In 1981, as soon as the movie "Bashan Night Rain" was released, it quickly became popular in China, and the starring role in the play was also well-known to the public.
However, the most eye-catching thing is not the hero and heroine of the movie, but a little girl who is only 7 years old, and the little girl plays the daughter of the poet Qiushi in the play - Xiao Juanzi.
Mao Weihui "Bashan Night Rain" stills
Although the girl is not very old, her performance level is not inferior to that of adult actors, and because of her brilliant performance, the audience is instantly brought back to the era in the movie.
And the little actor won the Best Supporting Actress at the 1st Chinese Film Golden Rooster Award for her superb acting skills, and this little actor is Mao Weihui.
However, Mao Weihui, who emerged in the film industry, faded out of the audience's field of vision overnight, and her "road to stardom" came to an abrupt end.
It wasn't until she reappeared in the public eye as a pianist that people were surprised to find out that this famous musician was actually a smash hit child star.
Mao Weihui's sudden appearance has aroused people's interest, and many people are curious about her life experience over the years, what happened to her, why did she quit the film industry, and what is her doing now?
Up-and-coming "child stars"
Speaking of Mao Weihui's "child star" experience, it is also quite unintentionally inserted into the willows, Mao Weihui's family has never wanted her to set foot in the film industry.
Because the Mao family is a scholarly family, Mao Weihui's grandfather is Mao Yisheng, who is known as the "father of Chinese bridges", and his grandfather's grandfather is Tan Sitong's best friend Mao Qian.
And Mao Weihui's parents are also extremely accomplished in music, so she has been trained as a musician since she was a child.
If it weren't for a chance, maybe Mao Weihui would have become a pianist according to her parents' arrangement, let alone have an experience in the film industry.
Seriously, "Bashan Night Rain" is not Mao Weihui's first movie, her first movie is "From Slave to General".
At that time, when the cinematographer of the film was visiting a friend, he saw a picture of a little girl under the glass plate of his friend's desk, and was quickly attracted to the little girl in the photo.
The little girl in the photo has very distinctive eyes, she is somewhat similar to the heroine of their movie, and she has a flash of inspiration, and thinks that the little girl fits a role in the movie, so the photographer asks a friend.
And the friend also told him that the little girl was his neighbor's child, and under the introduction of the friend, the cinematographer found Mao Weihui's parents, and the two sides discussed, Mao's father and Mao's mother agreed without hesitation.
So, Mao Weihui began to have the opportunity to contact the film and television industry for the first time, although she was only five years old at this time, she was not ambiguous at all in acting among a group of old actors, and she played quite well.
Although her role does not have a single line, with her natural acting skills, the young Mao Weihui conquered all the staff on the scene.
This performance made everyone remember this little girl, and also started Mao Weihui's short and brilliant "star career".
Mao Weihui and grandpa
The big fire boy star Mao is Hui
Because of her first outstanding performance, Mao Weihui was later recommended to star in other film and television works, but the film industry is not the future direction of Mao Weihui, so she has not participated in many film and television works, and even if she has works, she is not a well-known young actor.
Until she met the director of "Bashan Night Rain", it was with this movie that Mao Weihui quickly got out of the circle and quickly became a hot "little star".
After her first attempt at acting, because of Mao Weihui's dazzling performance, she was "famous" in the film industry, so she was recommended to the crew of "Bashan Night Rain" for audition.
However, during the audition, Mao Weihui looked at the director of the movie with a vigilant look, even though she knew that the person in front of her could decide whether she had the opportunity to star in the movie, but because of the atmosphere of the scene, Mao Weihui still did not relax.
As everyone knows, it is precisely because of her vigilant eyes that the director fell in love with her, Mao Weihui and Xiao Juanzi, the character in the movie, coincided at this moment, this is exactly the actor they are looking for!
Mao Weihui entered the crew in this way, and the director deliberately distanced herself from her in order to keep such a look at her at any time, and under the deliberate guidance of the director, the role created by Mao Weihui was well received.
The performance of this little girl was even more unexpected than everyone expected, and this movie swept China after its release, and Mao Weihui, the actor of Xiao Juanzi in the play, was even more known to the public and became a "little star".
The star career came to an abrupt end
However, just when Mao Weihui was on fire, her star path was abruptly terminated, and it was her music path that ended her star path.
Even if Mao Weihui became popular with the movie, the Mao family didn't want her to engage in acting, and let Mao Weihui act in the movie just to exercise her ability to go on stage, and in the end she still had to get back on track.
In 1983, after she was admitted to the primary school attached to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the dean of the music school proposed that Mao Weihui must stop acting in movies and devote herself to the study of music.
And after the Mao family knew the school's requirements, they did not let Mao Weihui appear in any film and television works, and Mao Weihui's acting career came to an abrupt end.
Following her parents' arrangement, Mao Weihui studied at the Conservatory of Music for several years, and until the third year of junior high school, Mao Weihui decided to study in the United States.
And the reason why she decided to study abroad was a stage performance when she was 14 years old, if it weren't for this concert, maybe Mao Weihui's attitude towards learning piano would still be dispensable.
At the age of 14, Mao Weihui had the privilege of participating in the first performance of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra as a pianist, and the conductor of the performance was Yoshiichi Fukumura, and the repertoire was Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2.
Mao Weihui played this piece when she first appeared on stage, and her heart was quite excited, and this performance made her find resonance.
So much so that since then, Mao Weihui always proudly says whenever she recalls her first performance: "This is a turning point in my career, the fit of the band on stage and the reaction of the live audience made me feel the charm of music for the first time and experience the joy of success." ”
It was also this time that Mao Weihui really made up her mind and decided to go to the United States for further study, and she returned to the original track of her life.
It's just that this time Mao Weihui did not passively accept her family's arrangement, but took the initiative to choose her life, and she had a new goal in life.
Went to the United States for further study
In order to pursue the development of the piano career, 16-year-old Mao Weihui resolutely embarked on the road of music study, and during her study in the United States, the Mao family never deliberately remitted money to her in order to exercise her independence.
Therefore, in addition to completing her schoolwork, Mao Weihui also had to serve dishes to earn living expenses, despite the hard days, she gritted her teeth and persevered, and this experience also trained her strong endurance.
With strong willpower, Mao Weihui successfully completed her studies even though she was studying while working, and obtained a doctorate degree from the University of Southern California in the United States.
Later, because of her achievements in piano, Mao Weihui was hired by the university as a teacher in the piano department, becoming the only Chinese in the music department of this school.
While working at the school, Mao Weihui had her first boyfriend, but the relationship only lasted three years, and the two broke up because of their incompatible personalities.
The reason why Mao Weihui has been able to win major awards many times is not only her strength, but also her strong and outgoing personality.
Her personality will bring her benefits in her career, but not necessarily emotionally, so after experiencing the first relationship, Mao Weihui has become a lot more cautious emotionally.
For her, the other half of the future, character, ability, and character must be passed, and the most important thing is a man who can tolerate her and is mature enough.
A YEAR AFTER MAO WEIHUI'S BREAKUP, SHE MET JOHN, A 40-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN MAN WHOSE Chinese NAME IS PANTON, HER TRUE TRUE SON AND HER SECOND BOYFRIEND WHO WAS ALSO HER HUSBAND.
Married to a foreign husband
When the two first met, Mao Weihui did not come out of the first relationship, so she did not pay attention to this man, until two years later, the two met again at work.
As the president of Steinway Piano Asia, Panton and Mao Weihui, who has been invited to return to China to participate in performances all the year round, have intersected, and the two have become closer and closer because of more opportunities for communication.
Mao Weihui was gradually moved by Panton's sincerity, and the two decided to date, and after a year of dating, Mao Weihui dated Panton after a performance in Beijing, and in this date, Mao Weihui was proposed.
Mao Weihui also agreed to Panton's marriage proposal very simply, and in 2008, the two got a license and got married in the United States.
But because of work, Mao Weihui and Panton often get together less and leave more, but the relationship between the two has not weakened because of the decrease in the number of times they have met, but has become stronger and stronger.
If Mao Weihui has to return to China because of work, Panton will also accompany her back to Beijing, and take care of Mao Weihui in all aspects, both in work and life.
What touched Mao Weihui the most was not her husband taking care of her, but taking care of her family.
Mao Weihui's parents are also quite satisfied with this "foreign son-in-law", and it is precisely because of Panton's dedication that although the two have been married for many years, they have always been in a sweet state.
In love, Mao Weihui has always been nourished by Panton with love, even if she is middle-aged, but Mao Weihui is still like a little girl sometimes.
While teaching in the United States, Mao Weihui continued to win awards in various international competitions, and held nearly 60 concerts around the world every year.
It is precisely for this reason that Mao Weihui saw the difference between music education in China and music education in other countries, which also gave her new ideas.
The "Sorrow" of Chinese Piano Education
In 2009, Mao Weihui focused her work on China, and the reason for her decision was that during her concert in China, she noticed a strange phenomenon in the domestic piano education industry.
She said bluntly: "Although China's conservatory of music has always been the cradle of musicians, it has actually harmed many students. ”
"In the school's view, every child who goes to a conservatory must become a pianist, but in fact, this idea is a bit sad, not all children can become pianists, and it is possible that children cannot become pianists because of talent, opportunity, or hard work. ”
She also compared the piano education methods of Chinese and American children, and she believes that there is a big difference between China and the United States now, and Chinese and American students are so different in the attitude and cognition of learning piano.
As a piano teacher in the United States, Mao Weihui feels that although American families also attach importance to children's music education, they prefer a kind of edutainment.
Parents in the United States do not believe that their children's piano lessons must be produced in the curriculum, while in China, on the contrary, the children's grandparents and parents do not know how to deal with the problems of their children's piano learning.
Another is that in addition to the parents' perception of musical attitudes, the cognition of Chinese and American students is also very different, and few American children think that learning the piano is for utilitarianism.
And Chinese children seem to have formed a unified answer in their cognition of learning the piano:
"The purpose of Chinese children learning the piano is to be Lang Lang, not because of Lang Lang's achievements in music, but because becoming Lang Lang can make better money, if you only think about making money by playing the piano, it is wrong!"
Of course, the reason for the formation of such an atmosphere is not only the family, but also the reason for the domestic music education institutions, so that there is always a proverb in the music industry, that is, "you can play but you can't teach, you can teach but you can't play".
She wants to break this stereotype and strive to become a piano teacher who can teach and play well. And it is China that allows her to achieve her goals.
Returned to China to run piano education
In order to achieve her new goal, Mao Weihui not only held master lectures at various conservatories in China, but also successively established art centers named after her in Qingdao, Hangzhou, Dalian and other places.
After returning to China to establish a piano education institution, Mao Weihui once again ushered in the peak of her career, and her ideas and cognitions about piano education were realized in Chinese music classrooms.
Therefore, Mao Weihui is quite confident and confident: "I am very suitable for music teaching, because I know what Chinese children lack, and I also have this obligation." ”
As she said, Mao Weihui has made great efforts to improve the quality of music education in China and has reaped the results.
In just one year, her teaching institution quickly gained popularity, and she brought her musical talents to different cities.
The former child star has long since faded her halo and burst out more dazzling in the field of music, and it is difficult for people to find the shadow of the child star from her.
Now when it comes to Mao Weihui, he is not a child star, but a world-renowned doctor of musical arts from the University of Southern California in the United States and a Steinway & Sons global contracted artist.
Today, Mao Weihui is active in the front line of piano education, and at the same time, she is also operating a very happy and happy marriage, which can be described as a double harvest of love and career!
Bibliography:
1. Chinese Culture Daily: "Mao Weihui: My Hand Plays My Heart"
2. International Talent Exchange: Mao Weihui: From Child Star to Piano Educator
3. Liaoning Daily: "Mao Weihui: From Child Star to Pianist"
4. Movie review: ""Pride, there is nothing" - remembering the growth of young actor Mao Weihui