Lee KuChan
In a basement converted interrogation room in the Red Building of Peking University, Li Kuchan was tied to a torture bench by Wuhuada. It was the 28th day of his arrest, and the Japanese gendarmerie Shōsa Uemura Yoshirai interrogated Li Kuchan again, "You just need to give a little useful clue and let you go back." You are a representative of Chinese culture and want to contribute to the common prosperity of Greater East Asia! ”
"What greater East Asia co-prosperity? Your Japanese culture originated in China, and what is the common prosperity of Greater East Asia when you go to your cultural parents to burn and kill and plunder? Without Chinese invented chinese characters you Uemura Kirai four words do not know how to write! Li Kuchan's answer was as stiff as ever.
Many people know Li Kuchan, perhaps because he is a master of modern freehand Chinese painting, perhaps because he is a disciple of Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong, and even because of his entanglement with his ex-wife Ling Songlin. But few people know that this master of Chinese painting in yangchun and white snow almost sacrificed his life for the war of resistance.
However, the legend of Li Kuchan is more than that. In 1950, when Chairman Mao's secretary, Comrade Tian Jiaying, was entrusted to visit Li Kuchan, he collected information on this master-level figure in the field of Chinese painting. With the deepening of understanding, Tian Jiaying could not help but wonder whether the painter's name was chosen to reflect his life.
Xu Beihong
In 1899, Li Kuchan was born in Gaotang, Shandong Province, to an ordinary peasant family. Although the family was not rich, his parents still saved money and sent him to the school to study and read, and other homework Li Kuchan learned so-so, only painting was quite talented.
In 1916, at the age of 17, Li Kuchan left his hometown to study at Liaocheng Provincial No. 2 Middle School, where he studied painting with Sun Zhanqun. The "talent" thing does not care whether you are from a poor family or a famous family, Li Kuchan's family has not had a literate person in the past few generations, let alone good at painting, but Li Kuchan's talent in painting has amazed his teachers.
When Sun Zhanqun graduated from middle school, he suggested that Li Kuchan go to Beiping to continue to study painting and not to bury this talent.
When the 20-year-old Li Kuchan first arrived in Beiping, he touched the only four pieces of ocean in his pocket to make sure that he would have to find a place to eat before studying school.
Jobs with more money and less work cannot be found for a while and a half. Standing in the flow of people coming and going in Beiping City, Li Kuchan found several men dressed in white robes running around with rickshaws. His eyes lit up, "I can't do anything else, I still have a lot of strength." ”
Li Kuchan works
Li Kuchan pulled up a rickshaw in Beiping City, and could not afford to stay in the inn at night, so he settled down at the Ciyin Temple on the outskirts of Beiping. With a fixed income, he began to look for opportunities to learn to paint.
Following the instructions of the people, he came to the vicinity of Peking University and met a young man wearing a long shirt at the gate of Peking University. This person was Xu Beihong, Li Kuchan's Western painting teacher, but at that time, Li Kuchan did not know that the two were about to have a teacher-student relationship.
"Is painting taught here?" I wanted to see how painting worked. Li Kuchan, a stunned Shandong boy, said.
Xu Beihong glanced at Li Kuchan, who was dressed in tatters, "Yes, you come with me." No one expected that this chance encounter would open a new door for Li Kuchan's paintings.
Although Li Kuchan did not study with Xu Beihong for a long time, he accurately grasped Xu Beihong's painting concept, "The best of the ancient law is kept, the desperation is followed, the poor are changed, the insufficient are increased, and the Western paintings are absorbed." ”
In the decades since, Xu Beihong's view of "annexing China and the West" has been guiding Li Kuchan's creative thinking, forming a thick and unrestrained freehand style later.
Li Kuchan followed Xu Beihong to study Western painting in the Red Chamber of Peking University and finally "opened his eyes", pencils and oil paint can paint, brushes and shovels can also paint, and the things drawn with these tools, whether it is people or animals, are vivid.
Li Kuchan, who desperately absorbed painting knowledge, was still a little sad, and the cost of learning to paint was really not generally high. In order to continue his studies, he had to work a few more jobs.
Classes take place during the day and continue pulling rickshaws at night. The world is chaotic, there are fewer people out of the car at night, li kuchan can make more money. Although he occasionally encountered robberies, Li Kuchan was not afraid if he had kung fu in his body.
With the help of the Work-study Institute in France, Li Kuchan also found a job at the Xishan factory. The students here were divided into two groups, and Li Kuchan's partner was Chairman Mao, who later became famous.
Li Kuchan and teacher Qi Baishi
In 1922, Li Kuchan was admitted to the Western Painting Department of the National Beijing School of Fine Arts, and at the same time studied Chinese painting under Qi Baishi. When there was no class at school, he followed Qi Baishi.
Qi Baishi is very "slamming the door", but he is very partial to Li Kuchan. Not only did he often stay at home to eat, but he was also given painting materials. Accompanied by the teacher, lecturing on books and paintings, and talking about the past and the present, this period of time was a rare happy time in the first half of Li Kuchan's life.
During this period, Li Kuchan was still very poor, but he acted extremely correctly. After studying with Qi Baishi for several years, his imitation of Qi Baishi's works has become almost chaotic, and outsiders can't tell the difference at all. At that time, some Qi disciples copied the teacher's paintings and sold them overseas, and they could sell them for a high price, but Li Kuchan never did such a thing despite his poverty.
Qi Baishi praised him, "Bitter Zen is not a true disciple", and personally inscribed on Li Kuchan's paintings to increase the price of his works. Among Qi Baishi's many disciples, he valued Li Kuchan the most, not only because Li Kuchan worked extremely hard, but also because he valued the value of others.
In 1925, Li Kuchan graduated and was employed as beijing normal school and Baoding Second Normal School. But he still often went to Qi Baishi's house, and it was also here that Li Kuchan met his second wife, Ling Songlin, in this life, but this marriage became a hidden pain in the second half of his life.
Qi Baishi and Li Kuchan
Ling Songlin was born into the Manchurian nobility, and the family also had a small influence in Beiping. From a young age, she was accustomed to being sought after, so that she did not look up to those sons from the family. When she went to Qi Baishi's house to visit the teacher, Li Kuchan was also at the teacher's place.
Ling Songlin had long heard of this eldest disciple under the master's disciple, and when she saw it today, she only felt that although this master brother was talented, he was very generous, which was completely different from those family disciples who behaved frivolously. Miss Ling, who was as proud as a peacock, was moved.
Ling Songlin was bold and enthusiastic, and made it clear that she was hinting at the master brother. Helplessly, Li Kuchan was a person who did not understand the style, and his whole attention was focused on painting, and he did not understand that the delicate and moving sister was flirting with him.
Li Kuchan's incomprehensible style has become upright in Ling Songlin's view, "Master brother is actually a gentleman who does not sit in disorder." She simply confessed directly to Li Kuchan that she was willing to be in love with her brother like a Mandarin duck.
Li Kuchan was surprised, his feelings were actually more surprised than surprised. He couldn't understand how this fashionable and elegant girl could look at him? But Ling Songlin's enthusiasm and persistence made him not study any more, and they officially began to communicate.
Ling Songlin
In 1928, the two married with the blessings of relatives and friends. This was also a good story at that time, Li Kuchan gradually emerged in the painting world, Ling Songlin was originally a rich family, and the two men and women looked very compatible.
But the so-called "Qi Da is not even", the two come from different backgrounds, from living habits to life attitudes are different. Ling Songlin's family is rich, she is accustomed to luxury in clothes and jade food, and she has never had the concept of money, let alone run a family. And Li Kuchan was born into poverty, frugal from an early age, and refused to waste a porridge or a meal.
The two of them ate together, and Li Kuchan would habitually pick up and eat the rice grains, which had never been seen in Ling Songlin's circle. In addition to this, she also disliked Li Kuchan's dialect of speech, which was always full of rustic. What made her most intolerable was Li Kuchan's friends who were three religions and nine streams.
When Li Kuchan was studying, he knew a lot of low-level working people, and at that time he worked half-time and was taken care of by many co-workers. After becoming famous, he often drank with these friends.
Her husband is obviously an artist but often mixes in the city, which makes Ling Songlin feel very humiliated. After getting married, Ling Songlin soon became pregnant, and getting pregnant and having a child made her say goodbye to the figure of a young girl. It also kept her away from her original social circle. Her life was quickly filled with chores and children.
Xu Linlu, Qi Baishi, Li Kuchan
She thought that the encounter of the golden wind and jade dew was actually just a human firework of chai rice oil and salt. The more she looked at her husband, the more she felt that her face was hateful, and what had once been thick had become stupid, what had once been a taciturn had become wooden, and even her once tall and burly figure had become vulgar.
Ling Songlin's bitterness As a husband, Li Kuchan did not notice, but attracted the attention of a person. This is Li Kuchan's student Zhang Ruogu.
Zhang Ruogu was also born in a slightly cold background. Li Kuchan was deeply cared for by his mentor Qi Baishi when he was a teenager, and he also cared for his students. When he knew that Zhang Ruogu was living in poverty, he also followed the example of his mentor who often took him home for dinner, and also provided him with painting tools and devoted himself to teaching painting techniques.
It's just a pity that Zhang Ruogu's mind was not used to learn painting, but instead remembered his master and mother. Ling Songlin was already dissatisfied with Li Kuchan, and seeing that Zhang Ruogu was young and handsome and extremely pleasing to people, she secretly interacted with Zhang Ruogu privately. Until 1934, Ling Songlin publicly announced that she divorced Li Kuchan and married Zhang Ruogu.
If a man and a woman love each other and marry each other, if they find that the other party is not their favorite person, it is enough to get together and disperse, and both sides will not be ugly. But Ling Songlin and Zhang Ruogu, one is Li Kuchan's legitimate wife, and the other is a serious disciple. It is really not a glorious thing to come together like this.
Li Kuchan could forgive his wife's infidelity, and did not consider the disrespect of his disciples. In his opinion, these irreparable things would be too undignified if they were to be entangled any longer. Since there is no emotion, let each other be free, but in any case, we should not be angry with our young children.
When Li Kuchan rushed back to Beiping from the Hangzhou Art College where he was working, Ling Songlin and Zhang Ruogu had already left, the eldest son Li Hang was dirty and unattended, and the second son Li Jing, who was still in his infancy, was seriously injured and died before being sent to the hospital for treatment.
The death of the youngest son made Li Kuchan completely despair of his feelings. He hated his ex-wife for his cruel disregard for his own flesh and bones, and he also hated that he had not been able to come back early and had given his son his last life. Just when he was unable to extricate himself from the dilemma of remorse, a cannon in Beiping City woke him up.
"July 7 Incident" The Japanese army occupied Peiping! The Japanese army attacked Beiping and was resisted by the 29th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, which was the first time since the Japanese invasion of China that it suffered formal resistance from Chinese soldiers, and the Japanese army suffered serious losses. Therefore, when the city of Beiping was captured, the Japanese army strictly investigated the anti-Japanese forces in the city and strictly ordered the people to forbid the shelter of soldiers.
For a time, the city of Beiping was full of noise, many anti-Japanese patriots were arrested, and innocent people were implicated.
Although Li Kuchan is a man of great kindness and honesty, he is never ambiguous in his righteousness. As early as the "129" demonstrations, Li Kuchan began to participate in the patriotic movement and used as a cover for the patriotic movement organized by progressive students.
Li Kuchan in his youth
When the country and the nation are in danger, how can he indulge in the private feelings of his children? When the Japanese "Shinmin Association" found Li Kuchan, he said that he was experiencing great changes in his family, had no intention of working, could not hold any position, and only wanted to recuperate behind closed doors at home. Please don't bother again.
The Japanese returned in vain, annoyed but helpless. In fact, It is true that Li Kuchan's home is not convenient for people to visit, but not because this honest man wants to "heal his heartbreak", but because he has a special guest in his home. This person's name was Yuan Xiangfeng, who was a defender of the 29th Army, who was rescued by Li Kuchan due to his wounds and hid in his home.
Li Kuchan closed the door in order to cover the revolutionary fighters. But he could not always keep people at home, and just when he had no choice but to do anything, his friend Huang Qinan helped him introduce a person, Huang Hao, director of the Pingjin Special Commissioner of the Eighth Route Army and hebei military region.
With the help of Huang Hao, Yuan Xiangfeng was successfully sent out of the city. Li Kuchan had long wanted to join the revolution, but he had been suffering from no way out, but now he finally found an organization and immediately asked Huang Hao to go to the base area to participate in the revolution.
Li Kuchan calligraphy works
However, Huang Hao let Li Kuchan stay on the hidden front in Beiping. Although the real knife and real gun fight on the battlefield is painful, the battle between the hidden fronts in the rear is even more dangerous. Li Kuchan's identity is the best cover, and staying in Beiping can play a greater role.
Since then, Li Kuchan has begun his "secret agent career", using his home as a liaison station to provide safe logistical support for comrades from all over the world. Use your identity to provide medical supplies to frontline combat troops.
Despite all his care, his actions aroused the suspicion of the Japanese gendarmerie, and in 1939 Li Kuchan was taken to the basement of the Red House of Peking University, the place where Li Kuchan's dream was realized, which had long since become unrecognizable, and the Japanese had changed it into a torture room.
Li Kuchan's diary records his experiences in prison after his arrest
All kinds of torture took turns, and Li Kuchan suffered a lot, "At the beginning it was very painful, and it was better to die than to die." And then I went numb.
I felt like I had become two people, with a little man who was exactly like me who could walk freely, and I didn't hurt when he walked outside, and I woke up as soon as he came back. ”
No matter how the enemy tortured him, Li Kuchan did not say a word. The longer it went on, the smaller and smaller he felt that he could get out alive, and he was dead anyway, but fortunately he was cursing. The Japanese were scolded and ashamed, but they were helpless because they had no evidence, and they had the intention to kill this stubborn man and jealous of his identity.
On the 28th day after Li Kuchan's imprisonment, the Japanese returned home for political needs and pressure from all walks of life. But all his actions are under surveillance.
Li Kuchan and son Li Yan
How can this be done? Don't you have another chance to serve the country? At a time when Li Kuchan was anxious and uneasy, Huang Qinan brought him a new task of organizing - selling paintings.
Li Ku zen blessed his soul and instantly understood the intention of the organization. At this time, the War of Resistance was difficult, and the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army had been lacking medical treatment. What is most lacking in the organization is money, and with money you can buy equipment, buy grain and medicine, and run schools in the base areas.
His identity is almost exposed, and then engaging in underground work is not only dangerous but also easy to affect comrades. If you can use your fame to make more money, it will also contribute to the revolution and the War of Resistance!
In 1940, Tianjin Wei came to a father and son who sold paintings, painting well, people are more interesting. Within a few days, the works brought by the father and son were snapped up, but the strange thing is that the two men dressed plainly when they came, and when they returned, they were still poor. Where did all the money they made from selling paintings go?
These two men were Li Kuchan and Li Hang's father and son, and of course the huge sums of money from their painting sales had long been handed over to the underground party and taken to the front and rear, turning them into bullets that penetrated the enemy's heart and rice grain into the people's wombs.
In 1942, Li Kuchan took Li Hang to Jinan to hold a painting exhibition, and his purpose was of course to sell paintings to raise money, but what he did not expect was that here he met a lover who would accompany him for life.
Wedding photo of Li Kuchan and Li Huiwen
Over the past few years, Li Kuchan has spent all his energy on "making money" and taking care of his son, and his marriage with Ling Songlin has brought him indelible pain, not that he can't forget his ex-wife, but he is sad about the early death of his young son, and he does not want to have emotional experience again.
At the exhibition in Jinan, a middle-aged couple came up, mr. Li Shengsan's wife was named Lu Peiyun, and both of them were teachers. They are very fond of Li Kuchan's paintings, especially Li Shengsan himself is also a person who can paint, and he is even more admired for Li Kuchan's paintings.
A friend who knew the two families well said to Li Shengsan, "You appreciate bitter Zen so much, why don't you let the relationship between the two families go further?" ”
It turned out that there was a young lady in the Li family named Huiwen, who was in the period of return. Miss Li's beauty is also a graduate of the Nursing College, and many high-ranking officials and rich businessmen come to ask for marriage. But the Li couple did not want their daughter to marry into the high gate, but only wanted to find a reliable and knowledgeable white family.
Li Kuchan's conditions were very much in line with the Li family's criteria for choosing a son-in-law, and they consulted their daughter.D. Li Huiwen also found it very desirable to understand Li Kuchan's personality. But I didn't expect that this family affair was stuck here in Li Kuchan.
Li Huiwen is young and beautiful, and he is already a confused year, how can he match? Once bitten by a snake for ten years, he was afraid of the well rope, and in his lifetime, he only wanted to raise Li Hang well and make a small contribution to the struggle of the country and the nation. He didn't want to be hurt by love.
However, despite the enthusiasm of the introducer, Li Kuchan still met with Li Huiwen, and through contact with Li Kuchan, he found that Li Huiwen was indeed a different girl. She is gentle and calm, careful and thoughtful, although she is 20 years younger than herself, both in terms of thinking and attitude towards life, the two views are surprisingly consistent.
In the autumn of 1942, Li Kuchan and Li Huiwen held a wedding ceremony in Jinan. After marriage, Li Huiwen followed Li Kuchan north to Beiping and has been with him ever since. Even after experiencing all kinds of tribulations in the future, they have never let go of the hands they shook each other, and they have never abandoned them.
Lee Wai Man and granddaughter
Li Huiwen understands her husband and truly supports her husband. During the most difficult times, she would rather save the family's rations than prepare a gift for her husband's students to return home.
And Li Kuchan changed from a straight Shandong guy to a stubborn Shandong old man. He still won't be able to greet me and me, spend the moon before and after, and some are just the ironing and care for his wife in chai rice oil and salt.
In June 1983, Li Kuchan died of illness. Some people say that he has responded to the word "bitter" in his name, but Mr. Kuchan has never considered himself "bitter".
He is willing to suffer for the country, he dares to resist unfair treatment, and he will never linger on those who are not worthy. His life has always been frank and dashing, and such a life is not as xu Beihong's evaluation of him as "full of fun and full of vitality".
After his death, his wife Li Huiwen still adhered to the legacy of his lover and "made a modest contribution to the country". On behalf of his family, Li Huiwen donated 405 works and collections of Li Lao's life to the state free of charge, and the value of this wealth is now immeasurable.
In 2009, Li Huiwen also left. Before she died, her granddaughter asked her grandmother, "Did you fall in love with my grandfather at first sight?" The old man smiled and looked into the distance, and said for a long time, "Good others, honest!" ”
Lee Kung-Zen Images