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Maltose
Maltose
Preface
Does a person's life have to follow a certain established trajectory? Is it necessary to meet worldly expectations and arrangements?
An extraordinary starting point: Providence has set foot on the road of acting
In 1938, the smoke of gunfire broke out, and the national disaster was at the head.
In this turbulent era, Jiangxi ushered in a special new member - Zhu Xijuan.
She was born into a family of high-level intellectuals, her father was a professor at Tongji University, and her mother was a primary school teacher.
Since she was a child, her parents have placed high hopes on her, hoping that she will inherit the mantle and become a people's teacher.
However, it seems that God has other plans.
When she was 14 years old, Zhu Xijuan, who was in junior high school, was selected by director Zhao Danxiang and invited to participate in a small supporting role in a movie.
Driven by curiosity, Zhu Xijuan readily agreed.
It was this seemingly fortuitous experience that ignited her passion for acting and changed the trajectory of her life.
After graduating from high school, Zhu Xijuan did not follow her parents' wishes to take the normal examination, but chose the Shanghai Theater Academy without hesitation.
The moment she received her acceptance letter, the joy in her heart was indescribable.
Although she was devastated by her parents' incomprehension, she always firmly believed that acting was her destiny in life.
Chance coincidence: Xie Jin appreciated it and became an instant hit
After entering the School of Drama, Zhu Xijuan was not all smooth sailing.
The road to acting is full of hardships, and she is troubled by repeated failures.
Fortunately, under the careful guidance of her teacher, she gradually mastered the essence of acting, and her talent was able to be fully displayed.
In 1959, the god of fate favored Zhu Xijuan again.
The great director Xie Jin is looking for a heroine for the movie "Red Detachment of Women", which he wrote and directed, but he couldn't find a suitable candidate.
By chance, Xie Jin came to the Shanghai Theater Academy and happened to see Zhu Xijuan rehearsing the play.
The enthusiasm in her eyes fully met the standard of "hot eyes" in Xie Jin's mind.
After some investigation, Xie Jin firmly chose this 21-year-old student who had not yet graduated.
Zhu Xijuan used her strength to prove that Xie Jin's discerning eyes were correct.
With full enthusiasm and superb acting skills, she played the role of Wu Qionghua to the fullest, creating a box office myth of up to 600 million and becoming famous in one fell swoop.
Honors: The actress laurel and the prime minister dance together
In 1960, Zhu Xijuan, who was only 22 years old, won the first Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award for "Red Women's Army".
At the award ceremony, she was invited to speak on stage as the youngest of the selected actors.
Looking at the seniors sitting in the audience, the excitement and pride in Zhu Xijuan's heart were irrepressible.
What flattered her even more was that it was the great writer Guo Moruo who presented her with the award.
In the same year, she was also named China's 22nd movie star.
For a time, various honors followed, and her name became synonymous with household names.
However, none of this is as good as that dance at the awards gala.
Premier Zhou personally invited her to dance with her, and even when she was so nervous that she frequently stepped on the premier's feet, the premier always smiled, which made her feel extremely warm and inspired.
Go south to Shenzhen: Establish a TV station and climb the peak of your career
The honor and applause did not stop Zhu Xijuan.
In the 80s of the last century, the spring breeze of reform and opening up blew all over the land of China.
As an artist with ideals and daring to take responsibility, Zhu Xijuan decided to go to the forefront of reform and opening up - Shenzhen to make contributions.
At that time, Shenzhen was in ruins and there was a shortage of talents.
After learning the news that Shenzhen is in urgent need of TV talents, Zhu Xijuan immediately made a decision and moved her family south with her husband.
Soon, she became the deputy director of Shenzhen TV as she wished, opening another brilliant chapter in her life.
At the beginning of the business, the conditions of Shenzhen TV station were poor, but Zhu Xijuan did not flinch.
She led her team to build a high-rise building on a wasteland.
Under her leadership, Shenzhen TV once became a benchmark in the country, and frequently won major awards such as the Feitian Award.
At the same time, Zhu Xijuan did not let go of her identity as an actor.
While working, she continued to star in film and television works, becoming a veritable all-round artist.
Retirement without retiring: going to the United States to spread Chinese culture
Time flies, Zhu Xijuan has worked in Shenzhen TV for 15 years and ushered in the age of retirement.
However, the 60-year-old "evergreen in the theater world" did not choose to retire, but made a jaw-dropping decision - to go to the United States to spread Chinese culture.
In the 90s, China began to enter the process of internationalization.
Zhu Xijuan is keenly aware that there is still a big gap between China and the world in terms of film and television cooperation and cultural exchanges.
She hopes to exert her influence to build a bridge of cultural exchanges between China and the United States, so that the broad and profound Chinese culture can go to the world.
In the United States, Zhu Xijuan established her own film and television company, focusing on the promotion of Chinese film and television works and the production of Sino-American co-productions.
Through her efforts, more and more Americans have begun to understand China, and Chinese film and television works have also emerged in overseas markets.
In his later years, he refused to accept old age: returned to his hometown and won another award
18 years later, Zhu Xijuan, who is 78 years old, once again made an unexpected choice - to return to the embrace of the motherland.
"Returning to the roots" is her heart's desire, after all, all her achievements come from the cultivation of the motherland and the people.
After returning to China, Zhu Xijuan was not idle.
As long as there is an invitation from the director, she will still gladly go and interpret the role in her own way.
Movingly, she and her husband chose to live in a nursing home.
In the confusion of her children, she said with a smile: "With my peers as companions, I will not be lonely."
Just come and see me, and don't bother to take care of us. "
In her later years, Zhu Xijuan won numerous honors, including the Golden Rooster Award Lifetime Achievement Award and the International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award...... It is the best compliment to her artistic life.
In February 2023, 85-year-old Zhu Xijuan returned to the filming location of "Red Detachment of Women", saw the familiar scene and her own statue, she saluted emotionally, and left a message of "always moving forward".
This is the true portrayal of her life.
The glorious path of the people's artist
From the screen to the stage, from home to overseas, Zhu Xijuan's life is legendary and extraordinary.
She started acting at the age of 14, and reached the peak of the actress at the age of 22, never stopping chasing her dreams.
She closely links her personal destiny with the development of the motherland, and continues to explore and make breakthroughs on the road of art.
The story of this people's artist has touched countless people.
In her own way, she explained what "patriotism" and "responsibility" are.
Whether she went south to Shenzhen to set up a TV station or went to a foreign country to spread culture, she always put the national righteousness first and took the revitalization of China as her own responsibility.
epilogue
Zhu Xijuan's life is an epic of struggle to grow up with New China, and a patriotic hymn that touches the heavens and the earth.
Today, let us pay tribute to this drama master, to the backbone of the nation, and to the pioneer of the times who "always move forward"!