1. Colorful life on the stage: 69-year-old Pu Cunxin looks back on his life journey affectionately
In Beijing in April 2022, the National Centre for the Performing Arts is brightly lit and the atmosphere is warm. Mr. Pu Cunxin, who has entered his prime, is still in good spirits and devotes himself to his beloved theater career.
During the climax of the plot, Pu Cunxin stood in the center of the stage, unable to help but have a lot of thoughts, and tears of emotion flashed in the corners of his eyes. In my mind, I play like a slideshow of the ups and downs and hardships I have experienced over the past few decades; and the voices and smiles of those who have lost loved ones due to illness or accidents.
Back in his childhood, he was often ridiculed and discriminated against by his peers because of polio, which made his left leg shorter than his right, and was even nicknamed "Pu Cripple".
However, even in the face of difficult circumstances, he never gave up, and with the encouragement and support of his younger brother, he resolutely pursued rehabilitation and worked hard to recover his health.
After adulthood, the trick of fate came again. Just when he was emerging in the arts and his career was thriving, his beloved brother died suddenly, leaving behind orphans and widows. As the eldest brother, he did not hesitate to take on the responsibility of taking care of his younger brother's family, which has been the case for more than twenty years.
Entering middle age, his parents passed away one after another, and his mother suffered from severe cognitive impairment. Pu Cunxin waited by his mother's side day and night, taking care of her daily life and coaxing her to sleep.
Whenever his mother woke up in the middle of the night, he always patiently comforted him and comforted her softly, until she fell asleep again.
Although the road of life is full of thorns, Pu Cunxin has never complained about the sky and has always faced it with an optimistic attitude. Today, his daughter has a successful career and a prosperous life, and his mother's condition has improved, but he still sticks to the stage and brings wonderful performances to the audience.
2. Looking back on the past years, his eyes gradually changed from gloomy to tenacious, as if he was determined to leave the bitter past behind and welcome a better future.
Pu Cunxin has lived a different life since he was a child. When he was six years old, he contracted polio, which made his left leg shorter than his right. Whenever the other children saw him, they burst into laughter and gave him the nickname "Pu Cripple".
Whenever Pu Cunxin angrily picked up a branch to fight back, the children would quickly flee the scene and continue to taunt him.
It is precisely because of his younger brother's impassioned words of encouragement that Pu Cunxin was able to tenaciously survive all the discrimination and neglect he suffered in his childhood, and tenaciously carried out rehabilitation exercises.
With traditional Chinese medicine conditioning, acupuncture and massage, and stretching exercises, he is determined to get rid of the haze caused by disability and embark on a new journey in life.
However, fate always seems to like to play tricks on people, and when Pu Cunxin gained a foothold in the Beijing People's Art Theater and his career gradually showed a vigorous development trend, the unfortunate news came first - the untimely death of his dear brother, leaving behind a lonely and helpless child.
As an elder brother, Pu Cunxin is obligated to take on the responsibility of raising his younger brother's family, and he has been consistent for more than 20 years. He never asked his brother-in-law or nieces and nephews for any money, but divided his entire salary in two: half to his wife and the other half to support his brother's surviving family.
3. Whenever he recalls his brother's inspiring words, he seems to have endless strength to shoulder the responsibility of the whole family.
Pu Cunxin deeply understands that his younger brother used to be his most solid spiritual support, and he wants to spend his life to repay this deep kindness.
Under the careful cultivation and support of Mr. Lantian Ye, Pu Cunxin was able to successfully enter the Beijing People's Art Theater and opened a new chapter in his career. In 1983, when he played the leading role for the first time, he met the other half of his life - Wanping.
Despite the poverty of her family, Wan Ping did not hesitate at all about this marriage, she chose to follow Pu Cunxin alone and go all out to support his acting career. She is convinced that if they work together, the future will be even better.
With the passage of time, under the careful guidance of Lan Tianye, Pu Cunxin's acting skills became more and more exquisite, and he began to get some roles with lines. In 1996, he became an instant hit with the TV series "Heroes Without Regrets", starred in many film and television masterpieces in a row, and finally ushered in a new glory in his career.
However, just as this happy dawn was just emerging, the unfortunate news hit Pu Cunxin hard again - his dear brother died young, and he had to temporarily put everything aside and devote himself to taking care of his elderly and frail parents.
4. In 1999, his father's condition deteriorated and he was admitted to the hospital, Pu Cunxin rushed to the hospital immediately after completing the rehearsal of Renyi, and personally served tea and water to his father every day, accompanying him. The medical staff of the hospital were deeply touched by his filial piety.
However, the ill-fated fate did not stop the pace of playing tricks on people's hearts. In 2016, in the face of the great grief of his father's death, his mother was grief-stricken and fainted at the scene. Since then, Pu Cunxin has volunteered to take care of her mother, who is suffering from illness, and her life has been dedicated to her meticulous care since then.
The mother suffers from severe cognitive impairment and has difficulty controlling her behavior. Once, Pu Cunxin suddenly heard a loud "bang" in the room, and immediately rushed into the room nervously to check, only to find that his mother had disappeared, almost causing a tragedy.
In order to ensure his mother's safety, he resolutely decided to build a simple bed at the door of his mother's room, always keeping an eye on her movements, and whenever his mother woke up in the middle of the night, he always comforted her softly until she fell asleep again.
5. Looking back on the passionate years of educated youth, Pu Cunxin came to a simple hut in Heilongjiang from the bustling capital Beijing. The sudden change in living environment made his life extremely difficult, but he never complained about his fate, but spent one sunny day after another with the local villagers dancing cheerful folk songs and energetic folk dances in addition to his heavy labor.
With his perseverance in learning, Pu Cunxin quickly won the recognition of the superior organization and was transferred to the propaganda team. In 1977, he finally realized his dream and successfully joined the Kongzheng Drama Troupe and officially became an actor.
Despite initially playing small and inconspicuous roles, Pu Cunxin was still thrilled because he was convinced that his dream was breaking ground.
After years of hard work, Pu Cunxin's efforts were finally rewarded handsomely by his daughter Pu Fang. Pu Fang first went to a foreign country to study, and after returning to China, he founded two cultural companies in China and had his own business.
A few years later, she entered the palace of marriage, gave birth to children, and formed a happy little family with her husband Jin Kai and her lovely granddaughter.
Jin Kai works in the United States, earning millions of dollars a year, and Pu Cunxin's daughter's family lives a carefree and privileged life. A few years ago, Pu Fang came to visit his grandfather with his newborn granddaughter.
When he saw this cute little angel, Pu Cunxin couldn't help but burst into tears, looking at her affectionately, and his heart was full of endless love.
Pu Cunxin deeply understands that the hard work and dedication of most of his life are undoubtedly the current warm and stable family. After all the vicissitudes of life, with such a happy family, he no longer seeks any additional extravagance in his heart.
An unprecedented sense of peace and satisfaction came over me.
6. To this day: His mother's condition has improved, the whole family is happy, and he is still active on the stage
After years of careful care, I finally got the rewards I deserved. In 2021, my mother's condition finally improved significantly. In the hospital, the doctor told Pu Cunxin with a smile that his mother's cognitive impairment had been completely cured and he could be discharged home.
Hearing this overjoyed news, Pu Cunxin couldn't help laughing, and tears burst out of his eyes with excitement. He immediately shared the gratifying news with his daughter Pu Fang and his brother's family, and felt the joy together.
After hearing the news, the younger brother and daughter-in-law immediately bought a large number of ingredients and gathered together with Pu Cunxin's family. Everyone laughed and shared a hearty home-cooked meal to celebrate the good news of the mother's recovery.
Over the years, Pu Cunxin has not only consistently taken care of his elderly parents, but also never stopped taking care of his younger brother's wife and children. My brother and daughter-in-law have a lot of pressure in life for work and childcare.
Pu Cunxin, who knows this well, often takes his nephews and nieces home to live together, and is carefully taken care of by his wife Wanping.
Now, the whole family has finally been reunited, and everyone's face is filled with long-lost happiness and smiles. With her mother's health improving, Pu Cunxin and her siblings were finally able to lift the burden on their hearts, and they could look forward to a bright future without worry.
Although he has entered the age of sixties, the 69-year-old Pu Cunxin is still active on the drama stage, using his rich life experience and unique artistic charm accumulated over the years to present one wonderful visual feast after another for the audience.
For him, retirement is just an abstract concept, and the artist's passion and dream for excellence never stops.