One night in August 2017, Beijing, the ancient capital of time, lost a highly respected artist, Liu Shiming. When the 80-year-old man passed away peacefully, he was accompanied by the two sons of his old friend Li Xi.
Seeing Uncle Liu pass away like this, the brothers cried into tears and couldn't cry. Their eyes were filled with tears, and their faces were filled with infinite sorrow. Decades of friendship and affection have made them empathize with the death of this elder who is almost like their biological father, and they are very painful.
At this moment, their hearts reproduced the pain of witnessing the death of their biological father a few years ago.
When Li Xi's sons saw Uncle Liu close his eyes for the last time, they had mixed feelings in their hearts. On the one hand, he was very reluctant to leave this elder who was almost his own father, and on the other hand, he was also glad that he was finally able to sail away and reunite with his father in the Heavenly Spirit Realm.
They hugged each other tightly and wept bitterly in front of Uncle Liu's bed, as if at this moment they really understood the truth that "the living can be chased, but the dead are difficult to stay".
Liu Shiming and Li Xi met and cherished each other
The deep friendship between Liu Shiming and Li Xi dates back to the 60s of the last century when Liu Shiming first joined the China Opera and Dance Theater.
At that time, the popular star actor Guo Lanying was unable to continue to star in the high-profile classic drama "Little Erhei Marriage" because her partner Li Xi had a throat problem.
The troupe urgently needed to find a suitable actor to take Li Xi's place. As Guo Lanying's old partner, Li Xi took a fancy to the young and strong Liu Shiming, who had just joined the troupe, and recommended him to the team without hesitation.
Liu Shiming, who joined this top troupe at a young age, was very excited in his heart, but he barely maintained his composure on the surface. After receiving this major task, he thought twice in his heart, and finally stepped on the stage of the challenge with the mentality of giving it a try.
On the night of the tense premiere, Liu Shiming's gripping tenor voice echoed in the theater, and with his upright physique and heroic temperament, he immediately won the applause of the leaders and the audience.
Offstage, Guo Lanying's bright eyes were full of praise and recognition, and she immediately decided to choose this young actor as her new stage partner.
Since then, Liu Shiming has not only taken over the role of the leading actor in "Little Erhei Gets Married", but also was designated by Guo Lanying as her leading partner in another reform drama "The White-Haired Girl".
For a while, he jumped from a stranger to a high-profile star, and officially became the "successor" of his former mentor Li Xi on the stage.
In the following decades, when performing classics on the stage, he spent ups and downs in life, whether in good times or bad, Li Xi became Liu Shiming's closest confidant friend and noble teacher.
The young and vigorous Liu Shiming is often at a loss, and it is always Li Xi who uses friendly and moderate words to relieve his worries and troubles.
The two are inseparable close friends, commuting by bicycle together, going out to exercise, playing chess, and fishing in their spare time, there is nothing Li Xi is unwilling to share and communicate with Liu Shiming.
Throughout the decades of deep friendship between them, Li Xi carefully guided Liu Shiming on the road of art and life in his own way, and became the Kunlun mirror of Liu Shiming's career and life.
The struggle of youth
Behind Liu Shiming's "family-like warmth" is his own years of hard work in his youth.
Dating back to the 60s of the last century, the young Liu Shiming, with his love for art, was admitted to the performance department of the famous Beijing Drama Academy for further study. During his four-year picturesque college career, he won the unanimous appreciation of his teachers with his outstanding voice talent and solid basic skills.
Whether it is a large-scale school party or a small club activity, as long as you come to the scene, you can always see Liu Shiming's tall figure in a corner of the stage where the lights shine.
Although he is in the most inconspicuous position behind the scenes, his loud and rich voice can instantly ignite the atmosphere of the entire theater and reverberate in the theater.
In his senior year, with the strong recommendation of his teachers, Liu Shiming got his wish and entered the CCTV artist roster and was assigned to work at the most prestigious China Opera and Dance Theater at that time.
After entering the top stage in the country, Liu Shiming finally got to know the two mentors of his life, the hot actress Guo Lanying, and her golden partner Li Xi.
Since then, Li Xi has watched the growth of this young man and has become a guide in his career and life. It was with Li Xi's personal recommendation that Liu Shiming was able to show his edge and become Guo Lanying's "green leaf" partner on the stage.
Later, the two gradually cultivated a tacit understanding of golden partners in dramas such as "Little Erhei Gets Married" and "White-Haired Girl", and co-starred in countless classics that are well-known all over the country.
In this way, under the words and deeds of his mentor Li Xi, the young Liu Shiming gradually grew into an outstanding representative of a generation of singers and performing artists. And Li Xi is not only a mentor and friend in his career, but also a guiding light on his life road, always guiding him to success.
Serve Mr. and Mrs. Li Xi and their sons
Just when the deep friendship between Liu Shiming and Li Xi was burning more and more, fate gave him a difficult test. In 2007, Li Xi's wife Guan Qingfang was bedridden due to illness and her health was deteriorating.
After learning the news, Liu Shiming did not hesitate to take on the heavy responsibility of taking care of her.
In the scorching summer, the sun is so hot that it seems to burn people. In order to save time for medical treatment, Liu Shiming often carried the thin Guan Qingfang on his shoulder, walked up and down the steep stairs, and climbed up and down to see a doctor.
Li Xi shared the burden for the two behind him, and followed with a medicine box and other supplies. When they arrived at the top of the building, their clothes were soaked with sweat, but their faces were full of relief and smiles at each other.
In this way, Liu Shiming and Li Xi worked hand in hand to protect Guan Qingfang through the last years. It's a pity that the sky doesn't follow people's wishes, and two years later, Guan Qingfang finally passed away.
Soon, Liu Shi's mothers also passed away one after another. Faced with the death of his relatives repeatedly, Liu Shiming was devastated, if it were not for the comfort and relief of Li Xi and his wife, I was afraid that it would be difficult to survive that haze.
Fate did not stop there for Liu Shiming. In 2011, Li Xi was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, which was unbelievable. Faced with life and death, the wise and open-minded elder calmly said, "I have already finished my life, and now I feel very satisfied.
Hearing these words, Liu Shiming sincerely felt heartache for this old friend. For many years, Li Xi has been a confidant and guide in his life, and now that he is about to leave, his heart is extremely painful.
But at the same time, he is also sincerely grateful to have such a noble friend, who walks with him all the time.
So, Liu Shiming began to serve Li Xi wholeheartedly, day and night. He carefully purchased a marching bed and arranged it in the ward, and always accompanied Li Xi, bringing fresh fruits to visit him every day and playing chess games with him; Sometimes they will improvise and distract and cheer up old friends in their own way.
And all this has witnessed the deep friendship between the two for decades. Until the last moment of his life, Li Xi could feel the filial piety and thoughtfulness of a son from Liu Shiming.