"The north wind blows, the snowflakes float..." "The White-Haired Girl " is a milestone in the history of the development of Chinese revolutionary literature and art. Since the opera "The White-Haired Girl" premiered in Yan'an in 1945, this theme has been adapted into feature films, ballets, Peking opera and many local operas, making it a household name.
During the performance of the opera "The White-Haired Girl" in April 1945, the response was extremely enthusiastic: when Huang Shiren violently assaulted Xi'er in the Baihu Hall, several lesbians behind the chief's table burst into tears; When the theme song "Society drives people into ghosts, the new society turns ghosts into humans", the audience burst into endless applause.
Chen Qiang did not want to play Huang Shiren at first. As soon as the creative team of Yan'an Luyi's "White-Haired Girl" was established, Chen Qiang participated. When discussing the rehearsal, he had already set his sights on Xi'er's father Yang Bailao . He thought this role would be good. In front-line performances, he mostly plays old men. Let him portray this role and be familiar with it, and he will definitely succeed. Unexpectedly, when the role was assigned, Chen Qiang was asked to play the young master Huang Shiren. Chen Qiang went to the director: "Why did you choose me to play Huang Shiren? I have never experienced the life of a landlord. Can I express what Huang Shiren did on the stage? Do I look like a bad guy?"
In fact, Chen Qiang's What do you think in your heart? He has no guarantee of success in playing this role. If he does succeed, it will be even more detrimental to him. It will leave a deep impression on people and it will be difficult to play a positive role. Besides, he is not married yet and has given people the impression of a "bad guy". Do girls still dare to approach him? The more Chen Qiang thought about it, the more distressed he became, so he proposed to the director not to play the villain Huang Shiren. As a result, the rehearsal work of "The White-Haired Girl" could not be carried out, and the crew had to stop the play to do Chen Qiang's ideological work.
Chen Qiang was worthy of being a revolutionary literary and art worker, and he finally obeyed the organizational arrangements unconditionally. Unexpectedly, it was an instant success and Chen Qiang became famous both at home and abroad for his role as Huang Shiren.
In 1946, during the Zhangjiakou Defense War, the United Nations General Assembly Art Troupe came to Huailai to perform the opera "The White-Haired Girl". When the last scene was played, the extras on the stage shouted the slogan "Down with the bully landlord Huang Shiren".
"Those who have turned around watch the show about turning over." With its distinctive political theme, "The White-Haired Girl" has quickly become the most influential and popular play in the liberated areas. Ding Ling once described the scene of watching a theater: "Each performance is filled with empty streets and villages, supporting the old and the young... Some burst into tears, some hide their faces and sob, and there are masses of anger. In the chest." Before the founding of New China, the opera "The White-Haired Girl" was performed all over the country, with an audience of millions. After seeing this, some villages quickly mobilized the masses to fight against hegemony and inspired many people to join the revolution. Many soldiers carved slogans such as "Avenge Yang Bailao" and "Avenge Xi'er" on the butts of their guns, setting off a craze for killing the enemy and making meritorious deeds.
■ Text/Excerpt from "Born to the Sun" (written by Li Yanqing and Wang Lu, published by Huashan Literature and Art Publishing House)
■Editor/Jia Lifang
■ All rights reserved. No reproduction is allowed without permission
