Taiyuan Bell Tower Street can be described as bustling in recent days, the popularity has doubled, and people who go shopping every day come and go, and there is an endless stream. The past drifts by like a cloud of smoke, and whenever people recall the past years, they feel that it is a good time.
Zhonglou Street has restored the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the Republic of China era. Originally, the western section of Zhonglou Street was Pressed Street and Yangshi East Street, which were later collectively called Zhonglou Street, and the east was Qiaotou Street, which gathered many commercial and long-established brands here during the Republic of China. The prosperity of commerce led to cultural development, and at that time, Taiyuan's opera gardens also developed around Zhonglou Street, becoming the economic and cultural center of the time.
In the early days, Taiyuan City had to follow various sacrifices and festivals every year, and regularly performed in the City God Temple, Daguandi Temple (Miaoqian Street), Guandi Temple (Shuiximen), Grandma Temple (School Lieutenant Camp), Lüzu Temple (Pure Yang Palace), Taishan Temple and other large temples. In the twenty-eighth year of Qing Guangxu (1902), the first Guifu Class Theater Garden was built in Scissors Lane. In the 30th year of Guangxu (1904), the Hongfuban Opera Garden was built in the South School Weiying, the Hongben Theater Garden was opened in Liu Lane, the Tea Garden was revitalized in Dashui Lane for three years (1911), and the same paradise was built in the Milk Hall. The rise of the opera garden near Zhonglou Street, people from the original temple fair open-air to watch the play, gradually evolved into the theater, buy tickets to see the play, are the development of the times.
Opposite Laoxiang Village on Zhonglou Street is Taiyuan's old enlightened photo studio. In 1958, when Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang came to Taiyuan to perform, he took a group photo with Jin opera masters Ding Guoxian and Niu Guiying at the Enlightened Photo Studio. Witness the glorious moments of the drama of the last century, documenting the friendship of the dramatist.
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According to teacher Yang Qiushi, Mei Lanfang participated in the Taiyuan literary and art propaganda parade during the Taiyuan performance. Representatives of the literary and art circles in the provincial city gathered at the Yingze Hotel, and artists such as Ding Guoxian and Mei Lanfang stood on the open-top trucks in motion, waving to the masses in the provincial city, and the streets were full of people. After Passing Liunan, enter Zhonglou Street and Press Si Street, exit Jiefang Road and return to Yingze Hotel. The scene of the huge and crowded alley is still fresh in the memory of the old Taiyuan people.
The original Liu Lane to the Bell Tower Street is not accessible, can not reach the current Liunan, only from the east alley of the Bell Tower to the Jizo Temple and the Four Forks Building to the Lieutenant Colonel Camp and the East Colonel Lieutenant Camp.
The Changfeng Theater, where Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang came to Taiyuan to perform, is located in the Lieutenant Colonel's Camp, which was originally the Eight Flags Guild Hall in Taiyuan, which was later changed to Mingsheng Building, and the Republic of China was changed to a drama garden. Xiao Jixian Zhang Baokui, Yao Fali, Guo Ziquan, Qiu Decai, Ding Qiaoyun, Zhang Meiqin, Hua Yanjun, Liu Xianling and other groups performed here. At that time, "full of ten thousand gold, oil Hanrun gave birth to children", was the best partner of the band drum board, Hu Hu, Cymbal cymbals, and ma gongs. After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it was called the Second People's Opera House, and it was called the Second Courtyard of the People. The martial arts dramas of the Second Courtyard and the Liantai ben drama were very popular at that time, and the performance venues were full.
The 1935 Edition of the Taiyuan Guide mentions the ticket price of the Theater Garden in Taiyuan:
“...... The fare of each park, except for special corners and other circumstances, is probably the highest in Chengqing Garden, counting five yuan for the box, five corners for A tickets, three corners for B tickets, and five dimes for C tickets. Mingsheng Building box three yuan, A ticket four corners, B ticket two corners five, C ticket one corner. Xinhua Tea Garden box two yuan, A ticket triangle, B ticket two corners, C ticket one corner. ”
Taiyuan's Taishan Temple was originally near the South Shanghai Hotel on Zhonglou Street Road, and later moved to the north of the road to the area of the later food market, and was moved to Luxi in 1942 due to disrepair, which is now the Taishan Temple of the Liuxiang Street Office. It is said that "Fruit Red" Ding Guoxian was six or seven years old in the Taishan Temple Stalls, that is, the Zhonghe Market formed in the north of Zhonglou Street Road, and the old Taiyuan people also called Taishan Temple, which was later the side food market.
From the Bell Tower to the Second Market Lane, not far to the north, there is an alley to the east, called Sauce Garden Lane. During the Republic of China, there was a popular tea garden in the north of Xiangkou Road, which also performed music and juggling. In the 1950s, Xiaoyi shadow puppet artist Zhao Binbin and Na Pengfei led two teams of cast members to perform here. Zhao guests stayed in Taiyuan, and after Zhao Zhenying, a native of the Northern Fort of jinci, joined the shadow puppet troupe, it was changed to a real-life performance of the Moon Shadow Troupe, which was later the Taiyuan Bowl and Bowl Troupe.
After the Sauce Garden Lane and then to the chayuan, turn northeast is Dashui Lane. During the Republic of China, Zhang Jishan, a wealthy merchant in Huyan Village, Taiyuan, took over the original "Revitalization Tea Garden" and renamed it "Chengqing Opera Garden". Transformed into the first garden in Taiyuan to buy tickets to enter the theater, he did not hesitate to invite famous actors of Peking Opera to perform here, and later also performed plays. Peking opera masters Ma Lianliang, Li Shifang, Yuan Shihai, etc., have come here to perform. After the return of Yan Xishan's War of Resistance, it was called the "People's First Opera House", and after the 50th generation of the last century, it was mainly used to act in movies.
In the 1930s, the Zhonghua Grand Theater was built, when Mao Maodan, San Ersheng, Liu Zhilan, Twelve Reds, Peking Opera famous character Gai Lianzhong, as well as storyteller Red Gao Wenhan and jade doll Liu Yufu master and apprentice all performed here, which is now the Shanxi Theater.
The Shanxi Grand Theater in Nancang Lane is the closest theater garden to Zhonglou Street in the Republic of China. Not far from the alley, the west side is the Duo family's Qing heyuan, and the east side of the road is the Shanxi Grand Theater. Gai Tianhong, Thirteen Red, Nu Zisheng, Ding Qiaoyun, Guo Zihong, and Thirteen Dan have all performed here. Around 1941, the lion Black Qiao Guorui, the eleventh guo Fengying, and the thirteenth Dan Ren Yuzhen were performing "Fengyi Pavilion", when suddenly the eaves folded, killing several people, and the theater garden was chaotic. The old Taiyuan people still have a deep memory, and the Jiaocheng Rice Song Artist Qiu Shu heard about this and compiled this story into the Rice Song.
In 1948, it was changed to the Northwest Club, and there were performances by the labor army, including "Broken Bridge", "Bieliang Tu", "Playing Gold Branches", "Democracy and Revolution", and "Dragon Ball". The last scene was originally Ding Guoxian's masterpiece "Stringing Dragon Balls", and the first Xu Da was Xu Sheng Hao Cuiying on the scene, because there was no line, and the audience could not see it. In the midfield, Ding Guoxian's apprentice Wu Huixian played Xu Da on the stage, and the audience applauded each other as usual, and as soon as they began to sing, the audience heard that it was not Ding Guoxian, and the audience was dissatisfied. In the last Ding Guoxian scene, the audience disturbed the scene with the form of applause, from the beginning of singing to the end of the singing, only hastily.
On the 22nd day of the first month of 1949, the Taiyuan City Field Correspondents Association held a party at the Northwest Club, Ding Guoxian and Liang Xiaoyun performed "Walking on the Mountain", Wu Huixian and Liu Xianling performed "Sitting on the Building", Zhang Meiqin, Hua Yanjun and Wang Guiyan performed "Playing Golden Branches", Ren Yuling, Xiao Guimei and Duan Ziming performed "Yellow Crane Tower", and Quan Wuxing performed "Tazigou". After the liberation of Taiyuan, Ding Guoxian registered the people's theater troupe here, and then transferred to Liu Junying to take charge, and here he prepared to set up the "Five Ying Opera Troupe" and "Jinsheng Theater Troupe", asked Cheng Yuying to come to Taiyuan to perform with the sisters, Cheng did not come for other reasons, Liu Junying sent Qiao Yuxian to pick up Cheng Yuying, but also failed to make the trip.
Later, the theater was converted into a mass cinema, which was demolished in the 1960s, and taiyuan people under the age of seventy cannot remember its existence.
The northernmost part of the Dazhong Market is the Dazhong Theater, which is also the theater with more performances in the middle of the last century, and Liu Junying led the first state-run Jin Opera Troupe in Shanxi to perform here often. The main actors are Qiao Yuxian, Sun Fu'e, Xiao Guifen and so on. The band has Feng Wanfu, Liu Zhu, Yue Zhibao, Yao Xiancheng, Xu Peixin, Wang Genshou, Jiang Jiacheng, etc., and the Shanxi Jin Theater Band has a good effect, which is the playing style formed by the basis of this band. The north gate of the Grand Central Theater is Beiyue Temple Street, and the theater was later changed to other uses.
From the location of the current Bell Tower Street to the south is the West Lieutenant Camp, and there is an alley in the middle east of Kaihua City, called Dongjiadao Lane. This place was originally also a tea garden, in the 1940s, the top of the Shanxi Grand Theater folded the eaves, it was the Japanese and pseudo period, artists and merchants were difficult to protect themselves. Lion Black Qiao Guorui and Liu Wencai and others transferred and xinhua opera gardens, set up a pear garden, and organized artists who fled everywhere to tide over the difficulties together. After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Yan Xishan led his troops back to Taiyuan to rectify the social outlook and change it to the Third Opera House of the People. Later, many famous artists of Jin opera came from Xinhua Opera Garden, including lion Black Qiao Guorui, Ji Meilian, Liang Xiaoyun, Wu Huixian, Li Suying, Ji Ping, Liu Baojun and so on. After the liberation of Taiyuan, Wang Yifeng and other revolutionary literary and art workers were stationed and changed to Xinhua Opera Troupe, which became the North China People's Jin Opera Troupe in August 1953, and a year later became the Shanxi Provincial People's Jin Opera Troupe, and in 1959 it was merged into the Shanxi Provincial Experimental Theater, the predecessor of the Shanxi Jin Theater.
Zhonglou Street is the glory of the last century, but also witnessed the historical development of that period, the old Taiyuan people most like Xia Fuyi's cross-talk, Di Laizhen's commentaries, Guo Zihong's singing voice, Ji Meilian's performance. These famous artists are all wandering around the Bell Tower Street, and each theater is not far away, such as Zhao Yuelou, Zhao Fushou, Liu Wuhua, Zhao Licheng, these martial arts actors, often performing in various theaters. After this garden was performed, he picked up the small bag and ran to the next garden.
Due to the inconvenience of transportation at that time, the actors all lived nearby, Ding Qiaoyun, Hua Yanjun, Liang Xiaoyun, Ren Yuzhen, Chen Xiuzhen, and Guo Sanwu were in the lieutenant colonel's camp, and Ji Meilian lived in the Dizang Nunnery. The original city of Bell Tower Street is the central area, and many famous artists are estimated to have wonderful stories with Bell Tower Street.
There are too many opera-related things happening near Bell Tower Street, and I can't know them all, but I have only heard about them. Wu Huixian, the famous "two mischief-makers" of Jin opera, together with Liang Xiaoyun, Niu Guiying, Qiao Yuxian, etc., studied drama in the Korean Hua doll class in Qi County. Wu Huixian was originally named Wu Huifen, Shi Chenglu Erhong, after Yu Ci sang red in 1938, his appearance had the shape of Ding Guoxian, Ding Guoxian also heard about this, Wu Huixian came to Taiyuan to perform, Ding Guoxian after seeing it, quite kind, to guide. After Wu Huixian held a banquet in Qingheyuan, Bai Ding Guoxian was the master of the gate, so he changed his name to Wu Huixian, and later developed in Taiyuan, mostly performing in Xinhua Opera Garden.
The early theater gardens of Zhonglou Street are the Shanxi Grand Theater in Nancang Lane, the Chengqing Garden in Dashui Lane, the Xinhua Theater in Dongjiadao, the Xinmin Theater in Lieutenant Colonel's Camp, and the Chinese Theater in Liubei. After the liberation of Taiyuan, the Grand Central Theater and the Peace Theater of the South Xiao Wall developed. Of course, later the city became bigger, and there were more theaters, and it went out of the circle of Bell Tower Street.
In addition, the old Taiyuan people called the lieutenant camp the school government camp, which refers to the same place.