Chapter 20 20. Long queues of tourists

So I chose this day, thirty years ago, when Huang Chujiu and his mother arrived at the Shanghai pier by boat from Yuyao.I originally planned to be able to gain a foothold in Shanghai, and it would be nice to have something to eat, but I didn't expect to be able to break into the situation in front of me.Of course, Huang Chujiu wanted to take advantage of the completion of the Great World to celebrate and have a good time. It happened to be the weekend again. All the Shanghainese who want to join in the fun and see novelties come, and there is a long queue at the ticket office at the entrance.When Shanghai people spend money, what they like most is "cheap" and "good value". The big world does not charge more money from tourists because of its large location and variety. This idiom describes the situation in the big world at that time, and it is not an exaggeration, because more than 20,000 tickets were sold every day.

Beijing opera, local opera, northern and southern folk art, juggling, magic, everything you expect to find, are scattered in various venues and performed sequentially, from noon to night, without a break, when you go, there are always people on the stage, and you always have something to watch. In the "Republic Hall" on the right of the gate downstairs is "Quanfang Can Sing", which was Huang Chujiu's first brainstorm.At that time, the high-ranking prostitutes in Changsantangzi in Shanghai were called by their guests to not only accompany them in drinking, but also to sing operas.Huang Chujiu invited them to the big world to make a public appearance, without makeup, just stood on the stage and sang a few verses.Every time a prostitute comes out, a sign with their name is hung on the wall on the left and right of the stage, which is equivalent to making a name for them.Therefore, prostitutes are very happy to come to the big world to sing a cappella as an opportunity to show off.When they came, the guests who wanted to befriend them also followed them, so there was no need to worry about the sound of applause from the audience.They are not paid for singing a cappella, but it costs money for the guests to order their performances, which can share the bill with the venue.

Some of the "Qunfang" who came to the Republic Hall to sing operas were not prostitutes, but they were also Xiaojiabiyu who came out to socialize and make friends.Among them, some of them are still very good at singing, and the big world provides a venue for them to show off their skills. "Qunfang will sing" was later referred to as "Qunfanghui".Once the big world became famous, other places followed suit, and the new world was the first to fight against the big world.Then there are Times Song Field on Sima Road, Xiaoguanghan, and so on.A little farther away, the teahouses on the banks of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing also hold "Qunfanghui", and there are rows of teahouses, with many houses in a row.The fame of the Qinhuai singer spread far and near before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War.Zhang Henshui, a popular novelist, wrote a novel about Qinhuai singers.Among them, the outstanding ones officially entered the sea later, and there are also several who became famous Peking opera actors.

The movies shown in the big world are thrilling fighting movies specially imported from the United States.This was also Huang Chujiu's idea.He believes that tourists in the big world are highly mobile, and most of them are eating from a bowl and looking at a pot. The film does not need to pay too much attention to the plot, but to focus on whether the scene is hot or not.