The Shanghai Book Fair "Time Has Started", "Book Fragrance: Summer of Shanghai" Gathers Popularity in Shanghai | Zhang Shanlin | Popularity
"The women depicted in Xue Shu's works are not artificial landscapes or appearances, but rather ordinary people's fireworks and enthusiasm." On the morning of August 12th, as the brand event of the Shanghai Library during the Shanghai Book Fair - the first lecture of the 2023 "Book Fragrance: Summer of Shanghai" series of famous works, the writer walked and had a conversation with Xue Shu, the vice chairman of the Shanghai Writers Association, at the East Hall in the picture above, about the latest published novel collection "The Last Tree" by the latter.
The 2023 Shanghai Book Fair will be unveiled at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on August 16th, and this weekend, the book fair in this city has already started. As Xue Shu said, "Every ordinary weekend has a strong reading atmosphere like a book exhibition, which is a happy daily life in Shanghai.".
"The Last Tree" selects 12 short stories created by Xue Shu in recent years, showcasing his contemplation on intimate relationships in urban life. The author captures urban imagery such as clothes hanging in the corner of the alley window and green plants on old-fashioned balconies, linking the unequal exchange relationship between space and love, weaving 12 stories that naturally grow from the city of Shanghai.
"In a sense, in the city of Shanghai, 'not caring' is also a kind of caring with a sense of propriety." Xue Shu said, "We always believe that people open their hearts to embrace and care for each other, which is a good relationship. However, many times, we also need distance between each other." These 12 novels are like literary samples of sociological problems. Lao Zhang, who stayed in the old house to take care of his mother who had become a vegetable, Gu Pinfang, who was spoiled by her husband but still smiled at life after his death, and Zhou Ruoyu, who failed several blind dates - no matter what kind of situation they face, urbanites must make their own choices.
In the afternoon, the new book sharing session of "My Grandfather Gai Shoutian" was held at the same venue. The author of the new book, Zhang Shanlin, the legitimate grandson of Gai Jiaotian, shares with readers the artistic legends passed down from generation to generation by the Gai School's martial arts family for a hundred years. In addition to Zhao Hongyun, a young martial artist from the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre, demonstrating the classic figure of the Gaipai style of Peking Opera on site, Zhang Shanlin also occasionally stood up and demonstrated while speaking. The reader learned that he was 83 years old, and the applause was thunderous. At the scene, there were also theater fans and readers sitting in wheelchairs who were attentive to the lecture.
Gai Mingtian, originally named Zhang Yingjie, is one of the outstanding representatives of Shanghai style Peking Opera and also one of the school masters of the founding of Shanghai Peking Opera Theater. Due to Gai Jiaotian's "Wusong Opera" being particularly exciting, it is also known as "Jiangnan Live Wusong". He inherited the artistic style of the Southern School of Martial Arts, drew on the strengths of various martial arts schools and other professions in Beijing and Kunming, borrowed martial arts techniques, carefully observed the movements of natural objects, and enriched martial arts techniques and the beauty of character forms, forming a unique style of Gai School art.
The book "My Grandfather Gai Shoutian" fully presents the context and experience of the three generations of Gai school Zhang Men inheriting their father's business and inheriting Gai school art. Zhang Shanlin recounts the innovative spirit and profound artistic achievements of his grandfather, Gai Jiaotian, in the fiercely competitive environment of Shanghai style Peking Opera. He also tells the story of his father, Zhang Yipeng, who did not stick to tradition and created the "New Gai School". He never forgets the teachings of his grandfather and father, and his original intention to inherit and promote Gai School art in various parts of the country.
At the end of 2015, Zhang Shanlin started writing a series of autobiographical articles after bidding farewell to his stage performance. After 8 years, "My Grandfather Gai Jiaotian: Inherited in One Tradition, Gai Yunliu Long" was launched by Shanghai Culture Publishing House on the eve of the 2023 Shanghai Book Fair, coinciding with the 135th anniversary of Gai Jiaotian's birth. "I am very grateful to be able to publish this new book on Grandpa and Gai art in Shanghai," said Zhang Shanlin. "Grandpa created Gai art in the process of 'distinguishing himself from other artists' in Shanghai."
The "Book Fragrance: Summer of Shanghai" series of lectures by famous scholars will continue from August 12th to September 2nd, bringing a series of lectures on the historical and logical starting point of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation - an explanation of the first part of the "Revival Library", Xi Meijuan's "Sitting Alone" sharing and signing event, Sun Yong's "A Thousand Sails Over the Long River: The Source of Chinese Cultural Thought" new book sharing event, Cheng Yongxin's novel "Aunt Wearing a Qipao" new book press conference, and other famous scholar sharing events.
During the Shanghai Book Fair, the Shanghai Library planned dozens of themed activities for citizens. Among them, the "You Choose Books, I Pay" activity prepared over 2500 original books at the book exhibition site. Citizens holding the "One Card" reader card of the Shanghai Central Library and young readers holding electronic student cards can choose foreign books in the designated area of the Shanghai Foreign Language Book Co., Ltd. booth. The Shanghai Library will purchase books recommended by citizens on the spot and provide lending services. The new "Library Path" series of cultural and creative works in the "Image above" showcase the image of library architecture, explore the charm of library artifacts, convey the way of library reading, and wait to meet readers.
