Obsessed with the collection of costumes for more than 30 years, Chen Shen——
But will be affectionately pay neon clothes (collection world)
Fine flat needles, realistic tiger heads, delicate jade belts... As soon as he entered Chen Shen's house, a Qing Dynasty apricot-yellow child lean inlaid in a mirror frame was hung prominently at the door. When editing, engaging in photography, and studying the history of photography, Chen Shen (picture 1) has multiple identities, but perhaps the most well-known is a costume collector.
Befriended Peking Opera in childhood
Chen Shen's fate with Xiyi starts from his childhood.
Chen Shen was the same age as New China, was born in Shanghai and grew up in Beijing. In the 1950s, one of the most important entertainment methods for Beijingers was to listen to operas. My parents are busy with work, but whenever they hear that a good show is going on, they always take Chen Shen to watch them. Lucky Theater, People's Theater, Chang'an Grand Theater, Capital Theater...The dramas starring famous actors and actresses at that time, such as Mei Lanfang, Jiang Miaoxiang, Ye Shenglan, Qiu Shengrong, Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Chen Shen basically watched them all. At that time, he was still young and could not understand many plays. But the gorgeous costumes on the stage remained in his memory. Later, Chen Shen began to learn from the old students of the Tan School and joined the Chinese Dramatists Association. Some famous Peking opera actors also intended to accept him as an apprentice.
Chen Shen studied costumes, but it was accidental. In 1989, Wu Peng, a friend who worked at the Beijing Arts and Crafts Publishing House, was about to publish a book about opera costumes. Wu Peng knew that Chen Shen was an editor at China Photography Publishing House and liked Peking Opera, so he invited him to be a special editor. This is how Chen Shen started editing the "Chinese Peking Opera Costume Atlas". For this reason, Chen Shen systematically studied Peking opera knowledge, "After this book was published, I became half an expert on Peking opera, and I also had the idea of buying costumes."
One weekend, Chen Shen and his wife accidentally strolled into a shop near the front door and found that the costumes in the shop were very beautiful. The clerk enthusiastically asked him what he wanted to buy, and Chen Shen blurted out: "Red Python!" Red Python is the most used costume on the Peking Opera stage, and it is also the most arduous and beautiful embroidery work. When the clerk took out a red python, Chen Shen felt surprised. Despite the price of 1,800 yuan, Chen Shen bought it without hesitation.
Holding this red python, Chen Shen was very excited, thinking about wearing it to perform after retirement. Since then, he has been fascinated by costume collections for more than 30 years.
Keep as good as possible
Nearly 500 sets of costumes, from the end of the 18th century to the present, basically cover the costumes commonly used in Beijing and Kunqu Opera... In the attic of Chen Shen's house, pieces of exquisite costumes are slowly unfolding in his hands, those far away Liyuan The old shadow seemed to have returned to the front.
In order to shop for costumes, Chen Shen is a frequent visitor to antique markets everywhere. Dealing with more, antique dealers also help him find. Occasionally, some merchants directly sent costumes to Chen Shen's house. Once, a store in Taiyuan had to deal with some costumes due to demolition. Chen Shen took the high-speed rail and rushed there. Unexpectedly, what the shopkeeper was holding out was a pack of tattered pieces (the military uniform of a military commander) that could not be repaired. The enthusiastic boss turned around and went to another shop to inquire. After a short while, he took back four arrow suits from the 1950s, embroidered with pure gold thread. Chen Shenru won the treasure.
Traditional costumes are made of silk and have a limited storage time. Moreover, the early performances were mostly in the open air, the actors were stumbling, the costumes were easily worn out, and very few remained intact. Since the 1990s, Chen Shen began to customize costumes in accordance with traditional styles.
“A handmade costume takes 200 working days to complete by a skilled embroiderer. Usually orders are placed at the beginning of the year and can only be delivered at the end of the year.” At first, Chen Shen ordered costumes at the Suzhou Opera Costume Factory. Traditional costumes are time-consuming and laborious, and there is almost no profit. Drama costume factories are more willing to use machines to mass-produce film and television costumes, and are gradually reluctant to take on Chen Shen's work. The director Li Rongsen and Chen Shen became friends, and later co-published the book "Chinese Traditional Costumes".
Chen Shen found out that Zhu Deming, a retired worker from the factory, was exquisite, so he asked him to customize and repair some broken costumes. Zhu Deming got older and his son took over the deal. In more than 10 years, Chen Shen has customized nearly 20 costumes. Zhongjie Road, where the Xiqu Factory is located, is the local opera costume street. It has gone a lot. As soon as Chen Shen shows up, someone immediately reports to Li Rongsen: "Ms. Chen is here!"
There used to be 100,000 embroidered women in Suzhou, and Su Embroidery is famous for its elegance and cleanliness. Suzhou's "drama costume making skills" was included in China's first batch of intangible cultural heritage protection list. However, as time goes by, hand-made costumes are becoming less and less. The costumes produced by the combination of machine and hand, or the costumes produced by pure machines, are much inferior to the pure handmade costumes. Chen Shen made a special comparison, "The luster of chemical gold thread is dazzling, and the luster of pure gold thread is very soft."
"In the collection world, costumes are relatively small, and there are fewer costumes. But the costumes contain rich traditional Chinese culture. I hope to preserve as much as possible as possible to preserve this precious cultural heritage for future generations." Chen Shen said.
Share the beauty with more people
Chen Shen's family and collection are quite related. Grandpa Chen Pinzhi graduated from the French Department of Peking University, and was a close friend of the calligrapher Shen Yinmo. Chen Pinzhi began to collect calligraphy and painting. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen Pinzhi donated several paintings and calligraphy collections, including the Ming Dynasty's "Fish Algae", to the Palace Museum.
Although Chen Pinzhi has collected a lot of traditional paintings and calligraphy, he doesn't know how to appraise them, so he needs to ask others to make decisions when buying paintings. Chen Shen believes that there are three levels of collection, one is collection, the other is research, and the third is sharing. In his opinion, although Grandpa's collection is very valuable, the lack of research is undoubtedly a pity.
Over the years, Chen Shen has been searching for the masters and heirs of theatrical costume craftsmanship, getting to know many Liyuan masters and craftsmen at home and abroad, as well as Zhu Jiaming, Niu Jun and other Beijing-Kunming scholars, and the famous drama research scholar Liu Zeng has become an academic year-long. cross. Chen Shen's focus on costumes has gradually changed from amateur collection to professional research. In 2009, Chen Shen's research monograph "The Atlas of Chinese Peking Opera Costumes" was published by Culture and Art Publishing House. The book included 205 sets of traditional costumes from the Chen Shen collection since the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
"Falling leaves frighten dreams, walking away and falling into the dust..." In the tune of Kunqu Opera "Jade Hairpin·Qin Tiao", "Neon Dress Elegant Rhyme-Kunqu Opera Collection Exhibition" opened at Suzhou Silk Museum. Surrounded by dozens of carefully selected costumes and helmets, Chen Shen combined all kinds of knowledge about costumes. Zhang Ning, a clothing major at Soochow University, and her classmates came to hear the news, and the exquisite costumes immediately attracted the attention of these young people: "Compared with FMCG products, traditional handicrafts are more charming."
In order to let more people experience the beauty of theatrical costumes, Chen Shen traveled around and held exhibitions successively at the China Millennium Monument, Tongji University Museum, Macao Education and Culture Center, and Hami Museum. Chen Shen is always very pleased when he sees the Chinese clothes in the exhibition hall and the surprise eyes of the audience. My lover knows his hard work well, "The transport of costumes is a personal effort, and the on-site exhibition is also very tiring."
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the planned exhibition this year has not yet been finalized. For several months, Chen Shen has rarely gone out and stayed busy all day in the attic. On the desk are piles of professional books such as "The Chronicles of the Qing Shengping Administration", "The Opera and the Palace Culture of the Qing Dynasty".
What he worries most is the storage of costumes. The costumes are very delicate and need to be kept under constant temperature, humidity, and dark conditions, and they must be protected from insects and dust. Limited by the conditions, Chen Shen can only store the costumes neatly folded and stored in the storage box, and the commonly used ones are stored in the suitcase. To prevent moths, many camphor balls are used every year. In summer, the air conditioner is on at least 12 hours a day. If you find old costumes, you must first disinfect them after you get them. UV lamp sterilization, steam iron treatment, liquor spraying, these Chen Shen handles handily, and simple color supplements are not a problem.
"Donated to the museum in the future will give the costume a better home. But at present, we still hope that there will be more opportunities to hold exhibitions, whether it is a museum or a university campus, so that more people can experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture." Chen Shen .
■Tips·The peak of costume production
There are at least three peak periods for costume production:
The first period was the middle and late Qing Dynasty. At that time, the court costumes of the Qing Dynasty were dominated by refined and elegant Su embroidery. These embroideries are either sent to the palace after embroidering in Suzhou, or embroiders are recruited from Suzhou to make them directly in the capital.
The second period was the 1950s. At that time, various state-run theater troupes customized a large number of costumes. During this period, the quality and craftsmanship of the costumes of some famous actors or troupes even surpassed those of the court costumes of the Qing Dynasty.
The third period was the 1980s. At this time, the production of traditional costumes resumed. During this period, most of the costumes were used for export to earn foreign exchange. The embroidery craftsmanship strived for exquisiteness and the craftsmanship continued the style of the Qing Dynasty.
Our reporter Shi Fang