Chapter 7 with Du Yuesheng

During the more than half a year between reconciliation with Meng Xiaodong and formal breakup, Mei Lanfang was not tied down by feelings.In other words, emotional problems are only a small part of his life, and he prefers to devote most of his energy and time to artistic practice and theoretical research. In 1931, he suffered an emotional setback - he broke up with Meng Xiaodong, but in this year, he participated in the founding of the National Opera Society, and he performed in Hong Kong for the third time. With his indisputable artistic achievements, he performed in the four Daming Danzhong ranks first.

As we all know, the four great actors of Peking Opera are Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun and Xun Huisheng.Among them, Cheng Yanqiu used to be Mei Lanfang's disciple and had worshiped Mei Lanfang as his teacher. Therefore, the relationship between the two of them was both a teacher and a friend.Cheng Yanqiu is a rare Peking opera actor who is very thoughtful and willing to delve into it. He pays attention to the situation, the society, and pays great attention to introducing political ideas into the repertoire.Therefore, "Cheng Pai" plays are very ideological.At the same time, he also attached great importance to raising practice to the level of theory. He was the first Peking Opera actor with a clear view of drama.The reason for this is of course related to his own personality, but also because of the influence of his friends around him.

Among the friends around Cheng Yanqiu, Li Shizeng was a very important one.Like Mei Lanfang's screenwriter Qi Rushan, he was also from Gaoyang. His original name was Li Yuying, and Shi Zeng was his character. His pen names were Zhenmin and Zhen Shizeng.He was born in a prominent official family in the late Qing Dynasty, and his father Li Hongzao served as Minister of Military Affairs during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.He was familiar with poetry and books when he was 6 years old, and he had a deep foundation in Chinese studies.It is said that when he was young, his father brought him to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Cixi saw that he behaved like a rite, and praised him for his promise in the future.I don't know if it's because of Cixi's foresight, but Li Shizeng really won a place in Chinese history.

When Li Shizeng is mentioned today, people have two memories: he, Zhang Jingjiang, Wu Zhihui, and Cai Yuanpei are known as the "Four Great Veterans of the Kuomintang"; . Cheng Yanqiu had a relationship with Li Shi, and was deeply influenced by him in terms of ideology and political views.Not only that, but also because of the rare opportunity given by Li Shizeng, he turned from pure drama practice to the research of drama theory and the exploration of drama education.This "opportunity" is to serve as the vice president of the Nanjing Branch of the Chinese Opera Music Academy.

Li Shi once used Boxer indemnity to establish a series of educational institutions, including Wenquan Middle School and Chinese Opera Conservatory.He himself served as the dean of the Chinese Opera Conservatory, and invited Jin Zhongsun and Qi Rushan to serve as vice-presidents.The Academy is divided into Peking Opera Music Branch and Nanjing Opera Music Branch.The dean of the Peking Branch was Qi Rushan, and the vice-president was Mei Lanfang; the Nanjing branch was located in Beiping, and the dean was concurrently served by Li Shizeng, and the vice-presidents were Jin Zhongsun and Cheng Yanqiu.The reason why Li Shizeng hired Cheng Yanqiu as the vice president was of course not only because they had similar political opinions, but also because of Cheng Yanqiu's unique insight and research on the phonology of opera.

After the establishment of the Peking Branch, only one academic committee was established, with Feng Youwei as the chairman, and Mei Lanfang, Yu Shuyan, Li Shizeng, Zhang Boju, Qi Rushan, and Wang Shaoxian as members.However, the branch has not implemented any specific plans.Therefore, Zhang Boju, a collector, poet, calligrapher and painter, and a famous fancier, later recalled that the Beiping branch actually "has only an empty name". The work of the Nanjing branch has been fruitful.After the establishment of the South and North Branches of the Conservatory of Music, the Zhonghua Opera Academy was affiliated to the Nanjing Branch. The first principal was Jiao Juyin, and the dean was Lin Sushan (Jiao Juyin's wife).Later, Jin Zhongsun succeeded Jiao Juyin as the principal.The earliest specialized school for cultivating Peking opera talents was the Actors Academy established in Nantong by Zhang Jian and Ouyang Yuqian in 1919. After it, there was the Chinese Opera College.

Different from Nantong Linggong Academy, the school is a coeducational school for boys and girls, which is a pioneering work in the history of opera education.Similar to the educational model of Nantong Linggong Academy, the school also mainly teaches Peking Opera, and also teaches cultural courses such as literature, history, arithmetic, and English.Peking opera teachers include Chi Yueting, Gao Qingkui, Wang Yaoqing, Zhu Guifang, Guo Chunshan, Cao Xinquan and other well-known Peking opera actors; cultural teachers include famous scholars Hua Cuishen, Wu Xiaoling and playwright Weng Ouhong.In normal teaching, on the one hand, the school breaks the old rules and bad habits of Liyuan, on the other hand, rehearses a large number of new plays, and gives students more opportunities to practice performances.As the vice president of the Nanjing branch, Cheng Yanqiu is naturally very concerned about the construction of the Chinese Opera Academy and the growth of the students, and often "gives opera" to the students of the opera school.

The second institution under the Nanjing branch is the Opera Research Institute, which is located in "Fuluju", the former residence of Li Lianying, the great eunuch in the late Qing Dynasty, in Zhongnanhai.Cheng Yanqiu often studies opera here with Xu Lingxiao, Wang Yaoqing, Chen Moxiang, Cao Xinquan, etc., and is determined to reform. The third organization is "Drama Science Monthly" agency.This is a special publication on the study of opera theory, and is known as one of the most influential publications on opera theory in modern my country.The editor-in-chief is Xu Lingxiao.Cheng Yanqiu, Jin Zhongsun, Chen Moxiang, Liu Shouhe, Wang Bosheng, Shao Mingsheng, Jiao Juyin, etc. are the main contributors to the journal.For the needs of research, the publication has columns such as papers, monographs, research, sheet music, ancient and modern opera talks, and Peking opera abstracts. High academic value and theoretical.Cheng Yanqiu's most famous paper is "A View of the Drama Director", which was published in the 7th, 8th and 10th issues of the second volume of "Drama Science Monthly" in 1933.

The vigorous and bustling work of the Nanjing branch put a lot of pressure on the "mere name" of the Peking branch.Because of their dissatisfaction with Cheng Yanqiu and Li Shizeng, Mei Lanfang's supporters made a big grievance for Mei Lanfang, but also wanted to protect Mei Lanfang's face and strengthen Mei Lanfang's momentum, and encouraged Zhang Boju to invite Mei Lanfang Fang and Yu Shuyan cooperated to initiate and organize the Peking Chinese Opera Society.The funding of the society comes from donations of 50,000 yuan from various parties, and it was established in 1931 at No. 45, Hufang Bridge.

According to the memories of Mr. Mei Shaowu, Mei Lanfang's son, in order to establish the National Opera Society, Mei Lanfang had hosted three banquets for people from all walks of life in batches, soliciting opinions and brainstorming.When he discussed with Zhang Boju who should be invited to host the conference, Zhang Boju argued that he and Yu Shuyan were not good at management, and suggested that serious, mature and prudent people should be invited to do it.Mei Lanfang then invited Qi Rushan, Fu Yunzi and others to discuss together. Who came up with the name "National Drama Society"? Zhang Boju asked Mei Lanfang and Yu Shuyan to organize it, or Qi Rushan himself said that he invited them. It is impossible to verify now, but It can be said that the founders of the National Drama Society should include Mei Lanfang, Yu Shuyan, Zhang Boju, Qi Rushan, Fu Yunzi, etc.After everyone's discussion, the society has four groups:

Teaching group: Mei Lanfang and Yu Shuyan are in charge of teaching; Editing group: Qi Rushan and Fu Yunzi are in charge of text arrangement and printing; Review team: Zhang Boju and Wang Mengzhong are in charge of the research and improvement work; General affairs group: Chen Hesun and Chen Yihou (or Bai Shouzhi) are in charge of the liaison work. No. 45, Hufang Bridge, Beiping is a large house with a built-in stage, and dozens of portraits of the Shengping Department of the Qing Dynasty collected by Mei Lanfang are hung on the walls around it.Li Shizeng, Hu Shi, Yuan Shouhe, Yu Xuezhong, Pu Xiyuan, Liu Bannong, Liu Tianhua, Liang Sicheng, Jiao Juyin, Wang Bosheng, Wang Mengbai, Guan Yixian, Xu Lingxiao and dozens of people from all walks of life attended the meeting to congratulate the establishment of the society.The founding meeting elected Mei Lanfang, Yu Shuyan, Qi Rushan, Zhang Boju, Li Shizeng, Feng Youwei, Zhou Zuomin, Wang Shaoxian, Chen Yihou, Wang Mengzhong, Chen Hesun, Bai Shouzhi, Wu Zhenxiu, Duan Zijun, Chen Banding, Fu Yunzi as directors, and Wang Shaoxian as director. To celebrate the establishment of the society, there was a special performance on that day.At the beginning of the performance, the old method was still used, starting with dancing men and women to add officials, then dancing God of Wealth, then dancing Kuixing, and finally dancing Lingguan.The repertoire includes "Qing Dingzhu", "Catch and Release Cao", "Luhuadang", "Yangping Pass", "Tielong Mountain", "Nv Qijie", and the main axis is "Bawa Temple".In "Eight Wax Temple", all the characters are reversed. Mei Lanfang wears a white beard, reverses the role of the old martial artist, and plays the old hero Chu Biao. This is the first time he wears a beard.Although the performance was very sensational, it was also criticized. Some people asked Mei Lanfang: "What are you doing? It's all a cross-dressing. It's the first day of the establishment of the society. It's not serious." Mei Lanfang explained their original intention very calmly: "One The first is to add to the fun of the establishment of the society, and everyone has fun; second, it can be seen from the cross-talk that a character is not only good at his own trade, but has mastered the basic skills of all trades, and can be an example for future scholars." Sure enough, a reverse drama brought a good reputation to the National Drama Society, and everyone commented: "The National Drama Society advocates the practice of real kung fu, and even the fanciers have a good foundation." Similar to the Nanjing branch where Cheng Yanqiu is the vice president, there is an opera school and an opera research journal. "Drama Series" and "National Opera Pictorial" are published on drama theory. The National Opera Institute is part of the teaching group of the National Opera Society. The recruited students have a certain acting foundation, are over 16 or 7 years old and have passed the liquidation period.The director of the institute is Xu Lanyuan. On May 12, 1932, the National Opera Institute held the opening ceremony. Mei Lanfang delivered opening and closing speeches, encouraging students to "first be dedicated to their work, second be lively and serious, and third be brave and diligent."The Institute received a total of 70 students, divided into old students group, Tsing Yi group, niche group, ugly, clean, music group.Among them, the person in charge of the Qingyi team is Mei Lanfang.He is not only the person in charge, but also personally involved in teaching. In order to implement the purpose of the National Theater Academy of "systematic collation and research with a pure scholar's attitude and scientific methods, and to develop the original theater studies of our country", in order to achieve the goal of "exploiting the theater academics of our country", the National Theater Academy He also edited and published "Drama Series" and "National Drama Pictorial". The founders of "Drama Series" are Mei Lanfang, Qi Rushan, Hu Boping, Duan Zijun, Huang Qiuyue, Fu Yunzi, and Fu Xihua.It was originally planned to release 4 issues per year, but it has never been released on schedule.Talking about the reasons, Qi Rushan said: "First, there are too few people who write this kind of article, and it is very difficult to write one; second, the method of ordering is too particular, and it must be bound with historical paper and threaded, so it costs more money. Funding is more difficult to plan.” Therefore, the journal stopped after publishing a total of 4 issues. Considering that although the "Drama Series" also has some pictures, it is mainly based on text. Therefore, the National Drama Society edited and published the "National Drama Pictorial", which mainly "publishes pictures of opera literature and materials with research value, and attaches Opera review article". After the "September 18th", the situation became increasingly tense. In the spring of the following year, Mei Lanfang was forced to go south and move to Shanghai. Therefore, the National Drama Society stopped its activities and only displayed some drama materials at the meeting site of Hufang Bridge.Although the National Drama Society has only lasted for a short period of more than a year, it has undoubtedly promoted the research work on drama theory. As early as 1928, Shanghai founded a magazine named "Drama Monthly" (a total of 36 issues), with Liu Huogong as the editor-in-chief. As soon as "Drama Monthly" came out, it attracted widespread attention and was well received by the drama industry. In 1930, the journal held an essay solicitation activity on the "Four Famous Dans". The full name of this activity is "Comparison of the Four Modern Famous Dans". After a series of preparatory work, the essay collection activity officially started in August 1930.For this reason, Liu Huogong, the editor-in-chief, published a call for papers in the "Preface" of Volume 2, Issue 12 of "Drama Monthly", clarifying for the first time in written form that Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng is one of the "Four Famous Dans". The so-called "comparison", to put it bluntly, is a matter of ranking and ranking. The call for essays in "Drama Monthly" was the first time that the "Four Famous Dans" were publicly named in black and white, so "Mei, Shang, Cheng, Xun" is considered to be the earliest order.In fact, this is not the case. The first to rank the four of them was the drama critic Shu Sheyu.In 1928, he published an article in "Drama Monthly" titled "Mei Xun Shangcheng's My View".Here, he did not use the term "Four Famous Dans", but he has actually provided the public with information about the "Four Famous Dans". From the title of Shu Sheyu's article, it can be found that his order is: Mei, Xun, Shang, Cheng.However, this is not his final sorting result.He actually made a variety of sorts in different situations: In terms of age, they are Mei, Xun, Shang, and Cheng; Based on the theory of fame, it was changed to Mei, Shang, Xun and Cheng; In terms of reputation and fame, they became Mei, Cheng, Shang, and Xun. This also means that the "Mei, Shang, Cheng, and Xun" in "Drama Monthly" belong to the fourth sort. Whether it's Shu Sheyu or "Drama Monthly", their ranking of the four famous dandies has the meaning of "wishful thinking", which is based on personal understanding and is relatively subjective. After the "Call for Essays", the ranking of the four famous dans has changed.This "change" is produced after rational analysis, so it is more scientific. The solicitation of essays lasted for several months. In January 1931, Liu Huogong wrote in the "Preface" of Volume 3, Issue 4 of "Drama Monthly": "The sensuality of the four famous roles of Mei, Cheng, Xun, and Shang Gu Qu Zhoulang is willing to know how good the skills are. Our editors could have made a faithful report based on our usual experience of watching dramas, but we are afraid that our personal opinions cannot represent the psychology of the masses. For this reason, we offer a reward for soliciting papers, and we should gather comments from various scholars and select the best ones for publication, as a show of honor. There are a total of 3 articles published in this periodical..." If you are more careful, you can find that the order of the four people in "Drama Monthly" has been determined by the solicitation of essays The previous "Mei, Shang, Cheng, Xun" has been changed to "Mei, Cheng, Xun, Shang".What is the origin of this new arrangement? "Drama Monthly" is a professional and theoretical publication of Peking Opera with a strong research focus, and its readership is not extensive. The solicitation for "Comparison of Research" has the nature of a research paper, so not many readers participated.The magazine received a total of more than 70 submissions, and the level of excitement was far less than three years ago, that is, the "Five Famous Actors New Drama Voting Event" hosted by "Suncheon Times" in 1927. After review by famous drama critics, 10 winners were finally determined, namely Su Shaoqing, Zhang Xiaolan, Su Laocan, Ding Chengzhi, Zhu Ziqing, Wang Zhili, Zhu Jiabao, Chen Shaomei, Zhang Rongqing and Huang Ziying.Liu Huogong is particularly fond of the works of the first three authors, saying that they are "the best with fair speech and sophisticated writing style".Soon, "Drama Monthly" announced the list of winners, and published the top three award-winning articles in full, namely Su Shaoqing, Zhang Xiaolan, and Su Laocan. In fact, the ranking methods of Su, Zhang, and Su are similar to that of Shu Sheyu, that is, they draw conclusions after analyzing and comparing from different aspects and according to different situations.Unlike Shu Sheyu who only analyzed from the three aspects of "age, fame, and reputation", their classification is more detailed and their comments are more detailed. 1. Su Shaoqing comprehensively commented on the art of the four people from 8 aspects.That is, singing, workmanship, appearance, white mouth, martial arts, new dramas, the success of becoming famous, and the prosperity of supporting talents, and then come to this conclusion: Voice: Mei Lanfang is the most recommended; singer: Cheng Yanqiu is the most recommended; appearance: the appearance: the first Mei Lanfang; Craftsmanship: Mei Lanfang is the first; Baikou: Mei Lanfang is the first; Martial Arts: Xun Huisheng is the first; Many new dramas: Mei Lanfang is the first; Early Fame: Mei Lanfang is the first; Assistant Sheng Sheng: Mei Lanfang is the most recommended. Judging from this list, Mei Lanfang is the most "first recommended", occupying 7 out of 9 items, and he ranks first, without any objection. In any case, Su Shaoqing's ranking of the four famous dan is: Mei, Cheng, Xun, and Shang.This is the fifth sort after Shu Sheyu and "Drama Monthly". 2. The runner-up winner of the essay call is Zhang Xiaolan.Similar to Su Shaoqing's method of comparison, Zhang Xiaojian also evaluated the art of Sidan comprehensively from various aspects.The difference from Su Shaoqing is that he used the method of list quantification, according to the order of "Mei, Shang, Cheng, Xun" announced by the organizer, scored the four people respectively, and finally got the total score of each person, Mei Lanfang was 1230 Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng both got 1200 points, and Shang Xiaoyun got 1140 points.This way, of course, is more intuitive and clearer. Coincidentally, after the scores came out, people found that this result was very similar to Su Shaoqing's, Shang Xiaoyun was ranked last, and Xun Huisheng and Cheng Yanqiu had to be put together for a second comparison because their scores were exactly the same. The final sorting conclusion is also: Mei, Cheng, Xun, Shang. 3. The author of the third runner-up essay is Su Laocan.His comparison method is similar to that of Zhang Xiaoyu, which is also a list, except that he only scored from 6 aspects: appearance, voice, expression, figure, singing skills, and new dramas.The final conclusion is that Mei Lanfang scored 575 points, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng both scored 530 points, and Shang Xiaoyun scored 505 points. Another coincidence.Except that Mei Lanfang had the highest score and Shang Xiaoyun had the lowest score, Xun Huisheng and Cheng Yanqiu's scores were exactly the same.However, Su Laocan did not make a second comparison between the two, but took an objective attitude of "specific problems, specific analysis", saying: "Cheng Zhi is excellent in singing skills, but unique in grief; Xun Zhi is versatile and excellent in new dramas." , the theory of balance cannot be overstated, but fortunately the difference between the second and the third is limited, so it’s okay to leave an unsolved case.” In addition to these three award-winning "essays", Shanghai drama critic Yi Weng also made similar comparisons.In his article "Aspects of Xun Huisheng", he said: "Huisheng was the latest to become famous among the four famous Dans, and he made rapid progress. In terms of qualifications, Huisheng Huadan talents are among the famous Dans. There are some criticisms, but his art is rich. , the depth of discussion, the preciousness of the new drama, the reputation of Meng Jin, and the opportunity to create a unique army, also has its own inevitability.... Among the four famous Dan, the color is Lanfang; singing and pushing Xiaoyun; It belongs to Yushuang; if you do it, you will push Huisheng." As for the ranking of the four famous dans, the north and the south are also different.The audience in Beijing is more rational, and they are used to sorting in order of fame, that is, Mei, Shang, Cheng, and Xun.Later, there were changes, namely Mei, Cheng, Shang, and Xun.The audience in Shanghai is more emotional. Their ranking, represented by Su Shaoqing and Yi Weng, is more based on perception, that is, Mei, Cheng, Xun, and Shang. In fact, no matter how they are sorted, it is neither appropriate nor fair to rigidly compare Mei, Cheng, Xun, and Shang.Objectively speaking, the four of them have their own strengths and weaknesses.Wang Yaoqing, the teacher of the four famous dancers, once had a very vivid "one-word comment": Mei Lanfang's "face" (one said "like" and the other said "image"), Cheng Yanqiu's "singing", Shang Xiaoyun The "rod" of Xun Huisheng and the "wave" of Xun Huisheng.It is said that the time when he said these four characters was in the late 1920s and early 1930s, that is, when the four famous dans were widely ranked in society.It stands to reason that he knows the four of them quite well, and he can also arrange an order for them in his mind, but he didn't do that, but summed up the characteristics of each of them in one word.This objective and rational attitude is most commendable.However, no matter how they are sorted, Mei Lanfang is always at the top. In June 1931, in order to celebrate the completion of the "Du's Ancestral Hall", Du Yuesheng, a well-known person in Shanghai, invited all the famous Peking opera actors from all over the country, including the four famous actors, to gather in Shanghai and held a grand meeting. Du's ancestral hall was built in Gaoqiao, Pudong, Shanghai, and the architecture is very elegant.Du Yuesheng was extremely extravagant. He not only held a large banquet, but also called famous actors from all walks of life from the north and the south to gather in Shanghai to hold a grand banquet that lasted as long as 3 days.At that time, Du Yuesheng was the leader of the "Green Gang", a gang organization in the French Concession. He recruited disciples in Shanghai and was very powerful. The invitation to ask Jiaoer was directly sent to Jiaoer by his disciples.Except for Yu Shuyan who said he was ill and did not attend, no one was absent. Qilintong (Zhou Xinfang), Zhao Ruquan and Chang Yunheng are in charge of the Dujiatang play.The day before the official opening of the hall, that is, on June 8, the Shanghai Performing Arts Association (Shanghai's Liyuan Autonomous Organization, equivalent to Beijing's "Liyuan Association") held a special meeting.At the meeting, Zhou Xinfang and others drew up four new slips for the program "Jumping to be an official".It can be seen how meticulous the preparations before the church meeting were. In addition to Zhou, Zhao, and Chang, there are three chief managers, namely Yu Qiaqing, Yuan Ludeng, and Wang Xiaolai.They all have a deep friendship with Du Yuesheng, so they must do everything by themselves.In addition, Hong Yanbin and Wu Yachen are the general affairs directors; Zhang Xiaolin and Zhu Lianfu are the drama directors.Sun Lanting, Zhou Xinfang, Chang Yunheng, Yu Yefeng, Jin Tingsun, etc. are all members of the drama department. During that period, all the staff did their best and worked hard, even to the point of forgetting to sleep and eat. Because the ancestral hall was built in Pudong, the participating actors, spectators and fans had to travel from Puxi to Pudong, and the only means of transportation to Pudong was the ferry.There were not enough ferries. At one time, nearly a thousand people were waiting to cross the river at the pier.There were too many people, including famous actors such as Mei Lanfang, Xun Huisheng, Yang Xiaolou, Cheng Yanqiu, Jiang Miaoxiang, Wang Youchen, etc., many of them could barely cross the river. For example, Mei Lanfang couldn't find a car everywhere, and finally had to take a small wheelbarrow and was pushed by an old man to the Du's Ancestral Hall.Cheng Yanqiu and Jiang Miaoxiang both came by rickshaw.Yang Xiaolou and Wang Youchen didn't even have the opportunity to ride a rickshaw or a wheelbarrow, they could only walk.Because the road was too narrow, a car overturned into the river, one person fell into the water, and another person was hit by the car and injured his leg.There was a ferry that was overwhelmed by too many passengers, and when it reached the middle of the river, it was unable to bear gravity, capsized, and so on. Because of this, the play that was supposed to start at 3 pm had to be postponed. There is a stage inside and outside the Du Family Ancestral Hall. On the 9th, the drama in the temple was officially staged. On the 10th and 11th, plays inside and outside the temple were staged at the same time.The drama outside the temple is played by local Shanghai actors such as Xiao Yangyuelou, Lin Shusen, Zhao Junyu, Wang Huchen, Gao Xueqiao, etc. Pudong farmers and ordinary Shanghai citizens can enter. There are three entrances in the temple, and there are two giant stone lions in front of the third entrance, where the shrine is located.There are more than ten houses on the right, displaying thousands of congratulatory gifts from all walks of life.Due to the large number of guests, there are more than a hundred mat sheds around the temple.To the west is the stage in the temple.The stage is very large, and there are more than 200 seats under the stage, which are used to entertain the giants of Shanghai's industrial and commercial circles, members of gangs and representatives of distinguished guests from all walks of life.The venue that followed could accommodate thousands of people, but the number of fans who actually entered the venue that day reached 10,000.From the fact that it took Xun Huisheng a few hours to travel from Puxi to Pudong, one can feel how many people crowded into Du's ancestral hall that day.Even the two sides of the stage were full of audience.Some audiences even stood on the stage, and Zhang Xiaolin and Wang Xiaolai, who were maintaining order, persuaded and drove them away in every possible way. It was the beginning of summer, and they were so busy that they were sweating and panting like cows. According to the records, the plays on June 9, arranged in order of performance, are: Xu Biyun, Yan Jupeng, "Furongcao" Zhao Tongshan's "Gold List Title"; Xun Huisheng, Jiang Miaoxiang, Ma Fulu; Xue Yanqin's "Hundred Flower Pavilion" (that is, "The Drunken Concubine"); Shang Xiaoyun, Zhang Zaochen (Pianyou) "Mulberry Garden Club"; "Flower Drums" by Hua Huilin, Xiao Changhua, Ma Fulu; "Luoma Lake" by Li Jirui and Xiao Guiyuan; "Fenhe Bay" by Cheng Yanqiu and Wang Shaolou; Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou, Gao Qingkui, Tan Xiaopei , Gong Yunfu, Jin Shaoshan, Xiao Changhua's "Longfeng Chengxiang". The plays on the second day are: "Fugui Changchun" by "Kirin Boy" Zhou Xinfang and Zhao Ruquan; "An Tianhui" by Liu Zongyang; "Dingjun Mountain" by Tan Fuying; "The General"; "Dumu Pass" by Li Jirui; "Selling Horses" by Wang Youchen; "Changbanpo" by Yang Xiaolou, Xue Yanqin, and Gao Qingkui;The last major axis is the full version, in which Xu Biyun sang "Cai Lou Pei"; Shang Xiaoyun sang "Three Claps"; Lan Fang, Tan Fuying, Yan Jupeng sang "Wu Jia Slope"; Tan Xiaopei and Xue Yanqin sang "Counting Army Bread"; Tan Xiaopei, Xun Huisheng, Jiang Miaoxiang sang "Silver Mountain"; Mei Lanfang, Xun Huisheng, Gong Yunfu, Ma Lianliang chorus "Da Dengdian".The audience who watched that day, according to Xun Huisheng himself, "approximately nearly 10,000 people."The performance time also runs from the evening until six or seven o'clock the next morning. On the third day of the show, the most sensational one was "Four Five Flower Caves" co-produced by the Four Famous Danes, Gao Qingkui, Jin Shaoshan and others.Some people say that this play is the most exciting repertoire of Du Jiatang Club.Perhaps because of this, on the same day, Shanghai "Star Film Company" sent a special person to take photos of the scene. For other plays, they only shot one or two clips, but they completely shot the final scene of "Four and Five Flower Caves" .Xun Huisheng recalled: At that time, "there were eight charcoal lamps on the stage, and all eight lamps were turned on during the filming, and the light was shining so that people could not stare at it." It is speculated that this cooperation "Four Five Flower Caves" is very likely to be the first time for the four of them to perform a play together as the "Four Famous Danes".Perhaps because of this, Zhang Xiaolin, the owner of Great Wall Records, saw a business opportunity, which led them to co-record the record of "Four and Five Flower Caves". From the repertoire of the three-day Dujiatang meeting, it can be seen that Meng Xiaodong did not participate in the performance.Does this have something to do with the fact that she has not yet broken up with Mei Lanfang?In fact, she knew Du Yuesheng.That was in 1925, when she had just moved from Shanghai to Beijing. At that time, Huang Jinrong had already split hands with Lu Lanchun. It stands to reason that everything about Lu Lanchun had nothing to do with Huang Jinrong.However, one day, Huang Jinrong suddenly thought of Lu Lanchun again.At this time, Lu Lanchun had already left Shanghai for Tianjin.Huang Jinrong didn't know Lu Lanchun's real whereabouts, and vaguely heard that she might have gone to Beijing, so he entrusted Du Yuesheng to go to Beijing to look for her.Before leaving, Huang Jinrong specifically told Du Yuesheng that Meng Hongqun's family had just moved to Beijing, and that the Meng family's daughter Xiaodong was also popular in Beijing, so she could go to them after arriving in Beijing to see if they knew about Lu Lanchun's whereabouts. In fact, Du Yuesheng knew that Lu Lanchun had gone to Tianjin. At the beginning, he was the one who got a breakup fee for Lu after handling the breakup matters for Huang and Lu, and then arranged for her to go to Tianjin.However, after some time passed, he couldn't guarantee that Lu Lanchun would still be in Tianjin.Furthermore, Huang Jinrong told him that Lu Lanchun might have gone to Beijing, and he had to go to Beijing first to explain.So, instead of going to Tianjin, he took two of his men and went directly to Beijing. Du Yuesheng didn't have Meng Xiaodong's address in Beijing, but he had his own way.First, he read the newspaper and found Meng Xiaodong was performing at the Kaiming Theater in the performance advertisement.In the evening, he asked his staff to hire a car to park outside the theater, and he went to see Meng Xiaodong's play first.After the show ended, Meng Xiaodong returned home by car as usual.Du Yuesheng followed behind in a car, all the way to Meng Xiaodong's house in Dongsi. After a few days, Du Yuesheng couldn't find out about Lu Lanchun's whereabouts in Beijing, so he went directly to Meng Xiaodong.This is the first time the two have met face to face.Naturally, Meng Xiaodong didn't know where Lu Lanchun was, and Du Yuesheng returned in vain to find Lu Lanchun, but he got acquainted with Meng Xiaodong, who was both talented and beautiful, and had a unique temperament. There are also very rewarding. After the grand Dujiatang meeting, Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong broke up.After the breakup, Meng Xiaodong, like those women who suffered emotional setbacks and became abandoned wives, was overwhelmed with grief and indignation, couldn't think about it for a while, and decided to go on a hunger strike to commit suicide.For several days in a row, she did not eat or drink, and lay in bed just waiting for death to come.Of course, her parents and family members could not allow her to abandon her life. They tried to persuade and persuasion, shed tears, and knelt down. In short, they tried every means.Finally, she slowed down.Although he no longer seeks death and life, he has lost confidence in life.So, she decided to leave the sad place for a while, and went to Tianjin again, where she still stayed at the house of a friend surnamed Zhan to heal her wounds by eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddha. How did lawyer Zheng Yuxiu participate in the mediation of Mei and Meng's breakup?It is said that it is because of "Meng fan" Sha Dafeng.After Sha Dafeng knew about it, he felt very sorry for Meng Xiaodong.Although he knows that there is no right or wrong in matters of relationship, and it doesn't matter who is responsible and who is cheating, but he always thinks that it is really unfair for Meng Xiaodong to leave Mei Lanfang empty-handed.Besides, since Meng Xiaodong married Mei Lanfang when there was a matchmaker and a witness, and Mei Lanfang was married by the matchmaker, then breaking up now should not be as simple as breaking up. In legal language, it should be a divorce. .Since it is a divorce, there should be a formal procedure and a complete procedure in content.Therefore, he suggested to Meng Xiaodong to go to Shanghai to hire the famous Zheng Yuxiu lawyer, and let her deal with the aftermath. Meng Xiaodong accepted Sha Dafeng's suggestion and left Tianjin for Shanghai.After arriving in Shanghai, she didn't go directly to Zheng Yuxiu, but first went to her sworn sister Yao Yulan, probably because she wanted Yao Yulan to accompany her to meet Zheng Yuxiu.At this time, Yao Yulan was Du Yuesheng's fourth concubine, and she married Du two years ago.After listening to Meng Xiaodong's plan, Yao Yulan thought it was not appropriate to go to court. Firstly, it would be troublesome, and it would take time and energy to complete the entire judicial procedure; .Think about it, when the two got married back then, it was not public and secret, but now the breakup has become a riot and everyone knows it, isn't it a joke.Meng Xiaodong thought that Yao Yulan's analysis made sense. So, what should be done?Yao Yulan suggested that Du Yuesheng should come forward and be a peacemaker.Du Yuesheng and Mei Lanfang were also old acquaintances, and they had a crush on Meng Xiaodong for a long time, so they immediately agreed to Yao Yulan's proposal.In this way, the two parties reached an agreement, and Mei Lanfang paid 40,000 yuan.In fact, when the two talked about breaking up, Mei Lanfang wanted to give Meng Xiaodong a sum of money, but Meng Xiaodong refused, of course out of strong self-esteem.Now, seeing the face of Yao Yulan and Du Yuesheng, she accepted it. As for the divorce, their marriage is not legal from a legal point of view. No matter how reluctant Meng Xiaodong is, she is still a concubine.In the case that the law does not protect concubines, their separation is not a divorce, and no legal procedures are required at all. What's interesting is that the 40,000 yuan Meng Xiaodong got initially was paid in advance by Du Yuesheng.This was not a small amount of money. Mei Lanfang usually spent a lot of money and borrowed money to go to the United States.Later, in order to repay the 40,000 yuan, he had to sell his house in Wuliang adult alley.The true relationship between two people was finally settled with 40,000 yuan, which is a bit sad.