Transcript of the interview with Ailian Chen (陈爱莲) China Boom Project, Asia Society Chen, Ailian (陈爱莲) 2009 Founder, Chen Ailian Artistic Troupe Industry: Arts & Culture Chen, Ailian , virtuoso dancer and choreographer, was born in 1939 in Shanghai. She graduated from Beijing Dance School and went on to teach at the Beijing College of Dancing, Nankai University, and Hainan University. As a performer, she held the position of chief Chendancer and actress at the China Chen Ailian Opera and Dancing f House as well chie dancer of the Chinese Artistic delegation to over a dozen countries. is also the founder and Head of the Artistic Troupe, which is the first non-­‐governmental performing organization in China, and has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Chinese Dancers' Association. Transcript-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐ 陈爱莲 Interviewee: Ailian Chen ( ) Interviewer: Josh Chin Date: April 1, 2009 Place: Beijing (China) 00:00:00 -­‐ 00:00:21 Josh Chin Ok ready? We would like to thank you for accepting this interview from the Asia Society's China Economic Boom project. Firstly, we'll let you provide us with a simple self-­‐ introduction 00:00:21 -­‐ 00:03:16 Chen, Ailian To put it simply, I am a very lucky person amidst unlucky circumstances. Why is this? Because when I was small, from around ten years old, my parents passed away as a result of illness. But, it just so happens that at that time, the "New China" was established, in the beginning of the 1950s. So at that time, the government was very concerned with 1 common society. This is the first point. Secondly, it just so happens that at that time, our "New China" converted dance into a specialized profession. This was just established. Before, China had dance, its history is very long, about a few thousand years. Writings show that there is at least 3,000 years of the history of dance. In spite of all this, the real development of dance, it reached its height during the Tang and Song dynasties. However, when the Yuan and Cao period began, with the introduction of Yuan Dynasty Theater, the development of Chinese opera replaced dance as a profession. So at that time, a lot of dance performing artists, the skill and art of dancing, a 昆曲 large ) part of it was absorbed into Chinese opera. Chinese opera is very famous right? So it was absorbed into Chinese opera. Right now people are saying we need to protect Kunqu ( opera and so on. However, at that time, the development of opera 武术 was much 杂技) shorter than the development of dance. But at that time, it was all absorbed into opera. Also, a part of it entered the festival entertainment of the people, entering wushu ( ), zhaji ( and so on. The majority was absorbed into opera and popular entertainment. So in the beginning of the 50s, right after the establishment of the country, our government established dance as a profession. There is singing, music schools, film, theater and so on, however, dance as a independent discipline, did not exist. Just at this moment, I was very lucky. I was recruited to the Central Academy of Drama, which is now very lively where everyone wants to get into. The Central Academy of Drama, the subsidiary dance troupe academy...the government created such a institution, to start cultivating the first generation of professional dancers of the People's Republic of China. 00:03:16 -­‐ 00:05:43 Chen, Ailian Because my parents have passed away, I was in the orphanage; they went to the orphanages of Shanghai to find students. And they thought I was capable, so me and my sister came to Beijing from Shanghai. From that time onwards, at that time, the Beijing Dance Academy was still not established. I arrived in Beijing in 1952. The Beijing Dance Academy was established in 1954. So I was sent there to study. At that time, it was all government activity, we didn't have to give money, it was government subsidized. So I graduated from the Academy and after graduation, because I was one of the excellent ones out of the students. I once told your friend I was trained in all fields, in both Eastern and Western dance. So I obtained full marks in all these fields, graduating with the highest marks. During that year of graduation, I performed in a dance play called "Yu Meiren", it was written for the common Chinese people, to regard it as China's Swan Lake, ballet. It was a Western ballet dance drama that arrived in China, mixing into China's popular culture. It was the first popular ballet dance drama. I played the main female character. Due to these circumstances, I remained in Beijing's Dance Academy. Within the Academy, I was in charge of the performers. At that same time, I taught within the Academy. So after graduation, I was a performer and immediately taught the graduating class. I taught the graduating classes for four years within the Academy. Later on, voices of society were very strong calling for me to become a performer and not remain within the school. Because of the arrangements of the leaders, because we were all government-­‐subsidized, the leaders arranged for me to enter the theatrical troupe, and not remain within the school. 2 00:05:43 -­‐ 00:06:36 Chen, Ailian When I entered the theatrical troupe, there is a interesting story. Because I was trained in all fields, I don't know if you understand, but in all fields, I mean a system of Northern Chinese dances that are representative of Chinese dance. Such as classical Chinese dance, the different dances of the Chinese ethnic nationalities, such as the Han group, the Meng group, the Zhang group, the Wei group, the Zai group, the Zhuang group and so on. Including the dances from India, Japan, Pakistan, I was also trained in this. On the other hand, there is Western dance, such as ballet which stood as the foundational training for Western dancers. And there are representative dances of the West such as Spanish dance, Italian dance, Russian dance and so on, I was trained in all of this. 00:06:36 -­‐ 00:06:44 Josh Chin So who taught you all these different kinds of dance? 00:06:44 -­‐ 00:08:40 Chen, Ailian Who will teach me? In China there are many masters. With regard to some Eastern dances such as from India and Japan, it was also very convenient, because we had a lot of exchanges at that time. Sometimes, we 全科 will invite foreign teachers and sometimes we will send students to study there. After studying there, such as after going to study in India, we will come back and dance it in China. Because I was , there is no separation, everything is studied, graduating at this level, so I performed "Yu Meiren", this type of popular Western ballet dance drama. At the same time, when I was strongly requested to enter the theatrical troupe and not remain in school, something also happened. The reason why I couldn't remain in school and why society had this voice was because when I was at school at that time, I was in charge of China's popular dance drama (?) dancers. At that year, Liu Qintang, the person who played ( ), he was in charge of the ballet dancers. He was older than me, and before he was my teacher when I was a graduating student. At this time, after a few years, the ballet troupe was established. So there was no problem when 中���舞 he went to be ��the leader of the performers. owever, H our popular dance drama troupe could not be established because China 中���舞�� already had a dance drama troupe, which is China's ( ), which is where I am now, in my own unit. Other than doing some ( ), my identity is that of the principal dancer of . 00:08:40 -­‐ 00:10:19 Chen, Ailian The troupe was already existent and our school established another dance troupe, which was all under the supervision of the Culture Bureau. The Bureau needs to coordinate so they opposed. If the Beijing Dance Academy establishes a troupe, they say that we can keep the best students of each graduating 夏衍 class, in which case the other troupes lose incentive to compete. So it wasn't established. And they requested me to come out and become a performer. At this time, Xia Yan ( ), the leader of the Culture Bureau, who is a cultural celebrity, in the movie industry, as assistant minister and the leader of the ballet 3 troupe, together came to talk to me: saying Chen Ailian, you are now coming out of Beijing Dance Academy, we think that you are most suitable for the ballet troupe. Meaning ballet in the Eastern sense (?). You are the most suitable candidate. However, another Culture Bureau minister also came to talk to me. At that time, the country was very concerned with my direction, both of them were assistant ministers. He said that I've seen a lot of performers, a lot of whom are older and more mature, however you can easily pass on (?) of Chinese traditional dance culture.... BOOM_ChenAilianMaster1-­‐11.mov 00:00:00 -­‐ 00:03:22 Chen, Ailian 昆曲 You know when I first arrived in Beijing to study, before being introduced to the Beijing Dance Academy, I was in the Central Academy of Drama....Kunqu opera ( ), is now a China, world-­‐protected cultural heritage, it's 青衣 very 花旦 very beautiful.