There are two famous theaters in San Francisco's Chinatown, one is called the Great China Theater and the other is called the Grand Stage Theater, which opened as early as the Qing Dynasty. The Great China Theater has the background of the Revolutionary Party, and the backstage of the Grand Stage Theater is the Royalists, and the two theaters are incompatible, and even their respective artists are forbidden to move around each other.

With the victory of the Xinhai Revolution, the business of the Greater China Cinema that supported the revolutionary party became more prosperous. From Sun Yat-sen's call for the overthrow of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in the United States to Hu Shih's campaign for the War of Resistance in the United States, the Great China Theater has been an excellent stage for speeches, throughout the history of the Republic of China.

The first stop of Zhou Hexuan's visit to the United States was at the Great China Theater.

"Dangdangdang......"

The gongs and drums on the stage kept ringing, and Zhou Hexuan, Song Ziwen, Fan Heyan, Situ Meitang, Luo Shi and others sat in the front row, surrounded by local overseas Chinese and representatives of the literary and artistic circles.

What is being performed at the moment is a Cantonese opera, called "Patriotic Children", which I heard was created in 1927 by a master hired by the Great China Theater in order to advocate the Three People's Principles. There are many actors on stage, but Zhou Hexuan only knows one of them - Kwan Tak-hing, the first generation of Wong Fei-hung on the future Hong Kong big screen.

The Yankee shook his head when he heard this, and seemed to be very interested in Chinese opera. In fact, Zhou Hexuan wanted to ask him: "Lord Mayor, can you tell the difference between Peking Opera and Cantonese Opera?" ”

Song Ziwen was drowsy again and again, and listened to the mental trick. He was born in Shanghai and went to the United States at a very young age. Don't speak Cantonese, he doesn't even speak Chinese, and usually writes articles in English, and then asks his secretary to translate them.

"Good!"

The theater erupted in cheers.

Not far from Zhou Hexuan, a woman shouted loudly, raised her arms and applauded vigorously. Her name is Liu Kelun, a dance star in Chicago, who once staged a volatile performance during the Battle of Songhu and donated all the funds raised to the 19th Route Army.

The woman sitting next to Liu Kelun is called Huang Chenghua, the daughter of the revolutionary Huang Xing, who has been living in the United States all these years. She once sold her jewelry, remitted the money to the 19th Route Army and swore an oath: "If foreign insults are urgent, Yu will serve the country, although he will die!" ”

Today's performance invited many patriotic overseas Chinese, such as Tan Guangzhong, one of the overseas Chinese leaders in the Americas. After the "128 Incident", he also initiated fundraising and sent a letter to the Nanjing government: "The Japanese invaded and encroached on our country, and there was no end to it. Hope is to respect the people's know-how, concentrate talents, mobilize the whole country, resist to the death, not be afraid of the enemy, and bear the serious crime of destroying the country. If you rise up to resist the war, the people of the whole country should help each other with strength. ”

The 19th Route Army not only fought the war of resistance in China, but also played a very slippery role in propaganda abroad, and also hired overseas Chinese as propaganda secretaries, specifically responsible for negotiating with the West. At least in the United States, at this time, many people knew that there was a Chinese army that had fought bloody battles against the Japanese invaders.

After the performance of the Cantonese opera "Patriotic Children", there was another Cantonese opera called "Return My Rivers and Mountains", which is also a new progressive drama written by the Great China Theater.

Immediately afterwards, Meng Xiaodong and Vivien Li took the stage to perform the newly choreographed Peking Opera "Mrs. Flower".

Vivien Leigh painted oil paint on her face this time, and she couldn't tell that she was a Westerner, and her performance could only be regarded as decent. But Meng Xiaodong was so shocked that he didn't have time to speak, just relying on his figure, pace and gestures, he calmed down a group of overseas theater fans, and showed his demeanor of not losing to Mei Lanfang in his gestures.

Meng Xiaodong stroked his long hair and sang: "Luoyang peony is the best in the world, and my name is (harmony) to become Luoyang." Beauty......"

"Good!"

Situ Meitang slapped his face and exclaimed: "This voice is amazing, I don't know which one it is!" ”

Fan Heyan reminded in a low voice: "Ji Gong, the old student on the stage is Mr. Zhou's wife, Meng Xiaodong Meng, Boss Meng. ”

"Female?" Situ Meitang was even more surprised, "I thought it was a man singing, eh, let's not talk about it yet, it's important to listen to the play." ”

When the performance of "Mrs. Flower" ended, Tan Guangzhong couldn't help but stand up, slapped his hands wildly and said: "I have been away from my homeland for more than ten years, and I have heard such old students in the United States, and I am not lost to Tan Xinpei and Boss Tan back then!" ”

Huang Chenghua said with a smile: "I don't know which master sang it, I will definitely make friends later." ”

Peking Opera was the real quintessence of the country for the Chinese people of that era, and the top Peking Opera masters have been out of the category of opera and belong to the great artists recognized by the world.

When Tagore visited China for the first time, countless Chinese celebrities competed to communicate with him. Lu Xun directly sprayed this, probably meaning to say: "Hu Shi, Xu Zhimo and the like are not qualified to talk at all, only Mei Lanfang and Tagore are at the same level." ”

That was more than ten years ago, that is, as early as more than ten years ago, Lu Xun thought that Mei Lanfang and Tagore were of equal status.

When Meng Xiaodong first arrived in the United States, when they met and shook hands, everyone only regarded her as Zhou Hexuan's ordinary female companion. She didn't say anything, let alone be in the limelight, she only needed to sing a play on stage, and she could conquer everyone with her talent.

Today, Mei Lanfang was in charge of singing the big shaft, and the cheers of the audience could tear over the roof tiles, and even the Americans present applauded with lameness.

Towards the end of the evening, all the actors changed into ordinary costumes and took the stage, and the theater manager Tang Pujun was personally responsible for the introduction.

Meng Xiaodong was wearing a white silk suit, and his hair was tied into a ponytail, looking heroic. And Vivien Leigh was wearing a tight-fitting cheongsam, and her perfect figure was outlined so convex that just one glance could make the man who looked at her blush and heartbeat.

"it!"

Luo Shi pointed at Vivien Leigh and exclaimed: "There are actually white people among the performers, what did she play just now?" ”

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "Her name is Vivian, and she plays the heroine of the penultimate play." ”

"The beautiful queen who was captured?" Roth struggled to remember.

"Yes." Zhou Hexuan nodded.

Mayor Luo Shi was pleasantly surprised: "I want to ask her for an autograph, she is the first Westerner who can sing Chinese Peking Opera well." By the way, is she American? ”

Zhou Hexuan said: "She is British. ”

"It's a shame." Roth said regretfully.

The American reporters present had gone crazy, desperately aiming at Vivien Leigh to take pictures, and they even had the headlines for tomorrow in mind.

The theater owner Tang Pujun introduced the actors one by one, and when it was Vivien Leigh's turn, it really caused a sensation, and the audience applauded warmly.

Tang Pujun walked to Meng Xiaodong's side again and said excitedly: "The one I want to introduce below has a great name in the Chinese theater world, and she is respected by the Chinese audience as the 'Winter Emperor', the emperor of old life!" She is the actor of Meng Chang, the queen of Shu in "Mrs. Flower", Ms. Meng Xiaodong! ”

The Chinese in the audience were shocked, and the movement was bigger than just now.

"Meng Chang is a woman singing?"

"I didn't expect the old student just now to be a woman."

"That throat is amazing!"

"The Winter Emperor, the Winter Emperor, really lives up to his name, and he deserves to be the emperor of the old students."

"It's another person who doesn't lose to Boss Mei."

"Those of us who live in the United States all the year round are really lonely and unheard, and we don't even know that there is such a powerful old girl."

"Winter Emperor! Winter Emperor! ”

“……”

Zhou Hexuan looked at the already boiling theater and couldn't help laughing, it was about to be his turn to perform.

The Great China Theater in San Francisco's Chinatown is an important stage for propaganda in the United States, and if you haven't given a speech here, you're embarrassed to say that you've been to the United States.

Historically, after Japan's full-scale invasion of China, Hu Shi changed from the main peace faction to the main war faction and was appointed as China's ambassador plenipotentiary to the United States. He gave a lecture in Hawaii on the way, and his first stop on the continental United States was at the Great China Theater.

The actors stepped down one after another, and the theater manager Tang Pujun smiled and said: "Next, I have an invite, Mr. Zhou Hexuan, a famous scholar and writer, to give a speech to everyone!" ”8)