Text/Pan Caixia
On March 13, 2022, singer Li Guangxi passed away due to illness.
From the opera "La Traviata" to the song "Toast", he has won countless flowers and applause over his decades of singing career.
As for his life, he once said: "There are two things that I feel good about, one is to find my favorite career; the other is to find the person I love the most as a wife." ”
His wife, named Wang Ziwei. When they met, he was 24 years old and she was 16 years old; he was a poor boy, and she was a rich man.
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Kwang-hee
Love begins at the first sight
On National Day in 1953, Tianjin Youth Palace held a celebration, and Li Guangxi went to participate in the performance. At that time, he was a small clerk in the Kailuan Mining Bureau and a well-known amateur singer.
While waiting on stage, with a sixth sense, he sensed a beam of gaze. Looking up, on the other side, a little girl smiled at him. In an instant, my heart fluttered.
This little girl is Wang Ziwei, a sophomore at Xinhua Middle School, and is also a member of the choir team.
Li Guangxi's name, she had long known, out of admiration, she couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
At the end of the performance, Li Guangxi saw her again, and subconsciously, he walked over and held out his hand: "Hello, I am Li Guangxi." ”
That night, Li Guangxi used the excuse of going to his uncle's house and "stopped by" to send Wang Ziwei home.
To his surprise, although Wang Ziwei was 8 years younger than him, their conversation was completely "harmonious and smooth, with no obstacles."
The next day, he said to a good friend, "She is the person I yearn for in my heart, and I must marry her!" ”
In the same choir, the opportunity to meet has increased, and every time, it is always natural to send each other off. When she got home, he rode home against the northwest wind, often tired and sweaty because of the long distance.
Li Guangxi and Wang Ziwei
After more exchanges, Li Guangxi became more and more determined in his ideas. In his eyes, Wang Ziwei was both mature and wise, and "a little naughty, like an elf."
What is even more rare is that she is very simple, combing two large braids, "in addition to her own youthful brilliance, there is no little post-acquired modification."
And her family situation is not ordinary, and the two independent garden houses are proof.
Li Guangxi guessed correctly, Wang Ziwei is a veritable Miss Qianjin, with a timber factory and a dock at home. In order to take care of his self-esteem, she deliberately did not mention her own family.
From his mouth, she already knew that he came from an ordinary family, and when his father died when he was 17, he was forced to drop out of school to take over the shift, and the salary of one person had to feed the whole family of ten.
Such a responsibility made her admire.
In particular, he did not give up his love of music, taught himself staves, vocal methods, chatted about world famous songs, and gushed endlessly. Even his frugality, in her opinion, was a rare good quality.
When youth intervenes in friendship, the emotional escalation is natural.
Soon, the Central Opera House went to Tianjin to perform, Li Guangxi was exposed to opera art for the first time, deeply shocked, he resolutely decided to chase his musical dreams.
With a handsome appearance and an infectious singing voice, he was admitted to the Central Opera House on the spot.
After further studying in Beijing, his letters continued to be good news. He became the lead singer; he performed on the same stage as Guo Lanying; and the Central People's Radio invited him to record.
Reading this, Wang Ziwei was intoxicated and happy, and before the college entrance examination, she wrote to him: "I want to be admitted to the school in Beijing and go to your side!" ”
Young Li Guangxi
Matter is zero, emotion is a hundred
In the autumn of 1955, Wang Ziwei was admitted to the Beijing Medical College as she wished. Without the obstacle of distance, the Summer Palace and Beihai left them holding hands and relying on each other.
Love becomes the driving force, and when spring comes, the good news comes again - the first classical opera of new China, "La Traviata", is about to be staged, and Li Guangxi, who has no professional training, has been designated as the male protagonist Amang.
When Wang Ziwei learned about it, she excitedly encouraged him: "You will definitely become a 'big fat man' in art!" ”
The wonderful love experience deepens Li Guangxi's understanding of the role. On the stage, Armand's voice to Violletta was exactly what he wanted to say to Wang Ziwei:
"I will never forget that day, when you flash past me, the beautiful shadow it will always be deeply engraved in my heart..."
After the performance of "La Traviata", it was a great success, and Premier Zhou Enlai personally received Li Guangxi after watching it. As the national tour continued, its reputation grew.
Lee Kwang-hee on the opera stage
The love career has been harvested, and Li Guangxi's mood is particularly comfortable. No one expected that a rectification movement would suddenly come and that he would be sent to Funing, Hebei Province.
The road ahead is vast, where should the feelings go? After thinking about it for a few days, he asked Wang Ziwei to meet, and his first words were: "Ziwei, let's get married!" ”
The marriage proposal was so abrupt that Wang Ziwei was not mentally prepared. But thinking that parting was imminent, she nodded in agreement.
Knowing that she was getting married, there was an uproar in the family. First, There were eight Brothers and Sisters Li Guangxi, and the burden was extremely heavy; second, the actors at that time did not have high incomes and low social status.
To this end, her mother came to Beijing to dissuade her, but Wang Ziwei had a resolute attitude. At the expense of the family's rupture, at the end of 1957, they were married.
The house was temporary, the furniture was borrowed, the clothes were old, and the only change was that Wang Ziwei cut off two long braids.
Eight days later, everything returned to its original owner, two people and an old suitcase, and Lao Yan flew apart.
This year, Li Guangxi was 28 years old, Wang Ziwei was 20 years old, and she was still in her junior year. Years later, Wang Ziwei was asked: "Are you not afraid that he will not be able to return to the countryside when he is sent down?" ”
She smiled heartily and said, "I know that Guangxi is a good person and has been with him all my life." ”
Li Guangxi's marriage certificate
After arriving in the countryside, Li Guangxi dug ponds and picked up mud, and the mercurial Amang on the stage became a real farmer. After graduating from university, Wang Ziwei stayed on to teach at the school, and her style was flourishing.
Two years later, Li Guangxi was finally transferred back to Beijing to participate in the overseas performance troupe.
A cottage of less than ten square meters became their home, his extended family needed help, Wang Ziwei did not care, every month on time to help him send money home, and she herself, after pregnancy, even an egg is reluctant to eat.
In order to save money, the rich lady who did not stick to the spring water of the ten fingers at that time not only learned to steam steamed steamed buns, but also learned to make clothes.
Many nights, she cut in the newspaper, and after the "newspaper shirt" was ready, she dared to cut the fabric.
Matter is zero, emotion is a hundred. Looking back decades later, Li Guangxi said emotionally: "Some people say that I am a filial piety, I have great feelings for my sisters, and it is Wang Ziwei who has fulfilled my good reputation." ”
In the hard days, Wang Ziwei has always been strong and optimistic, and after the birth of her daughter, her parents finally accepted them.
Without worries, Li Guangxi immersed himself in singing, and after the performance in Moscow was well received, the continuous performance of "La Traviata" and "Cargo Lang and Miss" won him the reputation of "Opera Prince".
A hand in hand is a lifetime
Life is just on the right track, and new sufferings are coming unexpectedly.
In 1966, Li Guangxi was suddenly criticized, and the hat of "big poisonous melon" made him suddenly confused.
Artistic achievements became a "serious problem", he couldn't figure it out, he didn't eat or drink all day, he looked at him with a depressed look, and kept chanting: "I'm finished, completely finished!" ”
Wang Ziwei silently observed him and comforted him, and she dragged him to Jingshan Park, held his hand and said word by word: "We all have to live well, we can't die!" ”
In those days, Wang Ziwei became the spiritual pillar of Li Guangxi, and his wounded heart was comforted by love.
In 1972, Prince Sihanouk visited China, and under the personal name of Premier Zhou Enlai, Li Guangxi performed in the Great Hall of the People.
By then, it had been a full six years since he had left the stage. Immediately afterward, he recorded "Long Voyage" and "Ode to Beijing", and the high-pitched and passionate singing voices resounded in the land of China.
For every song, Wang Ziwei, who loves art, is the first listener, she applauds him and gives him pertinent advice.
In 1976, Premier Zhou Enlai died of illness, and when he thought of the premier's concern, Li Guangxi was overwhelmed with grief, and when he sang the song "Premier Zhou, Where Are You", he always had difficulty controlling his emotions.
After shedding tears with him, Wang Ziwei advised him: "You should study like Guo Lanying's eldest sister, she can fully mobilize her feelings, cry as a song, move the audience, can not just move feelings, do not study the law of singing." ”
Realizing the significance of this song, Li Guangxi calmed down and threw himself into singing.
At the concert, when his powerful singing sounded, the audience's hearts were filled with waves, and tears flowed freely on everyone's face.
This song has brought Li Guangxi's singing career to a new climax.
For Li Guangxi, Wang Ziwei is both a partner and a confidant. She was like a cooling agent when he was triumphant; when he was depressed, he always drew strength from her indifference.
In 1978, the first time he saw "Toast Song", Li Guangxi liked it very much, but when the theater leaders reviewed it, they said that the song encouraged drinking, but it was not passed, and he could only go home and sing it to Wang Ziwei.
"The wine is fragrant, the song is flying, friends, please make a cup, please make a cup..."
Together with the song, Wang Ziwei stopped the work in her hand, and when he finished singing, she immediately clapped her hands and applauded: "Great! The melody is bright and rhythmic, and it must be sung! ”
Learning that the song was controversial, she encouraged him: "You practice, I support you!" ”
Sure enough, as she expected, when the theater performed, Li Guangxi had the courage to sing "Toast Song", which accidentally caused a sensation. Later, he took this song to the Spring Festival Gala and was sung by hundreds of millions of people.
Since then, Li Guangxi has entered his own "golden age of songs", and when many singers of the same period gradually withdrew from the stage, he sang from youth to whitehead and became recognized as an "evergreen tree in the song world".
For his artistic achievements, he attributed the blessing of love: "Since I fell in love with her, I cherished my personality, honor and life even more, and even if I saw any great writer's description of love, it was difficult to surpass my feelings." ”
Love is accompanied by ideals, they have walked through the golden marriage, walked through the diamond marriage. On stage, he sang "Dedication" and "Holding Hands" for her countless times; offstage, she sat in the crowd, smiling as ever.
The first 30 years, poor, but not bitter; the last 30 years, only joy and happiness. Just as she was looking forward to holding hands for ten or twenty years, he suddenly died of illness.
As early as before his death, he left a wish: "I want to take my wife's hand and go all the way to the end of my life." If there is an afterlife, I will go with her! ”