【Folk legend】The Butterfly Lovers is one of the four great folk legends of ancient China, along with The Legend of the White Snake, Meng Jiangnu, and The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Among them, the Butterfly Lovers legend is the most influential oral tradition in my country, and is also the only Chinese folk legend that has had a wide-ranging impact in the world. The story of the Butterfly Lovers has been circulated among the people for more than 1,460 years, and is well-known in China. It has a long history and is known as the eternal masterpiece of love. From ancient times to the present, countless people have been touched by the tragic love story of the Butterfly Lovers. The Butterfly Lovers is also known as the "Romeo and Juliet" of the East. 【Featured opera】The Butterfly Lovers, with Wu Fenghua as Liang Shanbo and Chen Fei as Zhu Yingtai. Yue Opera[1] The Butterfly Lovers has become the most eye-catching famous opera of this theme due to the widespread dissemination of the film version. In 1945, Yuan Xuefen[2] and Fan Ruijuan[3] premiered The Sad History of the Butterfly Lovers. In 1951, the East China Yue Opera Experimental Troupe re-staged the play, adding the ending "Hua Die". The script was dictated by Yuan Xuefen and Fan Ruijuan, written by Xu Jin and others, directed by Huang Sha, arranged by Chen Jie and Xue Yan, and designed by Xing Xi and Su Shifeng. Fan Ruijuan played Liang Shanbo, Fu Quanxiang[4] played Zhu Yingtai, Zhang Guifeng played Zhu Gongyuan, Lü Ruiying played Yin Xin, Wei Xiaoyun played Sijiu, and Jin Yanfang played the teacher's wife. In 1952, the play participated in the first National Opera Observation and Performance Conference and won the script award, first prize for performance, music composition award, and stage design award. The leading actors Fan Ruijuan and Fu Quanxiang won the first prize for actors, Zhang Guifeng won the second prize for actors, and Lü Ruiying won the third prize for actors. In 1953, the play was filmed by Shanghai Film Studio as the first domestically produced color opera art film, written by Xu Jin and Sang Hu, directed by Sang Hu and Huang Sha, and starring Yuan Xuefen and Fan Ruijuan. Sichuan opera "Liuyinji" also participated in the performance of the first National Opera Observation and Performance Conference in 1952, and won the script award. Chen Shufang won the first prize for actors, and Yuan Yukun and Liu Chengji won the second prize for actors. There are many different versions of the story of Liang Zhu in Peking Opera, among which "Liuyinji" transplanted by Ma Yanxiang based on Sichuan Opera and "Yingtai's Resistance to Marriage" by Cheng Yanqiu in his later years are the most popular. "Liuyinji" was designed by Wang Yaoqing for singing, and Du Jinfang and Ye Shenglan premiered it in 1953. The whole play is divided into 10 scenes, and the important scenes are "Yingtai's Farewell", "Liuyin Becomes Brother", "Talking in the Library", "Shanbo Farewell", "Yingtai Misses Brother", "Visiting Friends in Zhuzhuang", and "Sacrificing to the Tomb and Turning into Butterflies". The biggest feature of this play is the lyrics, which are elegant and gorgeous, beautiful and meaningful. Many sentences break the traditional seven-character and ten-character sentences of Peking Opera, giving people a fresh and refined artistic beauty. At the same time, the singing design is very exquisite. Whether it is the choice of melody or the change of board style, it maintains the traditional charm and seeks innovation. It is recognized as a representative work of the early period of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1954, Peking Opera master Cheng Yanqiu compiled and performed an immortal Cheng School drama "Yingtai's Resistance to Marriage" with reference to related plays of other operas. This drama is the only drama compiled and performed by Cheng Yanqiu after the liberation, and it is also the last work of his life. The plot of this drama has not changed, including "Farewell", "Swearing", "Bookstore", "Farewell", "Shocked Engagement", "Rejection of Marriage", "Grave Worship", "Transformation into Butterfly" and other scenes. Later, because the structure of the front part was loose, it started from "Shocked Engagement". There are many breakthrough creations in the lyrics and singing of this play. Judging from the lyrics: "I hope Daddy will cancel the wedding according to my wish and let me marry Liang Jun, you are my dear old strict relative", "But why do you insist on marrying your daughter to a stranger who I don't know" such sentences that are almost equivalent to prose poems were actually "installed" into the singing of the master, and they fit perfectly and are deeply touching. People can't help but admire the master's skills. Li Shiji once performed this play in the performance dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The traditional Xiang Opera repertoire "Shanbo Yingtai" was written by Shao Jianghai and originated from the "Jinge" libretto. The script retains the characteristics of "Jinge" with more singing and less dialogue, and is easy to recite. Almost every scene has a long solo or duet. Among them, "Yingtai's Twenty-Four Bows of Weeping" is the most outstanding, with more than 100 lines of lyrics lingering and sad. The tune uses all the crying tunes of Xiang Opera, one bow and one tune, which are closely connected and harmonious, forming a set of singing tunes similar to the combination of tunes. In "An Tong Buys Vegetables to Feast Shanbo" and "Twelve Plates of Feasts on the Tower", from the names of dishes, recipes to customs and idioms, they all come from the unique folk customs of southern Fujian. In the "Asking for Medicine" scene, Shanbo is seriously ill with lovesickness, and Yingtai cuts her hair and cuts her belt to send him as a gift, which is also a custom of southern Fujian. The plot of the whole play is different from other operas. For example, Yingtai has no father but has a mother named Zhang, and Ma Jun also studies in Hangzhou. There is no "eighteen farewells", but there is a metaphor of sightseeing in spring. The scene of "Yingtai paying homage to the tomb" focuses on Yingtai's crying at the funeral. There are also plots such as "Shanbo and Yingtai visit hell to witness their predecessors" and "Resurrection and giving birth to a son to fight for the country". The more distinctive one is "Shanbo's longing and crying", which fully expresses Liang Shanbo's complex feelings of love, hate, affection and resentment. In 1978, Chen Degen compiled "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" based on Shao Jianghai's version, Taiwan's Taiwanese opera and Yue opera performance scripts. It was performed by Zhangzhou Xiang Opera Troupe and was performed for 300 consecutive shows in a theater. In 1979, Qian Tianzhen and Hong Cailian played Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo respectively, and won the title of Outstanding Young Actor of Fujian Province. In addition, almost all large and small operas such as Henan Opera and Ping Opera have the whole or partial version of the play. The opera has been handed down from generation to generation. [Historical Origin] (1) According to the research of historians of Wei and Jin Dynasties, the story of "Liang Zhu" originated from Maxiang Town, Runan County, Zhumadian City, Henan Province. The ruins of the hometown now include Liang Zhu's Tomb, Liangzhuang, Zhuzhuang, Mazhuang, Hongluoshan Academy, Yuanyang Pond, Eighteen Miles Farewell Road, Caoqiao (Caoqiao) and Zou Tong Tomb, where Liang Zhu's master was buried. (2) In Mapo Village, west of the ancient Zouyi, adjacent to the north bank of Weishan Lake, there is a tombstone erected during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. The tombstone was buried for a long time due to siltation and was not excavated until 1995. This is the only tombstone among the nine Liang Zhu tombs in the country. The full text has 843 characters, which is completely different from myths, legends and operas. It not only records the place where the two were buried together, but also points out the reason why the local 1 ordered the two to be buried together. According to the inscription, Zhu Yingtai, as an only child, disguised herself as a man and went to Zouyi. Yingtai went to Yishan to study. She met Liang Shanbo on the east side of Wuqiao from Jiuqu Village. The two went to Yishan together to learn. They were classmates during the day and slept together at night. They never undressed for three years. They were truly devoted and good students. One day, Yingtai missed her hometown and went home. Shanbo learned about it and went to visit her. Not a year after they parted, she died of illness at home and was buried in the east of Wuqiao (according to Zou County Chronicles, this bridge was submerged during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty). Seeing that the Ma family was about to welcome her bride, Yingtai missed Shanbo so much that she sacrificed herself for justice and died of grief. The local scholars praised her for her loyalty and buried her in Shanbo's tomb. According to the inscriptions and field investigations, the original place of the legendary Liang Zhu story is Jining City. The reason is that the Mapo Stele is the earliest one to record the Liang Zhu story. Not to mention that the stele was based on the records of the outer chronicles, even if it was erected in the eleventh year of Zhengde, it was much earlier than the "Ningbo Prefecture Chronicles" and "Yixing Chronicles" of the late Qing Dynasty; from From a geographical point of view, it is in line with reality. The joint tomb of Liang and Zhu is located in the southwest of Mapo Village, about three kilometers away from Jiuqu Village where Zhu Yingtai is located in the north, and about ten kilometers away from Boliang Village where Liang Shanbo is located in the southeast. If Zhu Yingtai went to Yishan to study and passed Wuqiao, it would be reasonable for her to meet Shanbo. (3) Chang Lu Xiaonong, a researcher of Liang and Zhu culture in Yixing, Jiangsu, believes that from historical records, the earliest written records of the Liang and Zhu story were in Yixing. Many experts in the academic, historical and tourism circles in Jiangsu believe that from the "Piliang Chronicles" of the Song Dynasty Xianchun to the legendary novels of Feng Menglong in the Ming Dynasty, there are a lot of texts and other evidence showing that Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were from Yixing. (4) Ma Chengzhao, an expert in Liang and Zhu culture research and chairman of the Ningbo Yinzhou District Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said that based on his research on the "Yinzhou County Chronicles", Liang Shanbo should be from Yinzhou and Zhu Yingtai should be from Shangyu. (5) In fact, there are different versions of the "Liang and Zhu" story in Ningbo and Runan. Legend in Runan: In the Jin Dynasty, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were classmates for three years, but he failed to see that Zhu Yingtai was a girl. Later, Zhu Yingtai was betrothed to the Ma family. Liang Shanbo failed to propose marriage and fell ill. Before he died, he asked his family to bury him on the roadside where Zhu Yingtai's wedding sedan passed by so that he could see Zhu Yingtai getting married. After Zhu Yingtai learned about it, she got married in mourning clothes. When the sedan passed by Liang Shanbo's tomb, she got off the sedan to worship and crashed to death in front of a willow tree. Legend in Ningbo: Liang Shanbo was the county magistrate of Yinzhou in the Jin Dynasty. He was an honest and good official. Because he offended the powerful, he was tortured to death. The people built a big tomb for him. Zhu Yingtai was a chivalrous woman from Shangyu in the Ming Dynasty. She robbed the rich to help the poor and was later killed by the powerful. In order to commemorate them, the local people buried the two together and formed a "ghost marriage". Archaeological evidence of the two legends was found in two places respectively. In Runan County, the tombs of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai still exist, located on both sides of the ancient official road in Mazhuang Township. The unearthed tomb walls prove that both tombs are from the Jin Dynasty. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were not engaged, so it is impossible for them to be buried together. This separate burial is in line with the customs of the time. In Ningbo, there is still a tomb where Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were buried together. (6) The Liang-Zhu legend originated in the Jin Dynasty. The earliest existing written material is the "Records of Ten Provinces and Four Barbarians" written by Liang Zaiyan in the early Tang Dynasty. In the late Tang Dynasty, Zhang Du wrote Xuanshi Zhi, which was a literary exaggeration, and its general outline can be seen: "Yingtai, the daughter of Zhu from Shangyu, pretended to be a man to study, and studied with Liang Shanbo from Kuaiji. Shanbo's name was Churen. Zhu returned home first. Two years later, Shanbo visited his friends and learned that he was a girl. He felt sad as if he had lost something. He told her parents to ask for marriage, but Zhu was already the son of Ma. Shanbo later became the magistrate of Yin, died of illness, and was buried in the west of Yincheng. Zhu married Ma. When the boat passed by the tomb, it was too windy and could not go forward. He asked about Shanbo's tomb and learned that Zhu climbed the tomb. Suddenly, the ground cracked and Zhu was buried there. Xie An, the prime minister of Jin, wrote a memorial to name her tomb the Tomb of a Righteous Woman. "(7) The earliest and most complete one is the Record of the Temple of the Righteous and Loyal King written by Li Maocheng, the prefect of Mingzhou (now Ningbo) in the Song Dynasty. It says that Liang Shanbo was born on the first day of the third lunar month in 352 AD and died on the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month in 373 AD at the age of 21, and never married. Zhu Yingtai got married in the late spring of 374 AD. The Liang Shanbo Temple (also known as the "Temple of the Righteous and Loyal King") was built in 397 AD. If the records are reliable, the "Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" should have originated in the more than 20 years between 374 and 397 AD, and was fully formed between the Song Dynasty and the end of the Qing Dynasty. Other important documents after that include Feng Menglong's "Li Xiuqing and Huang Zhennu's Marriage" in the Ming Dynasty and Shao Jinbiao's "Biography of Zhu Yingtai" in the Qing Dynasty. The latter ended with her turning into a butterfly. (8) In July 1997, a Jin Dynasty tomb was unearthed in the Liang Shanbo Temple in Ningbo. The location, specifications and burial objects of the tomb are consistent with the identity and burial place of Liang Shanbo, the county magistrate of Yin County, as recorded in the annals, and are considered to be credible physical materials. (9) In the 1950s, when the famous writer Zhang Henshui was writing the novel Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, he researched 10 places of origin based on folk legends: Ningbo, Zhejiang, Yixing, Jiangsu, Qufu, Shandong, Qingshui, Gansu, Shucheng, Anhui, Hejian, Hebei, Jiaxiang, Shandong, Jiangdu, Jiangsu, Puzhou, Shanxi, and Suzhou, Jiangsu. (10) At present, 17 ancient sites related to Liang and Zhu have been discovered, including 6 study places, 10 tombs and 1 temple. Experts generally believe that the Liang and Zhu study place was formed under the influence of the Liang and Zhu legend, and it cannot be proved that it is the source. (11) The data records that Liang was a person in the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu was a person in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the two were separated by a thousand years. Zhu was originally a chivalrous woman who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. She had stolen silver from the house of the governor Ma three times, and was finally ambushed and killed by Ma's son Ma Wencai. The people buried her with great honor and erected a monument in front of her grave. The front was engraved with "Tomb of the Chivalrous Woman Zhu Yingtai" and the back recorded the story in detail. Over time, the monument sank into the ground. Liang was a county magistrate of Yin County, Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. He was honest and upright. He lost his wife in middle age and had no children. When he was buried after his death, Zhu's tombstone was dug out. The people felt sorry for him but could not bear to demolish Zhu's tomb. However, it seemed inappropriate to choose a place to bury Liang, so they buried them together and erected a monument. The black one was Liang and the red one was Zhu. From then on, a touching legend was created.