There are differences between Shanghai drama and Beijing drama in terms of theme, stage presentation, and performance style, although sometimes the dividing line isn’t too clear. Beijing drama is grand and traditional, while Shanghai drama is gentle, fresh and flexible, vogue and various.
After 1843, when western civilization came to China through Shanghai for the first time, Shanghai developed rapidly into the national commercial and economic center. Thus hai pai culture, the combination of Chinese and Western cultures, gradually formed.
The term hai pai (literally 'Shanghai style') was coined by a group of Beijing writers in 1920 to criticize some Shanghai scholars and styles of writing for their admiration of money and western cultures. Hai pai is rebellious, while its opposite jing pai, or 'Beijing style,' is traditional. They represent two kinds of different Chinese cultures. The famous author Cao Juren wrote an article on jing pai and hai pai in the 1920s saying that, "jing pai is like a fair lady, while hai pai is like a modern babe."
Email to Friends
Print
Save