1. Originated from the last stage of life
In the bustling and lively capital Beijing, we saw an old man who was close to the sixtieth birthday - Mr. Yu Kuizhi. Although his face was wrinkled, his eyes were still bright, shining with determination and expectation.
At this moment, he is standing in a classroom, facing a group of energetic young students, as the head teacher of the graduate class of outstanding young performers of Chinese Peking Opera, this artist, who is known as the "living ancestor" on the stage of Peking Opera, decided to continue to stick to his post and contribute his own strength to the ancient and brilliant artistic cause of Chinese Peking Opera.
Time flies, time flies, Mr. Yu Kuizhi seems to be able to clearly recall the difficult and difficult days of his childhood. He was born in Shenyang in 1961 to a very poor family, his father was an ordinary factory worker, and his mother was a middle school music teacher.
When he was six years old, fate played a cruel joke on him, and he unfortunately suffered from a frightening epilepsy. Every time he had an attack, his young face would be distorted by pain, his whole body would spasm, and white foam would spit out from his mouth, a horrific scene that made his parents' hearts ache.
In order to cure his son's illness, Yu's father and mother did everything they could, even selling valuables such as bicycles, cameras, and jewelry without hesitation. After unremitting efforts, he was finally cured of epilepsy when he was six years old.
Thankfully, this once thin body contained incomparably strong willpower, and finally defeated the disease.
Yu Kuizhi, who was deeply influenced by his mother, developed a strong interest in singing since he was a child. In 1971, at the age of 10, he was successfully admitted to the cadet class of the Shenyang Peking Opera Company with his outstanding performance, and since then he has embarked on the road of art.
Yu Kuizhi was very relieved to learn that the student class provided free room and board, because this could greatly reduce the financial pressure on his family.
However, the road to Peking Opera practice has not been easy. From the training at five o'clock in the morning until the afternoon, Yu Kuizhi suffered a lot of physical and mental torture from nosebleeds all year round and endured the punishment of the teacher.
A year later, he couldn't bear the hardships of life and wanted to leave the cadet class and go home.
However, the teacher of the Peking Opera Company visited him in person and demanded that he repay the huge training fee of up to 3,000 yuan. At that time, the Yu family was already in debt and couldn't get a penny.
In order not to embarrass his family, Yu Kuizhi could only choose to return to the student class, gritted his teeth and persevered, and firmly embarked on the long and tortuous road of Peking Opera.
Second, study hard to pave the road of Peking Opera
Flashback: Now, Mr. Yu Kuizhi and Hong Kong beauty Ms. Liang Yiwei have gone through 30 spring and autumn together, and together they have given birth to a happy family of three. However, before they got to where they are today, they had experienced a love journey full of twists and turns.
For a long time, Liang Yiwei always stayed in Hong Kong and devoted herself to the work of caring for her sick mother, and her efforts were distressing. Yu Kuizhi, a man who has been under all the pressure, has to travel back and forth between Beijing, Hong Kong and his hometown of Shenyang, trying his best to support his three families – he must take care of his wife and children, his mother-in-law, and his two elderly and frail parents.
When reminiscing about the past, we can't help but sigh that the road to study and career development is full of hardships. During his time at the Chinese Academy of Drama, he was undoubtedly one of the poorest but hardest working students.
In order to save every penny, he often chooses the cheapest food for lunch, a bowl of gruel with two small steamed buns becomes his meal, and the living cost of a whole semester is only 50 yuan, and during the holidays, he will even buy 70 catties of noodles to take back to his hometown, because he knows that his parents in his hometown are not blessed to enjoy such food.
However, the effort will pay off in the end! With perseverance and unremitting efforts, Yu Kuizhi was able to perform 22 traditional plays by the time he graduated, which was more than 1.5 times that of his classmates.
It is this spirit of diligence and studious that has won him the favor of many masters in the Peking Opera industry, such as Li Shilin, Ye Peng, He Jinhai and other predecessors who have given him selfless guidance and help.
Since joining the Peking Opera Company of China, Yu Kuizhi has continued to pursue excellence in the arts. He is not only good at the performance of civil and military veterans, but also has a high-pitched and loud voice, looks handsome and chic, and is agile and agile, and was quickly promoted to a national first-class actor.
Whether on the stage or behind the scenes, Yu Kuizhi has always maintained a rigorous and serious professional attitude, and this persistent pursuit of art has won warm applause and cheers from the audience every time he takes the stage.
There was once a performance, the actor who originally played "Guan Yu" suddenly fell ill and could not appear on the stage, Yu Kuizhi only took 3 days to successfully master the essence of the role of "Hongsheng", and perfectly completed the interpretation of this drama, winning the high praise of Yuan Shihai, a master in the Peking Opera industry: "Yu Kuizhi is Yu Kuizhi, no one can replace him."
3. The gentle shore of the art sea blooms on the other side
Yu Kuizhi's encounter with his wife Liang Yiwei originated from a wonderful performance he performed in Hong Kong with the troupe in 1990. At that time, Yu Kuizhi's high-pitched and beautiful singing voice and free and handsome appearance deeply attracted the audience, including a beautiful woman from Hong Kong - Liang Yiwei.
At the end of the performance, Liang Yiwei gathered the courage to walk to the front of the stage and handed a bouquet of gorgeous fresh roses to Kui Zhi. At a close moment, she suddenly glimpsed Yu Kuizhi's once young and heroic appearance, and her heart was stirred, and she was deeply fascinated by the talent and charm of this hot giant in the Peking Opera industry.
Leung Yiwei was born into a prominent family in Hong Kong, and her father was a senior executive of a large company. Not only is she fluent in Mandarin, but she is also an outstanding graduate of the University of Montreal in Canada, and has a promising future as a senior executive assistant for a well-known local textile company.
However, in stark contrast, Yu Kuizhi came from a poor background and was in a difficult situation, and there was a huge difference between the two like a moat.
Perhaps it was the arrangement of fate, and by chance, the two quickly established a relationship of teacher and friend. As time passed, Liang Yiwei's admiration for Kuizhi became more and more irrepressible.
In the end, in a public place, she held Yu Kuizhi's hands tightly and sincerely confessed her heart to him.
Yu Kuizhi already had feelings for Liang Yiwei in his heart, but in the face of the pressure of reality, he had to have some scruples. At the time of parting, he said to Liang Yiwei affectionately: "You have seen my current situation, I'm afraid you can't give you the happiness you want."
If you choose to leave now, I will never blame you."
Liang Yiwei's tears flickered, and her voice choked. She held Yu Kuizhi's hand tightly, lowered her head and said softly: "Conditions can be changed through hard work, and only hard work can win victory." With you, no matter how difficult life is, I have nothing to fear.
So, for this love, Liang Yiwei bravely quit her high-paying position in Hong Kong and moved to Beijing to build a new family with Yu Kuizhi.
Part 4: True love knows no borders, and the spirit of the three cows lives forever
After Liang Yiwei arrived in Beijing, she began to live a simple but challenging life with Yu Kuizhi. They rented a small room and relied on each other to get through the difficult times.
Liang Yiwei, who grew up in a wealthy family in Hong Kong, has never experienced such a difficult living environment. However, she never complained, but actively learned her husband's lifestyle, tasted the most common foods such as jajanjangmyeon and Chinese cabbage, and did her best to take care of Yu Kuizhi's daily life.
It wasn't until 1996 that they were able to get a relatively spacious and comfortable two-bedroom apartment after several years of hard work, and the plan to conceive a child was officially launched. In just the past year, the crystallization of their love, Yu Yongliang, was successfully born, and their warm and sweet family of three was called "Three Cows" by the majority of theater fans in Beijing.
After devoting herself to the role of mother, Liang Yiwei served her beloved husband and children like the stars and the moon, and carefully took care of this loving little home.
However, the responsibility and pressure on Yu Kuizhi's shoulders have not been alleviated. In 2002, Liang Yiwei's mother suddenly suffered from breast cancer, and Yu Kuizhi did not hesitate to give everything he had, flew to Hong Kong, and undertook all the costs of surgery and follow-up treatment.
At the same time, the two elderly parents also began to suffer from various geriatric diseases, especially the father's condition was more serious, and he was paralyzed in bed after a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, unable to speak or walk, and needed to be cared for around the clock.
Yu Kuizhi took on the burden of three families alone: taking care of his wife and children in Beijing, taking care of his mother-in-law in Hong Kong, and filial piety to his parents in his hometown in Shenyang. He has been running around Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang all the year round, almost lacking skills, but he has never complained to outsiders about his bitterness or tiredness.
Even when he rehearsed late at night, he was reluctant to enjoy a hearty supper, and simply nibbled on a few bites of instant noodles before falling asleep.
Fifth, the willows and flowers are bright, and the inheritance of great love will last forever
After years of perseverance and hard work, Yu Kuizhi finally ushered in a glorious moment in his career. In 2010, he was appointed Vice President and Artistic Director of the Peking Opera Company of China.
In addition to performing on stage himself, he is also responsible for expanding the market, nurturing new talents, and creating lucrative economic benefits for the entire team.
At the same time, Lee Shengsu, who can be called his golden partner, is also in his prime. The two not only danced together on the stage many times, but also established a deep teacher-student friendship in private, and became confidants who hated to see each other late.
Due to their tacit cooperation and popularity, Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu are known as "the most box office appealing pair in today's Peking Opera industry", and they can win warm applause from the audience everywhere they go.
However, because the emotional bond between the two is too close, they seem to be a loving couple in the eyes of outsiders, so the rumor that "Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu are husband and wife" soon spread inside and outside the circle.
It is even rumored that Yu Kuizhi has long since divorced and restarted a family with Li Shengsu.
In the face of these unfounded rumors, Yu Kuizhi was deeply worried, lest they would touch the deep emotions in his wife Liang Yiwei's heart. Unexpectedly, however, Liang Yiwei behaved calmly and openly, and she told her husband affectionately: "I don't care too much about this, please also be sure to stay calm, and don't let such gossip affect the good cooperative relationship between you and Teacher Li."
Liang Yiwei's magnanimity and firm trust in her husband deeply touched Yu Kuizhi's heart. In fact, in Liang Yiwei's heart, her husband's persistent pursuit of art is the quality that is truly worthy of admiration and praise.
Over the years, Yu Kuizhi's continuous exploration and excellence in the field of art is the most sincere expression of his love for his wife.
In 2019, Yu Kuizhi posted a heartwarming family photo on his personal social media, successfully shattering those unfounded rumors. Since then, Yu Kuizhi has put aside all the regrets of not being able to accompany his family because he was busy in the past, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the inheritance of the ancient art of Peking Opera.