Meng Xiaodong
In 1950, the 18th Kennedy Terrace, Hong Kong, was illuminated with lights and guests gathered. It turned out that the 63-year-old old Shanghai tycoon Du Yuesheng was holding a 17-carat Colombian emerald ring, preparing to marry her fifth wife.
Du Yuesheng at this time is no longer the old boss Du who could cover the sky with one hand in Greater Shanghai. Not only is financially strangled, but his health is deteriorating and he is bedridden all day long. Logically speaking, it would never take great pains to set up a banquet, so who on earth made Boss Du marry?
At this time, Du Yuesheng, who has moved to Hong Kong, is wearing a robe and mandarin, standing in the middle of the living room. The emerald ring in his hand weighs 17 carats and is surrounded by 16 diamonds, which is dazzling. This is his fifth place for himself. Mrs. carefully prepared.
The ring given to Meng Xiaodong by Du Yuesheng
Although this new lady is over forty, she is still well-proportioned and has a beautiful face. She is not a fan. She is full of heroism between her brows. She is wearing a brand-new piping cheongsam, standing in Du Yuesheng. Everyone around her respectfully called her "Boss Meng".
Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng
It turns out that she is Meng Xiaodong, who is well-known in the Peking Opera industry. Regarding this wedding, the book "Out of the Smoke and Dust of History" records the memories of Du Yuesheng's son Du Weishan .
"On the day of the wedding, Meng Xiaodong was very happy, and his chronically ill father rarely had this day... After Meng Xiaodong married his father, we called her'Mummy' and our mother called Niangniang... .. Meng Xiaodong was very beautiful when she was young. She used to smoke a lot of cigarettes, but this did not affect her singing skills."-Du Weishan
A year ago, Du Yuesheng and his family moved into No. 18 Kennedy Terrace, Hong Kong. This was also the last. A "Du Mansion", but there is no scene and style.
wives, concubines, grandchildren, housekeepers and servants, a large group of people crowded into a three-bedroom house. It is said that in the end, people were separated from the stairs and balcony.
For Du Yuesheng, what is worse than economic distress is his debilitating body. At that time, his asthma became more and more serious, making him bedridden all day long, accompanied by Mingluo smoke.
At this time, it was Meng Xiaodong who was taking good care of Du Yuesheng's decoction. Sometimes, she would sing a few dramas beside Du Yuesheng's sickbed, which undoubtedly gave Du Yuesheng great comfort. Although the two of
do not have the name of husband and wife, they have long been married. So why does Du Yuesheng insist on holding a wedding with Meng Xiaodong at this time?
Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng
Originally, after Du Yuesheng arrived in Hong Kong, she wanted to move to France with her family. When counting the number of passport holders, Meng Xiaodong asked quietly: "I'll follow, am I a girl? Or a girlfriend?" As soon as
said this, Du Yuesheng immediately announced that he would officially marry Meng Xiaodong. In this way, 63-year-old Du Yuesheng and 43-year-old Meng Xiaodong formally married. Those who met them in Hong Kong at the time said that the two of them were very close.
Yuan Shikai’s son-in-law, the famous drama critic Xue Guanlan, once compared the beauty of Meng Xiaodong with the beauty of Xue Yanqin and Lu Lanchun of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The conclusion is that no one can compare to Meng Xiaodong.
No, for Meng Xiaodong’s words, Du Yuesheng, who was on the sick bed, could hold the wedding immediately, which is enough to show the charm of "冬皇" and the infatuation of boss Du.
But many people don't know. They have known each other for 30 years before they got married. So what kind of story has happened between the two of them in these 30 years? This starts with Shanghai in 1919.
Shanghai on the Bund in the early twentieth century
Shanghai in the early twentieth century was a paradise for adventurers. Various bizarre dramas were staged in this modern city every day.
At that time, not to mention men and women on the same stage, it is extremely rare for women to perform on stage, but the Great World Playground in the French Concession in Shanghai opened the "Qiankun Grand Theater". As the name suggests, men and women can share the same stage publicly. Singing.
Shanghai Great World PlaygroundLocation
At the end of 1919, on the stage of the big world, something more unexpected happened. With the appearance of gongs and drums to sing old drama, it was a girl who was only 12 years old.
In Shanghai, Du Yuesheng is famous for his interest in Peking Opera. He claims to be the world's number one fan of opera, and he specially invites people to teach him how to sing. His favorite is Laosheng Opera.
As for such an interesting performance on the stage, he will naturally not miss it. The audience just sang one sentence on stage, and the others came over and said: "Mr. Du, Xue Guanlan is going to watch her play, she is Meng Xiaodong."
Meng Xiaodong
It turned out that Meng Xiaodong once sang in the Xue family, two out. After the performance of the designated play, the host was in full interest and asked Meng Xiaodong to perform another "Yellow Crane Tower".
However, Meng Xiaodong had a hard time, because she had never learned the play, but adding the play meant a bonus for silver. The master had already agreed and asked Xiaodong to "drill the pot" on the spot.
Only one hour, Meng Xiaodong actually played with the gongs and drums, and the master was in the background. Meng Xiaodong was in front of the stage "now learning now for sale", and he performed smoothly and won the host of the hall. praise.
Meng Xiaodong later learned that the host of the Xue family in the audience was Yuan Shikai's son-in-law Xue Guanlan. When Xue Guanlan made an artistic summary of Meng Xiaodong's acting career in his later years, he listed the "Yellow Crane Tower" as the first of her eight masterpieces. The story of "Xue Jiatang Meeting" made Du Yuesheng even more interested in Meng Xiaodong. In just a few years, Meng Xiaodong joined "Big World" and sang "Common Stage" again, making her name in Shanghai, and Du Yuesheng became her die-hard fan.
Du Yuesheng
Once, in the backstage of "Big World", teenage Meng Xiaodong met Du Yuesheng, who was twenty years older than him. This is not the beginning of the love story, just a meeting of "fans" and "Jiaoer".
However, a report a few years later surprised the "fan", because it pointedly pointed out that his "idol" Meng Xiaodong was getting married, and the future groom was not a rich man, and It wasn't a warlord or a governor, but it was the famous Mei Lanfang.
Mei Lanfang
One is the first of the famous names in Beijing, and the other is a rising star in Shanghai. So how did the two come together?
In 1988, Mr. Weng Sizai published an article in the "Xinmin Evening News". This was the first time that the mainland media reported on Meng Xiaodong after 1949 and brought her back to people's sight.
It turned out that in December 1920, Meng Xiaodong formally entered the "Common Stage". The critics at the time praised Meng Xiaodong for being handsome, with a broad and bright voice and no female voice, which was second to none in Kun Sheng.
Over the past few years, Meng Xiaodong has become more and more famous in Shanghai, but a blockbuster news turned out. An article signed by "Ao Weng" was published in Beiyang Pictorial. The title was "About the Marriage of the Two Actresses of Mei and Meng" "Rumor", the article said:
"I heard that Xiaodong has adopted my advice and is determined to find a husband. This future groom is not a rich man, nor is it a warlord or governor, but the famous Merlin. Fang."
At first glance, this is definitely the "rumor" mentioned in the title of the article. Xiaodong is in Shanghai and Mei Lanfang is in Beijing. But how can it be possible to get married?
In fact, as early as the midwinter of 1933, in order to pursue higher artistic attainments, Meng Xiaodong chose to go north with Wusheng Bai Yukun and left Shanghai.
would rather spend dozens of dollars a day in Beijing instead of thousands of yuan a month in Shanghai. In 1925, the 18-year-old Meng Xiaodong finally knocked on the gate of Beijing. According to the present statement, Meng Xiaodong has become a "beijing drifter."
, a fashionable girl wearing a cheongsam in Beijing in the 1930s, was in Beijing at that time. The status of an actress was very low, but fortunately, Meng Xiaodong got the opportunity to learn art from various famous artists. Even after returning from studying abroad, Hu Shi, who has always opposed old dramas, also said that Meng Xiaodong “has no femininity in his figure, appearance, and workmanship. It is really great.” Then, how did Meng Xiaodong, who devoted himself to studying art, come together with Mei Lanfang What about?
"Beiyang Pictorial" clearly pointed out that the matchmaker of this marriage was not someone else, but it was Mei Lang's wife, Mei's big breast, Wang Minghua.
Wang Minghua is Mei Lanfang’s original wife. Although the two are arranged marriages, their relationship is very good after marriage, no matterMei Lanfang is inseparable from her for entertainment and daily life.
Mei Lanfang and Wang Minghua
In 1919, when Mei Lanfang went to Japan to perform with Wang Minghua, the couple was inseparable, which made the surrounding people envy.
Wang Minghua led the trend of the times and underwent sterilization after giving birth to a son and a daughter, but he did not expect that the two children died one after another due to a measles disease. After experiencing the pain of losing his son, Wang Minghua could not afford to be ill.
"Xiang Ma" is Mei Lanfang's second wife, Fu Zhifang. She used to sing in Tianqiao and was named "Tianqiao Mei Lanfang".
Mei Lanfang and Fu Zhifang
In the winter of 1921, Fu Zhifang married into Meifu. After the marriage, the relationship between the couple was also very good. Fu Zhifang gave birth to nine children for Mei Lanfang. Then, why did Mei's grandma Wang Minghua want Arrange for Meng Xiaodong to remarry into Mei's house?
It turned out that Wang Minghua was treating illness in Tianjin, while Fu Zhifang was in charge of Meifu in Beijing. The newspaper wrote vividly:
"Grandma Mei is now in the third period because of her severe lung disease. She is dying and has no hope of survival, but she never liked Fu Zhifang, so she decided to make her husband make an appointment with Meng Xiaodong. In order to continue the room, one can fulfill the long-cherished wishes of both Mei and Meng, and one can stop Fu Zhifang, so that she has no chance of righting her, and the design can be described as ingenious."
is also published on both sides of this report. The two photos of Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong are specially marked below: "Marrying Mei Lanfang of Meng Xiaodong" and "Marrying Meng Xiaodong of Mei Lanfang", it is a posture of "there is a picture and the truth".
's claim that Grandma Mei was used as a matchmaker for Mei Meng is very impressive, but in fact, the author is playing the "Spring and Autumn Style" throughout the article. On the one hand, it is stated in the title that this is a "rumor", and on the other hand it will "listen to" Said "All the things that come cannot be dispersed."
is the truth even in the newspapers. Regarding the matchmaking of Meimeng and Wang Minghua, who is already dying of illness, at this time, even if he has the intention, he is unable to do it himself. So, who else is really pushing this matter?
"Mei Dang"-Mei Lanfang's think tank
"Mei Dang" is Mei Lanfang's think tank. From art to life, Mei Lanfang has been influenced a lot by it, and she participated in Mei Lanfang's marriage. the first time. Mei Lanfang's second wife, Fu Zhifang, was brought together by Feng Gengguang, the top figure of the "Mei Party".
After the Revolution of 1911, although there were co-stars in Shanghai and other places, in Beijing’s business dramas until 1925, actresses had to work alone and could not be on the same stage with male actors. So in Beijing at that time, Mei Lanfang and Meng Don't talk about getting married, Xiaodong probably won't even have a chance to meet.
However, at a meeting in the summer of 1925, Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong actually staged a performance of "Shi Lang Visiting His Mother" on the same stage, and the audience was full of praise.
z18 We are so drunk, they feel that they are really a natural match. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could play a couple on stage and be a couple off stage? As a result, the people around Mei Meng couldn't be idle anymore.
It is said that because Fu Zhifang was dissatisfied with the "Mei Party"'s control of Mei Lanfang, and they gradually became susceptible to them, the "Mei Party" deliberately used Meng Xiaodong to suppress Fu Zhifang, so they matched it.
Some people believe that the publication of "Mei Meng Lian" in the "Beiyang Pictorial" may have been tacitly approved by the "Mei Dang" because the founder of "Beiyang Pictorial" is Feng Wuyue, Feng Gengguang's nephew.
Some people even think that this article was published under the direction of the "Mei Party", and its purpose was to prevent warlords from chasing Meng Xiaodong. That person was the long-legged general Zhang Zongchang, and it was enough to avoid Zhang Zongchang. Another secret of the "Mei Dang".
Zhang Zongchang
There was an article in the 1926 "Declaration" that was quite implicit, which pointed out: "A certain military dignitant admires Meng Xiaodong very much and desperately wants to store the golden house." At that time, in response to the Northern Expedition, Zhang Zongchang and Zhang Zuolin, Sun Chuanfang and others happened to gather in Tianjin. As for whether the "certain military dignitaries" in the report is indeed Zhang Zongchang, it is impossible to verify.
Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong
Next, Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong finally got married. plumRegardless of the number of reasons behind Meng’s combination, for the two parties, it is nothing more than the joy of the two parties.
It is said that Mei Lanfang always goes to watch Meng Xiaodong's play on weekdays. Her high-pitched singing voice and well-founded workmanship make Mei Lanfang amazed.
In the spring of 1927, Mei Lanfang, the "king of actors" and Meng Xiaodong, "the king of survivors" held a wedding at Feng Gengguang's home, which made a good story in the pear garden, but the good times didn't last long. Half a year later, a bloody murder case broke. The two lived peacefully.
What is even more unexpected is that in Mei Meng's marriage, a person appeared in a very special role. He was Du Yuesheng. So, what happened between them?
"I was suffering from my life experience, and I was hit again, so I resolutely broke away from the family relationship with Lan Fang. It was me who was in charge of others, and the world had its own justice, not waiting for winter."-Meng Xiaodong
This is 1933, Meng Xiaodong's "Important Notice" was published on the front page of "Ta Kung Pao" for three consecutive days. The combination of Mei and Mencius originally made a story about Liyuan, but why did it end in divorce?
"Either you will not marry again in the future, if you remarry, you must marry someone who stomped the ground."-Meng Xiaodong
In 1925, Meng Xiaodong brought his parents' family from Shanghai to Beijing. Just after moving to Dongsi Sanjo, there were some people. When I visited and took a look at the famous post, there were three big characters on it: Du Yuesheng.
Meng Xiaodong finds it strange that the newly moved address has not been disclosed to outsiders, so how come there are visitors? Besides, it was Du Yuesheng who came here. At this time Du Yuesheng has gradually gained fame in Shanghai. So what is the purpose of Boss Du's trip?
Du Yuesheng
In the late autumn of 1925, Du Yuesheng took two sturdy men to Beijing. As soon as he got out of the car, he began to look for the whereabouts of one person, Meng Xiaodong.
At the time, Du Yuesheng did not have Meng Xiaodong's address in Beijing, but he had his own way. Du Yuesheng first found Meng Xiaodong's performance information in the newspaper, and then asked his subordinates to hire a car to park outside the theater and enter the theater by himself. After
waited for the end of the show, he did not meet Meng Xiaodong directly, but drove secretly to the gate of Meng's mansion, and then formally visited the house the next day. Then, what made Du Yuesheng so painstakingly looking for Meng Xiaodong?
Originally, in Beijing this time, Du Yuesheng was entrusted by Huang Jinrong to look for Huang's divorced wife, Lu Lanchun. Lu Lanchun, a famous character in Shanghai in her early years, looks beautiful and pleasant. The starring "Hong Bi Yuan" has been full of seats for a long time.
Lu Lanchun
It is said that Meng Xiaodong had studied drama with Lu Lanchun at that time, so Huang Jinrong asked Du Yuesheng to go to Meng Xiaodong to try his luck. However, there was no sign of Lu Lanchun at all, but Du Yuesheng still chose to interact with Meng Xiaodong. "Boss" see you.
Goodbye Meng Xiaodong, this is not what it used to be. Standing in front of him is already an eighteen-year-old girl who has come out gracefully. Before leaving, Du Yuesheng said: "Welcome Ms. Meng to return to Shanghai as soon as possible to perform a good show", but after Du Yuesheng returned to Shanghai, what was waiting was news that Meng Xiaodong had faded out of the stage.
In 1925, Meng Xiaodong met Mei Lanfang, and the two got married a year later, making a story about Liyuan. After marriage, Meng Xiaodong stopped singing on stage.
didn't know if Du Yuesheng had already developed a good impression of Meng Xiaodong when he met Meng Xiaodong in Beijing, but at least it can be seen that he was very mindful of Meng Xiaodong. Before
left, boss Du repeatedly invited Meng Xiaodong to come back to Shanghai to perform on stage, but he did not expect that when Meng Xiaodong returned to Shanghai, he would not be on stage to sing, but sued Mei Lanfang for divorce.
Mei Lanfang
In the photo above, Mei Lanfang compares her finger to a goose head by the wall. On one side of the photo is Meng Xiaodong’s inscription: "What are you doing there?" On the other side is Mei Lan. Fang's answer: "I'm making a goose shadow here."
From this photo, you can fully feel the sweetness of Mei and Meng, so why did the two end up in divorce?
In 1931, Meng Xiaodong hired Zheng Yuxiu, a well-known female lawyer in Shanghai, and asked her to go north to fight a divorce lawsuit for herself. Why did the couple, who were originally a married couple, now quarrel in court?
Regarding the reasons for Mei Mengli’s separation, the first wasWhat people brought up was a murderous case.
On the afternoon of September 14, 1927, a young man asked to see Mei Lanfang, but before Mei Lanfang appeared, he shot loudly.
It turned out that this young man kidnapped Mei’s friend, Zhang Hanju, the manager of the "Mainland Daily", and extorted 50,000 yuan from Mei Lanfang. However, the gun accidentally escaped and hit Zhang Hanju, and the robber himself was driven to the army. The police shot dead on the spot.
's "Notice of Joint Military and Police Office" the next day clearly stated that the location of the robbery was "Feng Gengguang's home in Jiutiao Hutong, Dongsi Pailou..." The name of the criminal Li Zhigang was discovered by searching letters around him. "The reason for the robbery is to rob money.
However, the subsequent tabloids and magazines all involved one person, and that was Meng Xiaodong.
Some say that the gangster is a fan of Meng Xiaodong. Because Meng no longer acts after marrying Mei, he angered Mei Lanfang and started killing;
also said that he is actually Meng Xiaodong’s fiance. "Meng combined", Mei Lanfang is a sword to win love, while Meng Xiaodong is a widow of affection, Meng Xiaodong who is not at the scene becomes the heroine of the case. Z3z
even reported in a tabloid that Mei Lanfang almost died in the incident, so she was terrified. After going to Shanghai for a while, she gradually distanced herself from Meng Xiaodong. But is that true?
On September 28, 1927, more than ten days after the shooting, Mei Lanfang said in Tianjin’s Beiyang Pictorial: “As for the rumors, it will stop at the wise.” Facing the rumors that slandered Meng Xiaodong, Mei Lanfang did not choose to remain silent.
Wu Xingzai
, a cultural person familiar with the inside story, Wu Xingzai (pen name Huawai Ren) mentioned in his book "Information on Peking Opera":
"At that time Mei Lanfang fell in love with Meng Xiaodong, and many people thought it was very Ideal, but Mrs. Mei Fu Zhifang disagrees."-Wu Xingzai
Mei Lanfang has been hiding Meng Xiaodong in Jinwu for more than half a year. Fu Zhifang did not directly intervene in the matter, but after the shooting, she Finally he said: "Uncle's life matters." As soon as this remark came out, no one could refute it.
At the beginning of 1928, Mei Lanfang went to Tianjin to perform with Fu Zhifang. The two had been married for six or seven years, but it was the first time that Mei Lanfang took Fu Zhifang on a public trip.
It turned out that when Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong were married, Mei Lanfang told Meng Xiaodong: You don't care about things outside. However, Mei Lanfang took Fu Zhifang with him when he went out to perform. Meng Xiaodong felt that he was very shameless when seeing this. So, Meng Xiaodong, who faded out of the stage, took the stage again in Tianjin. The performance of
lasted ten days. The editor of "Tianjin Business Daily", Sha Dafeng, specially created a "Meng dialect" column, and even directly chanted "Long live my emperor" in the article. The name "Winter Emperor" spread from this. . Gradually, the "Blessing Faction" and the "Meng Meng Faction" also appeared in the "Mei Party".
At the end of 1929, Mei Lanfang began his trip to the United States. It is said that Mei Lanfang originally planned to take Meng Xiaodong with him, and many of the preparations for going to the United States were completed in Mei Meng's residence. Qi Rushan, a member of the "Mei Party" of
, often brought his children to help. His son Qi Xiang once recalled in the article: "There are many kinds of gifts to give to people in the United States. Mr. Mei drew a lot of fans, including a costume portrait of Meng Xiaodong. , Very beautiful." However, Meng Xiaodong's name did not appear in the final entourage list.
Mei Lanfang visited and performed in the United States and was a huge success, but there was a deeper rift between Mei and Meng. One wave has not settled, another wave has risen. After the performance, Mei Lanfang received the sad news of her aunt's death as soon as she returned to China. Because she had chosen two rooms at the same time, her aunt was also her mother. Mei Lanfang used her mother's funeral ceremony, and Liyuan circle artists came to express their condolences.
As the Mei family, Meng Xiaodong cut short hair and wore white flowers on his head to the Mei Mansion for funerals, but was abruptly stopped by the gate. Mei and Meng were combined for four years, but Meng Xiaodong never entered the Mei Mansion. At this time, the funeral for her aunt was the time to justify her name. Legend has it that Fu Zhifang, who was pregnant at the time, firmly disagreed and threatened Mei Lanfang with her life and forced Mei Lan. Fang made a choice, and the "king of the music industry" softened.
Meng Xiaodong
Peking Opera Laosheng played some emperors, generals, heroes and servants. Playing these characters since childhood will inadvertently affect Meng Xiaodong's character, making her stout and arrogant throughout her life.
After being humiliated in front of the Mei Mansion, Meng Xiaodong is determined to never againNo see Mei Lanfang. It is said that after Mei Lanfang went to see her, she was in the rain all night, but Meng Xiaodong did not open the door.
In the "Mei Party", the debate about whether to stay in Fu or stay in Mencius became more and more serious. In the end, Feng Gengguang's sentence was regarded as the final word for this matter.
Mei Lanfang and Feng Gengguang
Feng Gengguang said: Meng Xiaodong is proud and arrogant, she is served by others; Fu Zhifang, virtuous and gentle, she is serving others. One "serves people" and one "serves people". If you, Mei Lanfang, want to pursue greater development in art, then you must have someone like Fu Zhifang to take care of you in all your life.
"After being introduced by someone to marry Mei Lanfang, everything is subject to the introduction of the introducer. The name is determined and chosen, everyone knows. It is Lanfang's vagueness. On the day of the death of Zimu, he could not practice the preface, and the name was immediately guaranteed. To break away from the family relationship with Lan Fang, it is me who is responsible for others, and others are responsible for me. The world has its own justice, and there is no need for winter to say."-Meng Xiaodong
Meng Xiaodong, who experienced the funeral storm, was silent for a few days and determined to use divorce. End her relationship with Mei Lanfang. Therefore, there is also the aforementioned matter of Meng Xiaodong going to Shanghai to hire a lawyer.
However, in the divorce lawsuit between Mei and Meng, a third person appeared, and he was Shanghai tycoon Du Yuesheng. It is said that Du Yuesheng not only called Mei Lanfang to mediate the matter, but also paid 40,000 yuan in advance for divorce compensation. Obviously, Du Yuesheng acted as the middleman between Mei and Meng.
Du Yuesheng is famous for his liking for Peking opera. Almost all famous Peking opera artists in the Republic of China had a relationship with him. Among them, Mei Lanfang met him very early and had a deep friendship. He once played with him in the "Shi Lang Visiting Mother" Sitting in the Palace", however, the person who asked Boss Du to help this time was not Mei Lanfang, but Meng Xiaodong.
Meng Xiaodong and Yao Yulan
In fact, after breaking up with Mei Lanfang, Meng Xiaodong went to Shanghai to find her good sister Yao Yulan . Yao Yulan and Meng Xiaodong performed on the same stage many times in their early years. From liking drama to people, the two simply became sisters of Jinlan in Hankou.
At this time, Yao Yulan had become Du Yuesheng's fourth wife, so it was natural to ask Boss Du, the brother-in-law, to help. However, Du Yuesheng's care for Meng Xiaodong did not stop there.
In 1937, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Du Yuesheng and Yao Yulan moved to Hong Kong successively. In the spring of 1938, Meng Xiaodong, who was left alone in Beijing, suddenly received a letter that Du Yuesheng wrote to Meng Xiaodong through his accountant Huang Guodong in Shanghai, asking her to go to Hong Kong quickly.
Du Yuesheng did not forget Meng Xiaodong during these years of war. Huang Guodong said he clearly remembered: "Meng brought only one suitcase when he went to Hong Kong, but when he came back there were five suitcases. Du Laixin asked me to ensure Meng’s safety, especially the suitcases not to be searched by the Japanese military police. With the'special pass', he successfully passed the test." Shortly after Yu Shuyan Yu Shuyan
Meng Xiaodong returned to Beijing, he formally became a teacher of Peking Opera master Yu Shuyan and learned the old-school opera of the Tan School. In order to achieve high quality, he must first "hang down", Yu Shuyan asked Meng Xiaodong to learn again every time he plays, and he is not allowed to go on stage without the approval of his master. Yu Shuyan was seriously ill in his later years, so Meng Xiaodong often studied opera while serving on his teacher's bed.
In 1947, Du Yuesheng celebrated his 60th birthday. It happened that there was a flood in Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan and other places. Du Yuesheng decided to organize a birthday and disaster relief performance, and all the income from the performance was used for disaster relief. So he invited the famous actors of Peking opera from all over the world to gather at the Shanghai choir, and of course Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong were indispensable.
"The Chinese Theater in Shanghai organized a ten-day meeting. Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong both went to Shanghai to perform, but they did not have the same stage. For the ten-day axis, Mei Lanfang accounted for eight days, and Meng Xiaodong accounted for two days. Avoiding the embarrassment of meeting."-Du Weishan
Naturally, boss Du carefully arranged all this. Therefore, Meng Xiaodong sang "Search the Orphans and Save the Orphans" in Shanghai. Once Meng Xiaodong's "Searching for the Orphans" was finished, there was thunderous applause. She thanked the audience twice in a row, and the audience was still reluctant to leave. It was an unprecedented grand occasion. It is said that Mei Lanfang also listened to the radio for two days. Obviously, Meng Xiaodong's play is not what it used to be.
"Search the Orphans and Rescue the Orphans"
, but also different from the past, there is also the relationship between Du Yuesheng and Meng Xiaodong. This time to perform in Shanghai, Meng Xiaodong moved into a 16-story apartment as soon as he arrived in Shanghai, andDu Yuesheng lives with him. For Meng Xiaodong, boss Du is no longer a fan or brother-in-law, so when did the two come together? Regarding the combination of Du and Meng, some people say that it was a trap set by Yao Yulan. Is that really the case?
In 1937, Du Yuesheng's Golden Theater held a grand opening ceremony. It was Du Yuesheng who invited three young and beautiful Peking Opera Kun actors from Peking to cut the ribbon for the opening. The most noticeable is undoubtedly Meng Xiaodong. On the night after the
ceremony, Meng Xiaodong was invited by Yao Yulan to Lafite Square to talk about sisterhood. That night, the two of them lived in the same room and talked very late. After midnight, Meng Xiaodong felt in a daze that Yao Yulan was up, but Du Yuesheng came back.
If all this is true, Meng Xiaodong has clearly fallen into a terrible trap, and it is her good sister Yao Yulan who set this trap. According to Meng Xiaodong's resolute and arrogant character, he would definitely resist with death, but strangely, everything after that was very peaceful.
"I still keep the letter from Meng Xiaodong to my mother. The letter talks about life matters. My mother sometimes sends money to her. She has a group of friends in Beijing and often comes to Shanghai."-Du Weishan
The combination of Du and Meng is obviously more reliable than the legend, Huang Guodong’s memories of Du Yuesheng’s general ledger are obviously more reliable. He clearly wrote in the article: “After the victory of the War of Resistance, Du asked me to write to Meng again in 1946. She came to Shanghai. After Meng returned to Shanghai again, she lived with Du and lived in apartment 706 on the sixteenth floor."-Huang Guodong
Shanghai
in the 1940s show. After Du Yuesheng's disaster relief performance, Meng Xiaodong decided to bid farewell to the stage, and the situation at the time was worse than her health. At this time, Shanghai was full of people queuing up, prices soaring, and people panic. After Jiang Jingguo "played the tiger" in Shanghai, the gold dollar coupons were even more worthless.
In April 1949, Shanghai Shiliupu Wharf was crowded with retreating people. The former Shanghai tycoon Du Yuesheng only grabbed a first-class ticket.
On April 27th, Du Yuesheng took his family on the Dutch passenger ship "Baoshuyun" to Hong Kong, and people found Meng Xiaodong in the crowd.
"I guess my father has a crush on Meng Xiaodong for a long time. On the one hand, she sings very well, on the other hand, Meng Xiaodong is also very fond of his father. He often jokes in front of my father to make him happy. Meng Xiaodong still has something to do with my father. Emotional, otherwise she would not come to Hong Kong with her father.”-Du Weishan
In 1950, Du Yuesheng and Meng Xiaodong were officially married in Hong Kong, but a year after Du Meng married, Du Yuesheng died of illness. This person once went to Shanghai on the beach. After his death, he did not leave much property to his family.
After Du Yuesheng's death, the wives of each room chose his relic as a souvenir, and Meng Xiaodong chose a golden key chain that Du Yuesheng used daily. In Meng Xiaodong's view, Du Yuesheng has always had no longevity, but this key chain is probably the one that has been with him the longest.
Meng Xiaodong
After Du Yuesheng left, Meng Xiaodong became a person again. In her later years, she no longer appeared on the stage and rarely sang opera. Some fans liked Yu Pai opera, so she taught them to sing.
In 1967, she moved to Taiwan. According to Yao Yulan’s grandson, she remembered: Grandma Meng believed in Buddhism. She would be vegetarian for a few days a month and played mahjong once a week. She usually watched TV. She had two TVs to watch at the same time. Two stations.
Later, people who met Meng Xiaodong said that she had no "winter emperor" posture, but often heard her say: "Everything is over."
(Welcome to leave a message, collect attention)
