Chapter 0881 Huadan and Qingyi

Strictly speaking, both huadan and qingyi are types of dan roles in Peking opera.

In the classification of Peking opera, huadan refers to roles that portray lively, vivacious, and forthright young women.

Qingyi, or zhengdan, generally portrays dignified, serious, and upright characters, mostly virtuous wives and mothers, or chaste martyrs in old society.

Of course, in the film and television circle, this distinction is not so clear-cut, and the circle has its own classification methods.

In film and television works, qingyi generally refers to roles with strong presence and a pronounced female lead aura, which can be liked or disliked by the audience.

Huadan broadly refers to actresses who are popular with the general audience.

For example, before Zhao Fusheng's rebirth, Sun Li had already completed the transition from huadan to qingyi. When she gets older, reaching the age of Xu Fan or Jiang Wenli, she can be considered a great qingyi.

Among the Three Beauties from Foreign Lands, the oldest one who married and had children can be considered a huadan, while the remaining two are at best minor huadan.

As for a certain actress who was once universally criticized online and later started her own company to promote newcomers, she is striving to shed her huadan label and become a qingyi.

In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng was familiar with the Four Dan and Two Bing, who were actresses at the huadan level. Later, some transitioned, some married, each living their own way.

But in Zhao Fusheng's view, the Four Dan at least had representative works, while the Two Bing still fell short, relying more on their backers and companies to push them up.

Heh...

It can only be said that the greatest contribution of the internet age to the entertainment industry is that anyone, as long as they have buzz, can become popular.

Fortunately, it's 2002 now, and Fan Baobao isn't even a popular little flower; at best, she's a somewhat known newcomer actress.

More importantly, she has Zhao Fusheng by her side.

"How about you go to the People's Art Theatre?"

Watching Fan Baobao worry about her acting skills, Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and suddenly said.

"People's Art Theatre?"

Fan Baobao was taken aback, clearly not expecting Zhao Fusheng to make such a suggestion.

The full name of the People's Art Theatre is the Capital People's Art Theatre, a national-level theatre with a unique performance style, founded in the early 1950s, with its first president being the drama master Cao Yu. Since its establishment, the theatre has staged nearly three hundred plays of various forms and styles from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign.

Over half a century, the People's Art Theatre has produced a large number of famous actors and staged countless beloved classic plays.

Moreover, because the People's Art Theatre is a legitimate public institution, although actors are in the entertainment industry, there is an explicit rule: new actors are not allowed to take outside roles for three years.

Even when actors achieve fame in the film and television circle, they must still fulfill the theatre's tasks: they must return for any staged plays that are performed; each year, new plays are assigned, and actors can selectively rehearse them. If they never perform, they may be expelled from the theatre—though such cases are extremely rare.

Now, Zhao Fusheng actually suggested she apply for the People's Art Theatre, which left Fan Baobao somewhat confused.

"Yes, I think the People's Art Theatre suits you well." Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly and said to Fan Baobao, who was still in a daze.

"Why?"

Since they were at home and no one else was around, Fan Baobao straightforwardly voiced her doubts: "I already have a management company. What would I do at the People's Art Theatre? Even if it's an iron rice bowl, it doesn't mean much. I've heard the treatment at the People's Art Theatre isn't great."

Zhao Fusheng nodded. As a public institution, the People's Art Theatre's salaries were indeed low. He had read a report that in 2016, the captain of the performance team, Yang Lixin, earned less than four thousand yuan a month, and young actors had even lower base pay. A performance brought five to six hundred yuan in subsidies, leading roles could get a thousand, and the year-end award for outstanding actors was only two to three thousand.

That was more than a decade later. By then, a trending young star's fee could easily be in the millions, and even ordinary actors could earn tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands from a single drama.

But at the People's Art Theatre, unless you were willing to resign, everything had to follow the rules.

The most obvious example was Song Yi, who starred in "The Disguiser." She was a pretty girl, but while others from the same drama eagerly took on variety shows and roles, her exposure was far less.

The reason was simple: after graduating from the Central Academy of Drama, she entered the People's Art Theatre, and taking on roles was not so convenient—she had to consult with her superiors.

"It doesn't matter if the treatment at the People's Art Theatre is poor; you're not going there for money." Zhao Fusheng chuckled lightly and said calmly, "Don't forget, what you need now is to improve your acting skills."

"Can entering the People's Art Theatre improve acting skills?" Fan Baobao blinked, looking skeptical.

"The People's Art Theatre mainly stages plays, which demand extremely high standards from actors." Zhao Fusheng patiently explained, "To be honest, I'm a bit worried you might not pass the entrance exam."

"Don't underestimate me! I will definitely get in!" Originally, Fan Baobao hadn't taken it too seriously, but Zhao Fusheng's words stirred her competitive spirit. She wouldn't let him look down on her.

Zhao Fusheng smiled but said nothing.

Fan Baobao snorted, ignored him, and picked up the phone to make a call, presumably asking how to apply for the People's Art Theatre.

Watching her back, a smile curled at the corner of Zhao Fusheng's mouth.

Though the tactic of provocation had been used by many, and some claimed to see through it all and never fall for it, people are not saints; they cannot always maintain a calm mind. There is always a moment of vulnerability, like Fan Baobao now, who fell for Zhao Fusheng's provocation.

For Zhao Fusheng, having Fan Baobao apply for the People's Art Theatre was a conclusion reached after careful consideration. In the short term, over two or three years, under Wang Jinghua, it would be too difficult for her to stand out.

Wang Jinghua was at the peak of her power, with a large roster of stars, and Huayi was acting like the industry leader. Fan Baobao was at Huayi, and unless Zhao Fusheng personally promoted her, it was impossible for her to become hugely popular.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't stupid. Although she was his girlfriend, promoting Fan Baobao to make money for Huayi and Wang Jinghua—he would have to be crazy to do that.

Therefore, the best choice was to let Fan Baobao lie low and hone her acting skills.

And the People's Art Theatre was undoubtedly the best choice.