists no longer come to Zhonglu to work. From the 5th to 19th years of the Republic of China (1916-1930), the situation in Shanxi was relatively stable, and Zhonglu Bangzi entered its second glorious period. The characteristics are:

(1) There are many classes and societies, and the schools are expanding. At this time, the Zhonglu Bangzi not only took root in Yanbei and occupied the outside world, but also developed and established ban societies in western Hebei Province, northeastern Shaanxi Province, and the northern counties under the jurisdiction of the former Pingyang Prefecture and Lu'an Prefecture, forming a This large-scale opera spans the five provinces and regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei, Suiyuan and Chahar in northern my country, so it is called Shanxi Bangzi. Just in the 30 counties in the Zhonglu area, there were more than 120 theater troupes that appeared at this stage, of which Shouyang had the most, having hosted 21 theater troupes. Famous Shangsanban operas include Yang Chengzhai's Jinli Garden in Taigu County, Hu Wanyi's Wanfu Garden, and Chen Yu's Zicheng Garden in Xugou County.

(2) There are many celebrities and the competition is fierce. Because there are many classes and societies, they compete with each other for superiority. Fourteen years after the Republic of China, Chen Yu, the leader of the Xugou Zichengyuan class, brought back Kunjiao artists such as Daniuniu and Ernu from Zhangjiakou for the first time to perform on the same stage with the male artists of his class. This caused a sensation, and the audience was like tide. Then Hebei Bangzi martial arts artists came to Jin to join the class. Their martial arts scenes with real swords and guns and real fighting won praise from the audience. Then there are some class clubs represented by Taigu Wanfuyuan, not to be outdone, and return to Puzhou to recruit new talents. This creates a great situation for Bangzi in the middle, where there are many talents, strong strength, and competition with each other. The famous artists at this time include: Gai Tianhong, Storytelling Hong, Li Zijian (who later sang in Peking Opera), Shisanhong, Xiaotwelvehong, Sanersheng, Tianguidan, Mao Maodan, Shishihei, Seventeen Lives, Fu Yi Chou, Yan Zhang Hei, Zhuo Xin Dan, You Fu Dan, Yu Lan Dan, Ling Shi Dan, Li Yang Hei, Yan Xiandan, Enema Red, Fa Cai Sheng, Ji Feo Chou, Zhong Tou Hei, etc.; famous operas Research workers include Guo Weizhi, Pei Shichang, etc.; outside Kunjiao include Dazhong

Niu, Erniu Niu, Ernvzhi, Jijinzhi, Chengjinmei, etc.; famous teachers in the civil and military field include Gao Xiyu, Yang Jiacheng, Cheng Yigong, Li Wanye, Wan Jinzhi, Wu Mancang, Er Dingzhi, Ma Bulong, etc.

(3) There are many repertoires and both civil and military performances. Due to the large number of talents, most of the plays performed are performed by celebrities.

Common ones include "Snow in June", "Feng Yi Pavilion", "Golden Beach", "Shangtiantai", "White Snake", "Iron Gong Yuan", "Hundred Sons", "Famen Temple", "Double Officials" ", "Ten Thousand Buddhas Clothes", "Zhongliang Picture", "Plum Blossoms Falling", "Shuangluo Shirt", "Thirteen Sisters", "Tazigou", "Jade Chess Piece", "Fire Flag", "A Pocket" "Snow", "Golden Leopard", etc., with more than 200 copies, chapters and publications published. It can be said that he is capable of both civil and military affairs and is unstoppable in his actions.

(4) The acting skills are superb and a hundred flowers bloom. At this time, each class club showed off new tricks, and each artist also took the lead in singing, acting, chanting, performing stunts and other performances. For example, San Ersheng’s unique and unrestrained accents and sweating skills, Mao Maodan’s Ya Ya accent, Tian Guidan’s cough accent, Gai Puzhou’s “Ten Don’ts”, “Ten Burners of Incense” and the lion Hei's marrow shaping skills, Ling Lingsheng's Lingzi Kung Fu, Yanzhang Hei's head-breaking wrinkles Kung Fu, Zi Laixiang's rocker Kung Fu, Xin Dan's Taibu Kung Fu, You Gao Dan's folding skills, and the charming water sleeves Kung Fu, Shao Shaozhen's kicking up to the sky without handrails, Lu'erhong's Paper Xun Kung Fu, Tian Guidan's Snot Kung Fu, Hong Mei Dan's Fire Breathing Kung Fu, Storytelling Hong's Tea Tray Kung Fu, You Fu Dan's Chair Kung Fu, etc. are all impressive. Wow. It not only provides the audience with beautiful enjoyment, but also leaves a valuable legacy for our province’s opera art. Folk proverbs include, "I would rather be squeezed to the waist of my trousers than miss the birth of my third son.", "I would rather receive a beating than miss the bloody fingerprints of Tian Guidan." Eat (marry) the mother-in-law" and so on.

Since the 1920s, due to the fact that some of the old artists are still alive in Shanxi Bangzi and the stage layout can maintain the performance of men and women on the same stage, the Taigu Jinyiyuan and other three-troupe performances have emerged. In the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935), the Buyun Opera Company, headed by the famous female artist Ding Guoxian, and the Tangfeng Opera Company, headed by Gai Tianhong, performed in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other places, greatly expanding the influence of Shanxi Bangzi. , and also exchanged experiences with fellow opera artists to enrich themselves. Later, Shanxi Bangzi gradually transformed from male protagonists to female protagonists. This also brings potential problems: because women's acting can attract more audiences and make more money, there has been a craze in various places to specifically train female artists. For example, Taigu Fuqingyuan Class, Yucikun Liyuan Class, Qixian Xiaotong Liyuan Class, Yuxian Chengqingyuan Class, etc. all accept female households for training. Even the old artists at that time, Storybook Red, Yulandan, Youfudan, Wuyuexian, Erniudan, Gaitianhong, Narcissus and famous celebrities such as Dingguoxian, Bijixian, Yiwanshan, etc., also recruited female disciples one after another. Teaching and acting at the same time. Therefore, before the "July 7th Incident", most of Shanxi Bangzi's famous stage actors were Kun Jiao. Such as Bei Guitao, Bei Guijun, Bei Guiqin, Liu Guiying, Cheng Yuying, Liu Junying, Dong Cuihong, Dong Guihua, Huang Bilou, Radium Lotus, Shake Lianchun, Niu Guiying, Guo Fengying, Guo Lanying, Ji Meilian, Sun Fu'e, Hua Yanjun, Ding Yanxia, ??Qiao Yuxian, Zhang Meiqin, Liang Xiaoyun, Liu Zhilan, Ji Lanxiang, Guo Hongmei, Ma Qiuxian, Er Nunu, Ren Yuzhen, etc.; there are only a few new male actors such as Wang Yinzhu, Zheng Yalou, Zhao Yuelou, Wang Zhengkui and so on.

Due to the "excessive yin and declining yang" of actors in Shanxi Bangzi, there are many outstanding performances such as helmet-relying opera, hard work opera, martial arts opera, painted faces, and clown operas. The gradual discontinuation or loss of performance has also caused the passionate and unrestrained dialogues, singing, and ups and downs of performance routines unique to this northern opera to be gradually replaced by melodious tunes and lingering styles, thus losing its former charm. A masculine and sonorous character.

Suffered disaster

After Yan and Feng failed to overthrow Chiang, Shanxi's economy was in depression and Jin was short of money. Some Shanxi Bangzi clubs are controlled or run by gamblers, drug dealers, gangsters and other people. In order to make money, they often take advantage of performance opportunities to openly gamble and sell drugs. They also instigate and lure artists to indulge in hobbies and go astray. Corruption has been introduced into the theater troupes, resulting in typhoon depression, artists' ideological degeneration, and decline in artistic standards, which has brought great harm to many artists. Life has brought serious difficulties, and even a few Kunjiao artists have encountered misfortunes repeatedly and fallen into difficulties, unable to extricate themselves. This has had a very bad impact on the general public. The above are the internal factors that caused Shanxi Bangzi to slide down from the peak. However, the external cause of its devastation was the invasion of Japanese invaders.

After the Lugouqiao Incident, the Japanese army quickly invaded Shanxi. Wherever they went, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. They forced all the theater troupes in various places to disband and dispersed the artists. Some of them fled abroad and some of them entered the profession. In the land, some people shrank to Taiyuan and Yuci Theater. Some people, such as Sanersheng and Gai Tianhong, were bullied by the Japanese army and died with hatred. Only a few people entered the revolutionary base areas of Taihang, Shanxi-Suiyuan, Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, etc., and served the anti-Japanese military and civilian performances with a new look. During the eight years of the Japanese invasion of China, the vast rural audience in enemy-occupied areas was basically isolated from Shanxi Bangzi, and the phenomenon of individual rural players taking over the troupe no longer existed. It was not until after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War that Yan Xishan returned to Taiyuan and organized a propaganda team to perform occasionally. However, the artists in the team were bullied and squeezed by local bureaucrats, local tyrants, etc., and there was no artistic performance at all.

Looking at the more than 10 years before and after the Anti-Japanese War, the disaster suffered by Shanxi Bangzi caused the first low ebb period in the history of the development of Jin opera.

Reappearing the glory

The founding of New China ushered in a third glorious period for Shanxi Bangzi. First, artists were liberated and became the masters of the country. At the call of the people's government, many artists who had been exiled or changed careers returned to the troupe. They formed new performance troupes either in urban theaters or in special counties. With the help of cultural departments at all levels, they established rules and regulations. Get rid of all the bad habits left over from the old society. Secondly, we followed the party's literary and artistic policies, adapted some old plays, and created or transplanted some new plays. Then with the development of electrification, stage equipment such as electric lights and scenery became popular. In addition, art schools and theater research rooms at all levels have been established to cultivate reserve forces. Screenwriters, directors and other staff were added. Around 1956-1958, theater troupes at county and city levels and above were established and improved in most parts of the province. The best actors performed in Taiyuan, the provincial capital, so Shanxi Bangzi was officially named Jin Opera, and the names of theater troupes in various counties were also changed to Jin Opera Troupe.

At this time, in addition to a generation of artists represented by Jin Opera performing artists such as Ding Guoxian, Niu Guiying, Guo Fengying, Ji Meilian, Cheng Yuying, etc., they were still active outside the drama stage. Famous newcomers include Liu Xianling, Ji Ping, Cheng Lingxian , Fan Cuiping, An Dongmei, Ding Yuying, etc. By the early 1960s, Wang Aiai, Hou Yulan, Zhang Mingqin, Ma Yulou, Tian Guilan, Wu Zhong, Liu Hanyin, Guo Caiping, Wang Wanmei, Yan Huizhen, Zheng Zhongxian, Ji Rongsheng, Gao Cuiying, etc. A group of newcomers such as Jiang Jinyuan, Li Aimei, Du Yumei, Feng Jizhong, as well as the famous drummer Jia Bingzheng and others laid a certain foundation for the subsequent development of Jin opera. The frequently performed plays include "Striking the Golden Boughs", "Down to the East of the River", "Qin Xianglian", "Visiting the West Lake", "Lotus Lantern", "Double Butterflies", "Meng Jiangnu", "Love Detective", "Yang Bajie's Spring Outing" ", "Twelve Widows Conquering the West", "Liu Hulan", "The Fiancée of a Volunteer Army"... and the traditional plays "The Empty City Strategy", "Sanchakou", "The Godson", "Yellow Crane Tower", "Walking on the Snow Mountain" , "Golden Water Bridge" and dozens of other plays and plays. Various theater troupes often go deep into the grassroots to perform for the masses, making Jin Opera a prosperous scene.

Back in the doldrums

During this period, some problems accompanying the prosperity of Jin opera gradually emerged. First, the troupe is government-run and the artists live in the city for a long time, so their activities at grassroots performances are relatively few. Second, with the development of the situation and the people's different pursuits of cultural life, the number of viewers of Jin Opera is getting smaller and smaller. Third, in the implementation of the party's literary and artistic policies, there was a tendency in the 1960s to simply emphasize the singing of modern operas, which rendered a large number of old artists useless, retired early or changed careers, and many excellent traditional operas were lost. Some directors rarely study the history of Jin opera and rarely dig out and organize the essence of tradition. Instead, they follow the trend and follow the trend, turning scripts into textbooks. Fourth, in terms of talent training channels, art school enrollment methods are imperfect and many graduates change careers. Some male actors lack the professionalism of self-respect and self-respect, lead unrestrained lives, and cannot pass the "voice change test". The stage of Jin Opera shows a rise of yin and a decline of yang; they generally lack the hard work of practicing boy kung fu. Fifth, the number of ticket classes in urban and rural areas has been greatly reduced. At the same time, new types of movies, sports and other entertainment activities have increased sharply, which has weakened the people's feelings towards Shanxi opera and directly affected the development of Shanxi opera.

Sixth, the occurrence of the Cultural Revolution made Jin opera one of the first targets to be attacked. This was also a main reason for Jin opera to reach its trough. After the advent of the "Cultural Revolution", many artists were targeted as "emperors, generals, ministers, talented men and beauties" and were criticized. Then came criticism of scripts and authority. In some places, costumes were burned and art schools were closed. In 1967, the troupe was changed to the Mao Zedong Thought Propaganda Team. Later, they were unified into model operas, and the performers had to pass a political review before they could go on stage. Then, in the "cleaning up of the class ranks", many artists from the old society were forced to retire, be transferred to a lower level, and removed from their ranks, and some were even put in hard labor camps. In this way, the vitality of Jin Opera was severely damaged, resulting in the second low period in the history of Jin Opera development.

The current situation is worrying

After 1977, Jin Opera resumed the performance of costume dramas, but there were only a few plays and few decent roles. Entering the era of addiction, the government called for the revitalization of Shanxi opera. Operas at all levels followed the trend and adjusted their teams, enriched the actors, added outfits, sorted out old plays, and rushed to rehearse new ones. Some boldly combined Shanxi opera performances with the current popularity. The combination of light music, karaoke and other literary and artistic forms has enhanced the performance effect of Jin Opera. At the same time, new artistic talents such as Song Zhuanzhuan, Shi Jiahua, Cui Jianhua, Li Tianxi, Wang Xiaoping, Wang Erqing, Li Guilian, and Sun Hongli also emerged. Restored and newly compiled plays such as "Down to the East of the River", "Fifteen Guan", "Tears of the Jade Cicada", "The Order of the Crouching Tiger", "Fighting Zidu", "Wu Wangjian", "Three Journeys to the Taoyuan", etc., and compiled them many times They performed in provincial capitals and were evaluated, and some even went to Beijing to perform. In addition, a few people have won the glorious title of Jin Opera performing artist, some have won the Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award, and some have been promoted to first- and second-level actors. All of these are the main achievements of Jin opera, for which we should fully affirm.

However, from the overall development of Jin Opera, it cannot be said that she has got out of the trough. On the contrary, I think Jin Opera is still lingering in the trough. For example, among the government-run theater troupes across the province, there are only a few that can support the troupe as a troupe. More than half of them rely on financial allocations to maintain their existence, while the other half are in a state of disorganization with no performances. Another example is artists. There are not many artists who really work hard to practice their skills and perform with peace of mind. On the contrary, there are some who, under the influence of the "commodity economy", have taken risks and gone into the sea, which has caused the reputation of some famous artists to decline. Another example is the repertoire, which revolves around twenty or thirty popular plays such as Golden Bough. There are not many that are truly fresh and touching. Some also choreographed some low-level scripts and dealt with them perfunctorily. No wonder the audience of Jin Opera is getting smaller and smaller. At present, from the perspective of rural areas, the audience is still mainly the elderly group, while the urban audience is pitifully small. This cannot help but cause us to think deeply: when will the sluggish situation of Jin Opera be changed?