The content of this article is based on authoritative historical data, and there are citations at the end of the article.
Preamble:
Jiang Ziya, the legendary immortal, once went down to earth to complete the great cause of being a god, and his deeds have been praised by future generations through the ages. In modern times, actor Wang Runsen, who plays Jiang Ziya, also shoulders an extraordinary mission. Wang Runsen, this name may be unfamiliar to ordinary people, but his other name, Lantian Ye, is widely known.
As an outstanding artist, he plays various roles on stage, and his acting skills are superb and loved by the audience. It is undeniable that Lan Tianye is a high-profile actor, but he was suddenly awarded the country's highest honor - the "July 1st Medal". The news caused an instant sensation.
There is a lot of speculation about what secrets are hidden by the artist who has portrayed countless classic characters on stage, what is his true identity, and why did he receive such an honor?
At the moment of receiving the medal, Lan Tianye stood on the podium, he was smiling and his eyes were firm: at that moment, he seemed to have returned to those days full of war and gunsmoke, and returned to the years of silent dedication to the country.
01 Life is like a play.
Everyone's life is like a drama of ups and downs, and Wang Runsen's life is more exciting, legendary and exciting than ordinary people.
On May 4, 1927, Wang Runsen was born in a family with a strong economy and culture. Influenced by his parents and influenced by his ears, he showed an innate artistic talent since he was a child, especially painting, whether it is landscapes, flowers and birds or people, all of which are lifelike under Wang Runshen's brush.
However, life is always full of uncertainties. While Wang Runsen was enjoying a happy time, a sudden change broke his peaceful life. With the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the quiet desk that once belonged to the literary and artistic youth has also been swallowed up by the ruthless beacon fire, and the tranquility and beauty have been broken by the cruelty of reality.
Although at that time, he had already entered the door of the National Beiping Art College with his own efforts and talents. But seeing the tragic scene under the fires of war, a strong patriotic feeling welled up in my heart.
"Painting can't save China, it's better to throw yourself into the torrent of resistance against Japan, and use your own practical actions to contribute to the country and the people."
In particular, in the turbulent moment, the students at the school are like a lit flame, bursting out with unprecedented cohesion. They put down their books, walked out of the schoolyard, and poured into the streets in droves every day, shouting slogans and demonstrating.
These young faces were full of determination and bravery, shouting slogans of the awakening of the country to resist aggression, as if they wanted to use their youth and blood to build an impregnable barrier for the future of the country.
02 Painting can't save China, what can I do?
Wang Runsen thought about it and joined this mighty action without hesitation. At this time, his classmates in the drama set found Wang Runsen and invited him to join, actively calling on more people to join this great struggle to defend their homeland and resist aggression in the form of performances and dramas.
Wang Runsen studied painting and was not interested in joining the repertory troupe at first, because he did not understand what role drama could play in this war-torn era.
When Wang Runsen saw the actors in the repertory troupe, he realized that the students were rehearsing an anti-Japanese drama with full enthusiasm: they were using this way to publicize the anti-Japanese resistance, expose the atrocities of the Japanese invaders, and use the form of drama and performance to inspire and call on more people to participate in the anti-Japanese war. This scene made Wang Runsen feel an unprecedented shock.
Wang Runsen quickly integrated into the life of the drama troupe, and became the backbone of the student drama club at that time in a short period of time, and in the process of performance, more and more people began to accept new ideas, and the public also had more recognition of the anti-Japanese drama, which made Wang Runsen feel a sense of achievement.
Since then, with the help of the cover of the repertory troupe, he and his club mates often appear in the streets and alleys, performing and giving speeches for the people, using his voice and acting skills to awaken the patriotic feelings of the Chinese people and contribute their own strength to the cause of the Anti-Japanese War.
And one day, the appearance of a person made Wang Runsen officially embark on the road of revolution.
03 Revolutionary road on the row.
As the night fell, after a busy day of progressive performances, Wang Runsen came home from school, and as soon as he entered the house, he saw his relatives who he hadn't seen for several years - the third sister Shimei. Wang Runsen was so excited that he almost screamed, but was quickly stopped by the third sister.
It turned out that after the third sister whispered about her situation outside in the past few years, Wang Runsen learned that the third sister did not go out to study but secretly joined the underground party, and has been silently dedicating herself to the revolution in the dark.
The flame of revolution is like a prairie fire, developing extremely rapidly, the base areas behind the enemy line have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and the anti-Japanese forces are also growing.
And Wang Runsen is immersed in the edification of progressive ideas every day, and his heart is full of the pride and ambition of resisting Japan and defending the country. When he heard the news that the third sister was about to establish a traffic station in Beiping, the fire in his heart burned even more. He took the initiative to ask Ying, hoping to take on the position of liaison and shoulder the heavy responsibility of intelligence transmission.
In this way, Wang Runsen incarnated as a brave underground liaison officer, fighting side by side with the third sister, in Wang Runsen's heart, this is not only an honor, but also a heavy responsibility.
So in the days that followed, during the day, Wang Runsen was on the drama stage of the school, devoting himself to the drama performance, and he preached patriotism with passionate lines and vivid performances, awakening the audience's deep national feelings.
At night, in the silent darkness, he and his third sister relied on the faint light to record confidential information about the victory or defeat of the revolution. And sometimes when the third sister couldn't go out for various reasons, Wang Runsen stepped forward and rode a bicycle through the danger zone, risking his life to transport scarce supplies and even vital information.
In these years full of hardships and dangers, Wang Runsen and the third sister fought side by side and wrote the legend of the revolution together. However, what I did not expect was that the smoke of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression had just dissipated, and the flames of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were burning again.
Because Wang Runsen has devoted himself to countless heavy tasks, he not only has strong patriotic feelings, deeply agrees with the concept of the Communist Party of China, but is also full of infinite faith and respect, and even told his sister many times that he also wants to join the Communist Party. So, in this context, the third sister Shi Mei recommended Wang Runsen to officially join the Communist Party of China.
04 shuttles behind enemy lines, and dangers lurk.
Because Wang Runsen has performed a large number of works in the school's drama club and accumulated rich stage experience, the image of the actor is very profound in the minds of many people, so after careful consideration, the party organization decided to use his identity as an "actor" to send Wang Runsen deep behind enemy lines and secretly infiltrate the second drama team in the Kuomintang army.
At this time, Wang Runsen was not just an actor, but an intelligence officer who shouldered heavy responsibilities and delivered news. And every performance in the Kuomintang army is very thrilling, many times, a subtle action, a line, are set as a code word to transmit intelligence, these arrangements are carefully planned by the party organization, waiting for Wang Runsen to pass it out at the right time.
Even in order to convey intelligence and promote patriotic ideas, they need to skillfully use the mezzanine of theatrical props to transport classified documents under the nose of the other side. Therefore, he takes every performance very seriously and does not dare to slack off in the slightest.
Although every transmission was full of tension and excitement, Wang Runsen was always able to deal with it calmly and successfully delivered the information to our party. At that time, the democratic and patriotic movements were intensifying throughout the country, and the patriotic propaganda of these associations was like a torrent of torrents, striking at the cornerstone of the KMT's rule.
Many people chanted slogans of freedom, democracy, and equality, awakening the people's deepest desires and making the KMT feel unprecedented pressure and threat. As a result, student drama troupes and many social groups have become the targets of close surveillance by the Kuomintang. They are subjected to endless investigations, repression, and restrictions, struggling to the brink of survival.
The Kuomintang was highly alert to this, so they increased their pressure on the associations, trying to curb the spread of this patriotic fervor through brutal means. With the intensification of surveillance by Kuomintang agents, in order to protect the lives of his comrades, Wang Runsen knew that a well-planned retreat was imminent.
Under the arrangement of the organization, the members of our party in the second drama team began the intensive retreat work. They quietly and silently packed their bags, carefully signaling their retreat. Finally, in one night, a successful retreat to the liberated territories was achieved.
In order to protect his family and prevent himself from exposing his relatives and friends in the nationalized area, he decided to change his name and surname, and since then "Wang Runsen" has disappeared from people's sight, and "Lantian Ye" came into being.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Lantian Ye was like a bright star, continuing to shine in the sky of the literary and artistic circles. He devoted himself to revolutionary literary and artistic work, and with his profound artistic attainments and outstanding performance talents, he created one classic repertoire and image after another, such as: "Qin Zhongyi" in "Teahouse" and Zeng Wenqing in "Pekingese".
In addition, he also directed many dramas such as "Newcomer in the Mountain Village", "Save Her", "Home", "Wu Wang Jin Ge Yue Wang Jian", among which "Wu Wang Jin Ge Yue Wang Jian" also won the Beijing Outstanding Director Award.
Especially Jiang Ziya played by him in CCTV's 90 version of "Fengshen List", with a fairy style, integrity and honesty, he has become an insurmountable classic, and is praised by the audience as the most handsome Jiang Ziya. In addition, he also played the gentle and generous old man father in the TV series "Desire", showing his diverse acting skills. It has brought endless artistic enjoyment to the people.
Epilogue:
His artistic achievements and contributions have not only been recognized and praised by the audience, but also affirmed by the party and the state. Mr. Lantian Ye used the stage as the battlefield, not only cheering for the revolutionary cause, but also starring in or directing dozens of popular literary and artistic works with superb acting skills and excellent directing talent after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
He lived incognito for 75 years, and it was not until he was awarded the "July 1st Medal" that everyone knew his story, which was not only his personal honor, but also an affirmation of his life's dedication to the people's literary and artistic cause.
Although he has left us, his spirit will always remain in our hearts, may he rest in heaven in peace, and may each of us draw strength from his spirit and work hard to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Reference:
Edited by Ren Zhongwen. Portrait of the winners of the "July 1st Medal" [M]. 2021
Edited by the National Theatre of China. Only the Pure Heart, the 91st Anniversary of Sun Weishi's Birth[M]. 2012