Training the Heavens

Chapter 361 The Great Depression

"Mr. Zhang, guess who I saw on the boat?" the secretary came in excitedly and asked.

"Who?"

"It's Mr. Mei, Mr. Mei Lanfang, the one you accompanied Mr. Tagore to Beijing for exchanges and heard him sing. He is also on this ship to perform in the United States." Entertainment options are still very scarce nowadays. Zhang Xingjiu's secretary also likes to listen to operas. Now that he has met the Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang on the ship, how can he not be happy? He even fantasized that it would be great if he could listen to an opera on the ship.

"Oh, it's an old acquaintance. I must meet him." Zhang Xingjiu was also quite interested, but not in Peking Opera. Not many young people of the new generation like this. Instead, they respect Mei Lanfang as a person.

Moreover, the two had dealt with each other before when Mei Lanfang settled in Shanghai. Zhang Jian invited Mei Lanfang to perform in his hometown, and Zhang Xingjiu also went to watch. After that, they met on many occasions. Although they could not be called friends, it was okay to call them old acquaintances.

Soon after the secretary left, he brought Mr. Mei back. As soon as he entered, he greeted him respectfully, "I didn't expect to be on the same boat with Mr. Zhang. It's such an honor."

Although he is now a well-known Peking Opera master, due to historical reasons, the social status of current drama actors is not high and they are often regarded as the lowest class. Now when he meets a great scholar and university president like Zhang Xingjiu, he must lower his posture.

The social status of drama actors did not truly improve until after the founding of New China, which is why the older generation of drama actors loved New China so much and repeatedly donated money and materials to the country during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

"Mr. Mei, we are old acquaintances. There is no need to be so formal." Zhang Xingjiu did not have those old ideas. He politely invited Mei Lanfang to take a seat, and the two of them started chatting while drinking tea.

When asked why he went to the United States to perform, Mei Lanfang replied, "It all started ten years ago. When the American Minister to China, Reinsch, left office, he said in his farewell speech that if I could perform in the United States, it would surely promote closer relations between the Chinese and American people. I am also very interested in American culture and hope to take this opportunity to study Western stage art, learning from its strengths and improving the performance of Peking Opera."

Zhang Xingjiu highly praised this attitude. "Although I don't understand Peking Opera, I do understand that any art form cannot be complacent and must learn from the strengths of others to thrive. Take musical instruments, for example. The pipa originated from Persia, the erhu originated from the northern nomadic Kumo Xi people, and the prototype of the suona was born in the Arab world. Aren't they all our instruments now?"

This is why Mei Lanfang can be called a master of his generation. Although his current status is already very high, he never forgets to continue to improve. In contrast, the Peking Opera world in later generations would have been finished long ago if it were not for the name of this national opera and the large amount of subsidies it could receive every year. It is far less vibrant than the Henan Opera and other dramas that are truly down-to-earth and in line with the development of the times.

"Mr. Zhang, you are indeed a world-renowned scholar. Your insights are truly remarkable." Mei Lanfang felt very relieved to hear this. When he was in China, every time he wanted to make even the slightest change to Peking Opera, he would be severely criticized by the conservatives. Fortunately, he persisted, added the erhu to the accompaniment instruments of Peking Opera, and adapted many new plays, which made Peking Opera what it is today.

However, Mei Lanfang was still nervous about his trip to the United States. He was not sure whether Americans would like his performances, and what repertoire he should choose. His current idea was to perform the operas he had newly adapted. These operas contained many elements he borrowed from Western operas, which might be more easily accepted by Americans.

Zhang Xingjiu explicitly objected. "My friend Ah Zhang, whom Mr. Mei must have met, once said, 'Only what is national is global.' You're not going to the US to make money, but to showcase the essence of Chinese folk opera to Americans. Performing classic repertoires from the past is naturally more appropriate." "Also, the US is a new immigrant nation. It's more receptive to different cultures than older European countries like Britain and France. A form of opera completely different from what they've enjoyed in the past might be more appealing to them."

Hearing Ah Zhang's name, Mei Lanfang's smile froze for a moment, and then he said frankly, "Your friend and I have some disagreements, but what he said makes a lot of sense."

Why did a writer and a playwright become enemies? It was because Zhang was really good at cursing. A few years ago, Zhang wrote the famous article "On Photography and the Like", which ridiculed the phenomenon of men dressing as women on the Chinese stage and said bluntly:
"The greatest and most enduring art in China is men dressing up as women."

"Because from the perspective of both sexes, they are close to the opposite sex. Men see 'playing as a woman', and women see 'playing as a man'. Therefore, this will always be hung on the glass windows of the photo studio and in the hearts of the people."

"However, as soon as one looks at the unconventional photos of those imitators who followed, they all look like children wearing new clothes, constrained and pitifully miserable. One will immediately understand why Mei Lanfang has been immortalized. His eyes and lips were probably designed out of necessity. This alone is enough to prove that the Chinese truly have an eye for aesthetics."

He was scolding people by name, so it would be strange if Mei Lanfang had any good feelings towards Ah Zhang.

Zhang Xingjiu apologized to Mei Lanfang on Ah Zhang's behalf, saying, "Ah Zhang didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Mr. Mei. He was primarily distressed by China's current state of poverty and weakness, and so he took his anger out on traditional culture like Chinese medicine and Peking opera."

Mei Lanfang's expression softened a lot, but such a huge contradiction could not be resolved with just a few words. He quickly changed the subject and continued to ask Zhang Xingjiu about Americans' preferences.

Along the way, I chatted with Mei Lanfang about drama and occasionally had the opportunity to watch his live performances. The journey was not too boring, and before I knew it, the cruise ship arrived in San Francisco.

The dock was crowded with people who came to welcome Zhang Xingjiu, including representatives from the US government, various universities, and of course representatives from pharmaceutical giants and capital giants. Situ Xianyi also came to greet him, but unfortunately he couldn't get close and could only show his face on the side. This was because he had been a legal adviser to Franklin Roosevelt, otherwise he would not even be able to enter the dock.

After some polite exchanges, Zhang Xingjiu got into a luxury car and drove to a hotel in the city center surrounded by a group of vehicles.

Looking out the window on the way, Zhang Xingjiu saw a scene of depression everywhere.

(End of this chapter)