Huang Changyong, president of Shanghai Theatre Academy, holds an umbrella as a "guide" for citizens in the drizzle
On June 28, the "Red Drama" special performance of the "Arts in Shanghai·Red Wave" series of themed cultural activities, the guest guide, Huang Changyong, the president of Shanghai Theatre Academy, held an umbrella and set out with drama lovers from the Memorial Hall of the Left-wing League, along Duolun Road to Sichuan North Road, and then all the way north to Shanyin Road, to trace the development of Chinese left-wing drama. At the former site of Shanghai Municipal Experimental Drama School, he pointed to the photo of Tian Han hanging in the Mengyi Hall on the fourth floor, "Every year, three songs are played at the graduation ceremony of Shanghai Theatre Academy - the national anthem, school song, and graduation song are all from Tian Han."
Taking "Sichuan North Road" and "Red Drama" as clues, drama lovers, led by Huang Changyong, visited the former site of China University of Art, Jingyunli, the former site of Shanghai Experimental Drama School, the former site of Neishan Bookstore, the former residences of Lu Xun and Mao Dun in Daluxincun, and the former site of Xingyefang Avenue Drama Society, embarking on a red drama journey.
At the Memorial Hall of the League of Left-Wing Writers, Huang Changyong shared "Contemporary Expression of Red-themed Drama". The Shanghai drama community has always been at the forefront of red-themed drama creation. In recent years, it has continuously launched works such as "Outpost", "Wave" and "Early Spring" around the five martyrs of the League of Left-Wing Writers, which effectively touched the emotional resonance points of contemporary young people.
The rain kept falling. Huang Changyong spoke seriously and everyone listened attentively. Photo by Zhuge Yi
After leaving the Memorial Hall of the Left-Wing Writers' Union, the visiting team came to the former site of the China University of the Arts on Duolun Road. In March 1930, the China League of Left-Wing Writers was established at the China University of the Arts. It was also a gathering place for cultural celebrities such as Lu Xun, Chen Wangdao, Mao Dun, Ye Shengtao, Feng Xuefeng, and Rou Shi, and a place where various cultural activities were planned. The former site of the Shanghai Municipal Experimental Drama School, located at No. 1838 North Sichuan Road, is also a place of interest for everyone. It was the predecessor of the Shanghai Theatre Academy and has now become the Experimental Middle School of the Hongkou District Education College. Walking into the Mengyi Hall on the fourth floor, it is like going back in time. On the 10th anniversary of Mr. Lu Xun's death, Guo Moruo gave a speech here to commemorate him. Mei Lanfang, Zhou Xinfang, Gai Jiaotian, Tian Han, Cao Yu, and Hong Shen performed here. In November 1947, President Xiong Fusi hosted a charity performance here, and the performers included Jinshan, Zhao Dan, Zhou Xuan, Zhang Ruifang, Bai Yang, Huang Yijun, and Shi Hui.
Walking out of the former site of Shanghai Municipal Experimental Drama School and heading to Lu Xun's former residence, Huang Changyong stopped at "1927·Lu Xun and Neishan Memorial Bookstore". "Lu Xun has many works sold in Neishan Bookstore. Fang Zhimin's last words were also given to Lu Xun through Neishan Bookstore and then handed over to the party organization..." In front of Lu Xun's former residence, which is being renovated, Huang Changyong shared, "The drama "The Outpost" has a Lu Xun family dinner."
On June 28, a special party class was launched at the Longhua Martyrs Memorial Hall - an immersive drama "The Whistle in Prison", adapted from the drama "The Outpost", which took the audience back to Shanghai in 1931, to the last cell where the "Five Martyrs of the Left League" were imprisoned before their death, and to listen to their voices.
Shanghai Longhua Martyrs Cemetery and Shanghai Theatre Academy have designed an immersive drama party class based on the heroic figures and stories of the museum. The premiere of "The Whistle in Prison" on June 28th focused on the last moments of the "Five Martyrs of the Left League" being detained in Longhua Detention Center, depicting their touching stories of using their pens as swords and guns and persisting in creating revolutionary literature.
The script of "The Whistle in Prison" was polished by Huang Changyong. The staff of Longhua Martyrs Memorial Hall and teachers and students of Shanghai Theatre Academy participated in the adaptation and re-creation process of the immersive drama party class from the theater drama to the venue. Experts from the research room of Longhua Martyrs Memorial Hall checked the script creation, and national first-level director Teng Xuekun supervised the performance details on the spot.
After the performance, the audience burst into warm applause. Some audience members said, "The immersive party class is novel and unique, and it is thought-provoking." Others said, "This form of drama interpretation is very immersive, and I feel more deeply about the revolutionaries' persistent pursuit."
After three performances of "The Whistle in the Prison" at the Longhua Martyrs Memorial Hall, the immersive drama party classes "Ideals Are the Most Touching" and "Unforgettable Memories" will also enter the creation and rehearsal stage one after another.
The "Chinese Art" special session, the final stop of the "Art in Shanghai·Red Wave" series of themed cultural activities, will also be launched soon. Li Chao, vice president of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, will give a lecture on "National Memory of Shanghai Art", lead enthusiasts to visit the "Hongkou Axis" of Shanghai Art, and answer the question "Why Shanghai has become the source of China's modern and contemporary 'emerging art'".
According to reports, the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles' public welfare project "Art Walk in Shanghai" is led by experts and scholars to visit Shanghai's cultural landmarks. Since 2018, more than 20 events have been held. This "Art Walk in Shanghai·Red Wave" series of themed cultural activities is guided by the Propaganda Department of the Hongkou District Committee of the Communist Party of China, hosted by the Shanghai Academy of Literature and Art, the Four Memorial Halls of the Communist Party of China, and the Memorial Hall of the Site of the Left League, and co-organized by the Hongkou District Federation of Literary and Art Circles. In the first "Left-wing Music" special session, He Ying, director of the Memorial Hall of the Site of the Left League, guided the "Powerful Voice of the Times-Photo Exhibition of the 90th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Left-wing Music Group" and "Raising the Flag and Orienting to Gather Hearts and Minds-Photo Historical Materials Exhibition of Propaganda and Cultural Work". Zhang Qingxin, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Opera House, and singers Li Xinyu, Pan Moyao, and Xiao Xinyi shared their creative experience in the original national opera "March of the Volunteers". On June 8, the "Chinese Film" special session, Li Zhenlin, dean of the Film School of Shanghai Theatre Academy, embarked on a journey of Shanghai red films across time and space.
