The First Shanxi Merchants Conference Reflects On The Historical Origin Of Mutual Promotion Between Shanxi Opera And Shanxi Merchants

Meng Qiu, the First World Shanxi Merchants Conference It was held in the historic city of Taiyuan. As people of Shanxi Opera in the new era, we look back on the past and deeply feel the deep relationship between Shanxi businessmen and Shanxi Opera. Shanxi merchants are a pan concept. They are a commercial group with traces of native place and a great commercial gang born in an era. Three hundred years ago, Shanxi merchants did business all over the country and abroad. One detail is worth noting. Every time these successful merchants went there, there would be a sound of Jin; Every time a guild hall is set up in a place, there will always be a magnificent stage.

Little did we know that in the Shanxi merchants' compound of Qi Taiping, there would always be a loud and exciting sound of gong; In the boys' modest yard, there is always the lingering sound of Jin Hu, Er Xian, San Xian and Si Xian; In the tea mountain of Yunnan, in the prairie of Inner Mongolia, on the long ancient roads, silver cars and trucks, there will always be tired, hoarse, yet sincere and affectionate Jinju classical arias.

Shanxi opera seems to have become a cultural way to deepen the hearts of Shanxi businessmen, and become the emotional sustenance and homesickness cry of Shanxi businessmen. Jin Opera and Shanxi merchants are inseparable for a moment. How can Shanxi Opera not be the lubricant for Shanxi merchants to complete their business ambitions?

You know, Shanxi merchants have extremely strict gang rules. These regulations even seem a little inhumane now. It is said that at that time, the clerks, even the salesmen and the shopkeepers (department managers), generally returned at two ends in three years and at two ends in three years. That is, you can only return home once in three years, and you can only stay at home for three months. In places far away from home, living apart from family for a long time, and being wrapped up in intense work day after day, it is particularly important to have a way to relieve homesickness.

Jin Opera is an excellent choice. Guys, the street runners, even if connected to the shopkeeper, have been accompanied by Shanxi Opera day and night since their childhood. Perhaps a play, a song and a pose in their childhood have become their motivation for diligence. A few decades later, in such a situation, the familiar voice from thousands of miles away must be an indescribable pleasure and relief for the tourists, which must be a great spiritual enjoyment. This explains why these businessmen, once they are well off, can't wait to form a group to express their feelings.

Of course, we cannot deny the nature of businessmen. The seniors will also lose no time in taking Jin Opera as a bridge to gather fellow villagers and negotiate business. In this way, we can make friends with dignitaries and seek help from elites; It also attracts audiences from all over the world, gathers popularity, forms a busy market and develops the market. To some extent, is it not the origin of today's "cultural platform and economic opera"?

In fact, this was a "one stone and three birds", which not only improved the reputation of merchants, but also promoted the Jin Opera artist It will also generate many business opportunities invisibly.

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Therefore, every year in slack seasons and holidays, Shanxi merchants have to organize various performances of Shanxi opera troupes in different forms, so that the troupes have the opportunity to learn from each other and complement each other. During the performance, the host is responsible for all the food and drink of the artists, and the overseas employees also come to the theatre with their wives and children. There is no difference between men and women, old and young. They are happy and close to each other. In this way, why not make money for the firm in the coming year? And the artists also swept through the sand in this competition and the test of survival of the fittest, gradually forming a good situation of the art of Shanxi Opera, which led to the emergence of "Gai Tianhong", "Mao Maodan", "Ginseng Baby" and other famous actors in Shanxi Opera, and finally emerged a generation of Shanxi Opera masters such as Ding Guoxian, founder of Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute.

The trade route is the theatre route. At that time, Shanxi merchants were generally thrifty and self disciplined, and had always had the rule of "no gambling at cards, no gambling at games, no gambling at alcohol". Those successful businessmen were almost strict with their own living standards, but they did not hesitate to invite, donate generously and support such an art as Shanxi Opera. More than 100 plays, such as Seven Pieces of Clothes, Eight Pieces of Clothes, Pearl Shirt, Guan Bao Fenjin, Su San Rebellion, Butterfly Cup, are often performed and watched. These plays either reflect the difficulty of the merchants' life, or expose the cruelty of feudal officials to the merchants, or simply encourage the merchants to be self motivated. In any case, Shanxi merchants have become the main economic guarantee for the development of Shanxi Opera, and Shanxi Opera has become an indispensable spiritual calcium tablet to feed Shanxi merchants back.

Sun Tao, a famous writer in Taiyuan, said in his "Gossip about Shanxi Merchants" that in the long history of Shanxi culture, drama researchers have a consensus that Shanxi Merchants contributed to the prosperity of Shanxi Opera.

Two points should be paid special attention here. First, Shanxi merchants generally refer to all Shanxi merchants, which are business groups radiating from Jinzhong area. Therefore, Shanxi merchants have smaller regional divisions. Large circles generally leave Shanxi Opera, while small circles have more popular varieties. For example, southern Shanxi merchants are Puju Opera, northern Shanxi merchants are Errentai Opera, Luoluoqiang Opera, Shuai'er Opera, and southeast Shanxi is Shangdang Bangzi Opera, Shangdang Luozi Opera, and so on. Second, Shanxi merchants are all kinds of people. As an informal social group, the good and the bad are intermingled, so their attitudes towards Shanxi opera and artists are different. The tragedy of Master Ding Guoxian's "Three Songs of Reed Flowers" when he was young is a true portrayal.

Member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee Zhang Chungen, Minister of Publicity, pointed out at the founding meeting of the Jin Opera Art Research Institute last year: "Jin Opera is a cultural treasure born on our land. We should explore the soil for the formation, development and survival of this regional art in the process of research, protection and inheritance. In the euphemism of Jin Opera, we should regain the traditional aesthetics of the region and restore the confidence of the regional culture. This is a process of opening up the mind and wiping off beliefs. It is an absolute art expedition, and more importantly, it is not The cultural journey of law avoidance. " In this regard, the Research Institute will further strengthen the research, protection and inheritance of Jin Opera, a national intangible cultural heritage, so that Jin Opera can truly reach the masses, penetrate the hearts of the people, go to the country and the world.

The first World Conference of Shanxi Merchants was held in Taiyuan. Here, as the main leader of the Institute, I would like to stand on the stage and say aloud to the brothers of Shanxi merchants from all over the world: "Welcome home, please pay attention to Shanxi and invest in Shanxi. Let's join hands to create brilliance and build a better hometown in Shanxi's transformation and leap forward journey!"

No Jin Opera, no Shanxi ! Isn't it?