The Prosperity of Shanghai Culture in 1950s —— Qian Nairong

There are many articles about Shanghai culture in the 1920s and 1930s, but people seem to ignore the Shanghai culture in the 1950s. This paper attempts to review and trace the true features of Shanghai Shanghai culture in 1950s, and to explore the reasons for the prosperity and rapid decline of Shanghai culture in 1950s.

Shanghai culture in 1950s was rooted in the deep soil of 1930s and 1940s, and added a fresh and energetic spirit, which was promoted to some extent in many fields and continued to develop in maturity. The characteristics of Shanghai culture in 1950s are: wide spread, high public participation, strong cultural atmosphere, high enthusiasm of the masses, infiltration of Chinese and foreign elements, appealing to both refined and popular tastes, showing strong local characteristics in the south of Shanghai, which is obviously different from other local cultures and Beijing culture. It is the inertia continuation of Shanghai culture in the 1940s and the fruit of the spirit of the new life era. It shows the remarkable features of citizens who are full of vitality, diversity and low-cost participation.

Shanghai film culture, which has a tradition of nearly 50 years, continued its vigorous development in Shanghai in the early days of liberation. In the 1940s, cinemas and theaters all over Shanghai were still open, and new cinemas or movie projection spots were opened in communities where working people lived in concentrated communities. Some workers' cultural palaces have also arranged special film screening time, and the ticket price of the film has remained in a triangle for a long time, which makes the film screening quickly change from the entertainment of white-collar workers and other upper-class people before liberation to a complete civic entertainment. The grand occasion of watching movies in 1950s is unforgettable in the memory of many Shanghai civilians. At that time, there were usually two "night movies" in the evening, and the audience was enthusiastic after work. The gates of various cinemas are crowded, scalpers are active, and even people queue up all night to buy tickets, which is a proud sneak peek. It is not uncommon for the first screening to rush to buy cheaper tickets for the second cinema. There are many stars in Shanghai Film Studio, including Poplar, Wang Chui, Feng Dan, Zhao Dan, Zhang Ruifang, Qin Yi, Shang Guanyunzhu, Liu Qiong, Han Fei and Gu Eryi. Directed by Sang Arc, Xie Jin, Zheng Chui, etc. Are in their prime. In an environment of quiet life and improved status, they worked hard to film and their acting skills were mature. Shanghai Film Studio was once divided into three studios: Tianma, Haiyan and Jiangnan. At that time, there were many movies with rich themes, such as Crow and Sparrow, My Life, Blessing Children, Chicken Hair Letter, Scout Crossing the River, Caravan Ringing in the Mountain, Treasure Beach, Mother, Happiness, Women's Basketball Team No.5, Nurse's Diary and so on. The Sun in the West is about to set in Flying Tigers, Let Youth Shine in Women's Basketball Team No.5, The Little Swallow in Nurse's Diary, and the episodes of excellent movies since the May 4th Movement, The Singing Girl and Singing at Midnight, which were replayed at that time, all became popular songs. 1999 Sunny Day was rated as 1957 the first popular song in Shanghai. When it was released, it was changed to "good socialism" as the first and songs as the second. Asian Film Week was held on 1957, and Indian films "Wanderer" and "Two Mu of Land" became popular films, and the episode "Song of Raz" became popular in the streets. A large number of business cards from the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries have also become hot spots for people to buy tickets, and the Mexican film Right to Life has also caused a sensation. During this period, teenagers set off an upsurge of collecting star photos, stills and movie descriptions. 1957 "Shanghai Pictorial" was founded, which allowed readers to have more contact with actor images and movie stills, and to have more exchanges with old actors in new movies. Primary and secondary schools also organize a special Sunday children's movie for a dime. Shanghai people, from teenagers to the elderly, have their own needs in watching movies, which has become their main entertainment.

Shanghai Opera, Yue Opera, Pingtan, Pudong Storytelling, Shanghai Rap, Humorous Opera, Dialect Opera, Tin Opera, Yong Opera, Huai Opera, Yang Opera, etc. 10 kinds of Jiangnan and Jiangbei operas came into being, gathered and matured rapidly in Shanghai in 1930s and 1940s, which together formed a prosperous Shanghai-style literature and art. The popularity of drama and folk art reached its peak in 1950s. In the early days of liberation, butterfly lovers, Legend of the White Snake, Qi Yaxian's Marriage Song, Luo Hanqian, Thunderstorm and other Shanghai operas were household names, and almost everyone would hum a few sentences. Dramas, burlesque and performances are as grand as those in the late 1940s. Bookstores are everywhere, and pingtan performances are attended by audiences from urban bookstores and suburban township teahouses. From the lyrics of a short period of Shanghai Opera in the early 1950s, we can see the grand performances of Shanghai Opera this year: Liu Qiaoer by Hu Yihua Opera Troupe, Tian Ju Blowing Flowers by diligent Shanghai Opera Troupe, Girls' Love and Cuigang Red Flag by Qin Yi and Hu Yihua Opera Troupe, and Little Son-in-law by Shanghai Opera Troupe and Qin Yi Shanghai Opera Troupe. Mother and Woman, Happy Year, Grapes and Dowry by Shanghai Aihua Troupe, Pearl Tears by Shanghai Yihua Troupe, Desert Love Song by Shanghai Changjiang Troupe, Living Pond, Sister-in-law Li Er, Zhao Xiaolan and Cotton Spinning, Hate the Sea by Shanghai Jianxin Troupe and Little Black Wedding by Ding Shie Cai Zhifang. In addition, there are Wang Yaqin Wang Pansheng's Rushing to Xi, Wang Yaqin Xiaoxiao Yue Zhen's Flowers in Cold Mei Duo, Shao Binsun Shi Xiaoying and Chen Songlin Xiaoqin's Crying and Laughing, Qin Yi Shanghai Troupe's Square Pearl, Shanghai Shanghai Troupe's Thunderstorm and Yihua Shanghai Troupe's Butterfly Lovers. Shanghai opera is still full of innovative vitality. Before liberation, some famous literary and artistic creators quickly switched to participate in script music creation, so a large number of excellent scripts appeared in Shanghai Opera in the 1950s. For example, Xu Ruhui, who once wrote the well-known Contemporary Music, devoted himself to the music design of Shanghai Opera and Yue Opera, such as Lohan Qian, Mother of Slaves, Fan of the Rich, Tears of Prostitutes and Chen Huacheng. Ping Jinya, a writer of Yuanhu School, has written many long tanci, such as Fifteen Passes, Du Shiniang, The Opposite of Wang Kui, and many beautiful opening tanci, which have become famous works throughout the ages. Su Qing, a famous writer, once worked as a screenwriter in Fanghua Yue Opera Troupe, where Yin Guifang was located, and created Yue operas such as "A leopard cannot change its spots, a peddler", "Qu Yuan", "Baoyu Daiyu" and "Biography of Li Wa". Shanghai EMI Record Company, originally located in hengshan road, gathered elite pop singers such as Li Jinguang and Yan Hua in 1930s and 1940s, and edited a large number of first-class operas and songs. The one-yuan "China Record" shopping place has become the hottest counter in the newly-built Xinhua Bookstore all over the country, and it is always crowded with people who listen to books and buy them. With the release of a large number of operas, song records and the appearance of phonographs, opera records that had to be played in expensive phonographs spread rapidly in factory studios and folk families. The influence of radio and records has strongly promoted the folk opera singing movement. In 1956, almost every day, a small folk troupe performed in the crowd, which was very lively, just on a long piece of fill in the newly filled shanty town "Zhaojiabang". Many young people are also groupies, and fans from all walks of life in the theater are chasing famous actors. Enthusiasts learn to sing famous actors from various factions and sing them vividly. They are the basic members of the old people's singing activities in the park today. The most mature vocals of some famous actors were laid in the 1950s and early 1960s. Thunderstorm, a Shanghai drama staged on 1959, is the most successful adaptation of Chinese and foreign masterpieces in Shanghai drama, and it is also the most successful adaptation of Thunderstorm by Cao Yu in various dramas. Interest in folk drama had a far-reaching impact until primary and secondary school students, such as 1956, the National Day Gala in the auditorium of Xiangming Middle School in the downtown, and senior students borrowed costumes to perform the farce of "Eighteen Alleys in Liang Zhu" and "Turn on the Radio". In her novel Fuping, Wang Anyi described the organization of evening drama performances in the streets of very poor areas. At this time, the crowded event of competing for seats is really more enthusiastic than queuing to buy yellow croaker at the side dish market. Singing activities, such as Shanghai opera and pingtan, are often carried out in the streets with the help of situation propaganda.

At that time, there were many private bookstores in Shanghai, Xinhua Bookstore was founded, a large number of new books were published, and the reading atmosphere was rich. The establishment of Xinhua Bookstore in the whole city has played a positive role in the popularization and dissemination of new culture. Such as pinyin literacy books, the emergence of a large number of cartoons, the learning stories of Soviet juvenile life, and various fairy tales have brought the vitality of new Shanghai. Second-hand bookstores, second-hand bookstores and old newspapers and magazines in Shanghai are still active. In Shanghai's large state-owned second-hand bookstores and a large number of second-hand bookstores opened by people in deep alleys, the joy of scouring books is harmonious, like the old books in the Old Town God Temple, which still exist after 1958. They have greatly infected and influenced the lives of teenagers and the cultivation of Shanghai style consciousness.

New songs created in 1950s are simple and energetic, such as Singing Erlang Mountain, Sailing Back, Song of Surveyor, Meeting in Aobao, Sunny Day in 1999, Night on the Grassland, etc. Founding songs, such as: singing the motherland, Wang Shen's lyrics, Guo Chuimo's lyrics, Ma Sicong's lyrics, Shui Yuan's lyrics, Qu Xixian's lyrics, Zhao Si's lyrics, Qu Xixian's lyrics, Kyle's lyrics, American workers' strength, etc., together with Soviet songs and ethnic minority songs and dances, are popular and inspiring. In parks, schools and factories, you can often hear the chorus accompanied by accordion. The level of western music and opera has also improved. For example, the famous violin concerto Liangzhu, which was born in 1958, is composed by He and Chen Gang, and it is a top-level famous song that combines Chinese and Western music with beautiful Yue Opera tunes. Local folk songs, Cantonese opera, Beijing dialect, purple bamboo tune, full moon and other new music, ethnic dance music, etc. , has merged into a big stream, was made into "China Records" in Shanghai, spread all over the country.

In the 1950s, group dancing was very popular. This is obviously influenced by Russian culture. Starting from primary school students, everyone forms a circle to perform and dance. These simple dance tunes are easy, lively and easy to learn. Such as collective yangko (notation 32 35 667 6), carnival dance (16 3, 24 3) and Mongolian dance (55 55 3 5, 5i6553) (66i656i65), Hungarian trio (67163217). 65438) and various group games became the main forms of mass entertainment activities in those years, which cultivated a collective consciousness of everyone's participation and an open and lively character. On the big playgrounds of some schools in the festival, male and female students circled two big circles and danced 5 i i, 3 5 5 "Youth Round Dance" (director and composer Chen); 1959 On the 10th anniversary of the National Day, there was a large-scale group dance carnival in People's Square, and the newly created Spring of the Motherland (composed by Jiaqing Zeng) and Friendship Waltz were broadcast on the radio.

The 1950s was an era of advocating team and group friendship. Group entertainment is popular in factories, alleys and parks. For example, in the park, "the first set of broadcast gymnastics music" is played every morning, and many people automatically participate in morning exercises in the form of individuals. In the evening, the horn of the Young Pioneers resounds through the night sky, and in the evening, it is a group game organized by the trade union, such as the "call number" game and the "diaosi hand in hand" activity. Various forms, rich content, all in high spirits. Coupled with the great role of the promulgation of the new marriage law, to a certain extent, the personality of young people has been liberated and their self-motivation and friendship have been enhanced. More fascinating things, such as the grand occasion of competing for turf on the grass in summer night to watch the open-air film screening, are undoubtedly a carnival festival for children.

In the 1950s, the private skating rink, bomb room, dance floor and table tennis room left by the old society still existed, but the underworld forces were eliminated, making these places safe and clean, with low fares, and allowing interested people to continue to find their own useful places. Wearing a "flower shirt with little legs" or a dress headdress marked with the novel Little Teddy Boy, as well as an "old carat" who knows the classics and has unique charm, is still very active among them.

The opening of "Workers' Cultural Palace" in each district has become the best place for workers' spare time activities. Among them, the chess room, recreation room, activity room and library attracted many young and middle-aged workers to participate in the culture and edified them to become activists who took the lead in developing mass culture in the factory. The annual lantern riddle competition (including lantern riddles or riddles in Shanghai dialect), calligraphy, Spring Festival couplets, city photography and cartoon competitions. It has created a group of backbones who love their spare time. During the period of 1958, Shanghai Workers' Cultural Palace, Shanghai Youth Palace and Shanghai Culture Publishing House also held entertainment magazines to promote the development of mass entertainment activities in the city. In addition, the district-level libraries in each district are also the best places for middle school students' holidays, as well as the libraries run by the streets, and some important articles can be read nearby.

In the 1950s, community activities organized by local neighborhood committees were quite active, especially around the festival, where lanterns were decorated everywhere, all kinds of colored paper lanterns fluttered in the wind, and the colors of various streets were also competing for each other. Street areas and neighborhood committees organize the masses to hold festivals and entertainment activities, some of which are unprecedented. If you organize Shanghai-style literature and art to sing and entertain yourself, please ask the troupe to act. When I was a child, I watched the juggling and acrobatic performances of amateur talents in this region, and there were many performances of the Shanghai opera "Blue Sky and Yellow Death". I even embedded the names of more than a dozen local activists in a National Day speech, and I was deeply impressed so far. In the past, there were regional tours during the May 1 ST and November 1 ST festivals, and people were waiting in the alley with chairs early. The touring team is very active, and various public and private manufacturers have displayed their own characteristics, such as the secret competition of the honor guard, and the participation of folk colors such as yangko, waist drum, lion dance and stilts.

Shanghai culture also has two base camps, one is the "Great World" and the other is the "Old and New Town God Temple". People have two fascinating cultural and entertainment worlds. In Shanghai in the 1950s, it was a multi-level state behavior for citizens to enjoy cultural entertainment, which still retained their confidence in the 1940s. Entertainment is divided into different levels, each with its own position. Nanjing West Road is a shopping, eating, drinking, cultural and entertainment world for the richest class, while Nanjing East Road has a lower level. Ordinary citizens can go to the "big world" and the tickets are cheap. The poor can go to the Chenghuang Temple without tickets. A low-priced ticket to the Great World allows you to watch all kinds of operas and folk acrobatics on the stage. Shopping malls in Chenghuang Temple can watch live acrobatics, exotic animals and buy all kinds of cultural and entertainment toys. Until 1958, the whole underworld of "eighteen layers of hell" and "black-and-white Ghosts" was displayed upstairs in the Chenghuang Temple, as well as public entertainment with different interests and levels, such as keeping myna, fighting crickets, playing with insects, planting flowers and raising fish, and so on. You can find authoritative shopping places and places to play with your friends.

The development of public entertainment is related to the cultural quality of citizens. Walking on the road, I often hear the sound of piano and violin coming from the house; Walking in the alley, in the evening or on holidays, you will hear people gathering with their good friend La Jinghu to sing Peking Opera at home. Some people know that the accents of famous actors in Yue Opera and Shanghai Opera can be difficult to distinguish between true and false. The content of folk self-entertainment is very extensive. Citizens' hobbies are diverse, such as experts in various collections distributed all over the city. Some people like hunting, so they collect brand-name shotguns at home and often go in and out of the remaining sales points such as central shopping malls and second-hand shops. Some like to listen to records, hold family gatherings and dance halls. You can also buy foreign records at the Shaanxi intersection of Huaihai Road, or bargain for second-hand goods. Some people like riding horses, and then they can find a racecourse to "think about it".

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