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Before Master Mei set off, he personally wrote a letter to Li Yaoyang, first, to thank him for his generous sponsorship of this trip to the ugly country; The second is to inform you of the itinerary one by one, including the repertoire to be staged in the ugly country.

He chose a total of ten plays, and he definitely couldn't play every play, so he hoped that Li Yaoyang could help choose.

After Li Yaoyang asked the people around him for advice, he personally decided on the two plays "Fenhe Bay" and "Thorn Tiger", and let Master Mei choose the rest, and he did not intervene.

In order to ensure that the show went smoothly, he went viral in the New York Times and The Atlantic Journal early on.

Soon, at least in the northeastern part of the country, it became known that a master artist from the far east was about to make his debut in the country.

Although they don't know where the beauty of this art is, and they don't know how to appreciate it, they can't stop the ugly people who like to join in the fun.

Many curious viewers began to call to inquire about ticket purchases.

However, the first show was invitation-only, with less than 500 tickets released, less than half the size of the Hudson Theatre.

This has created a kind of grand situation where it is difficult to find a ticket, and many people who don't know the situation, regardless of the situation, buy the ticket first and then say, and those who can't get it will always be in turmoil.

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In December 1924, New York was about to usher in a cold winter, and although it had not snowed yet, the temperature had recently plummeted, and the cold wind was howling, and the cold winter was about to hit the naked eye.

And in such an arduous season, Mei Lan rushed to the ugly country with a team of more than 20 people to officially start the most important visit performance in her life.

They first took the Maple Leaf Queen wheel from the magic capital to go abroad.

The ship docked in Neon Yokohama for two days, and the famous neon Kabuki actors Kanya Morita and Yoshikuko Murata wore Chinese clothes that Mei Lan had given them in the past, holding a plum blossom painting in their hands, and a flag welcoming the Mei Theater Troupe to the dock where the ship was moored.

Neon people from all walks of life held a farewell party, and everyone warmly congratulated the Mei Tuan on the success of its performance in the United States.

When the Maple Leaf Queen Ship passed by Victoria Port in Maple Leaf Country, she saw thousands of people on the pier looking at the boat from a distance.

When they got off the ship and landed, everyone clapped their hands and cheered, which was unexpected, because there was no publicity in the Maple Leaf Country in advance, and so many friends who had never known each other came to welcome them automatically, which made Master Mei extremely moved.

Arriving in New York on December 18, there were a lot of people watching the excitement at the station, and the police maintained order, from the platform to the gate outside the station, separated by ropes, and separated a road in the crowd, and more than a dozen policemen protected Mei Tuan before they had to come out.

The audience on both sides took off their hats, waved handkerchiefs, and many threw flowers.

Many people also brought bouquets of flowers to me, and later, when they couldn't hold them in their hands, everyone held them for him, and they went to the hotel to count them, and they got a total of more than 80 bouquets of flowers.

On the platform of the station, there were many photo stands, and reporters took pictures one after another, and then rushed to the hotel, including reporters from various countries to cover the news.

Photographs and news were featured in the newspapers of the same day and the next day.

There was a newspaper headline: "Merlin, a great artist popular with 50,000 people, has come to New York."

This means that there are more than 400 million people in China, and 50,000 people with neon.

Before the performance, the famous drama critic Starkyan published several insightful monographs, and also had a private meeting with Maestro Mei, and put forward his views on the performance of the Mei Opera Company, and his incisive exposition was heartbreaking.

Of course, those who can pick up the station on the platform are basically Chinese, and the few whites are also arranged by Li Yaoyang in advance, otherwise the photos will not look good.

With the participation of white people, it can reflect the enthusiasm of friends and overseas Chinese in the ugly country, and it can also make Mei Tuan and his party deeply imprinted in their minds.

Of course, all this, the people of Meituan do not know.

In New York, Mei Tuan and his entourage were arranged at the Plaza Hotel, which was also one of the top hotels in New York at this time.

Treating Master Mei, Li Yaoyang took out the highest level of courtesy.

According to the itinerary, they will conduct a series of publicity and interview activities in New York before leaving for Atlantic City to prepare for the premiere of their visit to the United States.

After that, they will have a second show at the Hudson Theatre in New York.

The day after they arrived, a representative of a film company in New York came to the hotel to visit Maestro May.

In this era, several large-scale film companies in the ugly country have their own movie theaters in large, medium and small cities, and visit the branch factories where the movies are made.

Master Mei gladly accepted the invitation to visit their film studio, and the director and director warmly welcomed him, and proposed to ask Master Mei to make a movie.

But Master May said:

"I'm going to perform in an ugly country, and I'm afraid I can't find time to make a film."

The director said:

"I heard that you are going to Hollywood, our main factory is there, all the conditions are better than here, you go there, the person in charge of the main factory will definitely come to contact you to make a film. But we'd also like to ask you to shoot a little newsreel here. ”

Master Mei hesitated:

"That's okay. But it's busier after the show than it is now, so you'd better go to the theater and shoot. ”

The two sides thus agreed.

On Dec. 20, Atlantic City's Garden Theatre Center was in full swing, with almost all the Chinese who could be dispatched, and even if they couldn't afford tickets, they would rather stay outside than leave.

In this era, the expectation and pride of being able to welcome a star from his hometown in an ugly country is unparalleled.

Originally, Li Yaoyang only arranged one performance, but because the audience was too enthusiastic and eager to ask for tickets, Li Yaoyang had to discuss with Master Mei.

So, they performed in the new theater for two weeks, and on the seventh day, the film company came to the theater to shoot newsreels.

The main axis that day was "Thorny Tiger", and they decided to film a scene where Fei Zhen'e toasted a tiger general.

Because they have seen this play a few times, the plot is more familiar.

After the play ended that night, the film company arranged the light and sound circuits of various lamps, cameras, tape recorders, etc. that were shipped in advance.

When filming started, it was already after two o'clock in the night, and the first shot was first introduced in English by Ms. Yang Xiu, the announcer in the troupe, Ms. Yang Xiu, who was an overseas Chinese, and Li Yaoyang specially invited her from Chinatown to help, and Mei Tuan has been taking care of her since she arrived in New York.

Her attitude is generous, her English is fluent, clear and emotional, and the audience has responded well.

The troupe's success in the ugly country is also indelible in her enthusiastic help.

After introducing the plot, the camera pans to Master Mei, which is a close-up of a half-body.

Sing the two sentences in "Thorn Tiger" [take off your shirt and talk about the song, "The Tao is a happy person, and the Tao is a happy person", and the radio is suspended in the middle of the stage.

The following is a panoramic shot, revealing the entire stage, a tiger played by Liu Lianrong:

"The maids will look at the wine, and I will give the princess a glass in return."

Zhen'e Nian:

"Given by the general, if the slave family dares to disobey his orders, he must also ask the general to accompany the slave for a drink."

After reading this sentence, I walked to a tiger with a wine glass in both hands, and at this time, the whole stage picture turned to me and Liu Lianrong, Liu Lianrong read:

"Deserved." Raise a glass and drink it all, then make a drunken vomit.

At this time, the camera focused on Master Mei alone, and he continued to sing "Ah":

"The red tight stupidity is not bad, the sand is profitable, and I also learn some abundance and rhyme."

The sound of a small gong "filament head" (the name of the gong and drum point) ends this sound newsreel.

Before filming, the film company proposed to shoot a scene with a full character and a few close-ups of Master Mei's person.

He thought that only this scene had the most complete roles, Fei Zhen'e wore a phoenix crown in this scene, wore a python, and surrounded a jade belt, and looked very rich.

In terms of performance, Zhen'e faces a tiger and turns her back to her face are two faces, which makes it easy for the audience to see the complex feelings of the people in the play, so she advocates filming this paragraph.

Although this newsreel was only shown on the screen for a few minutes, that night, it took a lot of time and a whole night to shoot a sound film for the first time in his life, including the test shoot and reshoot, and the consideration of the position and angle of the camera.

It didn't take long for Master Mei to shoot this audio newsreel in New York, and it soon traveled all over China's major cities.

When he hadn't returned from the performance in the ugly country, he heard that this audio newsreel "Thorn Tiger" had arrived in the capital.

It is estimated that when he returns to China, his friends will have something to talk about.

Talking about the screening of this film in the capital, he said:

At that time, the True Light Cinema added this newsreel before a feature film, and the words "Mei Lan's "Thorn Tiger" were prominently listed in the movie advertising column of the newspaper, and a photo of "Thorn Tiger" was also attached, and a large advertisement was also painted at the entrance of the theater.

At the time of the screening, it was full every day.

Master Mei believes that there are several reasons why the audience is so enthusiastic to watch this newsreel:

1. The sound films screened in China are all foreign films, and no Chinese actor has ever shot a sound film.

2. Peking Opera performers first appeared in sound films.

3. Chinese people care about the success or failure of their plays overseas.

Another reason may be that the audience in Beijing has not seen his play for several months, and of course they are also very concerned about his performance abroad.

Li Yaoyang also watched the newsreel of "Thorn Tiger", and the brothers agreed that they were good at singing and dressing, and the light and sound were also good.

Especially in the play "Thorn Tiger", Master Mei hadn't sung it before going abroad, and it was the first time I saw it in the movie, so I was very happy.

Because the whole trip was too tense, Li Yaoyang, the funder, didn't even have a chance to sit down and have a good exchange with Master Mei.

He also regretted that although the itinerary was very rushed, he repeatedly said that no matter what, he would have a close communication with Li Yaoyang before leaving the ugly country, and the time was not limited.

He was very grateful to Li Yaoyang for his thoughtful arrangements for this trip and the comfort of the whole process, and Mei Tuan was all satisfied.

I had planned to find time to sit down for a cup of tea and chat before leaving, but after the last show in New York, the opportunity came.

At that time, Master Mei had not removed her makeup, and was taking a photo with a few white people with the outfit of "Fenhe Bay".

Li Yaoyang was also interested, and deliberately went up to take a few photos, such a memorable moment, you must keep the picture.

Later, a photo of him and Master Mei was also placed in the study of the mansion.

The two chatted backstage, and Li Yaoyang said excitedly:

"They all love your "Thorny Tiger", but I love "Fenhe Bay" even more."

Master Mei was surprised:

"Why?"

"First of all, the script of "Fenhe Bay" is well written, and you can play it even better, I haven't seen how Yaoqing and Lao Tan acted back then, but I'm sure there should be no second person who can match you."

Some people say that Mei Lan's drama is blindly soft and charming, which is not in line with the identity of the drama, but it is not.

He played the first scene, when he told Ding Shan to go to fight geese, his face was very sad, the second appearance, Pan'er did not return, he was very anxious, he saw Rengui inquiring, he was very happy, and when he heard Rengui's jokes, he was very angry, and then listened to Rengui's complaint, Fang Shi opened the door to meet, and changed a kind of sad and joyful aura.

After entering the kiln, it is all about the workmanship of Nianbai, and the audience can notice this emotional change.

Master Mei is very good at understanding the emotions of the characters, changing moods and moods, not just blindly charming?

Most of the people who put forward such arguments are deliberately slanderous, and they have never even seen one with their own eyes.

"Thank you, it's too much, I don't dare to say that there is no one before or after, but I try my best to do my best, and I can do what I want myself to be, and I am already very satisfied." Mei Lan said modestly.

He is such a person who does not deliberately humble himself to show how he is.

Li Yaoyang talked to him a lot, and even talked about whether to set up a Chinese theater in Chouguo to promote Peking Opera.

It can be seen that he is very yearning and excited, but at the last moment he hesitated and said very pragmatically:

"It's unrealistic, the traffic is not smooth, it will take a long time to come once, I can't stay in the ugly country, I still need me over there."

Li Yaoyang pondered the same thing, but he still didn't give up and said:

"Otherwise, every other year, you will come to the ugly country for half a year, and present the quintessence of the motherland to the Chinese in the ugly country, and in the same way, let foreigners realize the artistic charm of my beautiful China."

This time, Mr. Mei no longer refused, and thanked him very sincerely:

"Boss Li, your contribution to the art of Peking Opera is immeasurable, Mei Lan would like to thank you!"

"Don't, don't deserve such a big gift, I said, as long as you are willing, Li is willing to contribute to the art of the Mei School."

"No, Peking Opera not only belongs to the Mei family, but also to all Chinese!"

"That's right, Mr. Mei, you and I might as well make an alliance, and from now on we will treat each other with all sincerity, and if Mr. has any send, there will be no other words."

Mei Lan was moved, the corners of her mouth twitched a few times, tears glittered in her eyes, and with his outfit at this time, she was really delicate.

But he is a gentleman, from childhood to adulthood, a dignified man who stands up to the sky.

It is precisely because of this that Li Yaoyang is willing to take the initiative to lower his body and make friends with each other.

Yes, it's lower, because even Mei Lan, in front of the real big guys, he is still just a 'drama'.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

Shen Changqing walked on the road, and when he met someone he knew well, he would say hello to each other or nod his head.

But it doesn't matter who it is.

There was no superfluous expression on everyone's face, as if they were very indifferent to everything.

on this.

Shen Changqing is used to it.

Because this is the Demon Suppression Division, it is an institution that maintains the stability of Great Qin, and its main responsibility is to kill demons and monsters, and of course there are some other side jobs.

Arguably.

In the Demon Suppression Division, everyone has a lot of blood on their hands.

When a person is accustomed to seeing life and death, then he will become indifferent to many things.

When he first came to this world, Shen Changqing was a little uncomfortable, but over time he got used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division is huge.

The people who can stay in the Demon Suppression Division are all powerful masters, or people who have the potential to become masters.

Shen Changqing belongs to the latter.

Among them, the Demon Suppression Division is divided into two professions, one is the town guard and the other is the demon exterminator.

Anyone who enters the Demon Suppression Division starts with the lowest level of demon slayer.

Then step by step, he is expected to become a town guard.

Shen Changqing's predecessor was a trainee demon slayer in the Demon Suppression Division, and he was also the lowest level of the demon slayer envoys.

Have memories of the predecessor.

He is also very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long for Shen Changqing to stop in front of an attic.

Unlike other places full of slaughter, the attic here seems to stand out from the crowd, and in the bloody Demon Suppression Division, it presents a different tranquility.

At this time, the attic door is open, and there are occasional people entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing only hesitated for a moment, and then stepped in.

Access to the attic.

The environment has changed in vain.

A burst of ink fragrance mixed with the faint smell of blood came to his face, making his brow furrow instinctively, but quickly stretched.

The smell of blood on everyone's body in the Demon Suppression Division is almost impossible to clean.