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Dream of the Republic （5）
Taking on A New Look |
| CCTV.COM 2002-08-20 12:08:32 |
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In the Hall of Moral Cultivation of the Forbidden City, Wu Weide, minister outside the imperial palace, and others accepted an imperial abdication edict from Empress Dowager Yulong on February 12, 1912. They bid farewell to her not in the traditional way of kowtowing but making three bows. On January 1, 1913, Tiananmen opened to the public. The Forbidden City, heavily guarded before, now received the first group of common people.
Yu Zhuoyun, who is 82 years old, is a researcher of the Palace Museum. Her grandfather used to live in Nanchang Street. "He had to walk northward if he went out. He would bump against a wall if he went southward. He was free to go in any direction till he went up to Di'anmen that was considered outside the imperial city," she remembers.
It's hard for present visitors to imagine how those people were excited when they were first allowed to cross the street.
 A section of the old city wall has been retained in Shanghai. It's a historic reminder of this modern metropolis. Shanghai opened a port for foreign trade since 1840. It became a famous metropolis in the Far East during a period of several dozen years. The old wall lost its original significance after half a century's opening and development. In 1901, Shanghai businessmen made a united plea to the imperial court for dismantling the wall to develop business and trade. Their hope came true after 10 years. In 1913, Minguo or National Road and Zhonghua or Chinese Road were built instead of the tall city wall. These names showed to people a brand new era.
In the early period of the republic, houses with stone yards, the first of its kind, were built in Xinkang Lane in Shanghai. The traditional form of housing with deep yards and tall walls was replaced by an open housing structure. It was a typical place of cultural interest in Shanghai. After the founding of the republic, young men and women smashed the shackles of old convention and moved into houses in the lane. It was also a historical witness of Shanghai's progress from a closed society to an open one.
The national government issued a new school system in 1913, allowing boys and girls to study at a same school. A bright and lively atmosphere prevailed on campus. Kong Baowen of 100 years old, still cherishes a memory of that time: "Pupils were taught to sing. A song, for example, says it was strange for frogs to grow up. They were born in fresh water. We taught them to sing with signs. …"
 After the improvement of social status for women, they crowded into the theater to see opera performances. Women's peculiar interest and taste brought about a new change to the traditional opera. Actors playing beautiful young female roles attracted a large audience. Mei Lanfang made his debut on stage in 1907. Being good at performing a female role, he became famous after the founding of the republic.
In November of 1913, Mei Lanfang was invited to perform in Shanghai. The city's "Dan Gui Stage No. One" was a theater of a new type that created a brand new world for him to perform. He recalled later that the semicircle new stage was much better for performing than the old one. It gave him impetus and joy. Mei Lanfang's success in Shanghai helped him to achieve his zenith of the Peking Opera art.
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