"Silang Visits His Mother" is Cixi's favorite Peking Opera play and Tan Xinpei's proud work
Empress Dowager Cixi and Peking Opera
The formation of Peking Opera, the traditional Chinese opera During the Daoguang period, it was initially rejected by the feudal rulers as vulgar culture. As the art of Peking Opera became more and more perfect and its social status increased, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty gradually became interested in Peking Opera, which brought Peking Opera into the court. Peking Opera flourished in the court during the Guangxu period, and it has an inseparable relationship with the Empress Dowager Cixi.
During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Cixi was in power and was obsessed with entertainment. Cixi was originally the concubine of Emperor Xianfeng. She already loved Peking Opera when she was serving Xianfeng. Once she gained power, Peking Opera became Cixi's main entertainment in the palace. As a result, Peking Opera flourished within the Qing court. In the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), in order to celebrate the 50th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, a large number of Peking Opera actors were selected to serve in the palace. They not only sang but also taught Peking Opera to the eunuchs in the palace. Cixi not only loved to listen and watch, but sometimes she would sing a piece with the eunuchs behind closed doors as a pastime. According to "Ju Bu Cong Tan": "The Empress Dowager Cixi was skilled in calligraphy and painting, and knew music and rhythm. She ordered old actors and music and music experts to compose "Avalokitesvara on Four Sides" and other songs. The Empress Dowager improved the words and sentences." In the ninth year from Tongzhi to Guangxu, Previously, a new opera organization was established in the palace called the "Universal Celebration" Class. This organization is not within the establishment of the Shengping Administration, but is under the direct jurisdiction of Cixi. It is a disciplinary class that specially selects young eunuchs to specialize in the art of Peking Opera. People are accustomed to calling it "this palace". The actors in this major are all eunuchs. If a certain eunuch has superior skills, he will be appreciated by Cixi, and he will be able to prosper. At that time, the young eunuch Zhang Lande (Xiao De Zhang) was appreciated by Cixi because of his outstanding talents as an opera singer in the Shengping Department. He was promoted to an official position and finally reached the position of chief eunuch.
It is also recorded that Cixi’s greatest contribution to Peking Opera was the revision of Peking Opera scripts. For example, the Qing court drama "Xiao Shao of the Zhao Dynasty" has a total of 240 performances. It is a Kunqu opera. Under the personal auspices of Cixi, it was rewritten into a Peking Opera (Pihuang) script in the 24th year of Guangxu (1898). By the time the play was interrupted due to the Boxer Rebellion in the 26th year of Guangxu (1900), 105 scripts had been rewritten, making it the most massive reworking of scripts in the Qing court. There is a book "Three Scripts of Xiao Shao of Zhao Dynasty" which records:
According to the situation witnessed when the Empress Dowager Cixi was reproducing the yellow version of "Xiao Shao of Zhao Dynasty" on that day, they were divided into "Taiyuan Hospital" and "Ruyi Pavilion". "Everyone who knows a little bit about arts and science among them all announces to the side hall. They all knelt down in the hall, and the Queen Mother took out the original Kun Opera and explained the instructions, and everyone memorized the words and sentences. Afterwards, everyone took what they remembered, pieced it together into a text, elaborated it, and then submitted it to the final draft, which was handed over to the "main family" for rehearsal, which is the script of one hundred and five episodes. Therefore, this 105th edition can also be called the Imperial System of the Empress Dowager Zongxi.
In the Qing Dynasty, from the Empress Dowager Cixi to the princes and ministers, almost everyone loved Peking Opera, and their behavior sometimes reached the unbelievable level. The most famous one was the military minister Na Tong. The position of minister of military aircraft is equivalent to that of prime minister. State affairs must be discussed in advance at the military aircraft office and then submitted to the emperor and the empress dowager for approval. So people also call Na Tong "Na Xiang" behind his back. This person has one hobby, which is Peking Opera. Even though he has such a high status and usually has such a big airs, when he meets a Peking Opera actor, he immediately forgets who he is. If he meets an actor he admires, he will even be groveling and flattering to please him. Once, Prince Qing celebrated Fu Jin's birthday at home and invited famous Peking opera actors to sing at home. Famous actor Tan Xinpei was among those invited. At that time, Tan Xinpei was already "servant in the inner court" (specialized in acting for the royal family), and all the princes and ministers were proud to see him. When Lao Tan arrived at Prince Qing's house, the host came out to greet him, and then asked with a smile on his face: "Can you please sing a double play for me today?" After hearing this, Lao Tan said: "Okay, but which minister do you want? Kowtow to me?" Prince Qing thought Lao Tan was joking, but it didn't look like he was joking. When he was in trouble, someone suddenly came in from the outside, knelt down in front of Old Tan, and said piously: "Boss Tan, please give me a favor." Old Tan was surprised and looked up. The person kneeling below him was not someone else. It's Na Tong, the Minister of Military and Aircraft. This and that, when Tan Xinpei was performing, he couldn't help but stand up and bow to the stage to show his admiration.
This shows how obsessed the imperial court was with Peking Opera at that time.
As a fan of Peking Opera, Empress Dowager Cixi was proficient in music and reviewed the scripts in person, and her enthusiasm was even more extraordinary. Mr. Wang Yaoqing, an older generation Peking Opera artist, said: "The Queen Mother of the West is very good at listening to operas. Sometimes she is very picky and very convincing." Cixi has very high artistic requirements for the actors who enter the palace. Sometimes it is even almost harsh, that is, the actors must follow the "connection" (the palace's plays are summarized in detail, each play has a connection between each play, and various colored notes are used to record the name of the play, the performance time, and the characters. Appearances, lyrics and chanting, banyan gongs and drums, martial arts routines, eye expressions, movement fingering, four-tone rhythm, sharp tuan pronunciation, etc.) are performed flawlessly. For example, you are not allowed to sing for 40 minutes if you sing three quarters. Those who sing in the upper voice cannot sing in the lower voice. Those who should pronounce the tuan character must not pronounce it in sharp characters, etc.
Obviously, Cixi’s requirements for actors’ stage performances—such as mentioning gods, speaking accurately in lyrics and singing, and not being allowed to wear thin-soled boots, etc.—were largely based on her operas. Aesthetics requires stage performance from aspects such as performance technology. From another perspective, in order to adapt to the needs of singing and dancing in the palace, requirements were put forward for actors in terms of body movements, singing, clothing, scenes, and even costumes, etc. Therefore, the rules for Peking Opera performances in the Qing court were stricter and the pursuit of A more rigorous standardization. The majesty of imperial power and accomplished artistic pursuits have made Peking Opera extremely sophisticated and sophisticated in all aspects of singing, reciting, acting and playing.
The biggest opportunity for Yang Xiaolou, a famous Peking opera master in the late Qing Dynasty, was to sing in the Qing Palace, serve as a minister in the inner court, and be appreciated by the Empress Dowager Cixi. Cixi watched Yang Xiaolou's play and said, "This monkey is really good!" "Monkey" refers to Yang Xiaolou. Although Cixi's love is not equal to the love of the majority of theater fans, Yang Xiaolou's net worth has increased as a result. Once, Yang Xiaolou performed "Serial Series" in the palace, and one of the lines in the play was "The soldiers are in Rehe" (today's Chengde City). This sentence made Cixi extremely angry, because Emperor Xianfeng died in Rehe, which was a "taboo". But Cixi really enjoyed watching Yang Xiaolou's play, so it was not banned. She only changed "Bingfa Rehe" to "Bingfa Rehe" and perfunctoryly passed it.
Cixi can distinguish the pros and cons of many famous Peking opera masters. Wang Guifen and Tan Xinpei both served in the palace. If they acted in the play "Battle of Changsha", Wang would play Guan Yu and Tan would play Huang Zhong. Cixi, who had seen the play, commented on the performance of the two, "There is Gui in the palace." Fen, it seems that Jin Fu (Tan's name in the inner court) is slightly inferior." But when Tan Jinpei plays the leading role, he is often praised by Cixi.
Cixi liked Tan Xinpei's skills and even admired his personality. Tan Xinpei is a famous actor who neither has evil intentions nor causes trouble. After the rise of the reform trend, the gap between Emperor Guangxu and the Empress Dowager Cixi became more and more obvious, and the conflicts became increasingly acute. They sometimes used theater to vent their emotions. This year, Guangxu celebrated his birthday and acted in the palace. The Empress Dowager Cixi deliberately ordered the "Made White Robe" (i.e. "Lianyingzhai"). The entire hall, including table surrounds, chairs and quilts, were all newly made, making the whole hall look brand new. Tan Xinpei appeared as Liu Bei. When he saw the white stage, he muttered in his heart: "Why do you want to order this play to celebrate your birthday? Next, "White Emperor City" will be played. How depressing it must be." Tan Xinpei thought that even though Emperor Guangxu didn't like him, But Tan admired Guangxu very much and agreed with Emperor Guangxu's implementation of the New Deal. On this day, Tan Xinpei acted out a series of stories including the murder of Guan and Zhang, Liu Bei's conquest of Soochow, Lu Xun's Burning Company, the defeat of the Shu army, and Liu Bei's entrustment by the White Emperor. When Tan Xinpei performed "Hanging Mao" in the Burning Company, he deliberately touched the ground with his forehead. , blood flowed. He pretended to be fainting, hoping to use this performance to shock Cixi who was watching the play, create associations, arouse compassion, and forgive Guangxu as the emperor.
The alert Cixi had already sensed Tan Xinpei's painstaking efforts and intentions from his eyes and actions, but he was still as hard-hearted as iron, pretending not to understand, and remained unmoved.
Cixi only praised Tan Xinpei for his good acting and rewarded him with 200 taels of silver after the play to help him recover from his injuries, but said nothing else. But in her heart, Cixi admired Tan Xinpei's ancient style and wisdom of "excellent advice" and was moved by his loyalty. Therefore, she doted on Tan Xinpei even more and called Tan into the palace to act more frequently.
The scripts, scenes, appearances, costumes, handles, martial arts performances, and number of sets of Qing Dynasty court performances are all recorded in detail, and any addition or deletion is not allowed. If the performance is performed on a certain designated occasion and taboo words are encountered, temporary changes can be made. This is only a change of individual words and must not affect the entire script. For example, once Tan Xinpei performed "War for Peace" in the palace. Because it was a celebration performance and he wanted to seek good luck, Tan Xinpei temporarily changed the line "A general will inevitably die in battle" to "A general will be glorious when he is in battle." Only this line was changed. After singing, he was highly rewarded by Cixi.
The "Thirteenth Dan" (Hou Junshan) sang "Yutangchun" in the palace. There was a line like "I am like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth and never returns." However, it was not changed and was still sung according to the original words. Because it offended Cixi, who was a sheep, she was punished. When he was expelled from the palace, he didn't know what mistake he had made that led to his fate. Later, when he learned the reason for Cixi's anger, he couldn't help but laugh and cry.
In terms of superb acting skills, Cixi also admired the performing arts of the famous Dan Jiyun and the famous ugly Liu Gansan. Tian Jiyun entered the palace to sing in the 18th year of Guangxu's reign. He looked as beautiful as a fairy. At that time, he was a famous actor in Beijing and Shanghai. However, before and after the reform, he sympathized with the reformers. He heard that the Queen Mother had a conflict with Emperor Guangxu. Guangxu loved reading, so he went around to buy new books and submit them. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao knew that Tian Jiyun was bold, courageous and knowledgeable, so they passed the news through him. After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, Tian Jiyun fled to Shanghai for participating in "rebellion". The conservative ministers hated him very much. Cixi regarded the reform as a mortal enemy and brutally killed the Six Gentlemen at Caishikou. His forgiveness of Tian was really an unusual move.
The famous Chou Liu Gansan once served as the leader of the Jingzhong Temple (the leader of the opera industry), and was listed as one of the "Thirteen Tongguang Uniques" of the Qing Dynasty. He is full of courage and has an iron frame and a steely heart. He is famous in the Liyuan drama circle for his courage to speak out about current affairs. Despite this, because of his superb acting skills and outstanding gadgets, he was indeed deeply loved by Cixi. After Liu Gansan was called to serve in the palace, one day, Cixi ordered him to perform "Eighteen Pulls", in which Gansan played the role of the emperor. Before he took his seat, he read the hanging speech: "You see, I am a fake emperor and I can still have a seat. He The real emperor stands around every day, but never sits down." Gansan meant something when he said this. It turned out that Empress Dowager Cixi had a grudge against Guangxu and treated Guangxu extremely harshly. Every time she watched a play, Cixi sat in the back hall, while Emperor Guangxu stood to one side, treating him like a servant. Liu Gansan expressed his grievances for Guangxu on the stage. In order to cover up the public's silence, Cixi gave Guangxu a seat every time he watched a play from then on, so that the emperor could sit down and watch the play. Sometimes people comment on this matter and say, "Liu Gansan's hanging poem is well composed, and it cleverly targets Cixi, and makes her angry and blameless. Gansan is really like the ancient Youmenci style!" It is really impossible for ordinary people to insert jokes and sarcasm into the play. Later, although Liu Gansan's words were damaged, his artistic skills were truly amazing, extremely contagious and dazzling, and he could make Cixi laugh every time. Liu Gansan also received an exceptional gift that no artist could even imagine - he performed "Visiting Relatives" and rode a real donkey on stage. Cixi was so happy that she allowed Liu Gansan to ride a donkey into the Forbidden City. This kind of courtesy is an honor that even a first-grade minister cannot get.
The Peking Opera artist most admired by Empress Dowager Cixi was Yang Yuelou. After Yang's death, his son Yang Xiaolou entered the palace. Cixi especially loved Yang Xiaolou because she missed Yang Yuelou. Instead of calling him Xiaolou, call him "Little Yang Monkey". Because Yang Xiaolou is also good at acting like his father. The Qing Dynasty failed in the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War, and the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. One day, Yang Xiaolou performed "Changban Slope" for Cixi and Guangxu in the palace. Seeing the majesty of Zhao Zilong riding the savior alone among thousands of troops on the stage, thinking about the country's increasing danger and the embarrassment of no one in the court, Cixi I can't help but worry about it. She turned back to look at the emperor, and Guangxu also had a sad look on his face. As she watched, Cixi shed tears.
Famous Peking Opera masters are worthy of being Peking Opera masters. Even in times of emergency, they can play other roles with ease and perfection, thus winning admiration and high reputation from everyone. Tan Xinpei is such a Peking Opera master. Once, Cixi suddenly had a whim, and Xuan Tan entered the palace to perform "The Soul Stealing Bell" first, as Zhu Bajie, and then in "Xihuangzhuang" as Jia Liang. Tan had never acted in these two plays before. He wanted to change the script, but felt it was inappropriate. This was the play ordered by Lafayette. It would not work if he said he couldn't do it. That was called disobedience. It was no joke that Lafayette was really angry. He had no choice but to act hard so that he could have some time. In an emergency, Tan Xinpei thought of Wang Changlin, who often played the role of the big lion, and asked him about the character in "The Soul Stealing Bell" The two started to communicate with each other about how to act Bajie, but as soon as they gave a rough idea, the showman came to report that the play was about to start, and Tan Xinpei was so anxious that he immediately started dressing up.
"The Soul Stealing Bell" is a fragment of "Nine Lions Ridge", a demon drama based on Wu Dan. It is said that there are 9 lions on Jiu Shiling, causing mischief and killing creatures. When they heard that Tang Monk was passing by, they planned to use the "soul bell" to kidnap Tang Monk and eat his flesh. This is a farce with Zhu Bajie as the protagonist and a clown as the main character. This was also difficult for Tan Xinpei. He had never acted in a clown show before, so he had nothing to think about.
After taking the stage, I just sing the original tune of one line here and the other, as long as it rhymes with it, no matter what the play is, I will sing it. Coupled with the combination of expression, figure, and handle, the performance is unique with both voice and emotion.
After seeing the "lion", Tan Xinpei added a paragraph of "look at the head first, then the feet, and then see if it looks good". The fight at the back was even more hilarious and hot, with three tables flipped over, making everyone tremble. Because Tan has a background in martial arts and martial arts, and he can also sing as an old student, he can sing well and fight well, so he really excelled in this drama.
While watching, Cixi laughed endlessly and said to the princesses and wives: "This is really interesting. The little daughter-in-law with the big painted face is stupid. It's so funny and so enjoyable. Come back and eat more. There are two bowls of noodles!" He also asked the eunuch Li Lianying, "Whoever rewards this play will be counted as one, and each person will receive ten taels of silver and a piece of palace silk." He also asked: "Give Tan Xinpei." I'll keep it, and I'll give you a big reward." After the play was finished, Li Lianying called Tan Xinpei to Cixi's residence.
Tan Xinpei knelt at the foot of the steps and listened to Cixi say: "Today is really difficult for you. Neither of the two plays is your specialty, but the singing doesn't feel like it. Bajie is your original creation. Jia Liang's eloquence, demeanor, and martial arts skills are all excellent." Tan Xinpei thanked the Lord for his kindness. In addition to gold, silver, silk and satin, Cixi also rewarded two Gu Yuexuan snuff bottles, four pieces of red and green Ningbo silk robe materials, two Sixi white jade fingers, and a piece of charcoal gall stationery.
For this unique performance in "The Soul-Stealing Bell", Cixi not only did not say that Tan Xinpei was "evil and crooked", but instead praised it. In this way, this kind of performance was fixed. From now on, Du Zongfa Tan Xinpei and Bajie Yishengxing Yinggong will be sung, while "Nine Lions Ridge" will only sing "The Soul Stealing Bell" with one fold. In this way, a play mainly featuring Wudan has turned into a play mainly featuring Laosheng.
In July of the Gengzi Year (1900), the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and Cixi and Guangxu fled to Xi'an. A year later, he returned to Beijing. When the country's fortunes were in decline, Cixi still expressed her affection and entertainment, and announced that the artists had entered the palace, but Tan Xinpei was not there. When asked, Tan's son Tan Xiaopei replied: "My father is sick, so he can't come." A month later, he didn't come again. Cixi couldn't hear Tan Xinpei's performance and couldn't see his people. She was quite annoyed and said to Li Lianying: "Is Tan Xinpei's illness not cured yet? Even if he can't do his job, he should come and pay his respects!" Li Lianying was really helpless. Go call Tan Xinpei. Tan was helpless and immediately asked his son to carry him into the palace to see the emperor. After Cixi saw this, she was moved with compassion and comforted Tan Xinpei, saying: "I won't allow you to die. From now on, you must work hard to do your job and let me enjoy myself for a few more years." After saying that, he took out dozens of newly prepared extremely valuable pills. He handed the pills to Tan Xinpei and told him: "After taking it, rest for half a month and all diseases will be cured." Tan Xinpei kowtowed and left in thanks.
After Tan Xinpei recovered from his illness, in order to repay Cixi's kindness, he volunteered to write the complete version of "Silang Visits His Mother" to honor Cixi. Cixi had long wanted to hear a partial version of Tan Xinpei's "Visiting Her Mother", and now that she wanted to play the full version, she was naturally very happy.
"Silang Visits His Mother" is Cixi's favorite Peking Opera play, and it is also Tan Xinpei's proud work. In this performance, Tan Xinpei played Shiro with special force. A Xipi Adagio in which "Yang Yanhui sits in the palace courtyard thinking and sighing" surprised all listeners. It has unique phonology and a more mournful voice than before. Many people were worried that he might not be able to sing to the end when he returned from a serious illness. Unexpectedly, this time The singing was the best in history.
Cixi was so happy that she immediately sent an order to reward the silver.
There is no complete record of how many plays the Empress Dowager Cixi has watched and how many Peking Opera artists she has rewarded. It is difficult to say clearly. But among these artists, except for Yang Yuelou, who died young, Tan Xinpei was the most favored, accepted into the palace, and lasted the longest. In the thirty-third year of Guangxu's reign (1907), Tan Xinpei's favorite youngest daughter Cuizhen got married to his apprentice Xusheng Wang Youchen. Cixi specially presented her with a dowry box. Artists have never received such grace.
Cixi still listened to Tan Xinpei's operas until her death, and Tan Xinpei's operas almost became her constant spiritual enjoyment. Tan's soft singing voice is adapted to her feminine appreciation. She favored Tan En very much, granting him the sixth rank of top honor, and allowing people to call him Tan Beile, Tan Zhuangyuan, Tan Dawang, and Tan leader. Tan Xinpei could freely enter and leave the palace grounds and became brothers with the princes and ministers. Tan Xinpei's low-spirited, euphemistic and unpredictable singing style not only suited Cixi's taste, but also conveyed the sentiments of the Chinese people at the end of the century, venting the melancholy and confusion of the Chinese people.
“What is good at the top will be bad at the bottom.
"During the period of the creation and development of Peking Opera, the Empress Dowager Cixi, the actual controller of the highest power, loved Peking Opera so much. The research and development of Peking Opera undoubtedly provided the conditions and hotbed for the glorious expansion of Peking Opera. Cixi's role in the history of the development of Peking Opera is mainly reflected in two aspects Firstly, the performance in the palace has superior material conditions and the performance is grand. At the same time, Peking Opera has absorbed many tunes and gongs and drums, which enriches the musical accompaniment of Peking Opera. Secondly, a large number of outstanding artists have performed in the palace. The expansion of the lineup and the collaboration of famous artists have improved the performance quality of Peking Opera, and also provided opportunities for mutual promotion among famous artists. These achievements have provided a reliable spiritual and material guarantee for the future development of Peking Opera. , to help Peking Opera maintain its vivid artistic charm and endure for a long time.