Fu Lian Cheng

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Fu Lian Cheng (traditional Chinese: 富連成; simplified Chinese: 富连成), initially known as Xi Lian Cheng (traditional Chinese: 喜連成; simplified Chinese: 喜连成), was a Peking Opera school established in 1904 in Beijing, the capital of the Qing dynasty. It closed in 1948, during the Chinese Civil War.[1] It was the Peking opera school with the longest history, the largest scale, and the greatest number of graduates.[2]

Fu Lian Cheng was sponsored by the Jilin merchant Niu Zihou, and run by the Peking opera performer Ye Chunshan.[3] In forty-four years, it trained seven classes of almost 700 students, including some of the greatest Peking opera artists, like Mei Lanfang, Zhou Xinfang, Ma Lianliang,[2] Xiao Cuihua (Yu Lianquan), Tan Fuying, Ma Fulu, and Ye Shengzhang.[1]

In popular culture[edit]

In 1995, the story of Fu Lian Cheng was dramatized as a 28-episode television series titled Niu Zihou and Fu Lian Cheng (牛子厚與富連成).[1]

In 2014, Niu Zihou's story was made into a television film titled Godfather of Peking Opera (梨園伯樂).[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Wang Yuzhu (王玉柱) (1998). ""郢书燕说"之手法不可取看电视剧《牛子厚与富连成》". Jingju of China (中国京剧) (in Chinese) (4): 58–59.
  2. ^ a b Fu Jin (2021). A History of Chinese Theatre in the 20th Century II. Translated by Zhang Qiang. Routledge. pp. 69–71. ISBN 978-1-138-33066-5.
  3. ^ Xu Chengbei (2012). Peking Opera. Translated by Chen Gengtao. Cambridge University Press. pp. 30–32. ISBN 978-0-521-18821-0.
  4. ^ "Godfather Of Peking Opera". Chinese American Film Festival. Retrieved 28 April 2021.