Have you heard songs such as "Sister Jiang", "The Party's Daughter", "Ode to the Long March", "Ode to the Red Flag", "I Love the Blue Sky of the Motherland" and so on? Do you know who the authors of these songs are?
He is Yan Su, an old artist who has dedicated his life to the cause of new Chinese literature and art. His songs have infected and inspired generations of Chinese, his name has been awarded the title of "Model of the Times" by the Central Propaganda Department, and his deeds have been widely reported and praised.
However, it was such an old man with both virtue and art that caused family conflicts after his death, and his wife and daughter took their son to court, demanding that his music copyright income be dissolved.
This incident makes people feel regretful and puzzled, why did such a tragedy happen? What exactly has Yan Su experienced in his life?
Yan Su, formerly known as Yan Zhiyang, was born in 1930 in Baoding, Hebei Province to a Catholic family. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, he moved with his parents to Chongqing and was educated in a monastery. There he developed an interest and talent for music and poetry.
In 1949, he was admitted to Chongqing University majoring in business administration and participated in the summer activities organized by the Southwest Working Committee of the New Democratic Youth League. In 1950, he gave up his university studies and joined the Southwest Youth Literary Troupe, beginning his literary career.
In 1953, he became a member of the Air Politics Cultural Troupe with the Cultural Labor Group and joined the Communist Party of China. In 1959, he joined the company as a recruit and composed songs such as "I Love the Blue Sky of the Motherland".
In 1964, "Sister Jiang" was born, making him a famous playwright and lyricist in China. Since then, he has created a large number of red classics such as "Red Women's Army", "Red Rock" and "The Great Wall Chief".
Yan Su has not only achieved brilliant achievements in his career, but also has a touching story in his feelings. In 1960, Yan Su met Li Wenhui and corresponded with her.
Li Wenhui is a doctor in Jinzhou, Liaoning, 7 years younger than Yan Su, and is honest and kind. When they first met, Li Wenhui was not optimistic about Yan Su, feeling that he was not tall, had no spirit, and had an ordinary family.
But as the letters exchanged, Li Wenhui was impressed by Yan Su's talent and ambition and accepted his marriage proposal. In 1961, the two married and gave birth to daughter Yan Ru and son Yan Yu.
After marriage, the two still live a separated life, one in Jinzhou and the other in Beijing, and can only get together during holidays. But their feelings are getting deeper and deeper, supporting each other and advancing and retreating together.
Yan Su's family life was not going well, his father died at an early age, his younger siblings were in difficulty, and his monthly salary had to be sent home to support his mother and younger siblings.
He was never willing to spend more money on himself, nor did he want to drag down his wife and children. During the Cultural Revolution, Yan Su was deprived of his creative rights and his family was in trouble.
He once thought about divorcing his wife, but Li Wenhui strongly disagreed, saying: "Since we are married, we have to face difficulties together, no matter what happens, we are all a family." Li Wenhui supported the whole family with his weak shoulders, which moved Yan Su.
In 1976, Yan Su regained the opportunity to create and continued to contribute more excellent works to the country and the people.
Yan Su has never quarreled with his wife in his life, and he will not conflict with his wife no matter what. He was also tolerant and caring for his children.
He often wrote letters to his children to encourage them to study and work. He also often helped his siblings and relatives, but never let his wife know. On February 12, 2016, Yan Su died of illness at the age of 86.
Li Wenhui was very sad, and at the farewell ceremony of Yan Su's body, she said: "You are gone, what should I do?" What should I do? She also undertook the important task of sorting out and publishing Yan Su's posthumous works.
During Yan Su's lifetime, he left behind more than 1,000 songs and other literary and artistic works, which is a valuable treasure. According to the law, within 50 years after Yan Su's death, the heirs can also enjoy the property interests in his music copyright.
This property should be divided according to the proportion of spouse and children half. However, Yan Su's family had a disagreement on this issue.
In March 2016, Li Wenhui received a notice of the arrival of copyright tax, but when he went to the bank, he did not record it.
She called Ma Ruiyuan, director of the membership department of the China Musical Writing Association. Ma Ruiyuan told her that it may be because Yan Su passed away and she needed to re-register as a member and distribute the proceeds according to her status as an heir.
Ma Ruiyuan sent Li Wenhui a document to fill out, and asked her daughter and son to sign it as well. Li Wenhui first asked his daughter Yan Ru to sign, and then asked her to bring her son Yan Yu to sign.
As a result, Yan Yu had no news after receiving the materials. Li Wenhui filled out the form again and handed it to the driver to find Yan Yu, who said that he wanted to discuss it with his sister, but there was no news again. This dragged on for almost three years, and Yan Yu never signed or expressed his position.
Li Wenhui felt very angry and disappointed, she felt that her son not only did not respect his father's last wishes, but also wanted to monopolize his father's property. She decided to take legal measures to protect the legal rights and interests of herself and her daughter.
In March 2019, Li Wenhui sued Yan Yu, demanding a dissolution of Yan Su's music copyright income and demanding that Yan Yu pay his and his daughter's lawyer fees and litigation costs.
This lawsuit has aroused widespread concern in society, and many people feel sorry and puzzled by the contradictions of Yan Su's family.
Yan Yu refuted his mother's lawsuit, believing that he did not refuse to sign, but only wanted to discuss it with his sister because he felt that his father's property should be distributed according to the will.
He said his father left a will before his death designating him as his sole heir and authorizing him to manage his father's musical copyrights.
He also said that his mother and sister had received large gifts from his father during his lifetime, while he had not received anything. He thinks that his mother and sister are greedy and want another piece of the pie.
Yan Yu presented his father's will as evidence, but Li Wenhui and Yan Ru questioned it, arguing that the will was forged or forced to sign when his father was not mentally clear.
They said that the father had lived with his mother until his death and did not show any preference for his son or his daughter. They also said that their father never gave them anything during his lifetime, but treated them as equals.
They believe that the son has bad intentions and wants to use his father's fame and wealth for profit.
The court heard the case, and after investigation and appraisal, found that Yan Su's will was indeed doubtful, and could not prove its authenticity and validity.
The court held that Yan Su's music copyright was part of the estate and should be distributed in accordance with the legal order and proportion of inheritance.
The court ruled that Yan Yu should give 50% of Yan Su's music copyright income to Li Wenhui, 25% to Yan Ru, and 25% to himself, and pay Li Wenhui and Yan Ru 5,000 yuan each for legal fees and litigation fees.
This verdict made Li Wenhui and Yan Ru feel gratified, and also made Yan Yu feel unconvinced. Yan Yu said he wanted to appeal, insisting that he was his father's only legitimate heir.
This family dispute is not over, and more twists and turns await them.
The story behind Yan Su's family conflict is full of emotion, and the love and pain of an old artist are displayed here. Yan Su has used his talent and painstaking efforts to compose countless excellent songs, serving the country and the people, and making contributions to the cause of literature and art.
His love for his wife is also unswerving, and he will not give up on her no matter what difficulties he encounters. He also cares for his children and hopes that they can be healthy, happy and grow into talents.
However, his death caused a split in the family, with wives and daughters and sons accusing each other, suing each other, and hurting each other for a little property. How ironic and sad this is!
We don't know what Yan Su's true intentions are, nor do we know if Yan Yu's will is true and valid, but we do know that Yan Su must not want to see his family quarreling over money.
He must hope that they can live in harmony, understand each other and support each other. He must hope that they can inherit his spirit and ideals and make more contributions to the country and society.
He must hope that they can cherish the songs and works he left behind, so that his voice and soul will live in people's hearts forever. We also hope that the Yan Su family can resolve the conflict as soon as possible, get back to good, and let Yan Su's spirit in heaven rest in peace.
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