再论徽班进京

Further Discussion on the Hui Opera Troupes’Coming to Beijing

"徽班进京",一般特指三庆徽部等戏班为乾隆五十五年(1790)弘历八十万寿进京祝釐,也是戏曲史界几乎公认的京剧形成发端。这一结论约定俗成,即是对万寿庆典促进民间戏曲交流发展的认可。而以往常有论著将清廷定位为提倡昆腔,排斥打击民间地方戏曲的罪魁,或有把徽班北上进京当作纯粹的民间自发行为,不免有失偏颇。各种史料使我们重新审视、评估这次影响极大的各地方戏曲交汇盛典,看起来,其更是出自清廷官方的倡导、指挥和组织,安排缜密而有序。万寿庆典活动促成了多种地方戏曲超乎寻常的演进和勃兴,其影响延续至今。

The Hui Opera Troupes’Coming to Beijing refers to the historical event in 1790(the fifty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign)when Sanqingban and other opera troupes were summoned to the capital city Beijing to entertain the Qianlong Emperor(r.1736-1795)for his 80th birthday celebration.It has been widely recognized as the prelude to the emergence of Peking Opera by China’s operatic circle,and this agreement identifies that the imperial birthday celebration has prompted convergence and development of regional folk operas.However,certain studies established that the Qing court was the major force that campaigned Kunqu Opera while marginalized other regional folk operas.Some even believed that the settlement in Beijing of these Hui Opera troupes was totally a decision by their own.These conclusions might be biased.Various historical documents drive us to review and re-evaluate this significant get-together of regional operas,which was more likely to have been orderly and meticulously initiated,planned,and organized by the Qing imperial court.The imperial birthday celebration has contributed to the extraordinary evolution and prosperity of regional operas,and their influence continues to date.