Xu Zhimo was dressed in leather and leather shoes, with hair wax on his head, and his hair was combed so shiny that even flies could not stand. Lu Xiaoman was dressed in a Western-style dress, with her hair tied behind her head, and a handful of Zhou Hexuan's hair on her forehead.
Bangs that look silly.
Zhou Hexuan was sitting in the passenger seat and heard Xu Zhimo in the back seat say to the driver: "Go to the Dahua Hotel."
In the 1920s, the Licha Hotel was the first-class dance venue in Shanghai. It had a large ballroom that could accommodate hundreds of people, with a shiny floor, extremely soft lighting, and a special accompaniment band. Every Sunday and weekend night,
Social dances are held here, mainly open to foreigners, but also attended by a few compradors who are close to foreigners.
The second-tier hotels include Dahua, Carlton, Yipinxiang, Moon Palace and other hotels, which mainly accommodate foreigners and respectable Chinese. There are also dancers, most of whom come from Belarus and Japan. It will take two years for the number of Chinese dancers to increase.
stand up.
At the beginning of 1927, if you went to the dance hall of the Majestic Hotel to dance, you could only dance 3 songs for 1 yuan, and you had to pay 50 cents for tea. After a night, the minimum consumption was 1 yuan and 50 cents, and the maid of Zhou Hexuan's family paid
The salary is only two yuan and two cents.
Those who can afford to dance these days belong to the upper class.
However, this situation will soon change. From the second half of this year, ballroom dancing has gradually become popular, and a large number of dance halls have emerged in large cities in the north and south. Due to the fierce competition in the dance hall industry, fees are also declining. As long as ordinary civilians dress appropriately,
If you can afford tea, you can enter the dance hall for entertainment, and there is no time limit.
The rise of civilian dance halls has also led to an increase in the number of Chinese dancers, and professional courtesans have begun to appear. For example, in large dance halls in Tianjin, red dancers can earn 300 yuan a month, which is equivalent to the salary of a university professor.
The three got off the car and entered the Majestic Hotel. They first went to the restaurant to dine, and then went to the ballroom to dance.
The lights in the dance hall were dim and ambiguous, and some men and women had already arrived. When Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman arrived, they immediately aroused their thoughts, and several Chinese young people walked this way.
"Zhimo, Xiaoman, you are finally here!" everyone said enthusiastically.
Lu Xiaoman was very active in social situations and introduced them: "This is the famous scholar, Mr. Zhou Hexuan, the president of Peking University, this is Mr. Chen Jingliang, this is Mr. Wang Yachen, this is Mr. Wang Yachen, this is Mr. Lu Yanqiu, and this is Tang Huai
Mr. Qiutang... By the way, this is also a new friend, who can introduce me?"
Wang Yachen smiled and said: "His name is Xu Beihong. He is going to go abroad soon. I dragged him here."
Xu Beihong was not particularly famous at this time, so no one paid much attention to him.
Among these people, except for Wang Yachen, who is a celebrity in the cultural and painting circles, and Tang Huaiqiu, who is in the drama industry, the others are all young men. But they are the kind of talented young men, otherwise they would not be able to play with Xu Zhimo.
They were very enthusiastic about Zhou Hexuan, and each of them took the initiative to shake hands and said: "It turns out to be Mr. Zhou, whose name I have admired for a long time!"
Lu Xiaoman said: "The dance hasn't started yet, let's find a place to sit first."
Everyone came to the corner, ordered a few cups of tea and coffee, and started chatting.
Zhou Hexuan looked around and found that there were mostly foreigners here. But they were all second-rate foreigners. The top foreigners only danced at the Licha Hotel and would not come to the Majestic Hotel. There were also some middle-aged and even elderly Chinese, following
The foreigners were chatting and laughing. The Chinese belonged to the comprador class, and they came to negotiate business with the foreigners in the name of dancing.
This dance was not held privately, but was initiated by the hotel. Grand hotels have such activities every week, called social dances, and the purpose is to "enhance friendship."
"Hey, Mr. Zhou doesn't seem to be sociable. He hasn't spoken a word." Tang Huaiqiu said suddenly.
Zhou Hexuan looked back and said with a smile: "I am comparing the dance halls in Shanghai and the differences between the dance halls in Tianjin."
Tang Huaiqiu asked: "There are also special dance halls in Tianjin?"
Zhou Hexuan said: "When I came to Shanghai from Tianjin, a dance hall had just opened there. Tianjin celebrities Pan Shoulian, Yan Xiu, Wang Luyuan and others jointly sent a letter to the French Concession and the Public Concession Board of Directors to ban it on the grounds of immorality.
Now there is a quarrel between the pro-dancing faction and the pro-dancing faction in Tianjin."
"Those hypocrites think everything they see is obscene and evil." Tang Huaiqiu said disdainfully.
Who is Tang Huaiqiu?
He is a famous dramatist in the Republic of China. Historically, Cao Yu's "Thunderstorm" was first put on the stage by Tang Huaiqiu. This man would also make movies and become a director in a few years.
Tang Huaiqiu also made a significant contribution to the popularization of ballroom dancing in China. Last year, he opened a dance club in Xujiahui, specializing in teaching new European and American dances, and vigorously promoted through newspapers that dancing is good for physical and mental health.
"He is indeed a hypocrite." Zhou Hexuan agreed. This is why he came to the south to sell underwear. Building a dance hall in the north would be protested, and selling women's underwear would probably make the conservatives jump up in anger.
Wang Yachen said: "Chinese people's ideas are too backward. Last year, Brother Haisu encouraged students to use mannequins when painting, and he was wanted by Sun Chuanfang. It is a big joke in the world."
Wang Yachen was also a painter and was friends with Liu Haisu, and Liu Haisu was an old friend of Xu Zhimo and Lin Huiyin. These people had a very close relationship.
Xu Beihong, on the other hand, remained silent. He didn't like this kind of occasion, so he sat there quietly drinking tea and listening.
Soon the dance music started, and everyone walked towards the dance floor. Those who did not bring a female partner also invited dancers. Only Zhou Hexuan and Xu Beihong were left.
"Brother Xu, don't you want to dance?" Zhou Hexuan asked.
Xu Beihong said: "I'm not very good at dancing, I just sit down."
Zhou Hexuan said: "I like the horses painted by Brother Xu very much."
"Mr. Zhou has also seen my paintings?" Xu Beihong was a little surprised. He went abroad to study nine years ago. Although he came back a few times, he spent most of his time abroad.
Xu Beihong really became famous only in May this year, when nine of his works were exhibited at the French National Art Exhibition. When the news came back, the Chinese people were very proud.
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Don't forget that I am the president of Peking University, so I am naturally familiar with the teachers of Peking University."
"Haha," Xu Beihong said with a smile, "I have only been a teacher of the Painting Research Institute at Peking University for one year, and I am not a genuine Peking University teacher."
The two were chatting animatedly when a dancer suddenly came over and asked in English: "Sir, do you need a dance partner?"
Listening to the other party's weird pronunciation, Zhou Hexuan asked: "Japanese?"
"Yes, sir, I am Japanese." the dancer replied.
At the beginning of 1927, there were very few dedicated dance halls, and Chinese dancers were also very rare. The most common ones were Belarusian and Japanese dancers. The former was caused by the Russian Revolution. Many Belarusian dancers were actually aristocrats who fled to China. They had no other skills to make a living.
, can only be high-end dancers. The latter is because dance halls have been banned in Japan, so they can only come to China or Nanyang to make money. Such women generally come from lowly backgrounds.
Zhou Hexuan looked at her appearance. She had a pretty face, but she was too short and her legs were pitifully short. He suddenly lost interest. He said to Xu Beihong: "Brother Xu, please, don't keep this lady waiting."
"I'd better forget it." Xu Beihong shook his head repeatedly.
The Japanese dancer left in disappointment, but Zhou Hexuan stood up and walked towards a Belarusian dancer with a curvy front and back. She had a good figure and face, and she was from a noble family. Since she spent money, she naturally had to choose the right one.
While dancing, Zhou Hexuan discovered an interesting phenomenon.
When Chinese men choose dance partners, most of them choose Japanese dancers because they can hold them in their arms. Belarusian dancers are too tall and are more popular with Westerners. Zhou Hexuan seems to be the only Chinese man in the audience who dances with a Belarusian woman.