The Nobility, Popularity And Femininity Of Playgoing

The dissertation aims at analyzing how Mei Lanfang’s new dramas welcomed or confronting difficulties after absorbing plot in Shanghai during1913and1938. In the early Republic of China, upper-class audience like rich businessmen, critics, artists pursued gorgeous visual enjoyment, Mei’s beauty or skills, resulting in the popularity of ancient-costume dancing dramas. Female audience favored contemporary-costume dramas which focused on plot and romance. However, because they entered the entertainment market for such a short time and didn’t have discourse power, contemporary-costume dramas faded quickly. After20s, staff in foreign firms, banks, government departments and free merchants formed new middle class and became Beijing opera audience. They lived in the environment where Shanghai style Beijing opera tended to mature and plot became more and more important. Therefore, they published articles in the increasingly developed mass media to show attention to plot. Mei then rehearsed plot dancing dramas, absorbing plot, romance on the basis of dancing and was warmly welcomed by middle-upper class male audience and some female audience. In order to enlarge middle-class audience, Mei rehearsed new plot dramas which abandoned dancing. However, dan actors’ romantic narration contradicted Beijing opera’s grand narration, leading to the dilemma of theme distraction and structure dispersal obvious. Emotional female audience’s not having discourse power in Beijing opera all the time to a great extent explained why the difficulty couldn’t be overcome.