The Southwest United Congress invited Lao She to give a speech
Lao She
On May 3, 1946, all the teachers and students of the Department of Chinese Literature of Southwest United University took a group photo
Old shadow of Green Lake Park Biyi Pavilion
Lao She (1899~1966), modern Chinese novelist, writer, language master, People's Artist, screenwriter of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, formerly known as Shu Qingchun, Zi Sheyu, and pen names such as Xiao Qing, Honglai, and Fei I. Lao She was born in Lichun, and his parents named him "Qingchun", which contains the meaning of celebrating the coming of spring and the bright prospects. After going to school, he changed his name to Shu Sheyu, which means "abandoning himself". Lao She is the first writer in New China to win the title of "People's Artist", and his representative works include "Camel Xiangzi", "Four Generations Together", "Zhenghong Flag", the script "Tea House", "Longsugou" and so on.
From August 26 to November 10, 1941, Lao She was invited by the Southwest United Congress to yunnan for two and a half months to lecture, recuperate and travel. In his essays written in the 1940s, Lao She recorded the scenery, friendship and various novel and beautiful impressions of Yunnan in the essays "The Short Story of Dian Xing" and "Eight Winds and Rains". In his essay "The Dream of "Living"" written after the founding of New China, he still did not forget to list Kunming as one of the ideal livable places in his mind.
"Special Guests" of the Unidentified General Assembly
Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Lao She's long-term toil and malnutrition have caused his already not-so-strong body to suffer from illness - when he was teaching at the University of London in the 1920s, Lao She, who was poorly paid, fell ill with stomach diseases, and the old diseases became more and more rampant in the turbulent life of the war. In the winter of 1940, he suffered from dizziness caused by anemia, and often even struggled to write, so that he later simply self-deprecatingly named the collection of short stories published in 1944 "Anemia Collection".
In June 1941, Professor Luo Changpei, director of the Department of Literature of the Southwest United States, went to Chongqing to visit Lao She and brought an invitation letter from the Southwest United University to invite Lao She to give a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. At 9:30 a.m. on August 26, 1941, a plane from Chongqing landed at Kunming Wujiaba Airport. Lao She, then director of the General Affairs Department of the Chinese Literary and Art Circles Anti-Enemy Association, flew to Kunming accompanied by his close friend Luo Changpei and embarked on a two-and-a-half-month trip to Yunnan.
Regarding the origin of this trip to Yunnan, Luo Changpei, who has a good general angle with Lao She, recalled: "In the hot and steamy climate of The Capital, I am afraid that he is too stuffy and panicked, and I want to ask him to come to Kunming to breathe and change the air, even if it is a short period of one or two months, can't you also hide this sad summer?" Of course, more than that, it comes from the admiration of the people of Southwest United University for the prestige of Lao She. Although Mei Yiqi, member of the Standing Committee and chairman of the School Affairs Committee of Southwest United University, and Lao She met each other for the first time, they saw each other as they always did, and they greatly admired his spirit and personality of supporting the "Cultural Association." In the face of the sincere invitation of new friends and old friends, Lao She gladly agreed and made it clear: "The weather in Kunming is good, and I have many old friends, and I am very willing to go." ”
Kunming's quiet show is gratifying
It's like being in a clear dream
Lao She loves his hometown of Beiping, in the war years filled with smoke, every time he goes to a strange place, he often can't help but think of his long-lost hometown, and can't help but compare the Beiping he misses. Lao She came to Yunnan for the first time, Kunming, an ancient city in the southwest thousands of miles away, left a good impression on him:
I like the green lake that is more beautiful than The Shichahai Sea, and I like the Kunming Lake, which is the real lake, not a small puddle of water, like the man-made one under the Beiping Wanshou Mountain. The soil is red, the pine is green, the sky is blue, and the outside of Kunming is full of oil paintings.
Carrying a small bag, walking slowly along the river embankment, the scenery is both like Jiangnan and not Jiangnan; a bit like the north, but not exactly like the north; making people happy, as if they are in a clear dream...
Kunming's architecture is most similar to Beiping, although there are more buildings than Beiping, but the thickness of the walls and the carvings of rafters are like "Beijing school".
Lao She, who has loved flowers all his life and is good at gardening, sincerely praises Kunming, which blooms in all seasons:
Beiping pays attention to planting flowers, but the sun is too strong in summer, and the wind and snow in winter are extremely cold, and it is not easy to raise flowers well. Kunming is like spring all year round, even if it is not carefully cultivated, there are still flowers everywhere. There are many trees in Beiping, but if it does not rain for a long time, the leaves are as gray as gray, which is unpleasant. There are many trees in Kunming, and there are squirrels beating on the trees! Into the eyes of the thick green, so that people's hearts are quiet, I always stand upstairs and look at the distance, I always think that Kunming Jingxiu is gratifying...
After the first meeting, Lao She left footprints in Yuantong Mountain, Daguanlou, Golden Hall, Black Dragon Pond and other places. The beauty inside and outside the Grand View Building also amazed him:
White clouds in the sky, green mountains in the distance, and a lake of autumn water in front of people, so that people can't even bother to write poetry. I have to think about it when I write a poem, but the beautiful scenery melts people's hearts into the landscape and flowers, like feeling something, and it seems to be dazed and ignorant, I am afraid that there is this kind of joy when sitting by the lake, right? At this time, I also have to find words to write poetry, maybe a little stupid.
Of course, Lao She's trip is by no means limited to sightseeing. In addition to the beautiful scenery, he was always concerned about the literary and artistic career in the southwest frontier: "I have a pen. This pen is my capital and my weapon against the enemy. In Kunming, his dizziness was alleviated, and the long-shelved drama "Earth Dragon Snake" was finally completed.
Baume & Mercier Indigo Lane
At that time, at No. 3 Indigo Lane near Kunming Cuihu Lake, celebrities gathered. In the spring of 1938, the Institute of History and Linguistics of the Academia Sinica traveled west from Nanjing all the way south, and temporarily settled here, presided over by Chen Yinke and Zhao Yuanren, and later became the dormitory of professors of Southwest United University.
Indigo Lane is an alley with only two or three families, nearby Yunnan University and Sino-French University, so there are always many young men and women reading, walking and rowing in the green lake in front of the alley. "Kunming is very quiet, here is the quietest; on the evening of the moon, no one seems to want to make a sound." (Lao She's "Short Notes on Dian Xing")
Before the arrival of Lao She, Indigo Lane had brought together many giants of various disciplines, including philosophers Tang Yongtong and Feng Youlan, historian Zheng Tianting, statistician Xu Baolu, linguist Yuan Jiahua and many other disciplines. After the arrival of Lao She, the frequent visitors added Yang Zhensheng, Wen Yiduo, Shen Congwen, Bian Zhilin, Zhu Ziqing, Luo Bing and many other literary and artistic celebrities, and the small Indigo Lane became a "literary and artistic home" for a while.
In the chaotic era of different genres and different views, Lao She was able to stand out among many famous artists and be elected as the executive director and director of the general affairs department of the "Cultural Association", which shows his good popularity. During this period, Lao She tried his best to run for the "Literary Association", tirelessly coordinated the affairs of all parties, and repeatedly won a call for the treatment of writers' fees. Although the material life of the celebrities in Indigo Lane is bitter, the spiritual world is very rich, and Lao She once said: "If you have friends, you are not afraid of poverty." I'm poor, my life is unstable, but I'm not lonely. "They would meet together to eat the cheapest small restaurants in the surrounding area, sing Kunqu opera together for their own amusement in their leisure time, and those who were good at cooking would occasionally make two small dishes, sell a few pieces of wine, bake a few cans of local tea, and talk about what time it was around the charcoal basin... The addition of Lao She has brought a lot of vitality and fun to this alley where celebrities gather. Lao She's language is witty, funny and humorous, and he is always the one who is respected and brings happiness to people among the celebrities. Occasionally, if you have a little money, you will go to Huashan Road for a cup of coffee. The Lao She in the seat still did not forget to play the strengths of his language master, imitating the accent of southern Hebei, which provoked everyone to use this dialect to dialogue, so that the waiters on the side could not help but smack their mouths and smile.
In Kunming, Lao She is often the object of "preferential treatment". During his time in Kunming, he mostly accompanied his ill friend Luo Changpei to live in the countryside, Baotai Mountain in Longquan Town, about twenty miles from the city. Here, Lao She cleans and washes hands-on, and often makes tea to entertain visiting friends. Under extremely limited conditions, Feng Youlan, Luo Bingzhong, Cha Fuxi, Zhao Luorui, Chen Mengjia and his wife still enthusiastically presented their hometown feasts, and tried their best to "beat the tooth sacrifice" for this literary person who "did not know the taste of meat in March". Years later, Lao She still praised Feng Youlan's family's Henan pancake. As his health improved, the creation of the drama "Earth Dragon and Snake" was put back on the agenda, and every time he wrote a scene, Lao She would read it to his friends and listen to his opinions modestly.
Lao She, who has always been concerned about literature and art in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, naturally will not forget the duties of the director of the General Affairs Department of the "Cultural Association", and he has extensive contacts with people in the literary and art circles in Yunnan and has a deep understanding of the local literary and artistic situation. At the Southwest United Congress, he was invited to give several speeches entitled "The Development of Literature and Art Since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," and improvised his new work "Sword North Chapter" in his speech, which was full of inspiring patriotic enthusiasm. The engaging speech was repeatedly interrupted by the bombing of Japanese aircraft, but after the "running alarm", the audience gathered again to listen.
Luo Changpei recalled that on a monthly starless night when Lao She was leaving Yunnan, the friends of Indigo Lane accompanied him back from the street, crossed the lakeshore, and walked in the moon to chat. Just turned the corner of the Jade Dragon Pile and Cuihu North Road, suddenly saw a person in the moonlight, carrying a cloth pocket, looking down and walking alone, fixed his eyes on it, it turned out to be Mei Yiqi. He had a bottle of Shaoxing wine in his pocket and was preparing to go to Indigo Lane to find Lao She to drink. However, late at night, I couldn't find the next dish, and I only bought a little dried tofu and peanut rice in a hurry, but under the scene of Si Shi Si di and this situation, the taste of this little thing was really more delicious than the delicacy. After three cups and two lights, Lao She's box was wider, until the moon shadow tilted to the west, and the friends reluctantly sent him to the west of the slope. The gentleman's friendship is as light as water, and Lao She's trip has not lived up to the original intention of President Mei's invitation: "We ask Mr. Shu to take a trip, not only for him, but also for the literary and art circles!" ”
Shimonoseki and Kishu tour
The tranquil beauty of cangshan erhai
In October 1941, Lao She was accompanied by Cha Fuxi to Give a lecture at Huazhong University in Xizhou, Dali. Cha Fuxi was born in the Navy and was then the manager of Kunming Eurasian Airlines. Although he is an "aviation man", he is also a highly skilled guqinist. Under the introduction of Luo Changpei, Lao She and Cha Fuxi danced a sword and played the piano, and soon became the confidants of the music appreciation. Hearing that Lao She had longed for the beauty of the Cangshan Erhai Sea, Cha Fuxi volunteered to express his willingness to travel together. On the occasion of his departure, Lao She said excitedly: "Although the friends of the United Nations University have been in Kunming for two or three years, they have rarely been to Dali. Everyone hopes that our plan will come true. ”
However, the smoke of wartime and the rugged roads made this longing trip full of dangers, and on the third day of the trip, the car was still circling in the mountains, even if the driver was bold and careful, it was inevitable to worry. Lao She truly recorded the road conditions on the way from Kunming to Dali at that time, and did not forget to admire the novel beauty in front of him after being nervous:
Most of the mountains do not have strange peaks, but they are thick and pleasant; the white clouds move lightly in the sky, and the green mountains are bright.
Lao She recorded the situation of the next level:
A small city, at this end of the Erhai Sea, through the city, the right hand is the Erhai Sea, the left hand is the Cangshan Mountain, the scenery is quite beautiful... Under the sunny sun, everyone calmly does things, making people feel safe and quiet.
The snow in Cangshan Mountains turned into a clear stream, the water was light green, everywhere around the stone, turning up white flowers, the sound and color of the water, a bit like Switzerland.
From Dali to Xizhou, Lao She and Cha Fuxi hired two skating poles to slowly travel. "On the way to Xizhou Town, the left is the mountain, the right is the Erhai Sea, and I am really in the picture."
Four years ago, Lao She was forced to abandon his home and go south in the 1937 war, and his first stop was Huazhong University in Wuhan. At this time, the university has moved to Xizhou, and Lao She has been able to reunite with many old friends in this quiet town, and the mood is not to be said. At Huazhong University, Lao She was invited to give a speech entitled "On literature and art of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression" for teachers and students. Later, he was invited to give a lecture at Wutai Middle School, where many teachers and local gentry sat and accompanied him. The principal kept the meal attentively and waited for a long time, and after the speech, a cup of milk and two rice dumplings prepared in advance were brought to the podium, but in full view of everyone, Lao She felt that he was embarrassed, and "thanked him" for this kindness on the grounds of not drinking milk, and he actually spent an empty night without taking a penny.
On the way back to Kunming from Xizhou, Lao She was recognized while waiting for the bus at Xiaguan, which immediately caused a sensation in the city. Invited by local literary youth and the Shimonoseki office on the Burma Highway, he decided to give a speech at the office's club, and the audience was full, with people standing outside and in the aisles. Lao She lamented the literary and artistic enthusiasm of the staff of this club located on the erhai Sea and could enjoy the victory of the landscape as soon as they went out, and also appealed to the majority of writers for the scarcity of local literary and artistic resources.
Looking back on this trip to Yunnan, Lao She is still unfinished. The quiet beauty of Kunming's oil paintings, the clarity of Dali Cangshan Erhai, the friendship of the celebrities of Indigo Lane and the enthusiasm of Yunnan literary and artistic youth are deeply preserved in Lao She's heart. (Li Yuli, Editorial Department of New Literary Historical Materials, People's Literature Publishing House)