Li Yugang was born in the shadow of a poor family, and the small village covered in the mountains became the cradle of his growth. Under the earnest teachings of his kind grandmother, he developed a tenacious and unyielding character from an early age.
The earnest teachings word by word ignited the fire of dreams in Li Yugang's heart extremely brightly. He is full of a strong desire to learn, obsessively pursuing the ocean of knowledge, and studying tirelessly, looking forward to one day getting rid of the shackles of his poor family and changing his bumpy fate.
However, when Li Yugang won a precious opportunity to realize his ideals with his excellent academic performance, his family's difficult situation left him with confusion and confusion about his future.
The original dazzling light became dim, and endless helplessness and confusion hung over his heart like a dark cloud.
In the end, he took the few hundred yuan of savings left in his family and embarked on a lonely journey to find a new life, only this time, he came to a strange and noisy city for him - Changchun.
Facing this new world, Li Yugang seems to be like a blind man groping forward in the dark. The high price and consumption level made his meager salary unable to support his most basic living needs.
At one point, he had the idea of giving up his dream and returning to his hometown. However, after a series of hardships, he finally found a job at a construction site with food and shelter.
However, due to the limitations of his physical condition, Li Yugang soon reached his limit and had to face the reality of being ruthlessly fired by the foreman. However, he was not discouraged by this and quickly found a job as a food cleaning worker with a small salary but enough to make ends meet.
Although life seems to have fallen into the abyss of despair, Li Yugang's deep dream of music is like a blazing flame, no matter how many hardships he goes through, it cannot be extinguished.
Just when he was about to give up his dream, the "Avenue of Stars" program was like a dawn, rekindling his love and hope for the music career.
In 2006, Li Yugang did not hesitate to stand on the stage of this draft, with his unique voice and Peking Opera female costume, instantly shocked everyone present, and the judges applauded warmly, praising him as "an incomparable genius".
This sudden attention became an important turning point in Li Yugang's life and opened a new chapter in his music career.
Since then, like a frustrated horse, Li Yugang has begun to reinvigorate his spirits, remembering his unwavering dedication and passion for music.
With his excellent vocal skills, he skillfully blended traditional Peking Opera art with modern pop music, and finally created the Peking Opera pop song "The New Concubine Drunk" that shocked the world in 2010.
This unprecedented attempt to innovate, like a flame that burned the stage of Peking Opera, quickly detonated the entire music industry, and successfully led the ancient art of Peking Opera to a new level of glory.
With this song "The New Concubine Drunk", Li Yugang instantly won the warm pursuit of countless fans with his unique charm of combining Peking Opera and pop music.
Fans even shouted praises of "Mei Lanfang in front and Li Yugang in the back", comparing him with Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang.
However, Master Mei Baojiu, who is the son of Mei Lanfang and the inheritor of the Mei School, is deeply dissatisfied with this. He frowned and pondered, his face gloomy, and openly questioned that Li Yugang was merely imitating opera and had nothing to do with the authentic Mei School.
He candidly pointed out that the Mei School is a unique cultural and artistic school, and it absolutely cannot tolerate the existence of artists like Li Yugang.
In the face of Mei Baojiu's sharp criticism, Li Yugang did not flinch.
As a result, the relationship between the two has reached the point of saber rattling and incompatibility. Many disciples of the Mei faction also shouted: "Although Li Yugang can use his opera voice to interpret songs, he is just a grass folk after all, and has nothing to do with our Mei faction!" With the intervention of the two factions, this dispute intensified, and the situation was about to erupt.
In this tense atmosphere, the director of the Spring Festival Gala sincerely invited the two artists to perform on stage together on the grounds of resolving disputes.
However, it backfired, and Li Yugang obviously failed to let go of the resentment in his heart.
At the party scene, when he confidently declared that "I represent the broad and profound Mei faction", Mei Baojiu's face was blue and angry, and he suddenly got up and left the table without looking back.
In an instant, the scene was in an uproar, the audience looked at each other, and the scene suddenly fell into an embarrassing situation of ice and fire. At this point, the contradiction between the two can no longer be reconciled, and they are completely on the verge of rupture.
After going through the wind and rain, the Mei faction once again made a loud statement to the public, fiercely criticizing Li Yugang, accusing him of "being arrogant and despising the teachings of his ancestors", which made the entire pear orchard community suddenly angry and rejected him.
In an instant, the singer Li Yugang, who had won great glory, fell into the lowest point in his life, his reputation was uncared for, and he almost fell to the bottom, and even the "New Peking Opera" art style that he had always been proud of was extinguished.
As a shining treasure of Chinese culture, the road to rejuvenation of Peking Opera has always been bumpy and tortuous, full of countless hardships and challenges. The dispute between Li Yugang and Mei Baojiu is precisely the concentrated embodiment of the collision of the two forces of tradition and innovation.
On the one hand, the Mei School regards Peking Opera as a symbol of the cultural identity of the Chinese nation, and a unique artistic essence that has been passed down for thousands of years. With a sense of reverence for the legacy of her ancestors, Mei Baojiu resolutely opposes any innovative attempts that deviate from the heritage of Peking Opera.
He was deeply concerned that if these "heretics" were allowed to develop at will, they would only lead this ancient art astray and obscure its true value.
On the other hand, Li Yugang has always cherished a unique dream for the future of art. He firmly believes that art has no upper limit, and if it sticks to the rules and refuses to change, it will be obsolete.
Only by breaking through the limitations and making bold innovations can this former national treasure regain its vitality.
The two views are diametrically opposed, reflecting the most fundamental differences in the development of art. However, whether they are sticking to tradition or renewing, the ultimate goal pursued by both sides is highly consistent – to keep the ancient art of Peking Opera alive and for generations to come.
It is gratifying that it is precisely because of Li Yugang's brave attempt that this ancient art has been able to re-attract the attention of contemporary young people, and let the audience, including middle-aged and elderly people, rekindle their love for national culture.
Driven by the new trend of Peking Opera led by Li Yugang, more and more young people have begun to devote themselves to the research and study of Peking Opera art.
It is no exaggeration to say that it is Li Yugang who has injected new vitality and development opportunities into this dying art, otherwise, I am afraid that it will still gradually decline in the torrent of the times.
Therefore, whether Li Yugang adheres to the traditional art path, or Mei Baojiu's resistance to the new trend, it is all due to the deep love and high respect for this ancient and unique art treasure.
However, if we have to compare the two, then there is no doubt that Li Yugang's bold attempt is more forward-looking and far-reaching in the times.
The so-called heroes are in the twilight, and heroes have no regrets. Although Li Yugang once fell into a trough in controversy and his reputation almost collapsed, as a passionate artist, he never gave up his firm belief and unremitting pursuit of a music career.
With the grand dream of bringing the unique cultural charm of the Orient to the rest of the world, Li Yugang looks forward to creating an unprecedented aesthetic experience by skillfully blending ancient traditional art with modern elements.
It is precisely because of this that his criticism of Mei Baojiu is so difficult to let go, because he knows that he has indeed made outstanding contributions to the innovation and development of Chinese culture.
At the same time, although Mei Baojiu disagreed with Li Yugang in order to defend the legitimacy of Peking Opera, he also knew that if this ancient art did not keep up with the pace of the times and integrate it closely with modern life, it would eventually be forgotten by the times.
So, despite the friction they have experienced, they will be able to work together again in the future if they put aside their prejudices.
In fact, at that gala not so long ago, the two artists were already showing some signs of reconciliation. Although Li Yugang's act of "declaring war" on the spot did make Mei Baojiu angry and left angrily, at least before that, they still maintained a relatively harmonious relationship.
With the passage of time, the strife of the past will eventually dissipate without a trace. At that time, perhaps they will be able to put aside their prejudices, overcome their estrangement, and work together to revitalize this quintessential national art.
After all, Mei Pai symbolizes the purity of traditional culture, while Li Yugang shows the spirit of the times of innovation. If the two can be perfectly integrated, it will undoubtedly be the highest interpretation of artistic aesthetics.
At that time, the future of Peking Opera art will surely show a more dazzling style.
"Who would have thought that the final dignity of Peking Opera was actually given by the 'singer' Li Yugang?" This comment may have a certain irony, but perhaps it is precisely this "accidental" dignity that is the greatest affirmation of Li Yugang.
As a musician from humble beginnings, he has given new life to this ancient art in a unique way, giving it a dazzling resplendor again!
This spirit of innovation has undoubtedly injected a strong impetus into the declining Peking Opera, which is exactly what we urgently need!