On October 12, 2015, at the opening ceremony of the 6th Kunqu Opera Festival in China, Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Opera Theater was announced to be established. This has aroused strong repercussions in Kunshan and the whole Kunqu Opera circle. On the afternoon of February 4, the author interviewed Xu Huimin, Deputy Mayor of Suzhou and Secretary of Kunshan Municipal Party Committee, on this topic. The interview summary is as follows.
Xu Yaoxin and Xu Huimin inaugurated Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Opera Theater. (Data map)
When the time is ripe, the water comes naturally
Yang Shousong (hereinafter referred to as Yang) : Good secretary! In fact, your time in Kunshan was very short. Soon, on the basis of listening to the opinions of all parties, you decided to set up a Kunqu Opera Theater. I would like to ask you to explain why.
Xu Huimin (hereinafter referred to as Xu): I think so. Kunqu originated in Kunshan, but Kunshan doesn't have its own Kunqu Opera Theater, which is a great pity.
Now Kunshan is the first of the top 100 counties (cities) in China. With the development of economy, the establishment of Kunqu Opera Theater is also a matter of course. We also know that Kunqu Opera has a relatively small audience and must be supported by government finance. So now that the economy has developed, we have the ability and conditions to feed back our culture, especially our traditional culture.
Yang: Especially the most representative local culture.
Xu: Yes, so it's time. In the early stage, they also did a lot of work. Ke Jun and Li Hongliang, the famous Kunqu artists who went out from Kunshan, also wanted to go home and do something for Kunqu, including setting up a Kunqu Opera troupe.
Yang: This idea is very strong! Mr. Cai Zhengren also said many times that in 2011, I also invited Mr. Cai to come to Kunshan to talk about this.
Xu: So now, Li Hongliang and his colleagues are willing to come back, which is also a good opportunity, because if there is no good team, no good actors, it will be a vain establishment.
Yang: No amount of money can be sustained without talents.
Xu: Yes, so people like Li Hongliang, Ke Jun and Zhang Jun are ready to come to Kunshan.
Respect classics and actively explore
Yang: With this platform, it depends on how to do it.
Xu: I also have some ideas about this. Kunqu Opera has been sung for more than 600 years. Most people, including local people in Kunshan, cannot understand it. This is a question of how to innovate. So I said to Ke Jun and others that a drama cannot be understood. No matter how much the government protects it, it will not change the historical tragedy of its disappearance. We can't rely on just a few classical plays and the government to support her like a flower in a greenhouse. (Kunqu Opera) Return to the people. Because Kunqu Opera comes from the folk. Only when we return to the folk soil, we can love it, and like it, can we inherit it.
My view has also been recognized by them. So on the one hand, it is traditional. We should respect the classics, such as the original Peony Pavilion and the Hall of Eternal Life. You should not change it, but respect the classics
Yang: Yes, this is very important.
Xu: Just like protecting cultural relics, don't touch her again. This is the wealth of our history. But in the newly arranged programs, we can combine new stories, new scripts, try new vocals or design monologues. We can also learn from some successful experiences of modern Peking Opera, so that everyone, at least Kunshan people, can understand and understand. I say that Kunqu Opera has vitality.
This may have both success and failure. There must be a process of exploration. It is impossible to succeed in one play and two plays, but at least we have explored.
Innovative system and market operation
Xu : The system of the troupe itself should also be reformed. The original troupes were all public institutions, supported by government finance. This time, we are state-owned enterprises. Moreover, we are planning to use the original old enterprise theater company to carry out restructuring, and we will land in the capital market in the future.
Yang: Is it the whole theater company or the Kunqu Opera Theater?
Xu : The theater company restructured and absorbed Kunqu Opera Theater, which is called Zhongkun Theater. Because he (Kunqu Opera Theater) is newly established, the conditions are not enough, but the theater company is an old enterprise. The old enterprise reorganizes and sets up a new Kunqu Opera Theater, which can be listed. Now it has entered the preliminary work.
During the system reform, we will allow the main characters, leading actors, and certain performers and staff members to hold shares. That is, in addition to government subsidies, performance income, and teaching income, they can own their own shares, and have their own employee shares in their own companies. The proportion depends on different contributions. Making use of the capital market for market-oriented operation is a new exploration for traditional opera, which can reflect the contribution value of actors and make market-oriented operation come true.
Yang: In fact, the establishment of Kun Opera Theater is not just a question of a troupe. It is generally understood that because Kunshan is economically developed to be the first county in China, what does your culture match with your economy? The existing Kunqu Opera is here. It is the most ideal and irreplaceable to connect it with the economy.
One of the first special performances of the eclectic drama after the establishment of Kunshan Contemporary Kunju Opera Theatre - Peony Pavilion · Dream (information picture)
Cultivate market culture to benefit people
Xu: Kunshan Grand Theater will be rebuilt before the end of this year as the performance base of Kunshan Opera Troupe. Kunshan's business card in the future will be a combination of three ones: a play (Kunqu Opera), a bowl of noodles (Aozao noodles), and a crab (Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs). It's just that there's a restaurant in it. It's not just a theater. It has a modern service
。 We use the modern service industry to create a new Kunqu Opera, not just to watch a play. The traditional cultural products around Kunqu Opera and traditional opera can be displayed and sold here.
Yang: I heard that you were going to invite foreign investment, but you stopped it immediately
Xu: It can't be said that you open a department store, clothing store or anything... it must be consistent with the cultural industry. Entering here is a thick culture, and then you can watch the opera, let you consume, let you consume in culture. Some cultural elements of Kunshan and some developed products can be found here, including a decent bookstore in the future, which mainly sells books written by Kunshan people.
There are more than 20000 enterprises in Kunshan, and tens of thousands of business personnel come to Kunshan every day. They want to know about Chinese traditional culture and local folk customs after business activities. But now there is no place, no window, except for a look at the ancient town, there is no spiritual product of this culture.
So I'm thinking that we can adopt a way of benefiting people through culture. It is to run a cultural benefit card, and our government will give you a cultural guidance fund to let you consume cultural products.
Especially in the enterprise area, after the negotiation with your business guests, you can go to the Kunqu Opera Theater in the evening. In international practice, it is very polite to arrange to watch traditional opera performances. We require at least four regular performances a week. People come to see it only when it is often performed. It can't be said that we had an event and you gave a performance. It's useless. As for the performance, there are two programs, one is for more than one hour, and the other is for half an hour, which is a highlight. This will meet the needs of different guests and form a very elegant cultural atmosphere.
At present, business reception is mainly about feasting and drinking. Now I call you cultural consumption. When an enterprise comes to batch big guests or the chairman of the board of directors comes to hear a play, they can order a play, and the theater can give you a special performance. This is a high standard of reception. Culture also promotes the economy.
Director Xu of the Provincial Department of Culture was very supportive after listening to my idea. He said that you would pilot in Kunshan to make a cultural benefit card and try it first in the province.
Yang: Cultural benefits to the people are not only the square dance culture, but also the elegant culture of Kunqu Opera, both of which are needed. As a matter of fact, Chang Yan can cultivate the basic audience of Kunqu Opera. You may not sell tickets at first, but you may not get tickets later. This is the process in many places.
Xu: Yes, cultivate the market. In this way, the actors are also enthusiastic.
Yang: Yes, he is not interested without acting.
Xu: I said that our government can guide us in the future. First time guests must listen to a Kunqu Opera! We often come here, and the chairman of the board of directors comes here. We ask the enterprise, but there is no condition for us to ask. What's wrong with watching a play? Very elegant enjoyment!
Yang: For this purpose, the resources of Nanjing, Shanghai and Suzhou can be used. Yu Jiulin is from Kunshan.
Xu: He can also join.
Yang: For example, if I order a play, maybe the actors are not enough or the play is not complete, I will transfer it from there. It's all good.
Xu: Yes, for example, how many performances Kunshan performs, how many performances are ordered from Shanghai, and how much basic fees I will give you. I have a whole set of ideas, not just set up a troupe. I told people in the cultural system about my idea, and they will follow this idea.
Yang : These three people (Ke Jun, Zhang Jun, Li Hongliang) are very capable. We used to say that they were "iron triangle". They will support this idea. That's all right.
Xu : Now we are recruiting. Many excellent actors have come to Kunshan to promote the common ideal of Kunqu Opera.
Yang : I told Li Hongliang that there are countless things waiting for you to do!
Xu: yes 。 Including teaching and research, and what I told Ke Jun about how to extend it to the elderly industry in the future. You should not focus on the small ones in the school, but also on the elderly. Now the elderly, who have nothing to do and have money, want to enrich their cultural life. They can organize elderly interest classes to teach and sing Kunqu Opera. They can also earn income from counseling.
Coincidence comes down in one continuous line
Yang: Over the past two years, more and more people have come to me for Kunqu Opera. A young actress in my studio took more than 100 classes last year, including TV University, Duke University, primary school and community, and asked her to teach.
Xu: Because when people's material life reaches a certain level, it is their spiritual needs. For example, the elderly, after retirement, there is no shortage of material things, and how much material things can you consume at this age? Then it is spiritual.
Yang: When the economy develops to a certain degree, he naturally has cultural needs.
Xu: There is a consumption demand, but we have not met it.
Yang: Another thing that I think is very interesting is that Kunshan Grand Theater, a small place 30 years ago, is thousands of square meters. Why is this big theater built? It is for Kunqu Opera and for holding the Chinese Kunqu Opera Festival. At that time, Cai Zhengren, including Secretary Wu Kequan, had done a lot of work, and the official documents of the Ministry of Culture had been issued to hold the Chinese Kunqu Festival in Kunshan.
Xu: There is no field.
Yang: yes. At first, Cai Zhengren saw the old theater on Renmin Road. It was dilapidated. How could it be! Secretary Wu called him to the place where the Grand Theater is now. He said that Mr. Cai was going to build a Grand Theater here. Cai Zhengren thought it was incredible that it was still a rice field at that time! Finally, it was really finished! After that, Secretary Wu was transferred
Thirty years later, the Grand Theater was rebuilt. Now, more than 50000 square meters have been given to Kunqu Opera!
Also, Wu Kequan is from Wujiang, and you are also from Wujiang. Isn't that interesting?
Xu: Cai Zhengren is also from Wujiang. In the history of Wujiang, there was Shen Jing, the representative of Wujiang School of drama in the late Ming Dynasty, who made great contributions to Kunqu Opera.
Yang: So it's very interesting. You two should say that you are the two key nodes of Kunshan Kunqu Opera. From "the road of Kunshan" to "the road of Kunqu", from economy to culture, it can be said that opportunities are coincidental and come down in one continuous line. It's really interesting. I can't make up stories that happened in the same place.
Xu: We should use modern ideas to revitalize Kunqu Opera. Economy without culture is not a comprehensive development and a well-off society.
Great Kunqu Opera, Great Kunshan
Xu: Miss Yang, you have contributed to Kunshan and Kunqu. I have taken your words (great Kunqu Opera) as the image of Kunshan: great Kunqu Opera, great Kunshan. "Great Kunqu Opera" represents our historical and cultural heritage. "Great Kunshan Opera" means that we are now, one history and one modern time.
Yang : It's said that there are several figurative sentences. You decided to use them without hesitation?
Xu: This is inspired by you. We used to say "Great rivers and mountains", so I changed the word "Great Kunshan", which is concise and memorable.
Yang : It's catchy and forceful.
Xu: Great Kunqu Opera and great Kunshan are now used as the image language of Kunshan commercials on CCTV.
Yang: very nice! I believe it will spread.
