1. The friendship between master and apprentice in parallel time and space
Time flies in an instant, the years pass like a white horse, and in just a few blinks of an eye, it has come to a hot night in May 2024. At this moment, in the Deyun Club Theater in Beijing, the capital of Beijing, tonight's home cross talk performance is going on warmly and wonderfully, showing a harmonious and joyful atmosphere on and off the stage.
As a cross talk artist who has gone through vicissitudes, Mr. Guo Degang can easily deal with any cross talk jokes he faces, and his face is unwavering. His partner Yu Qian also behaved calmly, smiling slightly from time to time, telling the story in a gentle and infectious tone, and the tacit cooperation between the two was flawless.
The words on the stage make us feel as if we have traveled back in time and space to that era more than 20 years ago. It was in 2004 that Mr. Guo Degang first worked with Yu Qian in a small theater in the suburbs of Beijing.
At that time, they did not yet have the fame they have today, and they could only display their skills in a simple tin shed, accompanied only by the occasional sound of rain, and a faint tractor lamp stretched the two figures in long coats.
In that year, Mr. Guo Degang went through a lot of hardships in the theater world, and with his talent and perseverance, he finally made his mark in the sea of art in Beijing.
Mr. Yu Qian joined the team later, and the two of them knew each other 20 years ago.
2. Yu Qian's family background
When it comes to Mr. Yu Qian, his family history can be said to have a long history, and he has been a scholarly family for generations. Mr. Yu Qian's grandfather was a well-known scholar with a high standing in the academic world.
His father held important positions, serving as the chief geological exploration engineer of the Dagang Oilfield, and his mother was also an expert in the oilfield refinery.
Mr. Yu Qian grew up in such a privileged family environment since he was a child, and was naturally deeply influenced by the classics of sages. He is very talented, he has been regarded as a genius by his teachers since he was a child, and he always likes to find ways to trick his classmates and friends, but his academic performance has always been excellent.
Later, Mr. Yu Qian was admitted to the cross talk class of Beijing Opera School as he wished, worshiped the cross talk master Shi Fukuan as his teacher, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the art of speaking, learning and singing, and could be called a "failed Confucian student".
However, Mr. Yu Qian's love for the art field is far from comparable to Mr. Guo Degang's dedication to the cross talk career. At that time, the cross talk industry was gradually declining, and Mr. Yu Qian also had other ideas in his heart.
After graduation, he chose to leave the Beijing Quyi Troupe, devoted himself to the film and television crew, and began a wandering life.
From the strong background of Yu Qian's noble family for generations, we can clearly see that this guest was deeply influenced by good education at a young age, and his profound cultural heritage moistened his heart.
This undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for his future career choices and life attitude, and wrote a magnificent prologue for his glorious years!
However, although Yu Qian is not as unhesitating as Guo Degang to devote himself to the field of cross talk art, he contains endless wisdom in his heart, and his strong support for Guo Degang comes from the sincerity of his heart.
3. The arduous process of the establishment of Deyun Club
Let's go back to the time when Deyun Club was founded more than 20 years ago, when Guo Degang was isolated and embattled. Born in poverty, in order to chase the cross talk dream in his heart, he started to be busy every morning and was not able to rest until late at night.
He often stood on the tractor around the theater, shuttling through the streets and alleys, attracting the audience with vivid and interesting cross talk jokes, in exchange for meager living expenses.
However, even in such a difficult environment, he still suffered countless difficulties and setbacks.
Once, in order to create a sensational effect of "marathon cross talk", the crew actually detained Guo Degang in a closed glass room for 48 hours, during which he was forbidden to leave half a step, and all his diet and daily life had to be completed in it, which was undoubtedly a ruthless destruction of his body and mind.
At the same time, on another stage, Yu Qian was immersed in the joy of the film and television industry. He has played many roles, including group performances, pretending to be blind beggars, etc., and even served as a host for a while.
Although he did not gain much popularity, he was able to maintain at least basic living needs.
As the quyi industry gradually declined, the leaders of the Beijing Quyi Troupe looked for the injection of fresh blood in order to revive the team's majesty. Fortunately, Guo Degang was selected into the troupe, and the leaders were duly recalled from the film and television crew, so the two talented artists came together and started their first collaboration.
Although on the stage, the two often engage in fierce debates and wits contests, behind the scenes, Guo Degang makes no secret of his appreciation for Qian, calling him the best partner he has ever worked with, which shows the degree of tacit understanding between the two.
It was based on this successful cooperation experience that Guo Degang decided to invite Yu Qian to join the Deyun Club he founded.
Since then, Deyun Club has gradually developed and grown, and its reputation has gradually spread abroad. However, good times are always short-lived, and the passing away of Mr. Hou Yaowen, the mentor of Deyun Club, has dealt a heavy blow to this nascent team.
In order to always remember his respected teacher, Mr. Guo Degang specially set up a portrait of him in Deyun Club, and often replaced his teacher's favorite cola next to him to express his endless sorrow.
However, fate seems to have played a joke, not long after Guo Degang's mentor rested, the "August Storm" within Deyun Club quietly came, and some disciples had different aspirations, waiting for an opportunity to challenge Guo Degang's majesty, trying to form a party for personal gain, and resisting the court, especially Cao Yunjin, on the occasion of his wife's birthday banquet, wantonly created disputes, and openly provoked the prestige of the senior brother, which can be described as extremely bad and outrageous!
That unbearable history was like a burning flame, almost burning Deyun Society. Mr. Guo Degang's foundation has been established through great painstaking efforts, and it is facing an unprecedented severe test.
At this critical moment, only Yu Qian, a fellow disciple, gave unwavering trust and support.
Fourth, Yu Qian's wandering career before joining Deyun Club
Let's go back to a few years ago, when Yu Qian had just left the Beijing Quyi Troupe, and he began to crawl and run around in the film and television industry. With the unique temperament of coming from a family of scholars and perseverance, he tried almost every possible career.
Sometimes he plays an extra, sometimes he serves as a program host or master of ceremonies, just to earn a meager income to make a living, and at that time, Guo Degang was still performing on the tractor stage in the streets and alleys to make a living, and Yu Qian had already emerged in various movies and TV series and became famous.
Because Yu Qian has been excellent in character and learning since he was a child, humble and polite, coupled with the cultural heritage inherited by his family from generation to generation, he is deeply loved and respected by his colleagues in the crew. Whenever the crew needs extras, Yu Qian will always come to mind first.
And when there is no drama to film, Yu Qian will go to Beiying's training institution for further study, although he later broke out of the world in the entertainment industry and his life gradually got on the right track, Yu Qian always felt that something important was missing in his heart, perhaps because his determination to apprentice was too strong, and he always felt that this was not the path he really longed for.
Watching Guo Degang struggle alone on the other side, chasing his dreams, Yu Qian also came up with the idea of returning to the industry and uniting people's hearts.
That's right! Yu Qian was born in a noble family, and his profound family education allowed him to immerse himself in the ocean of culture since he was a child. He is by no means just an ordinary character in the film and television industry, and his persistent pursuit of art in his heart is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
And Guo De's outline can be regarded as the tipping point that ignited the artistic flame in his heart.
5. The first encounter, the encounter of fate
That year, Yu Qian followed a small troupe to an industrial town not far from Beijing. Despite its dense population and relatively poor cultural life, people flock to watch a show whenever it is performed.
While the troupe members were feeling confused about the upcoming performance, one of them suddenly mentioned a new cross talk actor who was in hot demand in the capital.
However, when they actually saw this new cross talk actor, everyone was dumbfounded: it turned out to be Uncle Guo, a coachman who used to be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys! No one could have predicted that the one who emerged in the cross talk world was Uncle Guo, who used to rent a house in the countryside and no one knew about it.
As soon as Guo Degang saw Yu Qian, he was immediately ecstatic. It turned out that they had a relationship in the theater in their hometown a few years ago. The reunion at this moment is like opening up a conversation box: one is talking eloquently about recent anecdotes, the other is listening intently, lest he miss an important word.
Yu Qian watched from the side and couldn't help but feel respect. Seeing him so focused, Guo Degang deliberately raised his voice and announced loudly: "Uncle, I am a contestant at the Beijing Cross Talk Conference, ...... the audience instantly burst into thunderous applause, waking up Yu Qian, who was intoxicated with memories.
Since then, Yu Qian seems to have been infected by Guo Degang. He sincerely admired this fellow countryman, and at the same time developed a strong interest in the art of cross talk. One wonderful performance after another unfolded rapidly, and Guo Degang continued to show his unique skills, which made the audience laugh again and again.
Although Yu Qian is old, he is not inferior, he is always able to adapt and tell the story, and as time goes by, the relationship between the two deepens day by day, and finally it becomes a natural master-apprentice relationship.