Fu Lian Cheng

Fu Lian Cheng (traditional Chinese: 富連成; simplified Chinese: 富连成), initially known as Xi Lian Cheng (traditional Chinese: 喜連成; simplified Chinese: 喜连成), was a Peking Opera school established in 1904 in Beijing, the capital of the Qing dynasty. It closed in 1948, during the Chinese Civil War.^[1] It was the Peking opera school with the longest history, the largest scale, and the greatest number of graduates.^[2]

Fu Lian Cheng was sponsored by the Jilin merchant Niu Zihou, and run by the Peking opera performer Ye Chunshan.^[3] In forty-four years, it trained seven classes of almost 700 students, including some of the greatest Peking opera artists, like Mei Lanfang, Zhou Xinfang, Ma Lianliang,^[2] Xiao Cuihua (Yu Lianquan), Tan Fuying, Ma Fulu, and Ye Shengzhang.^[1]

In popular culture

In 1995, the story of Fu Lian Cheng was dramatized as a 28-episode television series titled Niu Zihou and Fu Lian Cheng (牛子厚與富連成).^[1]

In 2014, Niu Zihou's story was made into a television film titled Godfather of Peking Opera (梨園伯樂).^[4]