On December the 2nd, 1911, Wang Zhongsheng was executed as a rebel. As a form of remembrance, new drama troupes in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai hung up his portrait backstage. 29 days later, the Republic of China was founded, and Long Live the Republic written by Ren Tianzhi was staged in Shanghai.
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The founding of the Republic of China ushered in a golden age for civilized drama. In From Chinese “New Opera” to Drama, director Hong Shen wrote: (Caption:) “People were more willing to learn after great social and political changes. They came to theatres not only to watch performances but also to learn and listen to debate. And performers enjoyed more freedom in the choice of subject matter.” (2nd issue of “Drama Research”, Supplement of “Minkuo Daily”; February 23, 1929)
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On March the 10th, 1912, Yuan Shih-k’ai was sworn in as Interim President of the Republic of China. Subsequently, Parliament was divided between two parties: the Kuomingtang and the Republican Party. The former was a grouping of revolutionary parties, such as the United League. The later were imperial loyalists. There were also several minority parties. In March 1913, newspapers in Beijing carried reports about Song Jiaoren’s accession as Acting President of the KMT.
At 10 pm on March the 20th, 1913, Song Jiaoren was preparing to leave Shanghai for Beijing. At the Shanghai Northern Railway Station, he was shot by an old soldier named Wu Shiying. He died 2 days later in hospital. Only 6 days later, Shanghai New Theatre presented a new production, Song Jiaoren, starring Zhou Xinfang, a famous Peking Opera actor who went by the stage name Kylin Boy. The drama was widely seen. Tempers flared when it came to the scene of Song Jiaoren’s death. 2 days later, the newspaper Shen published an article, which said: (Caption) “When the curtain fell, the audience rushed forward. The aisle was blocked. More and more people were coming in an endless stream. Many stood watching. The aisle was packed.”
This kind of civilized drama criticizing social politics became a key means by which ordinary people could learn about current affairs.
The assassination of Song Jiaoren produced a public outcry. Yuan Shih-k’ai was forced to order an investigation. Wu Shiying was quickly arrested and died mysteriously in jail. Hong Shuzu, secretary of the Interior Ministry in Yuan Shih-k’ai’s Administration who was also involved in the assassination, fled to Qingdao. The news came as a heavy blow to Hong’s son, Hong Shen. A student at Tsinghua University at the time, Hong Shen would later become a famous theatre director and playwright. On November the 11th, 1913, Yuan Shih-k’ai ordered the disbanding of the Kuomingtang. 2 months later, he dissolved Parliament. On May the 9th, 1915, Yuan Shih-k’ai accepted the “Twenty-one Demands” presented by Japan. At the age of 56, Yuan had his eyes set on the imperial throne. In the meantime, a civilized drama called Crazy Emperor was being staged in Beijing and Shanghai.
On December the 12th, 1915, Yuan Shih-k’ai finally seized power. 1916 was renamed as the first year of Hongxian. From January the 12th, 1916, under threat from the Interior Ministry, the newspapers in Shanghai replaced “Fifth Year of the Republic” with the date according to the solar calendar. Under even greater pressure from the Interior Ministry, from January the 26th, they finally added “Hongxian Era” in small fonts. 83 days later, the title was abandoned, after the southern provinces rose up against Yuan. Civilized drama, which had been used to advocate revolution, now entered a period of decline.
In the previous year, Ouyang Yuqian and Lu Jingruo had begun their professional drama careers as members of the “Spring Willow Theatre” in Shanghai. However, with a limited repertoire that only included Better Go, Repent, Family Grudge, Hot Blood and The Lady of the Camellias, their performances were poorly received. For one performance of The Lady of the Camellias, only 3 people came to watch. In order to survive, the society had to shift to dramatizing ballads and romantic fiction. However, despite their hard work, the Spring Willow Society in Shanghai disbanded, soon after Yuan shih-k’ai seized power.
An article under the headline Various Jokes, in the 5th issue of Prosperity Magazine in 1915, gave a vivid depiction of civilized drama.
Some new drama troupes even employed prostitutes to bring in people to watch, and boost ticket sales. Family drama, which was purely commercial, later became popular in Shanghai.
The theatre director Zheng Zhengqiu was fond of smoking opium when he watched drama performances. In 1913, he joined Asia Cinema, and wrote and co-directed The Difficult Couple, the first drama in China that had a complete plot.
The family dramas written by Zheng Zhengqiu commercialized civilized drama. They were popular among ordinary people for their simple and amusing content. “Family drama” exploited the entertainment function of early drama. In the meantime, a man named Zhang Shichuan was making family drama even more popular. He would later found the Shanghai Star Film Corporation.
However, after enjoying brief popularity, Zheng Zhengqiu’s family dramas and Zhang Shichuan’s dramas about court life, gradually lost their appeal. In “Minming Society and Others”, writer Cao Juren wrote: (Caption:) “To boost ticket sales, they focused on intricate plots and cheap stage effects. Many dramas were meaningless. They only sought to create funny or sensational effects. That was their only purpose.”
On June the 6th, 1916, Yuan Shih-k’ai died after being given an injection by his French doctor. The last words he said were: “He murdered me.”
That year, Zhu Shuangyun, Wang Youyou, Xu Banmei and 4 other early drama activists rented the Xiao Stage at the Tongren Theatre on Guangxi Road. This would be the last place where new drama was performed in Shanghai. A few years later, the Xiao Stage was taken back by the landlord, and he replaced it with apartments. The theatre actors, deprived of a stage in Shanghai, were forced to go to smaller cities. Ouyang Yuqian went to Hangzhou and became a Peking Opera actor. He gave performances of “Red Mansion Drama” beside West Lake. Baochan Sending Wine and Flower Burial, in which he also starred, were both well-received. Although civilized drama declined soon after the Republic of China was founded, Ouyang Yuqian gave it a fitting epitaph: “I must thank civilized drama for guiding me to drama.”
On the eve of the May Fourth Movement, civilized drama, as the predecessor of Chinese drama, finally left the stage, amid the clamour and commotion that marked the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Editor:Yang
