If you watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, you will definitely be impressed by such a choir.
This is a teenage choir made up of a group of children from the mountains.
Their singing voices are a bit jerky, but enough to shake people's hearts.
On the evening of February 20, the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games was held at the National Stadium. Children sing Olympic anthems. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Can
But unfortunately, we have only just met this lovely children's choir and put them on the stage behind the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
Ms. Deng Xiaolan has left this world forever.
And her story deserves to be known to each of us.
01▼ Descendants of Malan
Although Deng Xiaolan was born in the war-torn years, he grew up in a warm and harmonious family.
Her mother, Ding Yilan, was one of the broadcasters of the founding ceremony.
His father, Deng Tuo, was then the director and editor-in-chief of the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily, and he led his comrades to guerrilla warfare in the mountains while running a newspaper.
At that time, the "Jin-Cha-Ji Daily" was the predecessor of the "People's Daily".
During the "anti-sweeping" period, the Japanese army found out the hiding place of the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily in the Maran area, and was determined to carry out a major cleansing.
In order to cover the newspaper, 19 people in Malan and nearby villagers died heroically, and none of them leaked secrets.
It was also in that year that Deng Xiaolan's parents gave birth to her in Malan.
Just after birth, Deng Xiaolan was placed in a nearby farmhouse and grew up to 3 years old.
Before the age of three, Deng Xiaolan did not remember much.
All she remembered was that Maran was a place of poverty, and the children wiped their butts with pebbles after going to the toilet.
However, the Ganniang family regarded Deng Xiaolan as if they were very affectionate and loved.
Until she returned to the arms of her parents, she still kept the objects she had used, reluctant to move.
After Deng Xiaolan was taken back, his father personally carved three seals.
One of them was engraved with the words "Descendants of Ma Lan" and handed it over to Deng Xiaolan by hand.
After returning to his parents, Deng Xiaolan and the five brothers and sisters spent a warm and happy youth.
My mother loved to sing, and my father, though he rarely sang, loved music. When I was in the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily, I also wrote lyrics.
The brothers and sisters learned to play and sing from an early age, and they could perform together when the family gathered, which was very cheerful.
She has been keeping a recording of a family concert in 1957.
Younger siblings can be heard singing "Three Fishes," "Flower Butterfly, and Great Leap Forward Song."
Mom sang "Guerrilla Song", and Dad sang his own poem "Lei Feng" in Fuzhou's characteristic singing tune.
Music has flowed in Deng Xiaolan's blood since childhood.
In 1955, Mr. and Mrs. Deng Tuo took a group photo with 5 children
But she never forgot the weight of the seal.
Deng Xiaolan felt that her life began with Ma Lan, which was the continuation of the lives of those martyrs who sacrificed.
She was going to take their will and do something for this little village.
02▼ "Do you sing?" ”
In 2003, the old comrades of the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily wanted to erect a monument in Malan.
As a junior, Deng Xiaolan took the initiative to take on this heavy responsibility, climbed the mountain, took pictures, and simply lived in Malan.
When the monument was completed, Deng Xiaolan accompanied the old people of the newspaper back to Malan, and at that time, the Young Pioneers of Malan Elementary School also went.
After the event, Deng Xiaolan said: "Can you sing?" Let's sing a song to my grandparents. ”
The children below were silent.
"The national anthem is always sung, right?"
Finally two children raised their hands, but they sang out of tune.
People who have experienced the War of Resistance will not be unaware of the power of song.
Now that we have entered a new era, the children here cannot do without music.
Therefore, Deng Xiaolan decided to teach the children to sing.
From Beijing, take a train for an hour and a half to Dingzhou, Hebei Province.
Then change the long-distance bus for three hours to Fuping County, and then transfer to the bus to the villages.
After a bumpy walk, we finally reached the small simple bus shelter at the entrance of the village of Malan.
This is a road that Deng Xiaolan is familiar with, rain or shine, and it has been 18 years since he left.
03▼ The sound of nature in the mountains
Poor, too poor.
When he first came here, Malan's ruin was in full view.
Houses are leaky, and when it rains, the home is clanging, not to mention what good education the children can get.
Deng Xiaolan couldn't see Ma Lan badly.
She found her siblings and raised funds to renovate 4 dangerous houses in the primary school into 7 school buildings;
She began to call on the village to "build a lot of construction" and built water flushing toilets for the villagers.
She also built a classroom for the children and bought tables, chairs, and benches out of her own pocket.
Greatly improved quality of life.
In 2006, Deng Xiaolan formed the "Malan Little Band" to encourage the children in the village to join in.
There was a little boy named Bai Wei, who was notoriously naughty in the class.
When Deng Xiaolan asked who would like to learn guitar, he was the first to raise his hand high.
The students all said that the teacher should not choose him, he was the most naughty.
But Bai Wei did not think so: "The teacher likes naughty students." ”
Coming to the band, Bai Wei became a good guitarist.
Not only that, but he also brought three other little boys with him, who together became the core strength of the band.
Violinist Chen Xin comes from a poor single-parent family.
His father worked alone to support his family, leaving Chen Xin and his grandmother alone.
Chen Xin has been very sensible since he was a child, never asked for anything from his family, and a piece of clothing was also worn and worn.
But when he came to the Malan Small Band, Chen Xin fell in love with music and the violin.
The music opened up her inner world and led her to a wider distance.
Later, some parents were even encouraged by Deng Xiaolan and joined the band.
Beating beats with homemade instruments and turning the concrete floor in front of the house into a stage, it was the most vibrant moment in the small village.
In the small band of Maran, there are many such children.
They don't have the Disney, zoo, playground for kids in the city, but they have grass, woods, streams, flowers...
Deng Xiaolan also brought them music, giving them another imaginative life.
Not only that, she also set up music classrooms for children and held public welfare activities.
The children had new pianos, repeaters, and music textbooks.
The isolation of the mountains and the loneliness of the parents who could not accompany them were all soothed by the music.
Here, the children learned the violin, accordion, flute, guitar, and were able to complete a piece of music in its entirety.
"The clouds gently drifted over the Iron Crown Mountain, and we walked on the way to school, singing the songs in our hearts, waiting for our beautiful tomorrow..."
The melodious singing of the children broke through the clouds and sowed the seeds for their glow on the Olympic stage.
04▼ "It's okay, we create miracles"
In 2008, in Beijing's Zhongshan Park, Ma Lan's small band performed for the old man of jin-Cha-Ji Daily.
It was the stage debut of The Maran Band.
It was also here for a year that Deng Xiaolan took the children to visit the Bird's Nest.
One of the children exclaimed, "It's like the bird's nest in the trees in our village!" ”
After the media report, the opportunity for small bands to go out to perform is increasing, and in 2012, it also appeared on Beijing Satellite TV's Spring Festival Gala.
The Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee watched the video of Ma Lan's small band and found Fuping.
It was finally decided to select a children's choir here to sing Ode to the Olympics.
At a working meeting of the Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympics, a division director said:
"These children have too thin a foundation, too thin, [only] through a period of intensive training, to see what results can be achieved."
Zhang Yimou said: "It doesn't matter, we create miracles."
The kids really do wonders.
In the documentary "Ma Lan's Singing", a child surrounds Deng Xiaolan, and a little boy says to her:
"Teacher Deng, I want to learn violin."
Deng Xiaolan said to him: "The violin is not easy to learn, can you insist on it?" ”
The child said firmly, "Yes." ”
Teacher Deng brought hope and light to the children in the mountains.
But what is heartbreaking is that when the documentary was filmed, 68-year-old Deng Xiaolan was still in good health, walking vigorously and vigorously, and running around for the children's performance.
And now, she has left the village of Maran forever, leaving the village of Malan, which she loves.
The Maran Band has been around for 16 years.
Every time I was asked how I had persisted for such a long time, Deng Xiaolan would laugh and say:
"Many of you have asked me how I have insisted on it for so many years, and I have always felt that it is not right, I don't have to insist, I don't think I am insisting on what I am doing." 」
"The rouge river flows happily, Teacher Xiaolan comes to Malan, the birds chirp and sing, and the flowers bloom..."
This moving song will always flow in the mountains of Maran.
Resources:
1. Documentary "Malan's Singing"
2. "Deng Xiaolan's Memories: Our Father Deng Tuo and Mother Ding Yilan" Source: Beijing Youth Daily
3. "Ma Lanhua Children's Choir: Singing from the Depths of the Mountains to the Heavenly Sounds of the Winter Olympics" Source: Beijing News
4. "From the "Bird's Nest" to the Bird's Nest, the children of the world are listening to the mountains singing" Source: China Youth Daily