Preface
On the stage of the Spring Festival Gala in 1984, an African woman with exaggerated makeup was singing and dancing, she was Zhu Mingying.
Now 70 years old, she is still passionate about standing on stage and bringing joy to the audience.
So, why did this talented actress dress up as an African people?
In the bungalow on the first floor, the sunlight shines through the window and the golden yellow of the room, and the bouncing figure of the little girl dispels the chill outside.
"Mingying, come and watch TV!" the mother's voice came, and the little girl threw herself on the dining table, and in front of her was a group of team members dancing in unison.
"Mom, I want to dance so well!" Mingying's eyes lit up, her mother looked at her carefully, and gently stroked her hair: "Good boy, as long as you are willing to work hard, any dream will come true." ”
Combined with childhood sweethearts, but parted ways
In the 50s of the last century, Zhu Mingying and her neighbor boy, who had known each other for many years, entered the palace of marriage.
The figures who are familiar with each other seem to be destined to spend a lifetime together.
However, the good times were short-lived, and the fierce quarrel broke the small family apart.
A 6-year-old child began a wandering life with his mother.
"Tell me, Mom, is Dad really not coming back?" Wang Jue tightly clutched the corner of Zhu Mingying's clothes, his eyes full of tears.
Zhu Mingying's heart was like a knife, she squatted down and looked at her son at eye level: "Dad, he, he went to a far away place...... Before the words were finished, Wang Jue had already thrown herself into her arms and cried.
Zhu Mingying gently patted her son's back, and tears finally burst out of her eyes.
It's not easy to live, she has to be strong.
As a dancer, she longs for more opportunities to perform.
And her husband wanted her to quit her job and go home, but the two disagreed and quarreled frequently.
In the small home, the sound of quarrels and slamming doors comes and goes.
At first, Zhu Mingying also asked Wang Jue to go to play next door, but later simply let him go to bed earlier.
Looking at her sleeping son, her red and swollen eyes could no longer hold back their exhaustion.
In the end, Zhu Mingying chose a life of dancing with music.
She has always loved her child deeply and worked hard for him.
At the age of 28, he began to learn foreign language songs and aspired to become an all-round artist
In 1969, Zhu Mingying, who was already a skilled dancer, fell into a professional crisis.
As is customary, she will be scheduled to retire in a few years.
On this day, Zhu Mingying stood on the side of the stage, watching the young newcomers being arranged in the front row by the director.
She thought of the divorce of her parents and the abandonment of her husband, and her heart was mixed.
"I still want to keep dancing, I want to keep singing, and the stage I love shouldn't leave me. Zhu Mingying secretly made up her mind.
She found a teacher who knew many Chinese and began to learn from the alphabet.
At first, I found it difficult to understand the pronunciation of my mouth.
The teacher imitated it over and over again, and she read along like a baby.
But even if the teacher praised her for her rapid improvement, she didn't feel that her language skills were growing at all.
At one point, she lost confidence and wept silently on the bench.
But for the ideal in her heart, Zhu Mingying was not discouraged.
She searched around for cheap textbooks and teachers, repeated them over and over again, and finally became fluent in a few foreign languages.
After that, I found a music teacher and practiced singing hard.
She hopes to be an all-round performing artist.
In 1984, "Back to My Mother's Home" became popular all over the country
On the eve of the Spring Festival in 1984, Zhu Mingying finally waited for the most important opportunity in her life - to appear on the stage of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
On this day, she has been sitting cross-legged in front of the vanity mirror since the morning, carefully tracing her makeup.
A bright color extended from the corner of the eye to the temple, and the exaggerated shape made Zhu Mingying herself a little surprised.
She blinked vigorously, and it wasn't until the stage manager urged her to wake up from her dream.
Subsequently, the song "Back to My Mother's Home", with exaggerated appearance and novel performance.
The audience was amazed.
This original song is a song by a Taiwanese singer, and she reinterpreted it in her own way and won the love of countless people.
Overnight, Zhu Mingying became popular all over the country.
That night, Zhu Mingying sat alone on the hotel balcony in a daze, and the Spring Festival fireworks outside the window were amazing.
"Has my dream come true?" she muttered to herself, pulling out a yellowed photo from her purse: standing on the podium of a dance competition many years ago, laughing with her winning teammates.
"Yes, I did. She thought of her son Wang Jue's enthusiasm for music, and her heart was infinitely moved.
"I will support you in pursuing your dreams. She silently made up her mind.
I went to the United States alone to start from scratch and work hard to cheer for my dreams
Zhu Mingying, whose career is becoming more and more prosperous, suddenly made a move that puzzled everyone.
She quit her job and went to the United States alone to start a new study life.
Without the financial support of the unit, life was very difficult at first.
During the day, Zhu Mingying looked for part-time job opportunities everywhere and was busy for three meals a day.
At the same time, she finds time to study her language and professional courses on her own.
After nightfall, the laughter of neighbors watching TV came from the apartment building, but Zhu Mingying continued to study under a dim lamp.
The long period of tiredness and loneliness made her retreat, but when she thought of her son and her own dreams, she resolutely moved on.
"Mom! you're amazing.
I will also work hard for my music dreams!" received Zhu Mingying's letter, Wang Jue was extremely excited.
He began to cut back on food and clothing, spending all his money on learning music.
After Zhu Mingying returned to China for development, he also went to the United States to study music as he wished, won 8 semesters of scholarship in one fell swoop, and followed in his mother's footsteps and continued to shine on the road of art.
The stage is the destination, illuminating people's hearts with art
After becoming famous, Zhu Mingying was not satisfied.
She is still passionate about art.
In order to better express the dance of the African people, she began to learn sports makeup, applying thick colors on her body to transform into the image of Zhuang or Turkish indigenous peoples.
Zhu Mingying doesn't care about the damage of makeup to the skin, just to perfectly interpret the highest state in her mind.
Sometimes, after applying her makeup, she would look at the mirror for a long time, until she felt like she was one with the natives in the mirror, and then nodded in satisfaction.
In 2021, at the age of 70, she once again came to the familiar stage of the Spring Festival Gala.
Accompanied by a familiar melody, Zhu Mingying once again transforms into the image of an African woman, writhing her exaggerated and plump body.
Many years ago, she also surprised the audience in this way.
The years have not worn out her love for the stage, but have achieved her mature and stable temperament.
After stepping off the stage, Zhu Mingying did not feel the slightest emptiness.
Her son Wang Jue has started a family, and she has also contributed her life's energy to public welfare and cultural exchanges.
The stage is still her home, and using art to illuminate and warm people's hearts is a mission that she is all too familiar with in this life.
epilogue
Why did she dress up as an African person? Because it's a reflection of her extreme pursuit of art.
It is this persistence and love for her dreams that has allowed Zhu Mingying to be active on the art stage for 70 years.
Let us sincerely hope that this great artist can pass on the positive energy for a long time.