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Chunning Zhao

Abstract

Contract payment lawsuits discussed in this paper were disputes over rights and interests arising from the operation of modern xiqu (Chinese opera). During Wang Guifen's performances in Shanghai, he was involved in such lawsuits with quite a few theaters, including Xin Dangui, Tianxian, Liuchun, Tianfu, and Guixian. The practice of inviting and recruiting famous actors with high contract payments was a common form of commercial competition in Shanghai's theaters, and it was also the direct cause of job-hopping by well-known actors and their involvement in legal disputes. The high contract payments intensified malicious competition between theaters, hindered the healthy development of the xiqu market, and posed risks to the stability of theater operation. Wang Guifen's contract payment lawsuits revealed that the signing and renewal of performance contracts, payment methods and penalty for breach of contract, and the settlement of disputes in Shanghai were very different from those in the capital. These processes reflected broader changes in the theater ecology of late Qing dynasty Shanghai: actor mobility increased significantly, troupes became more flexible and freer in their formation, and individual consciousness was noticeably strengthened. The traditional pan-family relationship between troupes and actor, as well as among actors themselves, gradually evolved into a commercial and market-oriented structure. The commercial value of famous actors became more prominent, and the organizational structure of theaters shifted from the traditional role-category system to a “star system.”

Keywords

Wang Guifen, contract payment lawsuit, the late Qing dynasty, Shanghai, theater ecology

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