District key player in development of drama in Shanghai

Yu Yue'e / Ti Gong

As a town with a long history of drama, Songjiang is a well-deserved place on the map of Shanghai's theatrical arts.

Six thousand years ago, the ancestors of Songjiang moved into its nine mountain and lake areas. And its rich culture benefits greatly from ancient civilizations like the Songze, Liangzhu and the Maqiao.

Shuohua (storytelling) and daoqu (Daoism songs), the local performing art styles popular in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), as well as pictures of dancers paying respect to the Buddha, extant now on a Tang sutra pillar in the Zhongshan Primary School, show the birth and development of local theatrical art.

Chinese theater matured in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In Songjiang at that time, singing while storytelling and storytelling through dancing appeared, and a goulan, a carved, balustraded area for performances was established in Qinglong Town. Ancient literati described the actresses performing at the goulan as "singing resonantly and delightfully, whose apricot-shaped faces were like rosy clouds and delicate waists were like willow leaves."

With the rise of water transport in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Songjiang's culture prospered, as did its dramatic arts. "Qing Lou Ji," or "A Collection of Stories About Opera Actresses" by local prose and lyrics writer Xia Tingzhi (1300-1375), recounts the lifestyles of more than 100 opera actresses in several cities during the Yuan Dynasty.

"Nan Cun Chuo Geng Lu," or "A Literati's Pondering in Breaks from His Plowing," completed by historian Tao Zongyi during his residence in Sijing Town of Songjiang, records about 690 titles of ancient plays.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) witnessed unprecedented prosperity in Songjiang's playwriting, theater reviews, actor training and theatrical performances. "Xiu Ru Ji (The Story of an Embroidered Jacket)," "Fen Xiang Ji (The Story of Incense Burning)," "Dao Yuan Yang (The Drag Queen Couple)" and the "Bo Shan Tang Dramas" were Kunshan Tune legends created by locals and are still widely known today.

More legendary works were created during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), while a unique theatrical music style – Sijing drum and gong music – was born and became popular amid rising exchanges between local and visiting troupes.

Renowned playwright Zhang Zhao (1691-1745) was declared by Jiang Xingyu (1920-2015), a contemporary theatrical historian, as "the founder of Chinese soap opera." The district was also home to "Kunqu Opera saint" Yu Sulu (1847-1930) and his son, Yu Zhenfei (1902-1993), another Kunqu master.

During the late Qing and Republic of China (1912-1949) periods, Songjiang was also one of the places where Shanghai's Huju Opera was born.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the region's theatrical art has continued to develop through generations of talent including Wen Mu (1919-1995), Xu Linxiang and Lu Jun and an abundance of works including "Before the River Construction" and "Gao Jiang Hu (Messing Around)."

The district's Xinbang Town was awarded the title of Shanghai Folk Culture Art Town in 2021.