The Beijing News reporter learned from the Institute of Foreign Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that Tong Daoming, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a famous translator and drama critic, died at the age of 82 at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital at 9:00 a.m. on June 27, 2019.
The Beijing News reporter contacted the theater director Lin Zhaohua for the first time, the playwright/director Guo Shixing recalled his old friend, and Pu Cunxin also sent a tribute on the afternoon of the 27th.
Beijing News reporter Qin Bin photographed in 2014.
Lin Zhaohua: He supports every play of mine, and I am always available when necessary
When the Beijing News reporter contacted the theater director Lin Zhaohua to inform Tong Daoming of the news of his death, Lin Zhaohua has been eager to ask the reason for Tong Daoming's death, and then said with regret: "He is actually very young!" Tong Daoming is a real talented drama theorist, since "Absolute Signal", he and Link Huan have always supported me in making plays, he has come to see every play of mine, and later he has a lot of contact with the teacher, and they are very supportive of me. Afterwards, if there was a memorial service about him, I was on call. ”
Indeed, as Lin Zhaohua said, Tong Daoming has always supported his plays, and the two met in the 1980s and have been feeling sorry for each other for many years. Tong Daoming wrote in "I Know Where the Light Is", co-written with Pu Cunxin, that he and Lin Zhaohua belonged to the genre of "gentlemen's friendship is as light as water": "After Lin Zhaohua's "Absolute Signal" was staged, I wrote a drama review called 'Absolute Signal' Stood Up', which was the first time I wrote a drama review for a play by Beijing Renyi. Then I wrote a longer article evaluating the artistic innovation of Absolute Signal. ”
In 2011, Lin Zhaohua (first from left) and Tong Daoming (second from right) at the press conference of Lin Zhaohua's Drama Invitational Exhibition. Over the years, Lin Zhaohua's work launch, drama forum and other activities will be present to support.
Then the two often cooperate, old friends theater together, Lin Zhaohua directed "Cherry Orchard", "Ivanov" translation is the use of Tong Daoming translation, all the works of Russian writers Lin Zhaohua will seek Tong Daoming's research support, and Lin Zhaohua's each work Tong Daoming will also go to watch, after watching the work to write a review for the work, support Lin Zhaohua's artistic innovation, Lin Zhaohua once said: "After the performance of "Three Sisters Waiting for Godot" for many years, Tong Daoming is one of the few people who have been worried about this play. He told me several times that I could rehearse again. And Tong Daoming also said to Pu Cunxin before he died, "Lin Zhaohua is a person who misses the past, and he knows how to be grateful." ”
Mr. Tong is a gentleman
After learning the news of Tong Daoming's death, the playwright Guo Shixing commented in an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News, "Mr. Tong is a gentleman, he always gives people a very gentle, humble and courteous feeling, his conversation is full of poetry, this is a pure person. I had been in contact with Mr. Tong before, and I knew in the early years that he seemed to have ankylosing spondylitis, and he was not very comfortable for so many years, but his love for drama extended the length and breadth of his life. He was really fond of drama, and there were fewer and fewer pure people like him. ”
Influence Pu Cunxin to publish a book
In the eyes of many people, Tong Daoming is a wise and elegant old man, and he has also helped the growth of many theater people. Actor Pu Cunxin posted a memorial on the 27th: "Seeing the news of Mr. Tong's death was speechless for a while. Many people have been influenced by this true scholar, and I have published two books under his guidance, and he is the first author. Tong's humble character may have stemmed from his lifelong knowledge of Chekhov, who felt that chekhov was close to humility in philosophical ideas, and never considered himself a prophet, a teacher. In the eyes of the younger generations of dramatists, Tong Daoming has been practicing this kind of conduct.
Pu Cunxin and Mr. Tong Daoming talk Photo: Shi Chunyang
People who have worked with Tong Daoming revealed that whenever there is an event or invite him to the theater to see a play, Tong Daoming will refuse the crew to arrange a special car transfer for him, although his health is not good and slightly inconvenient, he still insists on taking a taxi by himself and does not cause trouble to anyone.
In 2018, the translation of Ilya Ehrenburg's work "Reread chekhov" translated by Tong Daoming was finally published, Tong Daoming not only did not receive any remuneration from the publishing house, but also bought a thousand books at his own expense, when the publishing house decided to give him another five hundred copies as a contribution fee, Tong Daoming chose to give these 1500 book signatures to ordinary readers, he simply wanted to let more people know Chekhov in this way. At that time, Tong Daoming sat in the lobby of the theater to sign and donate books for every audience member who came to the scene, he carefully asked for the name of each audience member who did not know each other, and wrote the name neatly on the front page of the book.
Tong Daoming asked the readers for their names one by one on the spot, and wrote down their signatures one by one.
Mr. Tong, all the way.