"Qunwenzhi" entered the Shanghai Municipal Chronicle for the first time, and truly recorded the development results of Shencheng public culture in the past 32 years

After nearly nine years of compilation, the Shanghai Municipal Chronicle of Literature, Art, and Mass Literature and Art Volume (1978-2010) (hereinafter referred to as "Qunwenzhi") was first published at the Shanghai Municipal Mass Art Museum on December 28. This is the first time that "Qunwenzhi" has been included in the Shanghai Municipal Chronicle, which truly records the fruitful achievements of Shanghai's mass culture in the past 32 years, reproduces the development context of Shanghai's mass culture, and shows the struggle process of several generations of literati.

The period from 1978 to 2010 was an important period of prosperity and development in the course of Shanghai's mass culture. Where is the premiere of the drama "In the Silent Place" and "Blood, Always Hot"? Where do familiar songs such as "We Workers Have Strength", "Unforgettable Tonight" and "The Moon Goes I Go" come from? The answers to these questions can be found in the "Qunwen Zhi".

"As a unique and important historical material, the Zhishu truthfully records what happened." It can be seen from the "Qunwenzhi" that the times are changing, and the demand of Shanghai citizens for mass culture is also constantly changing. Wu Rongmei, the general editor of "Qunwen zhi", for example, in the early days of reform and opening up, literature and drama were very active, and Shanghai gave birth to "Yu in the Silent Place", which was known as "a spring thunder on the drama stage", a four-act drama premiered in the Municipal Workers' Cultural Palace, by the workers' writer Zong Fuxian. In the 1980s, when popular music was all over the country, Shanghai launched the Popular Song Grand Prix at the right time, discovering a number of classic songs such as "Unforgettable Tonight" and "The Moon Goes I Go". In the 1990s, square culture emerged in Shanghai, the most representative example of which is the shanghai symphony orchestra performance launched in September 1993 at The Xianlesi Square on Nanjing West Road, which led to the movement of Shanghai's mass culture from indoor to outdoor. After entering the new century, the style of Qunwen activities in Shanghai has shown a diversified trend, and a series of themed Qunwen activities held around the Beijing Olympic Games and the Shanghai World Expo have become a unique landscape of the city.

"Shanghai is one of the few provinces and cities in the country dedicated to the cultivation of Qunwen. This is a very meaningful thing, from which it can be seen that the city's mass culture has developed through continuous innovation. Chen Qizhong, one of the main writers of "Qunwenzhi", took the Shanghai Mass Art Museum as an example, which plays a leading and exemplary role in the city's mass cultural work, and its functional positioning is constantly advancing with the times. It has gradually changed from an independent main body of activities to a "headquarters" of mass cultural activities in the city that faces the society, coordinates all parties and serves the public, and transforms into a diversified, open and innovative public cultural service pattern. Looking back on history, the premises of the Shanghai Municipal Museum of Mass Art have also undergone many relocations, from No. 526 Fuxing Middle Road when it was established on December 30, 1956 to No. 20 Huangpu Road (now the site of the Russian Consulate), No. 788 Changle Road (former residence of Peking Opera performing artist Zhou Xinfang), No. 226 Huangpi North Road (now Shanghai Municipal History Museum), and No. 597 Fuxing Middle Road (now Cultural Square). In 2010, the new building of Shanghai Mass Art Museum was completed at No. 125 Guyi Road, and was officially opened to the public in 2011. The Shanghai Municipal Museum of Mass Art is about to celebrate the 65th anniversary of its establishment and the 10th anniversary of the new museum, and the release of "Qunwenzhi" is regarded as a special congratulatory gift.

"Qunwenzhi" is a collection of precious materials from the historical period from 1978 to 2010, with more than 920,000 words in the main text, more than 1.4 million words in the layout, and 197 color pictures, 105 illustrations and 86 tables. In order to ensure a comprehensive, objective and informative reflection of the overall development of the cultural undertakings of the masses in Shanghai, every compiler has great respect, and with a serious attitude of respect and responsibility for history, repeatedly inquires and collects materials, discusses and studies the main line of research, and proofreads the text chapter by chapter, sentence by sentence.

"Prosperous cultivation, looking forward to the future." The zhishu allows us to have a deeper understanding of yesterday's development of the cultural undertakings of the masses in Shanghai, and better grasp the prosperity of the masses of culture today, so as to firmly create a better tomorrow. Wu Penghong, director of the Shanghai Municipal Mass Art Museum, said that the literati in Shanghai will take over the baton of their predecessors and shoulder the mission entrusted by the new era and new journey.

Photo: Ye Chenliang

Author: Li Ting

Editor: Tong Weijing

Editor-in-Charge: Liu Qing

*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.