In 1970, Chairman Mao and his party went to Hangzhou to inspect the work. After the official meeting, the cadres in charge of receiving Zhejiang suggested that everyone go to West Lake to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan in summer.
When passing by a forest, Chen Liyun heard that Chairman Mao loved to listen to operas, so he intended to test his preferences to facilitate the arrangement of the next activities. Unexpectedly, Chairman Mao asked bluntly: "Where is Song Paul? Why didn't he come?"
Who is Song Paul? Why can the Chairman be remembered?
Peking Opera famous artists
famous Peking Opera
Song Paul was the famous Peking Opera master in the capital at that time.
Paul is a foreign name because his father believed in Christianity and was not considered a birth date when he was just born. He directly found a pastor in a nearby church and gave the name of a pope.
The Song family was a famous Peking Opera family at that time. They performed on stage for generations. Song Paul practiced a lot of repertoire at a young age. Because of his solid basic skills and beautiful appearance, he was very popular.
1924 Feng Yuxiang entered Beijing City , bombarded the palace Xuantong Emperor , and started his dream of an emperor himself. That night, he held a banquet at home and invited many relatives and friends to celebrate. After being recommended by someone, the Song family's opera troupe was selected to cheer up.
At that time, Paul Song, who was only 7 years old, followed his father to the warm-up venue, dressed up and amazed everyone present as soon as he opened his mouth. Everyone looked at him very cute in his pink and jade carvings, and they all said that this was a "little prodigy".
is already talented and has a unique family background. Paul Song has been on stage with the then famous actor Meng Xiaodong since he was 8 years old, and later gradually became the pillar of the folk art world.
has been sought after by the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital for a long time. However, Paul Song did not develop an impetuous personality. He is famous for his good temper. He is calm, calm, and looks at the ups and downs, and is proud and frustrated. The other is that he is indifferent to fame and fortune, and has a hermit temperament that is neither competing nor scrambling.
Since he was 15 years old, Paul Song has taken the Song family to travel around the country to perform. Because he sang well, every place he held was full. In order not to let the audience down, he held it for several days, but he got tired and opened his mouth, and couldn't make any good sounds.
The corners rely on their throats to make a living. When their throats are damaged, there are naturally no spectators. Song Paul has to rest for a while, and the Song family team has also become deserted.
At that time, many people were sorry for Paul Song, and they felt that a well-known corner had arrived, and other teams were inevitably gossiping. Even the apprentices were listless, as if the next moment, the money was scattered.
The person involved, Paul Song, was very calm.
Although he couldn't practice his throat during the days of recuperation, he did not let himself free. He learned calligraphy and painting from his teachers, including Zhang Daqian , Qi Baishi , Chen Banding , and also learned the skills of sealing. After recovering from illness, he became famous in the capital again with his still beautiful voice and profound literary accumulation.
Before, the people who came to him to listen to operas were all high-ranking officials and nobles, and they were noble and they were inevitably vulgar. Now, because of the fact that he learned painting by his teacher, there are more and more literati and poets around him, which has gradually become more and more powerful.
In 1946, he worked as a manager on the Wuhan Grand Stage. Many local customers almost broke the threshold of the Grand Stage in order to listen to Boss Song's voice.
Many colleagues felt that it was just that the Wuhan stage attracted so many guests, which made Paul Song pick up a piece of fat for nothing, so they joined forces to boycott him.
Song Paul had no idea about this position. It was because the boss at that time invited him to the scene, so he was not easy to refuse. Now he gave up his position and he could be more comfortable.
Since then, he performed everywhere and made a breakthrough in Zhejiang after the War of Liberation. It was also in Zhejiang that he met Chairman Mao, a soulmate.
Rooster Newspaper
Chairman Mao loves to listen to operas especially.
At that time, there were no unnecessary entertainment programs. As an art that could not only make spring and snow but also make people fall in love with people, opera has always been loved by the general public, and Chairman Mao is no exception.
However, unlike ordinary people who listen to the lively, Chairman Mao’s singing and lyrics and even the stories behind the opera are well known. Every time he listens to the opera, he will be fully focused and devoted to his emotions. Sometimes he is so angry that he slams the table, and sometimes he is so excited that he is so excited that he tears fall like rain.
There are many Peking Opera he likes, but if you want to admire the most, you should be Paul Song.
In May 1960, the Chinese leaders met with North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and Albanian leader Hatch Lexi on the edge of West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Also attending the meeting were Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi , Chen Yun and others.
The two sides held a series of friendly consultations on the cooperation department, and they achieved rich negotiation results in just a few hours. It was already late at the end of the meeting, so after dinner, local cadres in Hangzhou arranged greetings in the dance hall.
Although selected in the dance hall, it integrates the cultural characteristics of the East and the West well. Accompanied by the wonderful dance music of Kazakhstan, the leaders of the two countries interacted cordially while relaxing. After dancing, a famous actor dressed in uniform costumes appeared on the stage. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was famous Peking Opera "The Second Entering the Palace".
The corner was sad, like crying and complaining, and his breath changed was not vague at all. He couldn't help but follow the lyrics he told into the scene, and his emotions were pinched. After singing the song
, the whole room was cheering. Premier Zhou even went to shake hands with him in person, praising him for singing so well, and the lingering sound was lingering, and he was filled with the ears. ,
others also waved to him, and saw that the corner was waving without any hesitation. The heavy makeup was a handful of bones that were neither humble nor arrogant under the ground.
This character is nothing else, but Paul Song in the Zhejiang Peking Opera Troupe.
At this moment, Chairman Mao’s only son was sitting on the sofa, his expression was a little confused. He was still immersed in the opera and did not come out. So Premier Zhou suggested asking Boss Song to sing another paragraph.
Song Paul was not at all nervous when he was in the supervision of the University of Science and Technology. He cleared his throat and sang a more difficult part of " empty city plan ".
Just listening to him singing, the grand momentum came to his face. Even Jin Il-Cheng, who didn't understand Peking Opera, couldn't help but scream. Chairman Mao even clapped excitedly, and his hands were red and he didn't notice it.
When the banquet was about to end, Chairman Mao also found Paul Song and shook hands with him.
This performance was very successful, not only allowing both parties to enjoy the guests and hosts, but also finding a soulmate like Chairman Mao for Paul Song.
After the trip to Zhejiang, Chairman Mao was still obsessed with Paul Song. Sometimes he went north and sometimes the chairman went south. As long as he had the chance, the two of them would always meet. Listen to Paul Song sang a sad and earnest play, and also listen to him telling the story of the people in Jiangnan.
At this time, they probably didn't expect that this fate that began on the edge of West Lake would reappear again.
In 1963, Chairman Mao visited Hangzhou. The local cadres were already familiar with his mental state and invited Paul Song to come early. After everyone talked about the main business at the dinner, Boss Song happened to be in costume.
As usual, Paul Song sang in a singing vividly. Chairman Mao sat on the sofa on the side, and gradually became intoxicated by the lyrics. He first pointed his fingers on his knees and beat them, and then hummed softly.
Song Paul finished singing, but Chairman Mao was still unsatisfied, so he ordered another song "Zhu Da Sells Paintings"
. This story took place after the demise of the Ming Dynasty . It tells the story of Zhu Da, the descendant of Zhu Yuanzhang, who lived in poverty, selling paintings on the street. The
is more difficult than all the previous ones. It not only tests whether the characters have a deep singing skills, but also pays attention to some of the foundation of the writing skills.
Because many folk artists have practiced boy skills since childhood, they are very exquisite in opera, but they are almost meaningful in calligraphy and painting, so in the past, this opera was either not good at singing but some artistic conception of calligraphy and painting, or they are focused on singing opera, and their brushwork is slightly insufficient.
These are not difficult for Paul Song. He had learned calligraphy and paintings from famous teachers for so many years, and was comparable to those literati and poets. There was a square table in the living room, and the pen, ink, paper and ink were all neatly prepared. Paul Song dressed up with Zhu Da, singing opera and painting. The pen and ink were like spirituality in his hands, and the pen tip was turned several times, and he completed it in one go.
Just after he finished singing the first four lines of
, he put away his pen.
Everyone was so excited that they went up to look, and saw a few strokes on the white rice paper, using ink to sprinkle a strong and upright rooster.
Chairman Mao immediately smiled and blurted out: "A sing the rooster is white."
Song Paul felt that this random sentence was really complementary to this painting, so he lifted the words up and gave the painting to Chairman Mao.
With the praise of the chairman, after the dawn of the rooster, Song Paul not only knew everyone in the Jiangnan area, but also many leaders began to invite him to perform, and for a while it was very popular.
just made everyone expect that a catastrophe is about to come.
Inquired in person
Just when Boss Song was working hard to carry forward the opera culture, a big hat fell from the swan.
broke out in a special period in the decade, and model operas were popular all over the country. As a representative of traditional folk art, Song Paul was naturally affected.
At first, it was just a conference to criticize and fight, and was beaten by sticks and posted on big characters. Later, it gradually evolved into a bullpen, and personal freedom was no longer guaranteed.
Fortunately, Paul Song was not surprised by his favor and disgrace. He was also in a prosperous career, but suddenly suffered great ups and downs. He was calm in his heart. Although he couldn't practice calligraphy and painting like he did last time, he still lived a happy life even in the cowshed.
Although the days are cave, they have to continue to live. He is very happy to make fun of hardship and pass this long time himself.
Perhaps it was precisely because of such a good mentality that he finally ushered in a turning point in things.
In 1970, Chairman Mao visited Hangzhou again. The person in charge of the reception this time was Chen Liyun. He did not mention Song Paul's affairs at all, but on the grounds of enjoying the scenery of Jiangnan. He took Chairman Mao around the West Lake.
Chairman Mao had heard of Song Paul's experience and was not in a good mood along the way. Seeing that he was not in high spirits, Chen Liyun couldn't help but be embarrassed, so he squeezed out a little smile and said that he had arranged a Peking Opera performance for the Chairman.
Unexpectedly, Chairman Mao asked bluntly: Why didn’t Song Paul come?
Chen Liyun explained with a tough bullet: "He is a cancer of socialism." He also told Paul Song of two major crimes.
One of them is to Chiang Kai-shek .
During the Republic of China, there were countless powerful people who invited Paul Song to his home to sing opera, and most of the military and political circles were his listeners.
Once, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Soong Mei-ling wanted to listen to Peking Opera, so they invited Paul Song. Coincidentally, Chiang Kai-shek's first call was also "The Second Entering the Palace".
The same wonderful performance, Song Paul naturally won the appreciation of Soong Mei-ling. After singing, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife shook hands with him and took photos as a souvenir.
This happened many years ago. Now, when I came up with it, Chairman Mao was so angry: "If this is the case, I have shaken hands with Paul Song and Chiang Kai-shek."
If I continue to entangle like this, most of China will fall into it.
Chen Liyun also said that the second evidence of Paul Song’s crime was that he once treated Zhou Fohai’s seal.
After the throat was injured, Paul Song devoted himself to learning calligraphy and painting. He was skillful and skillful, and he also had great experience in the treatment of sealing. At that time, many people asked him to treat sealing. Some came here to see him, and some were entrusted by friends. He did a lot at that time to practice, but he couldn't figure it out at all.
Chairman Mao looked at Chen Liyun and explained in every way, as if he had to press Paul Song on the pillar of shame. He asked, "Whether Chiang Kai-shek or Zhou Fohai at that time, they were all people with great authority at that time. If they had any requests, how could Paul Song resist?" Chen Liyun was speechless when he asked.
Finally, under the repeated inquiries of Chairman Mao, the soulmate, the cadres in Hangzhou were not able to escape again. Paul Song, who had lived in the cowshed for three years, was finally released.
In his later years, Paul Song's pursuit of opera art became increasingly strong, and he still performed on stage at an age of over 90. The breath is stable and fascinating, without any old age.
Perhaps it was because he had accumulated a good mentality after experiencing strong winds and waves. Paul Song lived until 2017. He was always talked about his close friendship with Chairman Mao.
