摘要
In his book “Little Knowledge in Bright Studio”, Chu Lian, a Shanghai writer living during the reigns of emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty, wrote, “Over the three decades since flower drum opera was introduced, it has always been on changes. Men played it in the beginning but women do it later. It was performed in daytime in the beginning, then at night. First in the countryside, and then in the town. First popular among country hooligans and then among dandies.” His records are evidences that flower drum opera had been introduced in Shanghai and Nantong during the early reign of Emperor Qianlong.
