In Tianjin in 1921, a vigorous wedding attracted the attention of the whole country.
The bride was Liu Xikui, a Kunling who was popular all over the country at that time, and she sat in a very gorgeous palanquin, beating gongs and drums, and making a big publicity.
Who is Liu Xikui?
Along with Mei Lanfang, a master of Peking Opera art performance, she is China's first modern opera actress, and five presidents have chased her.
And who is the bridegroom?
Why does she have such a charm?
Life's gorgeous counterattack
Liu Xikui, formerly known as Liu Zhihao, later changed to Guiyuan. His ancestral home is Heilong Village, Nanpi County, Hebei Province.
In the early years of the Republic of China, Liu Xikui's stage fame spread far and wide, and in Beijing and Tianjin, her theater was full.
Even Tan Xinpei, the Great King of the Lingjie Realm, was full of emotions when he saw it, and he was ashamed of himself: "The man has Mei Lanfang, the woman has Liu Xikui, and I am hugh!"
Newspapers and periodicals of the time recorded:
Every time you take the stage, the color thunders, the Tianjin Opera Garden, the lowly word and thick coin hired, lest they fall behind, it is also enough to see its sound price.
Liu Xikui did not appear, the stage was full of warblers and swallows, all as beautiful as Xizi, as soon as she appeared, the six palaces pink dai had no color.
She has a beautiful figure, exquisite facial features, picturesque eyebrows, elegant temperament, beautiful and unworldly, like a heavenly woman.
She is not only an idol, but also a powerful faction, singing beautiful and unique, and her performance is vivid and vivid.
Under the overwhelming propaganda of the newspapers, Liu Xikui's name soon became a household name, known to women and children, and became a star all over the country.
In the face of various praises from the society, Liu Xikui humbly accepted and meticulously treated every performance.
Her persistence stems from the experience of a turbulent and displaced childhood life.
In 1894, Liu Xikui was born into a family of declining eunuchs.
His father, Liu Yiwen, repaired a turbine on Deng Shichang's "Zhiyuan" ship.
After the "Zhiyuan" ship was sunk by the Japanese ship during the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War, Liu Yiwen jumped into the sea and survived. After the war, he lived in Lushun and lived in poverty.
When Liu Xikui was 5 years old, the Russo-Japanese War broke out in Lushun, and the family had to return to their hometown, and on the way, their father died of illness in Yingkou.
The mother took her orphan daughter Liu Xikui and barely survived by doing needlework by washing clothes in Yingkou.
The hardships of life made little Liu Xikui understand the truth that "thin skills can stand up".
In order to earn money to supplement her family, she went to Li Hai's Tong Ling class to learn drama.
The master saw that she was the grandfather's reward for the drama and rice bowl, and he liked her in his heart and accepted her as an apprentice.
My mother strongly objected, and at that time, the profession of opera artist was regarded as a lowly occupation.
Liu Xikui said to his mother: "Whoever raps and plays must be despised? This sentence became her life's code of conduct.
Liu Xikui persuaded his mother to officially participate in the keban performance in Yingkou at the age of eight.
After that, go south and go north, talent plus the day after tomorrow's diligent study and hard training, and finally become a great instrument.
A wonderful life requires self-reliance, perseverance, and a sober mind and a firm stance in order to keep the bottom line.
Not close to the powerful, stick to yourself
The ancients said: "The tree is a big move and the wind shakes the tree; man loses his name and loses his name."
In modern society, many people have become famous, lost and famous, and once they have lost their footing, they have been hated for thousands of years. Besides, in that era of warlord war, how could a weak woman stick to herself and clean herself?
Liu Xikui's beauty has aroused the covetousness of the magnates, and the suitors are jealous of the wind, and there is a grand situation of "the young people of the Five Tombs fighting for their heads, and the number of red silks is unknown".
Among the suitors, there are five presidents, they are Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang, Cao Kun, Li Yuanhong, and Feng Guozhang, of which Yuan Shikai and Cao Kun's pursuit is the most intense and shameless.
Yuan Shikai took advantage of his identity as president to invite Liu Xikui to the Zhongnanhai concert, and used Liu Xikui's backstage grooming time to ask someone to find Liu Xikui.
Liu Xikui knew that he did not have good intentions, and asked Yuan Shikai, who was playing cards with his staff, without humility: "What is the matter with the great president looking for me?"
Yuan Shikai said that it was okay, just chatting.
Liu Xikui said with a cold face: "I still have to make up, and I have to leave first if I have nothing to do." ”
After speaking, Liu Xikui quickly left.
Yuan Shikai was not interesting, and had to sigh, this female drama is not good!
At this time, an aide came up with the idea to let Yuan Shikai marry Liu Xikui as the tenth aunt. Yuan Shikai immediately asked Vice President Li Yuanhong, Xiangguo Xu Shichang, and Zhao Ersun, director of the Qing History Museum, to be lobbyists and offer three thousand taels of gold as a dowry.
In the face of the three people, Liu Xikui said emphatically: "Don't say three thousand two gold, even thirty two thousand I will not betray myself!" The three of them walked away in ashes.
Lao Tzu died of heart, the son did not give up, the second son Yuan Kewen, the third son Yuan Keliang still wanted to occupy Liu Xikui. In the face of their barbarism, Liu Xikui guarded the bottom line of his heart and was not humble or profane.
Cao Kun, on the other hand, once harassed Liu Xikui in every way, forcing Liu Xikui not to come to power for two years. Until Cao Kun used the name of the sixtieth birthday that Liu Xikui had to come to power.
After the singing, Cao Kun still wanted to do something reckless, and his subordinate Cui Chengzi told Cao Kun's wife about it, and she was very angry and let Liu Xikui go, and the matter was over.
Liu Xikui is in a complex environment, always keeping in mind the words of his mother where he learns to play, and acts in an upright and generous manner.
Self-esteem and self-love, out of the mud without staining.
Love break Mei Lanfang
In 1915, Lu Zhengxiang, the foreign minister of the Republic of China, held a church meeting and invited almost all the famous actors in Beijing, Liu Xikui and Mei Lanfang to perform on the same stage for the first time.
When the two saw each other, they seemed to know each other, admired each other, appreciated, and even loved each other deeply, and loved the art stage.
Liu Xikui is a year younger than Mei Lanfang, and they are a pair of golden children and jade girls on the Chinese opera stage in the early twentieth century. Is it a godsend, a love affair, that it will blossom and bear fruit?
Liu Xikui, like other young girls, had a beautiful and splendid dream, and the people he admired and admired looked at each other, listened to, sang, and sang until the sky was old and the sea was rotten.
But the dream is only a dream after all, and even if you are reluctant to do so, you can no longer continue to pretend to sleep.
Liu Xikui knew in his heart that in this chaotic world, he could not hide from the first fifteenth. If he marries a beloved person, Mei Lanfang will definitely be retaliated against and ruin his artistic career.
Personal happiness is a small thing, and the artistic inheritance of Peking Opera is a big thing.
After painfully thinking about the pain, Liu Xikui, who knew the great righteousness, severed all contact with Mei Lanfang.
In fact, sometimes, giving up is deep love, ruthless is affectionate, not all pain, can be shouted.
What should Liu Xikui do next?
During the Republic of China period, the identity of the drama was very humble. Many kunlings were forced by obscenity and eventually became playthings in the hands of warlords and politicians.
Liu Xikui is unwilling to lose his dignity and cannot get rid of the endless harassment of politicians and warlords. So she realized that only by marrying someone can she end up with peace.
Tricked into marrying wrongly, widowed for life
Lifelong events, Liu Xikui is principled.
The man she wants to marry does not need to achieve fame, does not need high-ranking officials, and does not need family wealth.
The person she wants to marry, if not what she likes, must be a person who has a family and a country in her heart and a people's livelihood.
Once, Cui Chengzi of Wuqing County published a public article in a newspaper exposing the scandal of his superior, Lu Jin, who had embezzled and withheld military salaries, which caused quite a social sensation and was a very gratifying move.
From the impassioned writing and the pearlescent language, Liu Xikui felt the integrity and righteousness of this middle-aged man.
Under this man's pen, she saw a shadow worthy of trust.
Liu Xikui sent someone to say goodbye, and Cui Chengzi was flattered, afraid that he was too ugly Liu Xikui to repent, so he sent a young attendant to pretend to be himself.
Liu Xikui saw that this person was tall and dignified, so he decided on this family affair.
At the age of twenty-seven, she became Choi Seung-chi's bride. And specially held a grand wedding, so that those who pursued her Beijing and Tianjin politicians and idiots completely stopped thinking.
For a time, the news of Liu Xikui's marriage became the focus of discussion in the streets and alleys, and also became the headline of the entertainment page of the newspaper, and people were puzzled.
On the night of the candle candle in the cave room, the moment Liu Xikui unveiled the hijab, he poured a basin of cold water on his head.
Cui Chengzi's appearance and health value are quite touching, tall and thin, and he also suffers from lung disease, although he is only forty years old, he looks like an old man in his sixties.
Liu Xikui's heart was like ashes, and he could not repent, and could only admit his fate.
Liu Xikui once again imagined the beautiful days ahead, and after that, she would no longer be on stage and be a dutiful wife at home.
Although there is no love, the husband's character and talent are excellent, respecting each other as guests, and raising eyebrows is also a good marital state.
But things never went as she had hoped.
When Cao Kun heard that Cui Chengzi had married Liu Xikui, he was furious and corrupt, and not only relieved Cui Chengchi of all his powers, but also joined forces with Lu Jin to plot to harm Cui Chengchi.
On the fourth day of marriage, Cui Chengzi was transferred away and his official duties were intensified, so that he traveled to Jiangxi, Fujian, Henan and other places for many years, and gathered less and more with Liu Xikui.
In 1925, Cui Chengzhi became ill with hard work and died.
This year, Liu Xikui was just thirty years old, widowed for life, staying at home, and quit the acting stage.
As she herself later said, "If you don't sacrifice your body, you have to sacrifice art." ”
Patriotism and concern for the people, selfless dedication
After the outbreak of the July 7 Incident, the iron hooves of the Japanese invaders trampled on the land of China, the country was fragmented, the wind and rain were shaky, and the people suffered greatly.
"The merchant girl does not know the hatred of the country, and sings the backyard flowers across the river." Compared with those women who are meticulous and secretly born, Liu Xikui is a gentleman among women and understands the great righteousness.
When the Japanese asked Liu Xikui to perform on stage to whitewash Taiping, Liu Xikui did not think about it and refused.
She fled the Japanese-occupied areas overnight, moved to the rear defense of the Anti-Japanese War, staged charity performances, and raised funds to support the anti-Japanese resistance.
Hearing that Anhui was hit by a flood, she immediately cut out two thousand oceans from her few savings to help the disaster area.
She hadn't read a book, and her philosophy of life was derived from the plays she had sung.
She said: "I don't understand the big truth, but what is called 'the country has difficulties, and the pirate has the responsibility.'" I understand. ”
After the founding of New China, at the personal invitation of Premier Zhou, Liu Xikui once again returned to the place where the dream began.
Liu Xikui actively participated in the charity performances of the Chinese people's condolence group to the DPRK, and performed for the volunteer soldiers again and again in the midst of artillery fire.
A true patriotic Peking Opera master, not greedy for wealth and wealth, not seeking enjoyment, was praised by Premier Zhou Enlai as "the pearl of Chinese theater".
When the Chinese Opera School was established, she began to teach here, teaching her lifelong learning without reservation, carrying forward and passing on her beloved opera, so that thousands of people could feel its charm.
Going around in a big circle, her share has been dispersed, the fate is not exhausted, and she finally drew a satisfactory end to her dream of opera.
In 1964, at the age of 70, Liu Xikui died of illness in Beijing and was buried in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.
Her life, legendary ups and downs, ups and downs, half a life of turmoil, a stable, although love and marriage have not been satisfactory, but fortunately, the light and heat of opera have always illuminated her dim life.
Life is like a play, drama is like life,
To live with dignity is not to be humble,
To live with a backbone is to have self-respect and self-love,
To live a wonderful life, you must be self-reliant and persevere.
Life is not perfect, but we must keep the bottom line!
Author | Wang Bo, a freelance writer, transmits positive energy and writes a bright life.
Image | Network (if there is infringement, please contact to delete)