Dai Ailian is one of the pioneers and founders of contemporary Chinese dance art, and the second wife of the famous painter Ye Qianyu, and their marriage began during the War of Resistance Against Japan and lasted for ten years. Many people have heard about the story of Ye Qianyu and Dai Ailian. Ma Guoliang, the author of this article, is a mutual friend of the two, and he recounts the past of the two artists.
Brother Ye Qianyu once wrote "The Four Men of Love and Resentment", which is part of his memoirs. The full text describes his experiences with the four ladies before and after. Straightforward and frank, as human. After all, it was decades ago. Some facts are wrong or leaky, and it is common sense. Here I would like to add some information about Dai Ailian.
Ye Qianyu paints Dai Ailian Dance "Dance of the Servants"
In his article, Asayoshi said, "One day in the spring of 1940, the League for the Defense of China, headed by Soong Ching-ling, sent Song's secretary, Sister Liao Mengxing, to come to me and say that Mrs. Sun was going to raise a fund for the purchase of medical equipment for Yan'an International Hospital, and specially invited a chinese dancer from England to Hong Kong, Dai Ailian, to hold a performance, hoping that I would give support in publicity. And said that Dai Ailian Media practiced dancing in a dance hall in the white sky, and asked him to go and write a little sketch writing for the poster of the dance party. He went as promised, and later introduced her to some literary and artistic circles.
Asayoshi and Dai Ailian know that the correct process should be as follows:
In the spring of 1940, my friend Lin Shengqi, a pianist, said to me one day that there was a Chinese girl from South America, named Dai Ailian, who was a ballet dancer who practiced in a dance hall every day, and he played her accompaniment and asked me if I was interested in getting to know her. Lin and I are old friends, and we have collaborated on some songs. After the fall of Hong Kong, he was conductor of the China Symphony Orchestra and professor at the National Conservatory of Music in Chongqing. He is also a composer and has long been internationally renowned. His name has been included in the Cambridge Dictionary of World Celebrities in The United Kingdom and the Who's Who in Chicago.
Ye Qianyu painting Dai Ailian dance "Jiarong Cocktail Party"
I was very happy to hear Lin Shengxi's words. At that time, the "Liangyou Pictorial" that was originally published in Hong Kong had been discontinued, and I and my former editorial colleagues Li Qing, Ding Cong, and Li Xudan, who were originally in Liangyou, were compiling and publishing "Dadi Pictorial". I first thought that ballet is a good subject for pictorials, especially Chinese dance ballet, which is even rarer. So the next morning I went to the dance hall by appointment, and Yu Lin introduced me to Dai Ailian. That day I remember Lin playing a prelude by Chopin, and Dai Ailian was dancing a dance that looked like a gleaning movement. Dai Ailian did not know Chinese at that time, and we could only converse in English. She gave me the impression of being very frank and very talkative. She told me that she had not long been in Hong Kong, and her life was boring and undesirable, mainly because she had no friends, felt lonely, and wanted to go home. Her feelings are understandable. She couldn't talk about Chinese painting, and ballet was still unpopular in Hong Kong at the time, and it was rare to find people who had common interests to talk about. I just think it's a pity that thousands of miles have come and gone back. At this time, in addition to planning to take some dance photos for her and publish them in the pictorial newspaper, I also thought that many of the friends who were often together were painters, and ballet was also a rare painting subject, didn't Degas in France paint a lot of ballets? Therefore, I quickly contacted Ye Qianyu, Ding Cong, Zhang Guangyu, Zhang Zhengyu and other dancers to get to know Dai Ailian. Due to the gap in speech, the main event of the day was for the painters to sketch Eileen's dance. If the painters were given the treasure, they would go to the dance hall every day. Dai Ailian was very happy, because she suddenly met a lot of people who were engaged in art work.
Ye Qianyu painting Dai Ailian dance "Vigilance"
I mentioned in my article "Meeting With Eileen", "I introduced her to my friends who worked in art with whom I often spent time. Art is like a magnet, and all the people associated with it are immediately absorbed together. From this moment on, Eileen became a member of our gang. She dismissed the idea of returning to South America. "That's what happened.
The relationship between Asayoshi and Eileen develops rapidly. Asayoshi gave the Chongqing Central Military Commission an pictorial newspaper "China Today" for anti-Japanese propaganda, and I edited the "Dadi Pictorial" in the same room, and met day and night. Asahiro's English proficiency at that time was not very good, and I asked Asahiro, "Do you talk to Ai Lian like this?" He held up an English dictionary on his desk, smiled and said, "By this." ”
It's really romantic.
Ye Qianyu painting Dai Ailian dance "Gleaning Girl"
Soon they announced their marriage and everyone had a meal. The main marriage is Mrs. Sun Song Qingling, and I am the introducer of the fake bag, Dai Ailian has always called me Watch-maken (matchmaker).
Since then, whenever Dai Ailian held a dance party, our group of people have worked together to bow to her. The paintings that can be drawn, the writing that can be written, and the propaganda articles on the newspapers are all our handwriting. During the performance, the curtain is drawn backstage, mostly by Asayoshi. There was no electric curtain at that time, and Asayoshi was indeed the youngest of us, not because he was Eileen's husband.
Ye Qianyu paints Dai Ailian dance "Homesick Song"
Asayoshi is a beautiful man. Not only was he heroic, his eyes sparkling and mighty; even when he stripped naked, he had strong and well-proportioned limbs, and was a standard model. Asayoshi mentions that Liang Baibo and Dai Ailian are in love with him, saying that they are both female initiatives. This should be the truth. Asayoshi has expertise, status and fame, and is a beautiful man, and is the best choice for smart girls.
Unfortunately, Asahiro is not a good husband, so that even if he loses many battles in the occasion of marriage, he still cannot avoid repeated defeats.
Ye Qianyu paints Dai Ailian dance "Dumb Back Crazy Woman"
Wang Renmei said that Asahiro was a good painter, but not a good husband. This comment is probably also admitted by Asahiro. I can add that he is also not a considerate man either. When Asayoshi and Eileen were in love, they often engaged in various artistic activities with our group, eating, drinking and having fun together. When the night was over and people had to disperse, Asahiro handed Eileen to me and asked me to take her home, saying that she and I lived in Happy Valley (a lot in Hong Kong). This excuse is against the laws of love. When in love, the man's sending the girl home is not only obligatory, but not to give in. There was a popular song in the United States in the 1930s called Find the Long Way To Go Home, which means that I deliberately take a long detour home so that I can snuggle up for a little longer and talk more. Asayoshi is really a Lu man in this regard.
My wife Ma Sisun also told me about one thing: During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the 1940s, when Dai Ailian performed in Chengdu, Ma Sisun played the piano for her to accompany. Later, we went to Qingcheng Mountain together (accompanied by Ma Sicong and his wife, Li Xiongcai, etc.). When walking across a chain bridge, AiLian was terrified and staggered. At this time, Asahiro turned a blind eye and did not help. My wife had to go over and help her, and walked across the bridge step by step. The wife said that asagiri, who was the husband, stood idly by and could not believe it.
In 1947, Ye Qianyu and Dai Ailian took a group photo in Shanghai
Asayoshi treats women this way and that way, and we seem to be able to forgive him, and we know he didn't mean it. Art was his first life. He can ignore love for artistic creation, and he cannot ignore art for love. From a cartoonist to a master of Chinese painting, he became the head of the Chinese painting department of the highest art school in China, and his hard learning process was witnessed by all of us friends who had been close to him for a long time. Knowing his old age, he still worked tirelessly to create. His spirit of art makes him look self-contained in other ways, and he will not deliberately deal with women for a long time. I believe that when he handed Eileen to me to take her home, he returned to his quarters instead of falling asleep upside down, but continuing to pick up his paintbrush. Because that was when Asayoshi was practicing the basics with all his might. He and other painters organized "human painting clubs" and set up a studio in the aisles, where they all drew sketches at night. Asayoshi's accumulation of more than 2,000 sketchbooks also began. Art first, the women around him can't tolerate him like this for a long time. The strongest women also need frequent gentle caresses and meticulous thoughtfulness. I guess that's what made the partner next to her finally leave him disappointed. Even Wang Renmei, who is always old, has actually left him emotionally.
In 1949, Dai Ailian, Ye Mingming, and Ye Qianyu lived in Beiping
Except for Luo Caiyun, who was combined with Asayu by the order of her parents, the other three were all talented women, and they were all accomplished painters, dancers, and movie stars. Art pulls them together and also prompts them to break apart. Asayoshi should have a virtuous wife who understands art and loves art, but does not engage in art, she should be willing to give everything she has to Asayoshi, let Asayo concentrate on his artistic creation, and she does not worry about the entanglement of her children's private feelings, but feels joy and satisfaction from Asayu's artistic achievements, and feels that it is the greatest compensation. Unfortunately, Luo Caiyun did not, and could not take on this role.
Asayoshi and Eileen's divorce, friends say I am a failed Match-maken, which makes me feel wronged. When Asahiro became "Wang Lao Wu" again. In the twilight years, there should be more need for someone to accompany.
Dai Ailian's dance teaching
It is said that Eileen still cares about him. A friend has tried to make them conform, but has not yet succeeded. Two years ago, the poet Zhou Liangpei wrote to me in Kunming, saying that Dai Ailian had visited him because of his incident. Eileen knew that he and I often exchanged letters, so she wrote her address in Beijing and asked him to forward it to me. At that time, I did not immediately write to Eileen, and soon even the address was lost. Today, when I think back to this time, I should quickly find out Eileen's address and write to her to see if I can get "rehabilitated" this failed Match-maken.
April 1991 in Hong Kong
This article is written by Ma Guoliang
Original title: "Talking about Ye Qianyu and Dai Ailian - Feeling the Four People of Love and Resentment"
Graphic Editor: Stay old
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