This article was published in the "Sanlian Life Weekly" No. 50, 2018, the original title of the article is "New York "Old Cannon" Zhou Longzhang", it is strictly forbidden to reprint privately, infringement will be investigated.
Zhou Longzhang and Zhong Chuhong in their youth
It is said that "when you go to New York to mix the world, you can't always go around the vein of Zhou Longzhang." From the mid-1970s to the beginning of the 21st century, all the stars and famous non-famous artists in the Chinese literary and art circles, who wanted to appear on stage in New York, were almost always Zhou Longzhang behind the scenes. As a result, he added a hat of "the godfather of Chinese art in New York". Of course, this hat, he himself did not recognize, he said, this title should be given to Zhang Beihai is.
In 2016, Zhou Longzhang collected his 40 years of experience into a book, talking about the rise and fall of Chinese in New York in the past 40 years. Among them, the most is the "deep gossip" of Teresa Teng, Luo Dayou, Faye Wong and others in New York that year. He writes funny and measured. Domestically, the name of the book is "Dream of New York". For decades, Zhou Longzhang said that he did not believe in God, but believed in fate: "Everything is fate, and half a point is not by people." Speaking about the topic of "success," he summed it up as: "In right time, in right place, do right thing," and "by right person."
"Life is 'gods, tigers, dogs.'" Zhou Longzhang said.
"He suffers, he is freed from suffering, he is saved; he helps, he helps, he helps others." In the preface to the book "Dream of New York", the great Confucian King Dingjun commented on Zhou Longzhang.
<h1>Falling</h1>
Having been drifting at sea for three days and three nights, 15-year-old Zhou Longzhang had already vomited the last grain of food in his stomach. Dragging his weak body, he sat paralyzed on the boat with his back to the small sampan, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious: How long will it take to reach Hong Kong?
Suddenly, there was a commotion on the ship. The boatmen shouted: The police are coming, go down! go down! The captain of the ship walked to the stern, lifted the toilet, and motioned for the people on the deck to enter the dark cabin under the toilet. He warned the men: "If you are caught by the police, you will be thrown into the sea." ”
The stowaways on the deck walked down one by one. Above Zhou Longzhang's head was a large canvas soaked with seawater, damp and cold. At his side was a pregnant woman with a big belly. Zhou Longzhang glanced at her, unable to tell whether the flicker in her eyes was despair or hope.
There was a "snort" from the canvas overhead, and Zhou Longzhang quickly flashed away, the canvas was cut, and the blade stabbed in.
Half a century later, when recalling this scene, Zhou Longzhang's eyes still flashed with five flavors and miscellaneous lights: "Scared to death, the atmosphere does not dare to make a sound." I was in a row with the people in the same boat, hands clasped, sweat and hair tight... Finally passed, the toilet was opened, one head after another drilled out, I took a look: Ah, all high-rise buildings, finally arrived in Hong Kong! I looked up and burst into tears. ”
"That's the wild guts of teenagers, and they don't leave themselves a way back." Later, Zhou Longzhang commented on himself that year.
In the 1960s, 15-year-old Zhou Longzhang boarded a ship from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and smuggled himself to Hong Kong because he felt rejected by his family.
Zhou Longzhang's family lineage is very prominent. Grandfather Zhou Bangjun was a celebrity in Shanghai Beach, running the Zhongxi Pharmacy, Shanghai Minyi Pharmaceutical Factory and Chinese and Western Radio, and founded the Star Chemical Co., Ltd. in 1929, which was the predecessor of "Shanghai Jahwa". The "Star" brand flower dew produced by the "Star" company is well known to everyone, and after 1949, it gradually evolved into today's "Six Gods".
Zhou Longzhang's four siblings followed their parents Zhou Wentong and Xu Huizhu to move to Taiwan shortly after the death of their mother, their father remarried, and since then they have no intention of doing business, the family property is handed over to the mother (aunt) Zhou Wenjie to manage, zhou Longzhang and his sister Zhou Fengzhang are also handed over to the mother to raise.
Zhou Longzhang, who grew up in Taiwan, has never seen the prosperity of the family in Shanghai Beach, but in Taiwan, his grandfather had to avoid life every birthday, and would hide in a house in Yangmingshan and not see anyone. But everyone will still find him, they have to give him a birthday, dozens of hundreds of staff kneel down to kowtow to him, he will give hundreds of people a yuan treasure, Zhou Longzhang will also get one.
According to the factory settings of fate, Zhou Longzhang should have grown up safely in a comfortable environment, read, inherited the family business, and became a happy young owner.
In Taipei in the 1950s, there was a lack of entertainment forms. There is a Yongle Theater near the Zhou family, and there are Peking Opera performances every night. From the age of two, my grandfather carried Zhou Longzhang to the theater to watch a play, and he would cry and follow the stage.
After growing up, Zhou Longzhang stepped on his bicycle to see the theater every day, and then wanted to learn drama and acting.
Aunt Zhou Wenjie was a strong woman, who had served as a "legislator" of the Kuomintang Taipei City, and was a sister of Song Meiling, who was in contact with high-class figures. In the social norms of that time, drama was juxtaposed with "hanako" and "bitch", which was the most despised profession. Zhou Longzhang grew up completely out of the norms, did not love to read, wanted to be a drama, and was a bit of a "mother", which was unacceptable to Zhou Wenjie: "How can Zhou's parents and grandsons be dramatists, so lose the face of the Zhou family." Zhou Longzhang, who wanted to act, was determined to escape and go to Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, our own professionals are responsible for this batch of smuggling guests. Zhou Longzhang bought an ID card for 3500 yuan, and the boy on it was about the same age as him, named Alan Chow. Since then, he has been Alan Chow.
"I belong to the dragon, my nickname is Aaron, and my surname is Zhou, and my pronunciation is so similar to Alan Chow, it is a kind of providence." Later, Zhou Longzhang said so.
<h1>Hong Kong</h1>
When he first arrived in Hong Kong, Zhou Longzhang rented a bed on Temple Street to settle down. He finally realized his acting dream and entered the "Southern Theater Troupe" system to learn traditional Chinese drama and film performance. In addition to the principal Gu Wenzong, the teacher who taught them to perform, there were directors such as Yan Yan and He Menghua, and the dance teachers were Jiang Qing and Zheng Peipei.
After graduation, he successfully signed a contract with Shaw Pictures and began to take over the role, with a monthly remuneration of only 200 Hong Kong dollars and a 500 Hong Kong dollar bonus for starring in a play. At that time, He Menghua directed the "Journey to the West" series, which required a small actor to play Sun Wukong, and Gu Wenzong introduced Zhou Longzhang to He Menghua. After receiving the offer, Zhou Longzhang hid in the toilet and cried happily.
In order to play Sun Wukong well, he ran to the Hong Kong Botanical Garden every day to observe the life habits of monkeys, and after a few months, he became a monkey. In the following two years, he starred in the movies "Pansi Cave" and "Daughter Country". However, the movie is red, but the people are not red. Directors such as Hu Jinquan and Zhang Che have analyzed with Zhou Longzhang: he is too short, has no conditions for being a star, and it is difficult to stand out.
In 1971, Zhou Longzhang decided to quit the show business circle and go to North America to study.
In the interview, talking about the short star career, Zhou Longzhang has no regrets, only relief: "I thank God for letting me have this wisdom, at such a young age, when I have played the protagonist, I see my weakness and can walk away immediately, which is a big wisdom." ”
In fact, he didn't like the movie world: "It's too hard. I don't have the energy to waste my time fighting with people. The entertainment industry is not like a painter, in the face of a piece of drawing paper, love how to draw how to draw. In the entertainment industry, up and down, everyone can be involved in your future, which is incredible. ”
"I've acted, I've got what I wanted, it's timely, everything is just right." Zhou Longzhang said.
<h1>New York</h1>
In 1971, Zhou Longzhang went to Toronto, Canada to study hotel management. Half a year later, because the second brother Zhou Meizhang studied in New York, Zhou Longzhang transferred from Toronto to New York. When he first arrived in New York, he had only $80 on him. Two months later, with the help of Zhou Meizhang and his aunt Zhou Wenjie, he opened a small gift shop of less than 20 square meters on 14th Street in Manhattan, and has since taken root in New York.
Outside of work, he runs a "Dragon Dance Troupe", and together with a few friends, performs Chinese dance and drama in the local Chinatown community on weekends or holidays, and also teaches dance and drama.
In 1975, there were already 800,000 Chinese in New York, but there was no art community dedicated to serving the Chinese community. The U.S. government encouraged the promotion of multiculturalism, and a representative of the Federal Arts Council in New York approached Zhou Longzhang, hoping that he would lead the establishment of a Chinese art society. This year, with the support of the U.S. government, the American-Chinese Art Association was established, with Zhou Longzhang as its director. Since then, his life has been changed.
Zhou Longzhang recalled that at that time, There was only one Chinatown in New York, which probably included four or five streets; now, there are four Chinatowns in the United States.
In the 1970s, the U.S. government planned the "Manhattan Tower" in the heart of Broadway into an apartment for low-income artists to rent, and as an important staff member of the American-Chinese Art Association, Zhou Longzhang also applied for a set. Since then, in this apartment, Artists such as Tan Dun and Chen Danqing have come and gone, "no white ding" in and out.
In the 1970s, the 42nd Street area was one of New York's most chaotic areas, with surprisingly high crime rates, drug dealers, prostitutes, gangsters, sex stores and yellow theaters. New Yorkers refer to the area between 34th and 59th Streets as "Hell's Kitchen." Here, Zhou Longzhang personally witnessed his companions being shot and killed by gangsters who were robbed, and also witnessed the gradual development of New York's art town and the bustling center of the city.
From 1975 to 1979, before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the complicated relations between the mainland and Taiwan and Hong Kong provided the United States and China with the space to show their skills. "At that time, the mainland was not yet open, Taiwan very much wanted to win the international market, it just so happened that we were in New York, the US government also provided funds, we had the ability to do some formalities, and the United States and China played a very important role in the communication between the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong." Zhou Longzhang recalled. As a result, under the influence of various synergies, the United States and China have gradually become a bridge of communication between China and the United States, between the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Since the 1980s, artists on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have almost always sought help from the United States when they first arrived in the United States. Well-known artists and entertainers who want to enter world-class art halls such as Lincoln Center, or perform at other well-known art centers in New York, are also handled by Zhou Longzhang.
"Lincoln Center in the '80s wasn't like it is now, where you could rent space with money." Zhou Longzhang said. According to Chen Danqing, at that time, there were more than 200 large and small activities every year: "As long as the famous actors of all artistic disciplines on both sides of the strait -- acting, opera, movies, music -- as long as anyone wants to come to New York for a while and a half, to ask for a true and false statement, go around and not have a doorway, but anyone who touches the vein of Zhou Longzhang will have a drama and a gain." ”
Over the past thirty or forty years, Zhou Longzhang has accumulated a lot of anecdotes about stars. In "Lights New York People", many side sketches of these big stars were recorded.
In 1990, Luo Dayou went to New York, and Zhou Longzhang gave him a concert at the annual outdoor arts festival at Lincoln Center. This year, Luo Dayou founded a music factory in New York, signed two new artists, Wang Jingwen (Faye Wong) and dolls, and brought them to New York for training. Zhou Longzhang was responsible for finding school for the two newcomers to sign up for performance and vocal music, driving them every day and receiving them for more than half a year. Faye Wong in Zhou Longzhang's eyes has a "ghost temper that is incredibly cool".
He said Zhang Ziyi: "Only 21 years old, small, especially that face is only the size of a slap, Qing Qing Xiu, say beautiful, say beauty can not be talked about, people are really harmonious, there is no habit of the film industry, but a bit of a brutal princess temperament." ”
He recounted Teresa's life before her death. The big star admired by thousands of people, in his eyes, is a teenager who wants to come out to support his family, does not love vanity and does not like famous brands, hedonistic "bitter people": "Like Teresa Teng, hundreds of millions of people worship her, love her, and listen to her songs." The result? As a result, she was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in a hotel, calling every day should not be, calling the ground without doors, and a person died. Is this a big joke for life? ”
Chen Danqing said of Zhou Longzhang: "It was he who led me to the ground of New York, to appreciate the absurdity, emptiness and joy of the showbiz circle and even various fame and fortune circles, and to see the greatness and indecency of overseas Chinese." ”
In the eyes of outsiders, Meihua has unlimited scenery and fragrant clothes, but in fact, Meihua's funds are mainly funded by the federal government and state speakers every year, with hundreds of activities a year, and the funding of 70,000 or 80,000 US dollars is really very limited. Therefore, Zhou Longzhang thought of asking rich Chinese in New York to "adopt": "For example, Gu Zhengqiu came, Mei Baojiu came, and the ticket holders here are scrambling to adopt." This adoption first-class ticket, that adoption accommodation. I usually choose people with big houses and arrange to stay in their homes, which is better than hotels and hotels. ”
When Fu Cong came, he had to choose a good piano at home; When Ma Youyou came, he always lived in his sister and brother-in-law's house in Boston, and Meihua paid for the ticket from Boston to New York; Hu Jinquan came to New York, mostly living in Zhang Beihai's (note: the author of the novel "Xia Cain") home, and the two wine fairies boiled wine on heroes.
More people came to New York and lived in Zhou Longzhang's house. Zhou Longzhang's home has only one room and one living room, and when the guests come, he lets the guests sleep in the bed and sleep on the sofa or floor by themselves.
In 1990, Meihua invited Zhang Junqiu, a famous Peking opera player from mainland China, and Gu Zhengqiu, a famous dan from Taiwan, to the United States to perform "Dream in the Garden" on the same stage at Lincoln Center, and awarded them the "Lifetime Achievement Award". The "Double Autumn" gathering in New York, starring in North America, was rumored to be a grand event by the Pear Garden, which in itself was also regarded as a symbol of unity in the context of cross-strait relations at that time. However, backstage that year, Zhou Longzhang was accused of "deliberate provocation". In order to ensure the smooth progress of the activity, Zhou Longzhang knelt down on the spot in the background to clarify his heart. Due to emotional excesses and overwork, one of his ears was bleeding profusely on the spot, and later, this ear became deaf forever.
From 1975 to the present, for 40 years, Zhou Longzhang's positioning of himself has always been "running dragon sets". Luo Dayou said a sentence, what is Zhou Longzhang? Zhou Longzhang is a running dragon set. My job is to run dragon sets for all the big people and make them run round and full. Zhou Longzhang summed up his work in this way.
<h1>Dream</h1>
Perhaps because of his long-term dealings with celebrities, Zhou Longzhang always shows special humility in the process of interacting with people.
"He always behaved particularly low-key and humble, saying what he had done as if it were of little value, but would praise the achievements of others very sincerely and enthusiastically." A friend next to him said.
Chen Meijun, a documentary filmmaker in the United States, feels that Zhou Longzhang is a "Jia Baoyu" character: "He always appears in a posture of serving others, is particularly good to girls, and takes care of girls very thoughtfully." ”
In 1990, Chen Meijun came to the United States to study, and went to New York in the summer to visit her sister who worked in the United States and China, so she became acquainted with Zhou Longzhang. Meihua's office consisted of only two people: Zhou Longzhang and his assistant. Chen Meijun is still impressed by Zhou Longzhang's simultaneous answering of the phone in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Chen Meijun said that Zhou Longzhang was a warm and hospitable person: "He would call me and tell me that he missed you, I haven't seen you for a long time, you come to New York to live in my house." 」 He was generous in offering places to stay and good friends. She jokingly called Zhou Longzhang's home a "celebrity nest": "A small one-bedroom and one-room, but very warm." ”
At the end of the 1990s, Chen Meijun set out to shoot "Mei Lanfang's World", and she hoped to promote Peking Opera to Western society in the form of a film. She invited Zhou Longzhang to participate in the filming of the film, explaining the history of Peking Opera, peking opera knowledge and playing Mei Lanfang.
In the book "Dream of New York", referring to this work, Zhou Longzhang used a consistent self-effacing tone: "Frankly speaking, how can I, how can I perform the style of a generation of masters?" ...... In this regard, I can only say that among Mei Lanfang's many documentaries, this is definitely not the best one, it is just one of the many bold deeds in my life. ”
However, in Chen Meijun's eyes, Zhou Longzhang was the most suitable candidate. Since coming to New York in the 1970s, Zhou Longzhang has been very active in community activities. One of his favorite things to do is to go to schools and introduce Peking Opera to American students.
"He will draw people into the world of Peking Opera in a relaxed and engaging way; his most proud character is the Monkey King, and he will perform the Monkey King to his students, but his favorite is Danjiao. He is a person who brings together Chinese and Western cultures, and it is most appropriate for him to introduce Peking Opera and Mei Lanfang. Chen Meijun said.
In the process of shooting, Zhou Longzhang was extremely serious, and a shot was reshot 20 times without changing color.
"Mei Lanfang's World" participated in the Berlin Film Festival in 2000, Chen Meijun and Zhou Longzhang went to Berlin to walk the red carpet together, Zhou Longzhang wore a pure white Gucci suit, very proudly told Chen Meijun, Zhang Guorong also wore such a set. Chen Meijun said that Zhou Longzhang likes to collect brand-name sunglasses, "he has 100 pairs of sunglasses."
Established in the late 1970s and until the early 2000s, U.S.-China has been the best choice for Chinese artists to venture into New York. In the 1990s, the U.S. economy was growing rapidly, and governments at all levels in the United States subsidized the American-Chinese Arts Association every year, with a maximum of more than 100,000 US dollars, in addition to corporate sponsorship. Zhou Longzhang is careful to operate, and the long-term staff in addition to Zhou Longzhang is his secretary, and the activities are held temporarily hired by staff or volunteers. He runs the bar "Pansi Cave" in New York, and the income is also used to support Meihua and artist friends. After the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. government cut subsidies, and the U.S. and Chinese operating funds also fell sharply, and from time to time they had to raise funds through fundraising.
"Take it one step at a time, what to eat." This is Zhou Longzhang's summary of the foothold, development and management of his generation of Chinese in New York.
After 2000, with the enhancement of China's national strength, exchanges with the world became more and more frequent, and there were more and more performing arts institutions facing Chinese in New York. The new generation of "new drifters" who came to New York all brought some money with them, and they all arranged the things after coming to the United States very well, learning painting, learning music, and relying less and less on the United States and China.
Zhou Longzhang keenly observes the changes of the times, and occasionally, he will joke to himself that he has "passed".
In 2010, the first "New York Chinese Film Festival" was held at Lincoln Center. In the following three years (2011-2013), the festival was held for three consecutive years. In 2014, due to the lack of funds and complicated personnel, it came to an abrupt end. It was not until 2017 that the fifth edition was finally successful.
"It's hard to pass, knock out teeth and swallow blood." Zhou Longzhang described his work this way. He said that in the past 40 years, he has done small things: "Be particularly careful, do small things well, it is not easy to do them for 40 years." ”
Over the past 40 years, all the famous figures in the Chinese literary and art circles, from Tong Zhiling, Zhang Junqiu, Gu Zhengqiu, Pei Yanling to Zhao Wei, Zhang Ziyi, Wu Xiubo, etc., have all been invited by Zhou Longzhang to walk on the red carpet of lincoln art center. From drama to film, Zhou Longzhang has been diligently promoting the spread of Chinese culture overseas.
"He was as beautiful as an adult." In the preface to the book "Dream of New York", Wang Dingjun commented on Zhou Longzhang. Mr. Wang Dingjun greatly appreciated Zhou Longzhang's way of dealing with the world and the etiquette of treating people and things: "Falling generously, tolerating dissidents, eliminating mustard, being able to reconcile Sino-Foreign relations, circumventing mainstream society, adapting to the temperament of artists, achieving their performance activities, and enabling Huayang people to understand or appreciate more Chinese art." ”
Zhou Longzhang said that in fact, for more than 40 years, 90% of the artists that Meihua has contacted and helped have been nameless and nameless. Celebrities, celebrities, only 10% of their jobs. The book "Dream of New York" gives people the impression that the celebrities around him are gathered, but it is only because "the book is fun, and whoever is red will write it!" ”
When it comes to his own know-how of doing things, Zhou Longzhang has only one word - sincerity. He not only accompanies and guards these first-class artists, but also accompanies and helps their families. Chen Danqing lived in Beijing for more than ten years, her mother was in New York, and Zhou Longzhang took care of her until her death.
In Zhou Longzhang's eyes, the things on the rivers and lakes are nothing more than "you can get by, I can get by, everyone is high and high, and it will pass."
Chen Danqing said that Zhou Longzhang was his "personal professor": "Without Longzhang, I can't imagine how people can survive like loach in the American rivers and lakes." ”
Few people mention that in New York, the environment is so complicated and survival is so difficult, Zhou Longzhang also read a master's degree in theater art from Columbia University; just as a 15-year-old teenager smuggled from Taiwan to Hong Kong, took refuge in Temple Street, and did not forget to complete the art education course of Zhuhai University.
In recent years, Zhou Longzhang has often returned to China, and every time he returns to China, he will praise China's development from the bottom of his heart, and sincerely feel that China has developed particularly fast and well. He said: "For so many years, after taking one step at a time, seeing tricks and tricks, sometimes I still feel that overseas Chinese are second-class citizens, so whenever Chinese must be angry." ”
Before the publication of "Dream New York", Zhou Longzhang originally had no idea of publishing a book. When the publisher asked him for a manuscript, he suddenly found that this was a good opportunity to summarize 40 years.
"I don't want others to write about me, if I want to write, I will write it myself." He said.
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