The Reform Of Folk Troupes In Shanghai (1949-1958)

The fifties of the 20th century, as a big transitional period of the Chinese society, has drawn a lot of attention of the research circles. However, the attention is more to the interplay of economic, political fields than to that of the cultural fields. Through files, local chronicles, papers and magazines, this thesis aims at discussing the development of the folk troupes in Shanghai (1949-1958) , and from the point of interplay between government-society and the folk troupes, describing the two-way course in detail. The thesis focuses on two main questions: First, how does the government influence, interfere with the changes of the folk troupes? Second, how did the troupes respond?The thesis has been divided into five parts: three chapters, the preface, and the conclusion.The first chapter introduces the development, characteristic and management of the folk troupes shortly after the Liberation. At its early stage, the troupes grew vigorously, and employees increased sharply. However, the troupes faced many difficulties in the development, such as the chaos of the performing market and personnel structure, unreasonable distributing system. During the process, the government established "The office of drama reformation and improvement", and strengthen the management of the troupes. With the performing market norm implemented and the letter system established day by day, the freedom of the troupes were restricted.The second chapter expounds the starting, development and influence of the folk troupes' democracy reform system. The national policy of drama reform guided and advanced the process, and the appearance of the republicanism class, the sharpening of contradiction of the wages inside the troupes had created conditions for reform. In the course of the reform, the folk troupes consulted the state-run troupes, constituted a series of new systems, such as study system, welfare system, abandoned the apprentice system, innovated the labor system, and regulated the original personnel structure. By the reform, the troupes set up a new operation mechanism. From the point of government, troupes, employees, the chapter will evaluate the effect of the movement: (1), the government take control of the troupes tentatively by the reform;(2), the employees of the folk troupes began to share "public welfare"; (3), the operating costs of the troupes increased. However, the reform didn't cut off the connection between the troupes and market, under the drive of the money, the troupes and their employees resisted the governmental transformation.The third chapter describes the background, course and influence of the folk troupes' nationalization in 1956. There are something behind the movement: the transited system brought forward a new demands to the troupes, the socialist transformation in the theater, the publication of performing card, and the depression period of literature and art, which together caused a difficult situation of the folk troupes. With the worsening environment, the troupes stood off the market gradually, and had to accept nationalization finally. The government always expected to strengthen the management and control of the troupes by nationalization. Thegovernment and the troupes reached an agreement gradually, thus the movement of nationalization accomplished. In order to control the troupes and reduce the cost, the government began to reconstruct the folk troupes by dispatching, dissolving, and propping up right after the nationalization movement. As a result, the number of the folk troupes in Shanghai decreased sharply; the other troupes were directly under the control of the government. The establishment of the party branch indicated that the government accomplished its permeation into and control of the folk troupes.The conclusion part of the thesis re-examines the government's control over the cultural field. The state power was the external and main force of the folk troupes' reform, its control over the troupes, like in other fields, couldn't accomplish in one move. The folk troupes positively responded...