"The First Voice of the Reform of Chu Opera" Yang Feng, a famous historian of Han Opera, recalled in June 1956: "After the Chu Opera was named, it was inspired by China and melted by the social atmosphere, trying to improve it. The old form of' Bangqiang' was changed to silk strings, and the original' near tune' and' sad tune' was changed to Huqin Tuoqiang, and All percussion instruments also use the' Gong and Drum Classics' of Beijing Opera and Han Opera, which is quite grand in scale, completely different from the previous era of ancient paintings and operas, and is a clear proof of its progress. " Li Zhilong is the initiator and leader of this series of Chu Opera reforms mentioned by Yang Feng.
Li Zhilong loved drama as early as he was a teenager. As an adult, he often said: "Guns can only attack the city, art can attack the heart, and dramatic works are revolutions." He believes that Chu opera is welcomed by the working people because it reflects the life and social problems of ordinary people with popular singing methods. Proceeding from the people's cultural and entertainment needs and the social utility of revolutionary propaganda, Li Zhilong is determined to launch and direct this movement, which is known as "the first sound of Chu Opera revolution". Feudal rulers of past dynasties thought that the Flower Drum Opera was immoral and obscene, and Li Zhilong angrily condemned this fallacy. He pointed out: "This kind of' indecent' nonsense is the mantra of some corrupt and stupid things that we are used to for male and female students." He enthusiastically affirmed that "the script with one or two descriptive problems is called' Flower Drum and Gorgeous Play'", which is "because of trivial reasons, the advantages are buried" and "the position of Chu Opera in drama is the same as that of A Dream of Red Mansions in literature". 1927 65438+ 10, Li Zhilong got in touch with Li Baichuan and Tao Gupeng, artists of the fairy class of Chu Opera, through Huang Heigou, who are also artists of Chu Opera, and enthusiastically supported Chu Opera to enter the blood world (now people's paradise). Then, he added fuel to the fire and let Chu Opera Evolution Society win the bid at the price of 1.200 yuan per month. On February 2nd (the first day of the first month), the Tianxian class headed by Tao Jiapeng and Li Baichuan went out of the concession and gave its first performance on the second floor of Blood Flower World in the name of Chu Opera Evolution Society. The advertisement for the performance was marked "Innovative Chu Opera". The imprisonment of Chu opera artists by successive governments has finally been broken. Soon, Man Chun Opera Garden, Meicheng Opera Garden, Changle Opera Garden and Laopu Amusement Park outside the concession also invited Chu Opera Class to perform, and the audience was very enthusiastic. With the help of the wave of democratic revolution, Li Zhilong promoted Chu Opera to obtain the legal status of public singing in Hankou's "local street" (the urban area outside the concession), and thus won the first victory of Chu Opera reform.
In order to improve the cultural quality of Chu Opera artists, Li Zhilong organized and founded the "Training Course for Actors in the Evolution of Chu Opera" in March of the same year, and personally served as the director. He invited celebrities to teach various cultural and artistic knowledge to more than 100 students in the training class. He teaches the Cultivation of Actors himself. In his lectures, he emphasized that actors should pay attention to personality cultivation, strive to improve their artistic level, and regard performing Chu Opera as the need to publicize the revolution and educate the people's progress, not just making money to eat. Under Li Zhilong's thought of "improving the personality and living conditions of Chu opera actors", Chu opera artists have successively participated in many charity performances, such as expressing sympathy for the wounded and sick in the Northern Expedition, supporting the striking workers in Shanghai, and helping the victims, and performed on the same stage with the Soviet-Russian sister song and dance troupe and celebrities in Beijing. These activities expanded the reputation of Chu Opera and improved its social status. Li Zhilong attached great importance to the arrangement of Chu Opera. He advocated the development of Chu drama, highlighting the advantages of social problems, reflecting women and marriage, extended family system, inheritance, concubinage and handmaid, child bride and other issues. Instead of blindly imitating Beijing and Korean dramas and copying the scripts of big dramas. He encouraged artists to record and sort out the traditional plays of Chu Opera, and rewarded those who achieved excellent results.
He also organized people to sort out traditional plays, such as Prostitution in Yong Dong, Forwarding in Lv Mengzheng, Daughter-in-law Going Back to Mother's Home, Drinking Water in Yu Lian, Zhang Chaozhong and The Promise. At the same time, some new civilized dramas have been adapted, such as South Return, Nongjiale, Asking Women to Recognize Bodies, and Painting Cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival. From the revolution of Chu Opera to the revolutionary period of Chu Opera, Li Zhilong personally adapted traditional plays such as Thinking of a Little nun and Lv Mengzheng Sprinkling Porridge, and put them into the artistic practice of stage rehearsal.
On March 22nd, 1927, The Little Nun Miss Fan, which was adapted and directed, was officially staged at the Blood Flower World Theater. Famous Chu Opera actresses Li Baichuan, Zhang Guifang, Shen Yungai and Duan Diankun were invited to perform in turn and hold art competitions, and celebrities from all walks of life were invited to compete. During the performance, the adapted script will be printed to the audience to expand the influence of Chu Opera. Hankou Gonghe Daily (Manager Dong and Editor-in-Chief Mao Dun) directly under the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee published advertisements for drama performances for seven consecutive days, praising it as "the first sound of Chu Opera Revolution" and "a new era of civilian art revolution".