World Culture Director Evan
Ticket holders are a special cultural group in Chinese opera. Some of them sang and played musical instruments, such as Lajinghu and three-stringed. The characteristics of these fans are that they can sing and act, and they usually entertain themselves and sometimes appear on the stage.
Zhu Weihua, a famous fan of Shanghai Peking Opera
However, in the middle of this group of few Peking Opera fans, Zhu Weihua, a 77-year-old Shanghai Peking Opera ticket friend who approached me, was a real person, ordinary and not good at words, and some of his experiences made me look at him with admiration.
Zhu Weihua has loved Peking Opera for more than 50 years, and is an authentic Shanghainese, and his childhood was spent in a Shikumen house on Madang Road (near Fuxing Road) in Luwan District. Born into a family of Peking opera fans, he has been fascinated by Peking Opera since he was seven years old under the influence of his parents. The 1950s. The home has almost become a place for Peking Opera ticket fans to exchange activities, and whenever the ticket holders open their voices, they always attract many children to climb up the iron window to watch. He received the guidance of Mr. Lu Wenqin, a famous Peking opera artist, learned many classic Plays of Meipai, and practiced a pair of high, wide, bright and sweet voices. Become a famous male Dan among Shanghai ticket holders. He came through in this atmosphere of the art environment of the exchange of fans. In the early days of reform and opening up, due to the development of Xintiandi on Huaihai Road at that time, his family's Shikumen house belonged to the object of relocation and was later relocated to Yangpu District.
Zhu Weihua, a famous Peking Opera fan, and Ai Wen, a world cultural director
The first acquaintance with Zhu Weihua was once I was at the scene of a planning cultural event, introduced by Zhu Meiying and Tang Weihua, I found that he was not tall, people were also thin, at first I suspected him of the problem of singing strength, he told me that once he went to Pudong to sing "Mu Guiying Hangs The Marshal" singing section, the organist asked him to set the tone, he said D key, the organist said differently, D key even Mei Lanfang has not sung, no one on the beach has ever sung. As a result, his voice was actually high-pitched, the sound shook the house, and even broke the two strings of the violinist, which shows how terrible his high vocal singing voice is, which is completely the result of hard work.
Zhu Weihua: Stills from the Peking Opera "Noble Concubine Drunk"
On June 6, 2004, when a friend Ding Huizeng accompanied Zhu Weihua to visit Mr. Mei Baojiu at the Shanghai Education Hotel, the old matter was repeated, and Mr. Mei Baojiu said to his disciple Zhu Weihua in a serious tone: Your voice is bright and sweet, not only do you have to sing well, but you must also practice your body. You are still young, I hope you contribute to Meipai Peking Opera, and I hope to pin my hopes on young people... The loyal and simple Zhu Weihua remembered the admonition of his mentor, and was often invited to perform or guide community Peking Opera activities in various places, and also allowed many people present to witness his popular singing of flowing water boards and loose boards in Meipai Peking Opera "Mu Guiying Hanging Commander", which was quite beautiful and charming, and his singing and performance were extremely difficult, Zhu Weihua relied on his extraordinary perseverance and skills, and each time he sang, he won a round of applause from the audience.
Famous Meipai ticket: Mr. Zhu Weihua Peking Opera Phoenix Nest stills
Zhu Weihua, an introductory disciple of Mei Baojiu, was personally taught by him and deeply understood the essence of Meipai Peking Opera. Before and after the Cultural Revolution, Mei Baoyue and Mei Baojiu came to Shanghai many times to guide and teach Mei Pai art, and Mei Pai's classic plays "Mu Guiying Hangs Up", "Noble Concubine Drunk", "Overlord Farewell", "Erjin Palace", "Cosmic Feng", "Yutang Spring", "Sitting Palace", "Life and Death Hate", "Phoenix Returning nest", etc., Zhu Weihua he learned one by one.
Photographs from Zhu Weihua's collection
Zhu Weihua has a group photo taken on February 14, 1982, when the Shanghai Mei Research Group and Mei Lian welcomed Mei Baoyue and Mei Baojiu to perform in Shanghai. At that time, there were 33 people participating in the photo on the second floor of the Shanghai International Hotel. At that time, Zhu Weihua was only 38 years old and stood behind Mei Baoyue. The 10 people sitting in the front row are all famous Peking Opera artists of the older generation, the left one He Slow, the left two Tong Zhiling (the seniors of the Peking Opera circle), the left third Mei Baoyue (Mei Lanfang's daughter), the left fourth Qi Yingcai (the director of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre), the left fifth Yu Zhenfei (Chinese Peking Opera Kunqu master), the left sixth Wei Lianfang (Mei Lanfang's apprentice), the seventh left Liu Jingyi (the director of Beijing Peking Opera), the left eighth Mei Baojiu (Mei Lanfang's son), the second right Su Ping (celebrity), the right one Qian Yingyu (celebrity); the third left in the second row is Peking Opera fan Zhu Weihua. This collective photo is very precious, the seniors of the first row of Peking Opera are basically gone, and there are about five or so people left in the country who can still perform on stage.
Group photo of Zhu Weihua and Minister of Culture Gao Zhanxiang (center) and Director Ma Bomin (right).
Zhu Weihua took a group photo after singing Peking Opera at the Hong Kong Theater during the return of Hong Kong
Peking Opera fans, this special group is now about three hundred in Shanghai. Just like Zhu Weihua's ticket holders, not why money, keen on public welfare often organize Peking Opera ticket friends to perform in the enterprise community, this group of people who are obsessed with the national essence and love Peking Opera art all their lives, in today's current entertainment industry booming fire, their pursuit and hobbies have formed a unique landscape. They are tireless in sticking to and inheriting and promoting the traditional Chinese culture of Peking Opera art, which is really remarkable, so I wrote a small article to praise Zhu Weihua, a Peking Opera fan in Shanghai, and wish him an eternal spring of Jingyun art.
Zhu Weihua on the left, Zhu Meiying and the author Ai Wen on the right