On October 16, the last performance of the large-scale drama "Heroic Sons and Daughters" of Shanghai Drama Art Center welcomed a group of special audiences - 15 Chinese People's Volunteer Army veterans with an average age of 87.8 years, Huang Jianhua, Peng Yan, Liu Jiaxiang, Yang Zhihua, Wu Yonglin, Zhang Xuezhong, Wu Wuwei, Chen Hongxiu, Xu Niankui, Yan Huaijian, Chen Ze, Zhang Jianqun, Zhu Junxian, Cheng Zhiqing, and Zhang Qihua focused on watching the performance, as if they were back to the battlefield of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea more than 70 years ago.
On the afternoon of September 6, when "Heroic Sons and Daughters" issued a rare "ticket gift" rule in the performance market: veteran soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army can make an appointment by phone to enjoy 2 performance gift tickets for each person. At 8 o'clock that night, the phone ringing of the Shangdian Marketing Department rang. Zhu Jiang, the head of ticket sales at Shangdian, recalled: "On the day of the invoice, many orders flooded online, and tickets were made for a special line, until the overtime was late at night, and no dedicated line phone was received. At that time, we were thinking that this ticket information was released through the Internet. It may take several days for the old soldier of Volunteer Army to know. As a result, the phone rang after 8 o'clock, which was a young voice. He said that he immediately told his grandfather after seeing the content released by Shangdian. When his grandfather knew about it, he was very excited and asked how to book the ticket. This was the first appointment we received."
In a month, 25 veteran volunteer soldiers submitted an appointment application to Shangdian. At 12 noon on October 16, two hours before the performance, the person in charge and staff of each relevant department and representatives of the crew were waiting for the arrival of this special audience at the main entrance of the theater No. 288 Anfu Road. At one pm, veteran volunteer soldiers arrived at the theater one after another, and many people wore military medals and commemorative medals. The crew of "Heroes' Children" put a big red flower on them, just like the hero flower that contained the power of the people in the rear before they went to war.
88-year-old artillery Xu Niankui appeared in the Shangdian Theater with Volunteer Army souvenirs. Among them was a rice spoon made with a cannonball barrel. "Run around at high intensity every day, chopsticks are too easy to lose. We use fragments of the cannonball barrel to create 'Sugla', which means 'spoon' in Korean. Such a rice spoon can be stuffed into the pocket of the top."
1951, 17-year-old Xu Niankui was assigned to the 6th Regiment of the 21st Regiment of the 7th Artillery Division as deputy platoon leader and entered North Korea to fight. Before going to the battlefield, Xu Niankui wrote a letter to his mother in Shanghai, "There will always be bloody and sacrifice. If I sacrifice, it will be for the peace of the motherland and the happiness of the people. It is great and glorious." On the battlefield, Xu Niankui stayed on the front line to overcome difficulties such as water and food shortages, and guided the strike points for the artillery. Some of his comrades were exposed to the gun position and some connected to the telephone line with their bodies. He also won the third-class merit twice.
89-year-old Air Force soldier Wu Yonglin worked at the Fuzhou Road Bookstore in Shanghai before joining the army. He signed up for the fight against the U.S. aggression and aid Korea . He still remembers that after the Gezhi Middle School episode, he wore a big red flower and took dozens of buses to Nanjing Road directly to Shanghai North Station . "There are crowds along the way, and everyone waved the national flag to see off the volunteer army. I will never forget it." In December 1951, Wu Yonglin crossed the Yalu River and changed from a document to an oil producer. He risked the bombing and shooting of enemy planes to get oil, and then sent the oil to each team. After returning to Shanghai after demobilization, Wu Yonglin was engaged in the research and development of industrial aerosols, and his product won the National Exhibition Gold Award. "No matter which position we are in, we insist on the 'three unbelieves' - we do not believe in the task that cannot be completed, do not believe in the difficulties that cannot be overcome, and do not believe in the enemy that cannot be defeated."
85-year-old Chen Ze resonates particularly with the role of "Heroic Children" Wang Fang . In the spring of 1951, 14-year-old Chen Ze became a member of the 77th Division of the 26th Army of the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army. "We collected the heroic deeds of each unit, wrote and directed them, and performed in various forms such as quick-pronged , crosstalk, live-streaming dramas, instrumental music performances, songs and dances. When the soldiers met the art team, they were like meeting relatives. Every program was applauded warmly, and they often shouted, 'Come another one!'"
Liu Xiaohong accompanied his 91-year-old mother Chen Hongxiu to watch "Heroic Sons and Daughters". Chen Hongxiu was once a confidential member of the 16th Army.Liu Xiaohong's words represent the voice of the old soldiers of the Volunteer Army and their families. "We are very excited to see the reappearance of the history of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea on the stage. I hope more young people will enter the theater, watch "Heroes, Children", learn the heroic spirit, and contribute to the construction of our country."
plays Wang Cheng Liu Xuanrui said: "To play a hero in front of real heroes is a challenge for me. 'Heroes' is not only a title, but also a spiritual symbol. The actors of "Heroes" conduct military training, quick-pinning, Jingyun drum , Korean patriarch drum and other trainings in two months. Many times They all rely on the words and deeds of the older generation to inspire each other. Performing in front of real heroes is like reporting performances, and we as juniors reassure our predecessors. In the new era, we have taken over the mission and inherited the heroic spirit in the heroic city of Shanghai. "Liu Peng, who plays Wang Cheng's father, has another mood: "I play Wang Fubiao, an ordinary worker in Shanghai at that time. The old soldiers who are watching the show today may learn about the assistance from the rear through newspapers and letters from home. I want to show them the determination of the Shanghai people to 'pay money and people' at that time', so that the heroes on and off the stage will also see the unknown heroes in this city."
The lights are getting dim, and the whistle sound of the train sounds again, and the heroes on and off the stage will return to those glorious years. The drama "Heroic Sons and Daughters" is recreated and adapted from the novel "Reunion" by Ba Jin and the movie "Heroic Sons and Daughters" of the same name filmed by Changchun Film Studio . It tells the story of Shanghai-born volunteer soldiers Wang Cheng and Wang Fang's brothers and sisters who rushed to the battlefield to fight bravely. After Wang Cheng died heroically, Wang Fang met and reunited with his adoptive father Wang Fubiao and his biological father Wang Wenqing on the battlefield.
After the performance, Liu Xuanrui went on stage to speak, "As an actor, it is a happy and lucky to be able to play Wang Cheng. It is much more difficult to become a hero than acting." He introduced to the audience, "Today we welcome a group of special guests to the performance - the veteran volunteer soldiers of the Volunteer Army who participated in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea and their families." The audience stood up and applauded, paid tribute to the heroes. The veteran volunteer soldiers stood up and waved their hands, and said loudly, "Thank you everyone."
column editor: Shi Chenlu Text editor: Shi Chenlu
Picture source: Photo provided by the organizer
Source: Author: Zhuge Yi
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