Preface
"Drama is my life. 75-year-old Zhang Shaohua said to the people around him before he died. She is thin and small, and she has played countless classic roles on the stage in her life, leaving a deep impression on countless audiences. But even she herself never thought that she would perform the saddest and most heartbreaking script on the last stage of her life.
First, the big ups and downs, the big ups and downs
Zhang Shaohua's acting career can be described as full of ups and downs, ups and downs, and dramatic and exciting. She was born in 1946 and has a family of nine children, her father died young, and the family struggled to survive on her mother's meager income.
"At that time, it was a luxury to be able to eat a meal of Taipingmen wontons. Zhang Shaohua later recalled the poor years of his childhood, and his face was full of helplessness and sadness. At the age of 13, a glimmer of life finally illuminated her hope. With her extraordinary talent, she was admitted to the local Pingju Academy and started her dream road.
Although the drama road was not smooth at the beginning, Zhang Shaohua was not discouraged. She devoted herself to her acting career, and finally became a full-fledged actress in her 20s, and met the love of her life, Zhang Huibao, in the theater. The two understood and tolerated each other, walked hand in hand through the difficult first few years, and finally ushered in the first small peak of their careers.
2. "Blooming Golden Age"
In the 80s of the last century, Zhang Shaohua and her husband were both the main actors in the China Ping Theater. Although life was poor at that time, it was warm and happy enough. In 1982, they moved into a small house of only 40 square meters in the old town and settled down.
"This little house is a testament to the best years of our youth. Zhang Huibao said, "At that time, we were young and strong, full of longing and expectation for the future. Although the house is small, love and hope fill the whole house. "
In 1993, Zhang Shaohua brilliantly performed the image of a virtuous and generous traditional woman in the TV series "Wuyi Immortal World", which left a deep impression on the audience. Since then, she has been called the "golden supporting role". Despite getting older, Zhang Shaohua is still actively filming, hoping to leave the last chance for the best acting skills.
It wasn't until she was in her 70s that she had to officially retire for "health reasons" and leave the stage completely. The peak of her career didn't last long, but her brilliant acting career made her forever in history.
3. Regrets in family life
But just when his career was taking off, there were some cracks in Zhang Shaohua's family life. In 1971, after the birth of her son Zhang Jing, she and her husband were busy touring and left their son completely in the care of their parents. Although he failed to fulfill his mother's responsibilities, Zhang Shaohua at that time had already paid too much for his career and had no choice.
"Mom didn't have time to pay attention to me. Zhang Jing said, "I have been taking care of my grandparents since I was a child, and the deepest impression of my mother is that she is always dressed in costumes and in a hurry." "
Zhang Shaohua once tried to catch up with his relationship with his son when his career was in a recession. But the huge age and environment doomed her and her son to be strangers. "What I regret the most is that I left my son out in the cold in this life. Zhang Shaohua hid his face and cried bitterly before his death.
Fourth, the last stage
In the early morning of March 2021, 75-year-old Zhang Shaohua suddenly became critically ill and was rushed to the hospital for rescue. Husband Zhang Huibao was the first to rush to the scene, and when he saw his wife's familiar and sickly figure, tears burst out of his eyes.
In the last months of his stay in the hospital, Zhang Shaohua often had nightmares in which he dreamed that he was still acting on stage. After waking up, she couldn't stop crying, it turned out that this play was the last part of her life. This time, she can no longer bloom for the audience, and can only passively accept the choreography of reality.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I finally came to see you. Just one day before Zhang Shaohua died, his son Zhang Jing finally mustered up the courage to come to the hospital. But when he pushed open the door of the intensive care unit, his mother's eyes were already tightly closed, as if to say goodbye to the world.
"I didn't be filial to my mother, and when she left, I was repeating the same mistakes. Zhang Jing was heartbroken and burst into tears. He gently stroked his mother's still delicate and emaciated face with his hand, as if he was playing against her for the last time, trying to awaken the mother-son friendship that had been there for many years.
5. Live in an old house forever
In this way, on March 23, 2021, Zhang Shaohua, the once smash hit "golden supporting actor", withdrew from the stage of life. Audiences across the country mourned, and some fans even spontaneously launched an activity to write a biography for her on the Internet.
At the same time, her husband Zhang Huibao chose to use another way to always protect his wife's figure and memory. He still lives in the old house of only 40 square meters, just like the days when Zhang Shaohua first debuted. Every morning, he would sit in front of the window and look at the street scene where he once lived with his wife.
"I don't want to change anything, just let this room forever be fixed in our youthful appearance. Zhang Huibao said, "There are too many good memories here, how can I be willing to leave?" Let this old house forever witness the deep love of an artistic couple. Zhang Shaohua was finally able to take a curtain call on this stage with peace of mind.
6. Eternal classic characters
Zhang Shaohua's friend Lu Xuemei, a famous Pingju performance artist, said: "Shaohua has always been a humble and low-key person, and he never deliberately brushes up on his presence. But her acting skills are so superb, and every role she portrays is vivid and unforgettable. "
Frankly speaking, Zhang Shaohua's appearance is not outstanding, and his figure is also very thin. But as long as she looks good, she can immediately integrate into the role and show her unique artistic charm. Whether it is the image of a good wife and mother in "Wuyi Immortal Mortal Realm", or the heroic heroine in "The Criminal Officer of the Great Song Dynasty", she can control it freely and make people feel immersive.
"She is like the 'trade' in opera, she is good at interpreting different types of roles perfectly. Lu Xuemei sincerely admired, "This is the real acting skills!" Some comments pointed out that the reason why Zhang Shaohua was able to interpret various roles vividly was largely due to the ups and downs in her own life.
Having been poor since she was a child, having a bumpy start in her career, and regretting her family life, all these ups and downs have given her a deep understanding of human nature. Perhaps it is this authentic and pure experience that makes every image she creates so vivid and moving.
Today, Zhang Shaohua has passed away for many years, but her wonderful performance on the screen is still remembered by countless audiences. Many film and television lovers of the younger generation even watched her film and television works repeatedly in order to relive her classic roles.
After watching her play, I feel as if I am in time and space back then, and what I see is not just a fictional character, but more like a real person with flesh and blood, joys and sorrows. A post-00s audience commented.
It can be said that Zhang Shaohua has used his life to bring too many classics to the audience. And she herself finally completed the most perfect interpretation of "self" on the final stage of life.