Nostalgia in the song

On the afternoon of April 7, 2022, Ye Peiying, the original singer of "I Love You, China", professor of the Vocal Department of the Central Conservatory of Music and famous soprano singer, died in Beijing at the age of 87.

I was very sad to hear that a generation of soprano singers, Mr. Ye Peiying, passed away. Although her voice and smile are years apart, they are still so clear, and her singing voice still echoes in her ears.

Mr. Ye Peiying's most well-known masterpiece is "I Love You, China". This song was composed by the famous songwriter Qu Chun and the famous composer Zheng Qiufeng in the late 1970s for a film "Overseas Naked Son" that reflects the patriotic overseas Chinese's heart for the motherland.

In the early 1980s, she came to Qingdao at the invitation of the Ministry of Navy and the Ministry of Communications to participate in the opening ceremony of the National Youth Navigation Summer Camp and performed for the people of the island city. During the period, according to the meeting arrangement, she and Liu Shufang, Lou Qiangui, Zuo Wei and other artists came to Qingdao Port to visit the port, and I was responsible for accompanying her.

What impressed me the most was on the tugboat and saw the unforgettable style of the old artists. At that time, the port tug was not a lot of reception tasks, and there was discipline, and the crew did not ask who the guests were receiving. However, this time, when they learned that the singers who were well-known were visiting the ship, everyone was overjoyed and warmly welcomed.

Because everyone loves their singing very much, but they have never met the singers themselves. This time, the "near water tower" can not only meet the singers themselves, but may also be able to listen to the songs they have long been familiar with, so the crew is extremely excited.

The captain of the tugboat is also a fan of these singers, and at the request of everyone, he asked me if he could make an exception to meet this wish. The crew's ideas coincided with mine, so I conveyed this request euphemistically to a few old artists. Who knows, as soon as my voice dropped, several singers said in unison: "Good"!

The news spread, and in the sea in front of the turquoise trestle, the captain immediately ordered the tugboat to stop, turn off the fire, and drop anchor. Soon the crew immediately gathered on the deck, and even the pilots in the bottom cabin could not wipe their faces, so they climbed onto the deck drenched in sweat and stood in the queue of less than ten people.

I remember that it was summer, the scorching sun was close to noon, the sea temperature was as high as more than 30 degrees, although there was not a small piece of tarpaulin to cover the top of the deck, but as the tugboat drifted with the waves at sea, the scorching sun was also chasing like a searchlight, which was useless for shading. Not to mention that the wind blowing from the sea is wet and hot.

Inside and outside the boat, it was sweltering hot. At that time, Teacher Ye stood on the deck and was the first to sing, and the first song he sang was "I Love You, China", which everyone liked. She wore a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and sang the song with great affection in the blazing sun, and every line of the song was handled just right. Braving the heat, the water did not care to take a sip, and sang a song "Singer Under the Iron Hoof". Before and after the singing of each track, she was very ceremonial as if on the stage, before and after the start, she bowed gently to the applauding crew.

At this time, her face was dripping with beads of sweat, and her shirt was wet with sweat, but she did not complain. When the crew handed her a towel to wipe her sweat, she nodded happily and thanked her in her mouth. On the hot deck, one of the singers finished singing, and the other immediately picked up; one after another, singing intently for the crew, without a word of complaint. At the end, he gladly sang "Toast Song" with the crew.

The deck is the stage, and the waves play chords. Teacher Liu Shufang's "Baby", "Boat Song", Lou Qiangui's "Golden Bottle Like a Hill", "For a Steak, Sold Paris", etc., the artists are full of emotion, meticulous, extra serious, although it is a cappella, the song interpretation is more difficult, but it is difficult to defeat the old artists, solid skills, the charm of art let the crew close and moved.

At the end of the song, the crew was excited, the applause melted with sweat, and the sea rose and fell. The artists are both artistic and simple, simple and unpretentious, and their approachable style is accompanied by songs, which is deeply left in the hearts of the crew. This "sea performance" not only brought artistic enjoyment to the crew, but also enabled the dock workers to truly appreciate the old artist's moral and artistic style.

Years later, whenever they talk about this unique performance, the crew will talk about their feelings with relish; they will also compare with the "big names" and "Internet celebrities" at all levels over the years. The conclusions are conceivable and self-evident.

It was also the first time I had come face to face to listen to the songs of these veteran artists. Although the time is short, the benefits are great. This has important enlightenment and help for me to engage in the dissemination of corporate culture in the future, use music as a form to spread corporate culture, use culture to edify people, cultivate people, enhance the cohesion and centripetal force of enterprise employees, enhance enterprise visibility, and build enterprise competitiveness.

In 1985, I was commissioned to cooperate with Qingdao Television Station to shoot the first TV music scenery film "Beautiful Qingdao Port" for port enterprises in China. Since then, it has begun to spread the corporate culture through this form. "Beautiful Qingdao Port", composed by Li Huanzhi, was subsequently produced and became the port song of Qingdao Port, and the first Qingdao Port Art Festival also kicked off, once a year, and has been held for more than 20 sessions.

Shortly after the National Youth Maritime Summer Camp opened in Qingdao, Teacher Ye and his party returned to Beijing. Although I have only been with Ye Peiying and other old artists for a few days, their amiable faces and their style still exist in my heart; the affectionate singing voice of "I Love You, China" will always echo in my heart.

"Some people are alive, he is dead; some people are dead, he is still alive - Mr. Ye Peiying has gone all the way, we miss you in the song of "I Love You, China", the people will not forget!

Author: Li Mingcai Pen name: Li Yan, member of Qingdao Contemporary Literary Creation Research Association