Today's Hu Yizhou, nicknamed "Zhouzhou", is facing many difficulties in life alone. The glory of "genius conductor" woven for him by countless kind people many years ago has long been eclipsed, and now he is past the age of confusion, but he is still struggling to survive.
A few years ago, Zhou Zhou was diagnosed with cancer, and although the disease was eventually controlled, the wealth he had worked so hard to accumulate was almost exhausted. Just when the family was in a difficult situation, Zhouzhou's father, Hu Houpei, unfortunately contracted diabetes, and the huge cost of medication required made the family even worse.
Zhouzhou, who was once shrouded in the aura of "genius conductor", is now suffering in the poor life of ordinary families.
A netizen said that he had witnessed Zhou Zhou in his youth, and Zhou Zhou told him that that time when he was known as a "genius conductor" and shined was actually just an illusory farce and was used as a laughing stock by people.
However, whether it was when Zhouzhou was famous all over the world, or when life was in dire straits, his father, Hu Houpei, always responded to all challenges with a calm and calm attitude. He was not complacent about Zhouzhou's short-lived fame, knowing full well that it was nothing more than a beautiful lie woven for Zhouzhou by well-meaning people.
Everyone tacitly avoided exposing the truth, just to give Zhou Zhou the last refuge so that he could enjoy the rest of his life in peace and carefree.
Since the death of his wife, Hu Houpei has taken on the heavy responsibility of taking care of Zhouzhou alone. Watching his son go from a sensational "genius conductor" at a young age to a bleak predicament in his later years in a blink of an eye, he is actually no wonder in his heart.
As a father, the only thing he cares about is how to maintain his son's last dignity with limited strength.
The documentary uncovers the cause of the lie
So, how did the myth of the "genius conductor" Hu Yizhou come into being? It was only 20 years ago that a documentary called "The World of Zhouzhou" came out, which allowed the world to discover this "genius" who was only 20 years old at the time.
The whole filming process of the documentary is really tortuous and moving. Back then, Zhang Yiqing, the director of the TV station, accidentally found the unknown Zhou Zhou in the corner of an orchestra, and he was deeply touched in his heart and resolutely decided to make this lonely figure the core protagonist of the documentary.
In order to smoothly promote the plan, Zhang Yiqing not only obtained the strong support of the unit, but also persuaded Zhouzhou's father, Mr. Hu Houpei, to participate in it. At first, Hu Houpei was very worried that Zhouzhou might be discriminated against and harmed by the outside world, but Zhang Yiqing promised to protect Zhouzhou with all his might, and he finally agreed.
For the next 10 months, the film crew closely followed Zhouzhou's entire whereabouts from home to music hall. During the filming, the directors saw Zhouzhou's unique obsession and love for music.
As soon as the music sounds, Zhouzhou's eyes will glow with unprecedented brilliance, and this scene will shock the directors incomparably.
After the shooting, the crew spent another three months carefully editing a total of 60 minutes of highlights from a large number of footage. This long-term and painstaking documentary not only presents Zhouzhou's extraordinary life experiences, but also won him the opportunity to perform in the National Ballet Symphony Orchestra of China, allowing him to embark on the peak of the myth of "genius conductor".
As soon as the documentary was broadcast, it caused an uproar in society. Some media reported that Zhou Zhou had conducted an orchestra at the world-famous Carnegie Hall, and also took intimate photos with popular superstars Andy Lau and Schwarzenegger.
However, the filmmakers, who knew the truth well, did not make public the fact that Zhou Zhou was just a special child with Down syndrome with an IQ stuck at 3 years old.
They chose to use warm techniques to weave a "genius conductor" aura for Zhouzhou.
Hu Yizhou's birth and upbringing
To solve the mystery of the "genius conductor" Hu Yizhou's life experience, we must go back to 1978, the year he was born.
That year, the 37-year-old Hu Houpei was on the rise of his music career. His wife also gave birth to his eldest son, Hu Yizhou, that year. The family was happy and happy.
However, this joy lasted only 30 days.
At the time of the full moon, the little boat suddenly had a high fever and developed symptoms of pneumonia. Hu Houpei rushed his son to the hospital in a panic, but he received such a heavy blow news: "In addition to pneumonia, the child also suffers from Down syndrome, and the possibility of cure is almost zero."
This ruthless sentence was like a thunderbolt from the sky, shattering all of Hu Houpei's hopes for the future. He is well aware that the mental development of patients with Down syndrome will always stagnate at the level of 2-3 years old, and it will be difficult to live beyond 50 years.
Faced with this terminal illness with no hope of cure, he was in great pain.
Despite this, Hu Houpei and his wife were still determined to raise Zhouzhou themselves. They first asked a doctor to cure the pneumonia and ensure Zhouzhou's life. After returning home, Zhouzhou's growth path was cared for.
It wasn't until he was 3 years old that he finally reluctantly said the first word in his life, "Dad". For Hu Houpei, these two thin words are enough to offset all the efforts he has made over the years.
Due to mental retardation, ordinary kindergartens are reluctant to accept Zhouzhou. It was suggested that the child be sent to a special school, but Hu Houpei was adamantly opposed because he feared that the child would be harmed and discriminated against as soon as he left the house.
In fact, when Zhou Zhou was a child, he was indeed ostracized and abused by other peers.
Whenever there was snow or showers of cold rain in the cold winter, the children would mischievously peel off all of Zhouzhou's clothes and mercilessly abandon him outdoors to shiver in the bitter cold.
Luckily, there were always some kind adults passing by, wrapping him in a newspaper and escorting him home.
Seeing their son so tormented, Hu Houpei and his wife finally decided to add another child, hoping that when she grew up, she could share the responsibility of taking care of Zhouzhou. In order to achieve this expectation, they instilled this philosophy in their daughter from an early age, and promised to give her all the quality resources in the family first.
The daughter is really filial and promising, and she takes good care of her brother Zhouzhou. It was this born sister who became the initial impetus to push Zhouzhou to the road of "genius conductor".
Weaving the myth of the "genius conductor".
In addition to being a double bass, Hu Houpei works in an important orchestra. In order to share the burden of his wife's childcare, he often brought Zhouzhou to the orchestra.
Under the bath of this musical atmosphere, Zhouzhou, who is mentally retarded, shows an extraordinary concentration and love.
He would spend the day observing the various musical instruments, and once the music sounded, Zhouzhou's eyes would glow with more light and sparkle than ever before. Whenever rehearsals began, he would quietly retreat to the back row, waving his arms like a conductor.
Soon, as the leader of the orchestra, Hu Houpei discovered his son's innate musical talent. In order to further cultivate Zhouzhou's interest, he specially made a baton for Zhouzhou and gave his son this beloved gift.
Sure enough, Zhouzhou, who received the baton, had an extremely cheerful smile on his face. The next day, he came to the orchestra again with his father, and he held the baton tightly and waved it as if he were already a conductor.
Seeing this, Hu Houpei was extremely relieved. Although he didn't expect Zhou Zhou to become a real conductor, he hoped that in this way, Zhou Zhou would find some fun while waiting for rehearsals.
However, as time went on, Hu was surprised to find that Zhou Zhou was able to perfectly match the movements and rhythms when reading the score. His colleagues and friends also noticed the anomaly.
So in their spare time, they often take Zhouzhou to play together.
What's even more amazing is that after a long period of cultivation, Zhou Zhou was finally able to complete a complete performance alone without guidance. Although everyone knew that Zhou Zhou was not a real "genius conductor", they still held a sympathetic and caring heart, and worked together to create a stage for Zhou Zhou to show himself to the fullest.
Hu Houpei and the orchestra members created an exclusive small conductor's stage for Zhou Zhou, and customized a tuxedo and leather shoes for him, hoping that he could feel a sense of honor when he performed.
As the number of performances increased, Zhouzhou's self-confidence also grew, and he even applauded and cheered for himself after the curtain call.
Despite this, Zhouzhou's achievements are still not recognized and accepted by the world. But in order to give Zhouzhou the last warmth and shelter, the group of people around him chose not to puncture his dreams and glory, and let this warm lie continue in Zhouzhou's life.