In an old-style courtyard house in Beijing, the fallen leaves of late autumn silently paved the bluestone pavement. The surroundings were so silent that only the intermittent sound of car horns could be heard in the distance, mixed with the sparse barking of dogs.
This courtyard house was once the love nest of Cao Yu and his first wife Zheng Xiu, and now, only Cao Yu lives alone.
Cao Yu sat on a rickety, old-fashioned bamboo chair, the letter in his hand yellowed, and the handwriting on it was blurred from multiple folds.
It was a letter he had written to his daughter many years ago, full of memories of his past and deep guilt. What is he guilty about? Is it Jung-so's undying love?
In the history of modern Chinese theatre, Cao Yu's works have profoundly explored human nature, the relationship between society and the individual, and the conflict between tradition and modernity, and these themes have not only made his plays highly praised in literature, but also aroused extensive discussion and reflection in society.
Cao Yu, known as the "Shakespeare of the East", showed extraordinary theatrical talent at an early age. At the age of 23, he created "Thunderstorm", which quickly became a sensation in the literary and artistic circles with its intricate character relationships and profound thematic ideas.
"Thunderstorm" depicts the secrets and tragedies hidden within a family, as well as the influence of various social forces on the fate of individuals. The play was extremely expressive on stage and emotionally conflicting, and immediately attracted a large number of audiences, making Cao Yu's name widely known in the literary and artistic circles overnight.
Then, the 25-year-old Cao Yu launched another heavyweight work, "Sunrise". The drama delves deeper into the complexity of human nature and the dark side of society, especially the oppression of women and the cruelty of capital.
"Sunrise" not only gained wide attention for its profound social criticism, but also won Cao Yu the praise of the literary master Ba Jin. Ba Jin praised Cao Yu for his ability to depict social reality and character psychology so accurately and profoundly, and he is a leader in the contemporary theater industry.
As for "Pekingese", this work is another masterpiece of Cao Yu at the age of 30. Through meticulous depictions of people from all walks of life in Beijing, Cao Yu shows the microcosm of an era and the complexity of human nature.
The success of "Pekingese" lies not only in its exquisite artistic expression, but also in its profound sense of history and humanistic care, which makes Cao Yu's position in the theater world more and more unbreakable.
In April 1939, Cao Yu moved to Sichuan with the National Drama School, and his family member Zheng Xiu also went along. However, life in Sichuan may be too monotonous, resulting in Zheng Xiu only spending time with a few teachers and wives in the drama school, passing the time by playing cards.
Sometimes, Zheng Xiu even invited Cao Yu, who was busy with creation, to participate in the game. At this time, Cao Yu was already tired, and realized that the contradictions between him and Zheng Xiu were increasing, and there seemed to be discord between the two sides in terms of living habits and personalities. Although he is physically close to Zheng Xiu, the distance between them and Zheng Xiu seems to be far away, as if they come from two very different worlds.
The separation of the two appeared shortly after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and in 1950, the government quickly promulgated a new marriage law in order to completely change the old concept of marriage and family.
The introduction of this law marks the formal recognition and guarantee of the individual's freedom to marry, allowing for divorce and emphasizing equality between men and women, especially in the choice of partners and the dissolution of marriage.
Driven by this legal environment, Cao Yu, a well-known Chinese playwright, filed for divorce with the court.
Cao Yu's marriage to Zheng Xiu was once regarded as a model in the literary and artistic world, but in the new social atmosphere, even such a marriage is no longer immutable.
In the documents submitted to the court for divorce, Cao Yu clearly listed "emotional discord" as the main reason.
In the weeks that followed, Zheng Xiu faced various opinions and persuasions from relatives and friends. Her family and friends, out of concern for her and their recognition of the concept of marriage in the new era, began to gradually persuade her to consider accepting divorce.
They believe that since the relationship is no longer sustainable, continuing to be together can be a torture for both parties. These statements gradually influenced Zheng Xiu's thinking. She finally agreed to Cao Yu's divorce request, and when she still loved Cao Yu in her heart, she didn't change until she was old and died.
In 1951, after Cao Yu and Zheng Xiu divorced, he and Fang Rui entered the palace of marriage. Fang Rui, as Cao Yu's new partner, her marriage to Cao Yu began in a time of social unrest and political repression. At the beginning of their marriage, the two lived in Beijing's literary and art circles, and seemed to have regained peace for a while.
However, it was not long before the cultural world began to experience harsher political censorship and criticism, and Cao Yu's status and creation were challenged like never before. At literary meetings and in public, Cao Yu was repeatedly asked to conduct self-criticism and openly accept accusations.
This constant political pressure had a profound impact on Cao's personal life. His daily life was severely disrupted, and his creative activities were interrupted.
There were fewer occasions to communicate with colleagues in the literary and artistic circles, and there were often political study and criticism meetings at home. Cao Yu had to spend a lot of time dealing with these political activities, which severely drained his energy and creativity.
Fang Rui, as Cao Yu's wife, was also deeply affected by this series of events. The decline of Cao Yu's prestige and the difficulties of life put Fang Rui under great psychological pressure.
Especially during the period when Cao Yu was criticized and isolated, Fang Rui not only had to deal with increasingly estranged social relationships, but also had to bear the psychological burden of his family. The atmosphere at home became more and more depressing, and friends from the literary and artistic circles gradually reduced their visits.
After a long period of repression and constant troubles in his personal life, Fang Rui's health began to deteriorate. Her mental state was increasingly crumbling due to chronic stress and restlessness.
In 1974, after several years of mental torture and physical and mental exhaustion, Fang Rui finally chose to end his life in a desperate night, taking sleeping pills to commit suicide, leaving Cao Yu and their children behind.
Fang Rui's death was a great blow to Cao Yu.
After that, Cao Yu's life and creative state fell further into a trough. The volume of his work has been drastically reduced, and his published works have rarely been performed. Cao Yu's literary career almost came to a standstill during this period, and his reputation and influence were significantly less than before.
Fang Rui's death was a major blow to Cao Yu. During this period, although Zheng Xiu divorced Cao Yu many years ago, the two still maintained a certain degree of contact, especially on the education and growth of their children.
After Zheng Xiu learned the news of Fang Rui's death, he began to consider whether it was possible to reunite with Cao Yu. In her view, reunion may bring some solace to Cao Yu and provide a more complete family environment for their children.
Even after discussing with relatives, friends and children, Zheng Xiu felt that such a reunion seemed to be accepted and supported by everyone. Cao Yu and Zheng Xiu's children also expressed their hope that their parents can get back together, believing that this can bring positive changes to the whole family.
However, Cao Yu's attitude towards compounding is not positive. Although he is grateful and concerned about his ex-wife Zheng Xiu and his children, his heart has long changed.
After experiencing her marriage to Fang Rui and her tragic death, Cao Yu felt that she needed more time to adjust and think about her future.
His life and emotional state have changed a lot after Fang Rui's death, and he no longer expects to rekindle his old relationship with his past partner.
In addition, a few years after Fang Rui's death, Cao Yu met Peking Opera performance artist Li Yuru. Li Yuru not only has an outstanding talent in art, but also has a deep resonance with Cao Yu in terms of outlook on life and values.
The two met at a social event at Peking Opera, and Li Yuru's performance deeply attracted Cao Yu. They gradually became acquainted with each other through many literary exchanges and social occasions, and found that they had many similar interests and perspectives.
In the process of getting along, the relationship between Cao Yu and Li Yuru became closer and closer. Li Yuru's concern and understanding of Cao Yu, as well as her unique views on art, gave Cao Yu great spiritual support.
Her presence made Cao Yu feel new hope and inspiration for life, and his literary works began to gradually regain their former vitality. After five years of acquaintance and communication, Cao Yu decided to marry Li Yuru.
In 1989, in the early morning of an autumn day, Zheng Xiu finally passed away due to a long-term illness. Her health has been declining over the past few years, and despite multiple treatments, her condition has deteriorated.
In the last days of her life, family, friends and medical staff gathered at her bedside, who took turns caring for her, hoping to bring her some comfort.
According to the memories of medical staff and family members who were present, Zheng Xiu seemed to have been calling Cao Yu's name on his deathbed, hoping to see him at the last moment.
However, Cao Yu himself was also sick because of his advanced age, and his movement was already very inconvenient, so he could not go to Zheng Xiu's hospital bed.
After Zheng Xiu's death, Cao Yu felt very sad about this time. Although the two divorced many years ago, the mark left by Zheng Xiu in Cao Yu's life cannot be erased.
Out of guilt for his ex-wife and for not being able to make it to her last moments in life, Cao Yu wrote a letter to their second daughter. In the letter, he expressed his condolences to Jung so and his reflections and guilt about himself as a father.
He mentioned Jung-so's parenting responsibilities when their daughters were young, as well as her tremendous contribution to the children's growth and education.
Cao Yu wrote in the letter: "I feel very guilty that my mother has passed away. You - I couldn't take care of you and Dai Dai when we were young, and I only relied on my mother's hard work to take care of you. When I think about it, I feel very guilty. It's gone, and it can't be remedied. Personnel are complex and cannot be described exhaustively. ”
Cao Yu is getting older, his health is gradually deteriorating, and although he is carefully cared for by Li Yuru, he already feels that his life is coming to an end.
On December 13, 1996, accompanied by Li Yuru, Cao Yu finally passed away peacefully at his home in Beijing at the age of 86.
Zhang Cuiling, Zhao Qiurong.Cao Yu's English Translation Review of Drama Works[J].Journal of Beijing Second University of Foreign Chinese,2023,45(5):109-122