今年1月,日本早稻田大學(xué)演劇博物館館長竹本干夫?qū)3虂淼缴虾7钯t區(qū)包畹蓉的家里,看了包先生收藏的戲服,連聲贊嘆,希望往后不斷地相互交流和合作;4月8日,上海市郵政局的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)來到包畹蓉家里,要將他收藏的戲服拍成照片,將它印在迎接2010年上海世博會(huì)的明信片上……
少年拜荀慧生為師
包畹蓉祖籍為浙江湖州。湖州包氏是名門望族,包畹蓉姑媽包榴仙是中國第一個(gè)留學(xué)日本的女子,辛亥革命女俠秋瑾也是她接赴日本的,包榴仙后來嫁給湖州的著名翻譯家錢稻孫(錢玄同侄)。包榴仙的祖父包虎臣是清代著名書畫家,胞兄包承善是書畫家沈邁士的啟蒙老師,包承善的四女包錚拜吳昌碩為師,后來成為著名女畫家,以99歲高齡在臺(tái)灣去世,包畹蓉的一位伯父包蝶仙也是書畫家,魯迅曾向他求過畫。包畹蓉父親包句香是上個(gè)世紀(jì)20年代上海的名中醫(yī)兼書畫家,1960年被衛(wèi)生部授予一級金質(zhì)獎(jiǎng)狀,其母顧蘊(yùn)玉聰明能干,隨包句香學(xué)醫(yī),后成為中醫(yī)專家,她是京劇票友,還會(huì)設(shè)計(jì)制作戲服,常帶包畹蓉到滬上看戲。
包畹蓉耳濡目染,自幼便喜歡京劇,也喜歡畫畫,15歲時(shí)他便成為中國京劇四大名旦之一荀慧生的正式弟子,以后又拜京劇名伶黃桂秋、王遙卿為師,學(xué)會(huì)了經(jīng)典京劇100多出戲,擅長荀派、梅派、尚派和程派。因?yàn)樗畱蛏飘?,解放前許多名角都請他設(shè)計(jì)演出行頭,且戲服上的圖案都是他自己創(chuàng)作的,他那富有創(chuàng)新意識(shí)的戲服,曾得到京劇界許多名人的好評。
搶救戲服成為行家
包畹蓉迷戀京劇,一心想做名伶。新中國成立后他立即成立了自己的京劇團(tuán)——包畹蓉京劇團(tuán),他帶領(lǐng)劇團(tuán)走遍大半個(gè)中國,既當(dāng)團(tuán)長、導(dǎo)演,也當(dāng)主角,同時(shí)也管服裝,每次登臺(tái)演出都用自己設(shè)計(jì)制作的行頭。然而,“文革”伊始,劇團(tuán)解散了,包畹蓉的“名伶夢”也破碎了,他被迫進(jìn)機(jī)床廠當(dāng)了起重工人,但他戲藝之心矢志不泯,他開始偷偷地收藏戲裝。
當(dāng)時(shí)很多京劇大家都被打成“牛鬼蛇神”,但包畹蓉與老師黃桂秋師徒情深,冒著風(fēng)險(xiǎn)他多次探望老師。黃桂秋家中藏有藝術(shù)大師梅蘭芳在《宇宙鋒》中穿過的黑帔、著名京劇藝術(shù)家金少山穿過的4件套開氅等珍貴戲服。黃桂秋見愛徒有藝有德,便鄭重地將這些珍品戲服轉(zhuǎn)贈(zèng)給這位信得過的弟子收藏。接著,他一發(fā)而不可收,凡有戲裝的地方他都悄悄地去搜集存藏。
“文革”結(jié)束,包畹蓉已年近花甲,難以再現(xiàn)當(dāng)年“花旦”風(fēng)姿,但為了寄托對京劇的喜愛,他常常從箱柜里翻出自己收藏的戲服把玩,一看就是大半天。1979年,《新民晚報(bào)》的一位記者得知包畹蓉家中藏有大量戲服就前往采訪,文章發(fā)表后,包畹蓉這位“戲服收藏家”也從此開始揚(yáng)名。包畹蓉說:“其實(shí)當(dāng)初收藏這些服裝,是我對京劇有割不斷的情緣,并非想當(dāng)收藏家。不過這篇報(bào)道一發(fā),真的將我引上了收藏戲裝之路?!?/p>
傾心打造“戲服王國”
包畹蓉在收藏名家戲服時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn),我國這種傳統(tǒng)的戲裝工藝正在失傳,如不搶救,地道的京劇服飾將會(huì)在人們的視野中消失,于是他精工細(xì)作地用傳統(tǒng)工藝制作出許多失傳的戲裝來。他在制作戲裝中不但用純金純銀材料,還用名貴的寶石。如青衣旦角的一套“頭面”一般用鍍銀加水鉆石、玻璃,而他制作的一套是純銀鑲嵌進(jìn)口寶石。
制作戲服需要付出大量精力,也需要付出一大筆金錢,好在有他的“賢內(nèi)助”幫助。他的妻子馬麗是清愛新覺羅的后裔,先前是北京部隊(duì)某醫(yī)院的護(hù)士長,后來下海進(jìn)包畹蓉京劇團(tuán)當(dāng)演員,夫妻倆夫唱婦隨半個(gè)世紀(jì),她十分支持包畹蓉收藏戲裝。包畹蓉設(shè)計(jì)戲服,她便去采購面料和絲線,有時(shí)為了挑選面料的顏色,她不厭其煩,往往跑遍了大半個(gè)上海,包畹蓉在打造“戲服王國”中傾其家中所有,賣掉了家中祖?zhèn)鞯募t木家具、金銀首飾、古玩、名家字畫等,但妻子對此毫無怨言,還起早摸黑到小吃店打工補(bǔ)貼家用。到了2002年,夫妻倆為了戲裝收藏需要,竟至賣掉了陸家嘴梅園新村唯一的一套私宅。
包畹蓉說,創(chuàng)新中國京劇行頭,首要的是繼承,然后是創(chuàng)新。如旦角頭上是用的點(diǎn)翠鳥面,需用極其珍貴的翠鳥羽毛精心粘制而成,一只翠鳥只有6根毛,一副頭面要300只翠鳥的羽毛才能制成,包畹蓉對此一點(diǎn)也不含糊,他做出的點(diǎn)翠頭面比傳統(tǒng)的還好;京劇《紅娘》中紅娘的傳統(tǒng)戲服,往往點(diǎn)綴性地繡上一些普通花卉,這種戲服不能突出紅娘可愛的個(gè)性,對此包畹蓉就另辟蹊徑,在這個(gè)戲裝上用進(jìn)口的閃光片綴做成牡丹初綻的圖案,增強(qiáng)了立體感。這服飾使舞臺(tái)上的紅娘舉手投足間平添了許多魅力。著名荀派花旦宋長榮在上海中國大戲院演出《紅娘》時(shí),便向師兄包畹蓉商借“紅娘”系列服飾,演出后受到觀眾的一致好評,被譽(yù)為“活紅娘”,一時(shí)紅遍大江南北。
他創(chuàng)制的戲服都是請?zhí)K繡名家一針一線精制而成。他家里長期聘請兩三位繡娘斷斷續(xù)續(xù)地繡了半個(gè)世紀(jì)。有位繡娘名叫張惠芬,曾經(jīng)為著名電影皇后胡蝶做過服裝,手藝相當(dāng)不錯(cuò),有時(shí)她身體不好,包畹蓉夫婦便為她燉參湯、熬雞湯,做好吃的。有時(shí)為做一件戲服,一位繡娘忙不過來,三四位繡娘便一起合做。包畹蓉設(shè)計(jì)的全金大龍男蟒袍,全用真金箔制作,三位80歲以上的老藝人竟耗時(shí)3年多才做成。
不為金錢所動(dòng)
迄今,他收藏的京劇行頭足可裝備四五個(gè)劇團(tuán),生、旦、凈、丑,各種戲服一應(yīng)俱全,如蟒袍、裙襖、斗篷、開氅、云肩、官服、龍?zhí)滓?、頭面等等,其中又以旦角戲服的收藏最為豐富,梅派的華貴、程派的清越、尚派的剛強(qiáng)、荀派的活潑戲裝,均在他的藏品中一顯風(fēng)采,表演藝術(shù)家童芷苓、宋長榮、荀令萊、李薔華、孫毓敏等名家紛紛向包先生求教、借戲服。1996年在杭州中國絲綢博物館舉辦的“包畹蓉中國服飾精品展”引起極大轟動(dòng),觀眾達(dá)30萬人次,法國文化部向他發(fā)出邀請,希望他到法國去舉辦戲裝藝術(shù)展。
如今,在上海市有關(guān)部門的重視下,奉賢區(qū)特地在該區(qū)風(fēng)景區(qū)海灣建造了“龍騰閣”——包畹蓉京劇服飾藝術(shù)館,該藝術(shù)館自2002年4月26日開館以來,接待了一批又一批外國友人,引起了轟動(dòng)。該館2004年以排行第二入選中國十大民間博物館,成為海灣旅游區(qū)展現(xiàn)中國傳統(tǒng)文化的一張亮麗“名片”。2005年12月,第四屆中國京劇藝術(shù)節(jié)在上海舉行。包畹蓉藏品在三山會(huì)展出,引來各界人士一片贊譽(yù)之聲,日本、新加坡、美國等國和我國臺(tái)灣、香港等地也紛紛來函,邀請包畹蓉前去講學(xué),并展出他收藏的京劇戲服,《人民日報(bào)》《中國畫報(bào)》及上海等各大媒體多次報(bào)道了包畹蓉的事跡。包畹蓉想成為一代名伶的夢想沒有實(shí)現(xiàn),但他珍藏的價(jià)值連城的京劇戲裝卻名揚(yáng)海內(nèi)外,外商欲出千萬元收購他的藏品,并許諾安排他夫婦移居海外,但都被包畹蓉婉拒。盡管包畹蓉膝下無子,目前經(jīng)濟(jì)也很拮據(jù),但他不為金錢所動(dòng),他說:“我的根在中國,京劇是國粹,我要為國家保留京劇服飾這份世紀(jì)遺產(chǎn)……”
(本文攝影錢慧敏)
A Huge Collection of Costumes
By Tang Jianchi
Bao Wanrong has created a colossal collection of Peking Opera costumes over decades. He owes his collection partly to his family traditions. Over the past one hundred years, the Bao family in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province has produced brilliant scholars, medical doctors, painters, calligraphers, and many of them were Peking Opera enthusiasts. So no wonder Bao Wanrong acquired a liking for Peking Opera in his childhood years. At the age of 15, he became a disciple of Xun Huisheng, a master of Peking Opera.Learning from several masters over years, he built up his repertoire which was finally composed of more than 100 Peking Opera classics. As he knew how to paint, he was frequently commissioned by masters to design and make costumes.
Bao's ambition was to become a famous Peking Opera artist. So after the founding of New China in 1949, he set up his own troupe. For 15 years, his troupe staged shows around China and he acted on the stage while working as the troupe's manager, director, and costume designer. But his dream was shattered in 1965 when his troupe was disbanded due to the gathering momentum of the Cultural Revolution which broke out in 1966. With the troupe gone from his life, he found a job in a plant of machine tools.
While working at the factory, he began to collect Peking Opera costumes as he did not want to be cut off totally from a life so endearing to him. Such costumes were deserted and destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. His secret collection began to grow as he visited his masters and places where he could get these costumes. After the 10-year tumult ended in 1976, he was already too old to resume his acting career. But he still had his collection of costumes. Sometimes he would get out the whole collection and spending hours admiring the splendid costumes one by one. In 1979, a journalist wrote a story on his collection. The story turned his eyes to the possibility of becoming a serious collector of Peking Opera costumes. He then became more conscious about the collection.
Bao found that many traditional Peking Opera costumes were vanishing rapidly or had vanished. He needed to do something about it. So he began to try his hand at bringing back those that had lost. No efforts or money were spared to reproduce the lost art. He actually used gold, silver, gems to make costumes much nicer than they had been decades before. For the last 50 years, some embroideresses from Suzhou have been employed to help with the work.
In order to raise funds for his collection, he and his wife sold some of his family-handed-down mahogany furniture, jewelry, antiques, paintings and calligraphic works by celebrities. In 2002, they even sold a house of theirs.
Nowadays, many Peking Opera masters borrow his costumes to stage spectacular performances or seek his advice. In 1996, he exhibited his collection in the China Silk Museum in Hangzhou and it was a sensational success. The exhibition attracted more than 300,000 visits.
On April 26th, 2002, a costume museum named after him opened to public in Shanghai. It is located in a seaside scenic zone. In 2004, it came out as the number 2 of China誷 top ten private museums in a public survey. In December 2005, his collection was on display at the China Peking Opera Art Festival held in Shanghai. It was a huge success. Invitations flooded in from Japan, Singapore, USA, Taiwan, and Hong Kong for him to give lectures and display his collection. People's Daily and China Pictorial and media in Shanghai published various stories about him and his legendary collection. He turned down an offer of 10 million yuan for the collection and immigration. Though Bao and his wife are not well off and they have no children, they are not swayed by money. He says proudly roots are in China. Peking Opera is our national quintessence. I want to keep this heritage of Peking Opera costumes for my country.?
(Translated by David)