In March 2021, we lost an old actor who has attracted the attention of the world - Mr. Zhang Shaohua, who passed away peacefully in the journey of life at the age of 75. This great artist, who has portrayed countless classic mothers and grandmothers on the screen, has shown the touching story of the tragic character Aster with excellent acting skills in the film and television drama "My Ugly Girl", and in "Brave Heart", he successfully created the role of a wise and kind grandmother, which won the praise and love of the audience.
However, in the years when Zhang Shaohua was about to come to the end of his life, he was subjected to overwhelming abuse and criticism from the Internet.
This sudden Weibo was like detonating a bomb, which instantly caused an uproar on the Internet. Many netizens followed the trend and forwarded it, making bottomless personal attacks on the old man Zhang Shaohua, and some even spoke ill of her, calling her "ugly and ugly", "sharp-beaked monkey cheeks, not a good kind at first glance".
In the face of the increasingly fierce public opinion offensive, Zhang Shaohua, who had already entered his prime, had to stand up under his old face to defend himself and clarify the truth of the year.
So, what is it that makes this respected old actor bear such a heavy infamy? It turned out that Wu Huan publicly accused Zhang Shaohua of responding to the call and leading the staff to break into the home of his mother Xin Fengxia, violently beating and snatching a precious famous painting of Qi Baishi, which eventually led to Xin Fengxia's lifelong disability.
It was this incident that triggered abuse and accusations on the Internet.
Let's go back to the past and learn about Zhang Shaohua's persistent love for drama since he was a child. He was born in Beijing in 1946 to an ordinary but artistic family.
There are 9 children in the family, and life is unbearable, and they often have to make ends meet.
When Zhang Shaohua was only 3 years old, a cruel disaster befell this originally happy family. The tragic death of his father, the breadwinner of the family, in an accident at work, ruthlessly destroyed the fragile livelihood of this impoverished family.
In order to reduce the burden on his mother, the young Zhang Shaohua could only be temporarily fostered in his grandmother's house.
The lively and active Zhang Shaohua is always taken by his grandmother to watch all kinds of wonderful theatrical performances. Maybe it's because my grandmother is immersed in the ocean of art and can't extricate herself, or maybe Zhang Shaohua has long had an endless yearning for performing arts in her heart, and she has developed a strong interest in the art of pingju.
As long as it is a tune she has listened to, she can always hum and sing intoxicatingly, which is amazing.
When he was 13 years old, Zhang Shaohua's fate was instantly rewritten. When she returned to the stage to watch the performance, her passion for art burned like a flame, and her mouth whispered a melodious melody.
This innocent emotion was keenly captured by a class leader behind the scenes, who did not hesitate to step forward and ask Zhang Shaohua if he was interested in showing his talent on stage.
Zhang Shaohua, who has an open-minded and cheerful personality, gladly accepted the challenge and stepped on the stage bravely. She won the warm applause of the audience with her outstanding performance and natural talent, and deeply moved the class owner present, making him full of praise for her.
The head of the class expressed his sincere wishes to Zhang Shaohua's family: "I want to decide this child!" From now on, she will follow our troupe and learn performing arts, and all the living expenses will be covered by us. ”
Zhang Shaohua was ecstatic, and the mother was also very pleased that her daughter could get such an opportunity. Since then, Zhang Shaohua has officially become a member of this troupe and began to write a new chapter in her life.
Under the careful teaching of the old class master, her skills became more and more refined, and she quickly grew into an outstanding actress.
In an important performance, Zhang Shaohua's wonderful performance attracted the attention of the representatives of the China Ping Theater. With her otherworldly talent, she was quickly absorbed into the country's top theater, and became classmates and friends with artists such as Zhao Lirong, whom we know well.
Under the careful guidance of professional tutors, Zhang Shaohua's artistic attainments have been continuously improved, and she has experienced a variety of roles in the troupe, such as Tsing Yi, Lao Dan, and Cai Dan.
It is this incomparable love and firm dedication to the art of drama criticism that has made Zhang Shaohua achieve brilliant achievements in his acting career and become a well-deserved "old drama bone".
And her tireless pursuit of art also provided a powerful counterattack to the various slanders she encountered later.
However, let's go back to the source of this turmoil. In 2017, Wu Huan, a well-known painter, published an article on Weibo accusing Ms. Zhang Shaohua of answering a call to lead people to break into the home of her mother, Xin Fengxia, beat her, and snatch a precious Qi Baishi painting.
This shocking remark was like a bombshell, setting off an uproar in the online world.
In an instant, Zhang Shaohua's online image suffered an unprecedented and serious personal attack, and this attack has even intensified to the point that it cannot be ignored! A series of bitter and sarcastic words have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and everyone seems to have been completely convinced of Zhang Shaohua's true face of "judging people by their appearance".
In the face of such a violent storm of public opinion, this old man over seventy years old seemed extremely helpless and painful.
However, the deceased can no longer speak, and Mr. Zhang's justification does not quell public outrage. Doubts on the Internet came one after another, and the atmosphere of public opinion once surrounded her tightly. Thankfully, there are still some sane netizens who are not confused by the gossip, and they finally reveal the truth of the incident through in-depth investigation and research.
According to the memories of Xin Fengxia's husband Wu Zuguang and the famous actor Han Ying, the murderer who broke Xin Fengxia's legs was not Zhang Shaohua, but another actor named Liu Mingeng.
Wu Zuguang clearly pointed out in his memoirs: "Zhang Shaohua was indeed present at the time, but it was the actor surnamed Liu who really did it. Han Ying also agreed: "The culprit of the year was actually Liu Mingeng, but Wu Huan didn't mention the other people involved, which is really confusing." ”
In the face of these powerful evidences, the truth of the incident was finally revealed to the world. It turned out that although Zhang Shaohua was involved, he was just an innocent bystander, not the mastermind behind the scenes.
Although Mr. Wu Huan later repented, for those netizens who came to conclusions without confirmation, Zhang Shaohua's image of "ugly people and evil hearts" has long been deeply imprinted in their minds and is difficult to erase.
Zhang Shaohua's achievements in the field of art cannot be denied by anyone. In 1982, she and her husband, Zhang Huibao, were honored for their outstanding performance in the theater and were rewarded with a small house of only 40 square meters.
Since then, the art-loving couple has made their home here, staying true to their tiny home for decades.
Entering the late 80s, Zhang Shaohua successfully achieved a gorgeous turn in his career and stepped onto the TV screen. In many classic film and television dramas, she has successfully created a series of unforgettable mother and grandmother roles with her superb acting skills, which has left a deep impression on the audience.
For example, in the TV series "My Ugly Girl", she successfully played the ill-fated Aster; In the award-winning work "Braveheart", she successfully created the image of a kind and wise grandmother.
It was this almost pious persistence that led her to the prestigious honor of "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2015!
Whenever his wife's extraordinary artistic attainments are mentioned, Zhang Shaohua's husband Zhang Huibao is always full of pride, and his praise for her strength and talent has long surpassed the doubts and discussions of the outside world. He often compliments: "My dear partner, no matter what role she plays, it's breathtaking!" Zhang Huibao is undoubtedly Zhang Shaohua's most staunch and loyal fan, whenever she shows amazing acting skills on the screen, Zhang Huibao will definitely wait in front of the TV, appreciate and indulge in it.
However, this veteran actor who has won many awards in the art world has always maintained a simple and unpretentious style in his life style. After retiring, she could have chosen to move into a more spacious and comfortable new house, but she always adhered to the word "simplicity" and guarded the 40-square-meter old house where she once lived.
This deep attachment to "home" makes Zhang Shaohua extremely frugal in his daily life. She never took the initiative to buy new clothes, and only reluctantly replaced them with new ones when they wore out so much that they could no longer wear them. Such an attitude to life is precisely the best interpretation of the concept of "diligence and thrift" of her generation.
It is precisely because of the deep guilt and compensation in his heart that Zhang Shaohua's love for his only son Zhang Jing is even more meticulous. Due to their busy schedule, they were unable to give their son enough parental care, and Zhang Jing was not able to return to his parents until he was 13 years old. Zhang Shaohua knew that this was her irreparable regret, so she did her best to meet all her son's needs since then. Even in her 54-year-old old age, she is still paying off her son's mortgage to express her deep maternal love.
is also out of deep affection for his son, Zhang Shaohua kept repeating his apologies to his son at the last moment of his life. Although this belated love came a little late, isn't it an incomparably precious treasure? Understanding and valuing our mother's good intentions may be the right attitude we should uphold.
To deeply interpret the mystery of Zhang Shaohua's simple life, we must trace the bumpy years she experienced when she was growing up. She was born in Beijing in 1946, when the country was torn out by war and the people were living in hardship.
Zhang Shaohua's family has a total of 9 brothers and sisters, and his mother has to live a careful life in order to support the whole family. According to Zhang Shaohua's recollection, every time his mother cooked, she would always let the children have a full meal first, and then wait until the end to taste the leftover meals herself, and she was reluctant to waste even a bite.
When he was young, Zhang Shaohua was often puzzled, wondering if his mother's diet was insufficient because of her small appetite. It wasn't until she grew up and understood that this was the deepest and selfless love her mother had given them!
In order to take care of the household expenses, my mother did all the household chores, such as cooking meals and washing clothes. The nine children's clothes, shoes and socks were all carefully sewn by the mother, and she would even send most of her meager income home. Whenever night falls, Zhang Shaohua will always see his mother working hard to mend clothes and sew shoe soles for the children under the bright moonlight. Such a scene is deeply imprinted in the depths of her memory.
However, just as the mother was working day and night for the children, a more cruel change quietly came. The father, the breadwinner of the family, died in an accident at work, and the livelihood of the whole family suddenly fell into an unprecedented predicament. In desperation, Zhang Shaohua, who was only three years old, could only temporarily live in his grandmother's house and began to live with his grandmother.
The lively and active Zhang Shaohua is always taken by her grandmother to enjoy all kinds of wonderful drama performances, and she has a strong interest in the art of drama commentary. The artist's temperament exuded by his grandmother inspired Zhang Shaohua's deep yearning for the career of drama commentary. As long as she has listened to the tune, she can always hum it like a mesmerizing one, which is amazing.
At the age of 13, a chance opportunity allowed Zhang Shaohua to emerge on the stage. She won high praise from the on-site class owner for her outstanding performance, and was recruited into the troupe to learn her skills. After systematic training, Zhang Shaohua quickly showed outstanding talent, and was favored by the well-known China Ping Theater, and became classmates with Zhao Lirong and other famous artists.
It was that tempered childhood that shaped Zhang Shaohua's excellent qualities of humility, simplicity, diligence and thrift. And her unremitting pursuit of art also stemmed from her ardent desire to change her destiny at that time. Her mother's teachings stayed with her until the last moment of her life.
Looking back on Zhang Shaohua's artistic history, it is not difficult to see that she has always adhered to her artistic beliefs and life principles, and has written a dazzling chapter with a simple attitude towards life and persistent artistic pursuit.
As a highly respected artist giant, Ms. Zhang Shaohua's brilliant achievements cannot be ignored! The images of her mother, grandmother and other characters shown in many film and television masterpieces have undoubtedly left a deep and unforgettable memory imprint on the audience.
In particular, in the award-winning outstanding work "Braveheart", she perfectly played the role of the grandmother full of wisdom and love with her superb acting skills, so she won the supreme honor of "Lifetime Achievement Award".
However, Ms. Zhang Shaohua did not stop at the great achievements in her career, and her simple and unpretentious attitude to life is worthy of everyone's deep thought and emulation. After retiring, she had the opportunity to move into a more spacious and comfortable new home, but she stayed in the 40-square-meter cottage until the last breath of her life.
She never buys new clothes on her clothes, and only reluctantly buys a new replacement when the old clothes are too worn to wear. This kind of thrifty lifestyle just reflects the firm belief and strict adherence to the word "frugality" of her generation.
What makes people sigh is that this dedicated, simple and kind, and never flattering old artist was subjected to all kinds of malicious abuse and personal attacks on the Internet in the last few years of his life.
However, even in the center of the storm of public opinion, Ms. Zhang Shaohua was still able to remain calm and calmly explain the truth with her humble and courteous attitude.
From her arduous and difficult growth process, to her unswerving artistic pursuit; From her unwavering style of life to her deep affection for her family, Ms. Zhang Shaohua has used her life to interpret what is noble and pure personality charm.
She has set a valuable life model for us with practical actions, so that we can still maintain our inner purity and calmness in today's noisy and impetuous social environment.
We should pay the highest respect to this veteran artist who has been slandered but still adheres to the bottom line of artistic ethics. Her life is by no means limited to narrow evaluation criteria, but should be understood and remembered by more people.
Let us re-examine the trajectory of this outstanding artist's life from a sublime perspective, and understand the true meaning of art and life.