If you like this article, click "Follow" in the upper right to increase your reading experience, and thank you for your support and encouragement!
In the 2004 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the sketch "Water Delivery Worker" made the people of the whole country laugh. The "iron triangle" of Zhao Benshan, Gao Xiumin and Fan Wei was once again a great success.
Behind the joy is the rift between the three people that is difficult to bridge, and there are accidents that no one can predict.
First, Audio-Technica became famous
Gao Xiumin was originally an actor in the Buyeo Civil Art Troupe in Jilin Province. One day in 1989, at the age of 30, she reunited with 41-year-old He Qingkui. Seeing that He Qingkui's life was down, she took the initiative to give him a way: he could write a script for the art troupe.
He Qingkui's life at that time was indeed bitter. When he knew that a script could earn two hundred dollars, he decisively agreed. He collaborated with Gao Xiumin to create "Who Marries Whom", which was a great success after performing in the northeast, and both of them became famous.
The smooth cooperation with He Qingkui and his fame at that time gave Gao Xiumin confidence to go it alone. In 1992, she became an individual actor and won the gold medal of that year's National Sketch Competition with the help of He Qingkui's script.
Taking this opportunity, Gao Xiumin and He Qingkui met Zhao Benshan, who had already attended the Spring Festival Gala at that time and was loved by the people of the whole country. Also an artist from the northeast, Zhao Benshan takes a lot of care for the two and appreciates their talents.
The formal and stable collaboration between the three began in 1997 with "Red Sorghum Model Team". Before landing on the Spring Festival Gala, Zhao Benshan urgently needed someone to modify the script, but the original screenwriter couldn't change it temporarily.
Zhao Benshan thought of He Qingkui and handed over this crucial book to him for revision. He Qingkui did not disappoint Zhao Benshan, and the changed book was very good.
Gao Xiumin and He Qingkui have since officially joined the group of Zhao Benshan and Fan Wei. The sketch "New Year Greeting" at the 1998 Spring Festival Gala received full laughter and applause, establishing the status of "Iron Triangle".
He Qingkui, as the invisible "fourth corner", provides them with solid support.
In the following years, they brought a series of popular sketches to the audience, which are still classics among classics. So that when the Spring Festival Gala program is too boring these years, people will still miss these works twenty years ago.
However, behind the surface peace and cooperation, cracks have appeared in the relationship between the four that are difficult to bridge.
Second, from the gradual crack to the parting of ways
Zhao Benshan and Gao Xiumin are not good-tempered people, they speak relatively straight, and they have one of the biggest characteristics of Northeasterners: good face.
Gao Xiumin's hometown of Songwon City once held an event, and Gao Xiumin himself naturally participated in it free of charge. She also agreed to the organizer's request that she could help invite Zhao Benshan.
She told the leaders in her hometown that she could prepare an appearance fee of 200,000 yuan for Zhao Benshan, but it should not be used. The other party looks at his own face, and should not accept it after pushing it twice.
Gao Xiumin was only half right. Zhao Benshan people came, but the money did not refuse. This made Gao Xiumin's face very unbearable, and she once directly complained to Zhao Benshan: Big brother, you also give me too much face.
In addition, Gao Xiumin is also very unaccustomed to Zhao Benshan's "picking". Zhao Benshan has cooperated with Fan Wei for many years, and Zhao Benshan has always been very stingy when he shares money with Fan Wei.
Once after the three performed a few times in Sichuan, Zhao Benshan only gave Fan Wei 7,000 yuan when he took 720,000 yuan.
Gao Xiumin felt that such a division was really unreasonable, and once gave Zhao Benshan advice, but Zhao Benshan said: "You still want to earn my money after becoming famous here?" Go elsewhere and earn money! ”
Although there are differences in fame, Gao Xiumin wants to be as fair as possible. Soon after, she and Fan Wei went to TV to perform and received 95,000 yuan in performance fees. She took 20,000 herself and gave Fan Wei 15,000.
She told Zhao Benshan about it. Who knew that Zhao Benshan not only did not reflect, but also blamed: "Then how will I give it later?" ”
No matter how good a friend is, no matter how iron a partner is, he can't help but have an uneven distribution of interests, which has become the most critical factor in the division of the three. The trigger was the review of the 2003 Spring Festival Gala.
At that time, the energy of "Iron Triangle" was invested in the book "Heart Disease", but Gao Xiumin temporarily accepted a performance announcement.
It turned out that she had a very good friend who held a show in Tonghua, but the starring actor could not appear temporarily. Between 400,000 compensation and cheeky asking the sister to save the scene, this friend chose the latter.
Gao Xiumin's energy was distracted. Before going to Tonghua to perform, she actually estimated that CCTV should not come to review their programs on this day. Who knows that people are not as good as heavenly calculations, and the review is set on this day.
Although Gao Xiumin caught up with the review, the three did not rehearse enough, and the presentation of this review was very unsatisfactory.
Although CCTV will not give up the "Iron Triangle" program because of this, Zhao Benshan is very unhappy. He attached great importance to the program and severely criticized Gao Xiumin's behavior.
Perhaps Zhao Benshan's words were too fierce at that time, and Gao Xiumin knew that he was wrong and could not accept it. The two had a big fight. After performing "Heart Disease", they did not mention the cooperation.
At the 2004 Spring Festival Gala, the heroine of Zhao Benshan's sketch "Water Delivery Worker" was replaced by Song Dandan, and later because Song Dandan had an accident, Zhao Benshan found Gao Xiumin to save the scene.
The two have not worked together since. Fan Wei also left Zhao Benshan and began to "earn money elsewhere". The "Iron Triangle" combination has since dispersed, and there is no chance of reunion.
Third, Gao Xiumin passed away, regret is difficult to fulfill
Gao Xiumin's departure took away the gold medal screenwriter He Qingkui. Speaking of which, the relationship between Gao Xiumin and He Qingkui is actually on the edge of morality.
After the divorce in 1991, Gao Xiumin gradually came together with He Qingkui. Because He Qingkui's lover never agreed to divorce, the two have been living together as lovers and have lived together for fourteen years.
Gold medal actors cooperate with gold medal screenwriters, Gao Xiumin has proud capital and the ability to stand on his own. Although she was not as famous as Zhao Benshan at that time, she was definitely a first-class comedian. But man cannot fight fate after all.
In the early morning of August 18, 2005, Gao Xiumin died at the age of 46. She didn't even live to the age she should have played in the sketch.
Pity He Qingkui, in a short period of time, he suffered bad news one after another. Not long before Gao Xiumin died, He Qingkui's son died unexpectedly, and he was handling his son's affairs.
According to what others said later, Gao Xiumin's body had problems. But she lied to He Qingkui that she was performing abroad.
He Qingkui also made his own speculation: Gao Xiumin may not have died of a heart attack, but from suffocation caused by snoring.
If she hadn't told this lie at that time, He Qingkui might not have had this accident if he rushed back to see her because she was not feeling well.
Zhao Benshan, who had long been in conflict, attended Gao Xiumin's funeral. Soon after, he shook hands with He Qingkui and made peace. In 2020, Fan Wei starred in "Liu Laogen 3", and the discord between Zhao and Fan seems to have become a thing of the past.
On many occasions later, Zhao Benshan expressed his nostalgia for Gao Xiumin. For example, in "Liu Laogen 3", Gao Xiumin's character Lilac in the first two parts also died, and the reason was also a heart attack.
Zhao Benshan has repeatedly expressed regret for the death of "Lilac" through the mouth of the characters in the play, in fact, why not lament the death of Gao Xiumin in real life?
He also said in an interview that the two did not have principled contradictions at that time, but they both had bad tempers and could not pull them down.
Zhao Benshan also gradually faded out of the public eye after 2012, and all contradictions became a thing of the past. It is a pity that now that the Sri Lankan people have passed away, regret is difficult to achieve.