裕容龄:身体的自由和束缚的博弈——影响20世纪中国舞蹈的早期留学生研究系列之一

YU Rong-ling and the Game between the Freedom and Conf inement of Body:On the Early Chinese Students Overseas Inf?luencing the 20th Century Chinese Dance(Ⅰ)

"影响20世纪中国舞蹈的早期留学生研究系列"通过研究1949年之前走出国门的中国留学生中的代表人物,揭示他们作为一支特殊的文化建设力量,如何运用舞蹈寻求强教、强身、强国之路,从而对20世纪中国舞蹈的奠基和发展产生了重要影响;同时,通过还原历史,察看20世纪早期中国舞蹈的内在要求和与外部世界的联系。本文研究的对象裕容龄是一位见证中国旧时代终结、新时代萌生的舞蹈家,因而,其舞蹈生涯便成为一场身体的自由和束缚的博弈。因为博弈的双方处于中国封建贵族的内部,因而,最初激烈的冲突,在开放和限制的环境和思想的彼此制约中,通过双方的妥协达到了某种和解,落后的观念被温和地突破,身体的束缚被有条件地摆脱。虽然,其在宫廷创作的第一批中国民族舞蹈作品,大多在近20年后才得以面世,其艺术的创新性和先锋性遗憾地被时间削弱,但是,中国民族舞蹈的现代模式和雏形却在其对文化的传承和创新中悄然地萌生,身体亦逐步地获得了自由。

The serial studies on 'The Early Chinese Students Overseas Inf?luencing the 20 th Century Chinese Dance' analyze the representatives of Chinese students who studied abroad before the founding of People’s Republic of China in 1949, and reveal how those overseas graduates, as a special force for cultural construction, utilized dance in pursuit of strengthening education, body, and the nation, and how they explored arts to meet the requirements of China’s social and cultural reform and construction, and then exerted great inf?luence on the foundation and development of the 20 th Century Chinese Dance.This paper studies YU Rong-ling as a dancer witnessing the end of the old China and the commencement of the new era, based on the following reasons: Firstly, during 1895—1903 when her father, YU Geng, was a diplomat, YU Rong-ling studied in Japan and France. She was the f?irst student to systematically study dance abroad in the Chinese history. A study on this is an examination of the exchange and communication between the Chinese and foreign dances. Secondly, after she returned to China in 1903, YU Rong-ling was appointed by the Empress Dowager Cixi as the lady-in-waiting. Specializing in Chinese dance, she created Chinese ethnic dance and performed Chinese and western dances. She was regarded as the last court dance master. A study on this is an examination of the historical situation of the court dance in the late Qing Dynasty. Thirdly, in 1907, more than 20 years after she left the palace due to her father’s death, YU Rong-ling, General TANG Bao-chao’s wife, performed her own works at the disaster relief benef?it performances several times, which had had a great social impact. A study on this is an examination of the art forms of Chinese ethnic dance at its emerging stage in the early 20 th century. Fourthly, as she had learned both Chinese and Western dances, YU Rong-ling’s dance career can be regarded as a game between the freedom of body and the conf?inement of the feudal conservative power. Since both sides of the game came from the inside of the Chinese feudal aristocracy, the initial intense conf?lict, constrained by the thoughts of each side, turned to a compromise. Against an open yet restricted environment, they achieved reconciliation—the old ideas were gently broken and the conf?inement of body was conditionally relieved. A study on YU Rong-ling’s artistic practice is an examination of the historical trajectory of Chinese dance masters having referenced the foreign dance culture and constructed national dance art in the early 20 th century, on the origin and foundation of Chinese national dance in modern times, and on the arduous yet subtle developing process and the principles of the body culture of modern Chinese national dance.I. Pursuit of freedom and its conf?lict with conf?inement The YU sisters’ f?irst impression of foreign dance came from the ballroom dances after the dinner parties held by their father in Japan. Those elegant dances were pleasant to watch and fascinated them greatly. At one banquet, YU Rong-ling was impressed by a famous Japanese dancer’s performance so much that she started to learn Japanese dance from a maid secretly. When the Cabinet Minister Mr. Hijikata’s wife visited one day, Rong-ling performed a Japanese classical dance Tsurukame wearing a kimono, which was appreciated by all the guests. However, as the daughter of the Chinese ambassador to Japan, her behavior was regarded as demeaning, and she was scolded by her parents. The reason was that the stage had always been a degraded place in old China. Out of love, her father agreed that she could study dance without performing it. In this way, the game between freedom and conf?inement of body occured for the f?irst time between the father and daughter of the Yu family. They comprised and reached an agreement out of family affection—the victory belonged to the dancer.During 1899—1903, the YU sisters lived in France, as their father was the Chinese ambassador to France. They took classes with Duncan for three years. Duncan’s pursuit of individual liberation and body freedom had a great impact on them, yet it was extremely contrary to the Chinese traditional ideas. Thus, the freedom and conf?inement of the body inevitably conf?licted. After knowing that Rong-ling was the female leading dancer of Duncan’s work based on the Greek mythology, appearing as a goddess wearing a long backless skirt with long hair and bare foot, her parents angrily grounded her for one week. Although the conf?lict was upgraded, the family once again reached a reconcilation through concession and compromise. Her father allowed her to continue studying dance. But contrary to Duncan’s idea, he sent Rong-ling to the Conservatoire de Paris to study music and take ballet classes with professor Salvayre. In 1902, Yu Rong-ling played the butterf?ly fairy in 'The Rose and The Butterf?ly' in a public performance—the victory of the game belonged to the dancer again.However, the conf?lict had become extremely sharp and complex when the game was extended to the Chinese aristocracy abroad. Yu Geng’s daughters and young prince Zai-zhen attended a dinner party together, and they were regarded by the entourage off?icials as being outrageous. According to the off?icials, 'They were hugging together, dancing. The prince’s arms were around the two girls’ waists. The reputation of the two girls had been ruined, and certainly no one dared to marry them in the future. Ambassador spoils his daughters so much that he shall be impeached.' Then, when the YU sisters, who were very fond of dance, decided to perform a group ballet, they were slandered by WANG Da-qi that the YU sisters had shamelessly performed a naked dance to please Prince Zaizhen and his friends. Although they lived in Paris, an open city, the conservative forces in the Chinese aristocracy was so strong that the game between the dancers who desired for body freedom and social constraints turned to an incident endangering life and family.II. The open body’s impact to the old court In 1903, the returning of the YU sisters from France to China with his father had extraordinary signif?icance of the Chinese dance in the 20 th century.Since the port of Shanghai opened for foreign trade in 1843, the western dance had been introduced to China. In 1850, the f?irst ever ball was held within the Shanghai British Concession. Shanghai’s f?irst commercial ballroom was opened in 1885 in Jian’an Kaidi building of 'Weichun Garden'. The closed court of the late Qing Dynasty obtained the information on foreign dance and modern 'dancing' mainly through 'being told.'At the request of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the YU sisters, as the lady-in-waitings, performed ballroom dances such as waltz for Cixi and the harem, with accompaniment of waltz or Chinese folk tunes played by the phonograph. The audience crowded around them, full of curiosity, and believed that they were crazy. Adapting the western ballroom dances, which were regarded as being 'dissolute and shameless' with 'cuddling between men and women,' into the female partnering dances, the YU sisters, Rongling and De-ling had off?icially brought them to the late Qing court. They had turned what had been supposed to be a stormy conf?lict into the novelty seeking art appreciation within the harem. The cuddling and dancing between men and women in real life only existed in the imagination. Cixi, the most powerful voice of the feudal ideology, endorsed and praised the performance, 'bravo.' They made the Empress Dowager, who was convinced by the idea that 'it is improper that men and women have physical contact,' believe that 'foreigners are just more open than Chinese' in relationships.In the lunar May of the Guangxu 30(1904), Yu Rong-ling held a special dance performance to amuse Cixi and Guangxu Emperor. Chosen by Cixi, YU Rong-ling performed two pieces of foreign dance, 'Spanish Dance' and 'Greek Dance,' and 'Ruyi Dance' choreographed by Rong-ling herself. In this way, YU Rong-ling brought the foreign dance stage art into Chinese court. Meanwhile, the modern artistic model of Chinese national dance was established: The Chinese dances were accompanied by professional musicians of the eunuchs, while the foreign dances were accompanied by YUAN Shi-kai’s military band. Under Cixi’s instruction, LI Lian-ying ordered two dance costumes for her. The professional dance performing, music accompaniment, and costume and prop making were up to the standard of the modern stage art of dance. YU Rong-ling’s only formal dance performance in the court was in service of the imperial entertainment. Therefore, as a part of the Qing court dance, Rong-ling put the old era to an end. Making use of her identity and the subtle relationship with the imperial family, she reconciled the conf?licts between the two sides, making the modern atmosphere penetrate into the closed feudal imperial life through the dancing body. Her impact to the traditional ideas and body conf?inement is indirect and mild;yet it is meaningful and far-reaching.III. The modern commencement of the Chinese national dance The signif?icance of YU Rong-ling as a pioneer of modern Chinese national dance of the 20 th century lies in that she, as an independent dancer, created the f?irst group of national dance works, such as 'Ruyi Dance,' 'Guanyin Dance'(also known as 'Bodhisattva Dance'), 'Lotus Dragon Boat Festival · Lotus Fairy,' 'Butterf?ly Dance'(also known as 'Fan Dance'), and 'Sword Dance,' marking the modern commencement of the Chinese national dance.Since the Song Dynasty, China’s independent performing dance had gradually declined and reached its lowest point in the Qing Dynasty. Yet, YU Rongling’s works initiated the change. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the creation of the Chinese national dance can be seen as a desert of wilderness, while YU Rong-ling’s dancing track was like 'the echo of the footsteps in a deserted valley.' Unfortunately, her Chinese national dance works, though created during her three-year research in the palace, were not available to the public until more than 20 years later when she was married to General TANG Bao-chao and became a social aristocracy, involving in the disaster relief benef?it performances. Regrettably, her creative and pioneering works were tampered by time. Besides, themed with court life and individual experience, her works were not able to produce a strong social resonance in the backdrop of f?ierce revolution and social instability. Despite that, the modern patterns and models of Chinese national dance emerged during the process of her inheritance and innovation of culture. The Chinese dance was developed in a steady and gradual pace, and the body was gaining more and more freedom.YU Rong-ling was able to master and perform foreign dances, such as ballet, modern dance, folk dance, ballroom dance, but most valuably, she did not copy them. Instead, she shaped the authentic Chinese features for dance art based on traditional Chinese dance and the national culture. Today, when we trace back to the starting point of the classical dance, ballet, modern dance, and ballroom dance of China in the twentieth century, we undoubtedly have to study YU Rong-ling. Consciously or unconsciously, she adhered to the individuality and position of the national dance within the eastern and western dance cultures;she also realized artistic innovation—they are all topics worthy of our in-depth study.