Theme of this issue: "Red Detachment of Women"
In 1961, the film was released and won four awards at the first "Hundred Flowers Award". In 1964, the ballet premiered and became a proud landmark work in the history of Chinese ballet. The story takes place on Hainan Island during the Second Agrarian Revolutionary War in the 1930s, and tells the story of Wu Qionghua, a young lady who escaped from the bully Nanba Tianfu, and with the help of Hong Changqing, a representative of the Red Army Party, gradually transformed from a bitter and vengeful rural girl into a soldier of the Girl Scout Army with a firm belief in communism.
Editor's Note:
Western opera and ballet can be said to be "foreign arts" for China. After the founding of New China, the vast number of literary and art workers have made remarkable achievements in expanding the themes and contents and exploring nationalization and massization. In the early 1960s, many excellent works that can represent chinese style emerged, such as the opera "Honghu Red Guard", "Red Coral", "Liu Sanjie", "Sister Jiang", "Ayi Guli", the ballet "Red Detachment of Women", "White Haired Girl", the musical and dance epic "Oriental Red" and so on. Among them, the story of "Red Detachment of Women" is a bright pearl that spans multiple art categories. The legend of revolutionary women on Hainan Island who can sing and cry provides inexhaustible inspiration for various types of art works. As a film, as a ballet, as a Qiong opera, Peking Opera, Kun opera and other operas, it has an enduring vitality, and the spirit of not fearing difficulties and moving forward bravely still inspires countless audiences.
Qionghua blossoms all over the Chinese red charm is magnificent and flawless
Author: Zhu Dongsheng (Former President of PLA Publishing House)
On June 5, 2021, on the occasion of celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the classic repertoire of the National Ballet of China, "Red Girl Scout Army", was staged in Hainan, the hometown of the "Girl Scout Army", winning the audience's unceasing applause. This is also the debut of another young "Qionghua" actor of the new generation - before, the "Qionghua" baton has been passed on for five generations.
Let's step back the clock by almost a century. "Forward, forward, the responsibility of the warrior is heavy, and the resentment of the women is deep. In the early 1960s, in the school, in the barracks, in the factory, in the threshing ground, before the screening of the "Red Detachment of Women" movie, the beautiful and beautiful "Song of the Detachment of Women" often sounded on the radio. This excellent film, this red song inspires thousands of people, never forget the youth of blood and fire.
"The water of the Wanquan River is clear and clear, and I weave a bucket to send to the Red Army." The army loves the people and the people support the army, and the military and the people unite as a family..." The ballet "Red Detachment of Women" was also born later. With the music, a special Red Army company was formed, and a group of girls and female soldiers of the Red Army danced a beautiful bucket dance together on the banks of the Wanquan River, and the beautiful art and high passion were intertwined.
From reportage, film, ballet to Qiong opera, Peking opera, Kunqu opera, opera, comic strips, TV series... The Red Detachment of Women, a story that has been passed down with red genes for more than half a century. To this day, this story is still performed on stage for a long time.
Stills from the movie "The Red Detachment of Women". Profile picture
Sculpture of the "Red Detachment of Women". Profile picture
On June 5, the ballet "Red Detachment of Women" was staged at the Hainan Provincial Song and Dance Theater. Profile picture
Female soldiers in the CCP's Qiongya base area. Profile picture
1. The legend of the female warrior on the banks of the Wanquan River
The story of the Red Women's Scouts was born on Hainan Island.
In May 1931, in a small mountain village surrounded by coconut groves on the banks of the Wanquan River, more than 100 poor rural girls with an average age of less than 20 bravely took up guns in order to resist feudal oppression and strive for equality between men and women under the leadership of the Qiongya Special Committee of the Communist Party of China. They brilliantly fulfilled the tasks of defending the leading organs, publicizing and mobilizing the masses, and cooperated with the main forces to fight, not afraid of sacrifice, heroically killing the enemy, and making immortal contributions to the Qiongya Revolution. The Women's Army Special Agent Company of the Third Regiment of the Qiongya Second Independent Division of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, although this contingent did not exist for a long time, left countless legends to sing and weep.
More than 20 years later, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, this red legend was rediscovered. In July 1956, the Central Military Commission decided to publish a collection of memoirs reflecting the history of our army's 30 years of revolutionary struggle. Subsequently, the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army set up the "30-year Essay Editorial Department", and in less than a year, the whole army applied for more than 30,000 manuscripts. Among them, there is a first-person reminiscence article "Red Women's Army" with the female soldier company commander and the old Red Army Feng Zengmin as the first person. In this article, the plot of the heroic battle of the female soldier company in that year is thrilling:
On that day, the "Lady Scout Army Company" and a company of the 3rd Regiment, and hundreds of people from the Soviet area carried firewood, straw, fire oil, and peppers to Wenshi and surrounded the enemy regiments overnight. At that time, the "Lady Scout Army Company" had no cannons and no explosives, and the artillery tower could only rely on fire, and the soldiers called this method of warfare "burning pig nests."
The turret was surrounded by open space, and the enemy fire was so tightly blocked that it was necessary to find a way to transport the materials for burning the turret. After surveying the terrain, everyone decided to dig tunnels. During the attack, the warriors transported firewood and straw through tunnels around the turret, sprinkled with peppers, poured fire oil, and threw lighted torches. Suddenly, the flames soared into the sky, and the smoke and spicy smell rushed straight into the turret. In a few moments, the tongue of fire engulfed the entire turret.
The enemy couldn't stand it anymore and squeaked. Some cried out, "Let's surrender, don't burn!" "Some ping-pong ping-pong threw guns out and stuck their heads out to beg for forgiveness.
The August 1957 issue of "Literature and Art of the People's Liberation Army" published the long-form reportage "The Red Women's Army" by Liu Wenshao, a young officer working in the Political Department of the Hainan Military Region. This 25,000-word documentary literary work, in vivid brushstrokes and self-narrated forms, recounts the birth and combat history of the soldiers of the "Niangzi Army Company", divided into 7 chapters, namely: entering the ranks of the Red Army, the prestige of the first battle, the burning of the "regimental pig" nest, an active propaganda team, the defense of the special committee, the defense of the Soviet, the forest long march for seven days and nights, the spark that will never be extinguished. In the work, the soldiers who died in battle are described as follows: "Ten heroic daughters of the revolution, lying peacefully on the ground ploughed by artillery fire, surrounded by broken and smashed guns, several still clutching their guns and fists. The sharpshooter Da'e's shirt was completely stained red with blood, and Liang Banchang's clothes were torn to shreds..."
In the afterword to the reprint of the Red Detachment of Women published in January 1959 for the Shanghai Literary and Art Publishing House, Liu Wenshao wrote: "This pamphlet is based on the materials of Comrade Feng Zengmin, the company commander of the Women's Army, Comrade Pang Xuelian, the platoon leader, and the women cadres of that year, Chen Hengru and Zhang Yuxiang, and the revolutionary veterans in the areas where the Women's Army is active. "For the sake of the concentration of the structure and the convenience of the narrative, in order to feel intimate to read, the activities of the Girl Scout Army were connected with the representative figure of the company commander as the center, and the form of self-narration was adopted."
Many years later, Liu Wenshao wrote an article recalling his interviews and the beginning and end of his creation, and he began to search for this history because of a simple description of the mimeographed pamphlet on the history of the Qiongya Column, and explained the meaning of the name "Red Women's Army": "Red symbolizes revolution, and the theme of the article shows the awakening of Chinese women under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the cool and heroic posture of female soldiers in the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army." ”
2. "This is a film with revolutionary historical themes, but it cannot be made into a biopic"
The stories of the heroic female group on Hainan Island provide inexhaustible inspiration for various forms of literary and artistic creation.
On July 1, 1961, the shanghai film Studio produced the film "Red Detachment of Women", which was directed by Xie Jin and written by Liang Xin, a writer of the Guangzhou Military Region, and the main actors were Zhu Xijuan, Wang Xingang, Chen Qiang, Xiang Mei, Yang Mengchang and so on. Previously, Liang Xin's film and literary scripts had been serialized in Shanghai Literature. The original name of the script was "Qiongdao Hero Flower". The film tells such a story: During the period of the Agrarian Revolutionary War, on the banks of the Wanquan River on Hainan Island, Wu Qionghua could not bear the exploitation and persecution of the landlord Nan Batian, participated in the revolution with the help of Hong Changqing, a cadre of the Red Army pretending to be an overseas Chinese businessman and a representative of the Niangzi Army, and continued to grow and progress in the revolutionary ranks, and finally Hong Changqing heroically sacrificed, Wu Qionghua succeeded him in his cause, liberated coconut grove villages, punished Nan Batian, and led the Niangzi Army to embark on a new journey.
Liu Wenshao (left), the author of the reportage "The Red Women's Army", and Feng Zengmin, a soldier of the Girl Scout Army. Profile picture
In 1959, the "Red Detachment of Women" was published by the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House. Profile picture
"It's a revolutionary historical film, but it can't be made into a biographical film of revolutionary history." With such an artistic pursuit, Xie Jin mobilizes a variety of infectious lens language in the film, especially the use of a large number of close-up shots to express the inner passion of the characters, reflecting the fate and growth of the characters. Xie Jin envisioned that the film should have "distinct characteristics of the times", "strong local colors", "romantic passion", "lyrical artistic conception", "national form", "the basic rhythm is: strong, deep, high-spirited, lyrical." Zhu Xijuan, who is also a student of the Shanghai Theater Academy, was recognized by Xie Jinhui because of a pair of "hot eyes", playing Qionghua, who "has a strong spirit of resistance with the fate of a slave" and "has a distinct and stubborn personality". The resolute and spicy Qionghua and the vicious and ferocious Nan Batian, played by Chen Qiang, have become extremely vivid on-screen characters.
Composer Huang Zhun, who had composed an interlude for Xie Jin's previous film "Women's Basketball Five", was invited to compose an interlude for the film. When the crew discussed the "Girl Scout Army Song", some people suggested that the sense of history and heaviness should be expressed with ready-made revolutionary historical songs, and Huang Zhun believed that although the revolutionary historical songs were good, they did not have the characteristics of the play, nor could they reflect the characteristics of Hainan. She advocated that the Girl Scout Army must have its own song, and was determined to write a "new revolutionary song" that could be handed down and loved by the masses. Huang Zhun went to Hainan several times to collect Hainan folk songs, and finally, a short, powerful, rich and deep melody with both combat spirit and Hainan characteristics, "The Song of the Lady Scout Army", was born in her pen.
The film "Red Detachment of Women" has achieved great success, the scenery of Coconut Island in the southern country, the handsome style of Hong Changqing, and the cool and heroic posture of Wu Qionghua have left a deep impression on the audience, and the melody of "Forward, Forward" of "The Song of the Lady Scouts" resounded throughout the north and south of the river, and director Xie Jin and actor Zhu Xijuan became well-known stars.
On May 22, 1962, the first film "Hundred Flowers Award" award ceremony was held, as the first national mass film award, the award received nearly 120,000 votes during the selection process. "Red Detachment of Women" has won the Best Feature Film Award, the Best Director Award, the Best Film Actress Award and the Best Supporting Actor Award. Guo Moruo, then chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, presented awards to the winners and personally wrote an inscription for the "Red Detachment of Women": "The Qionghua of the blue blood tide on Hainan Island has blossomed all over China in the east wind." The red charm is truly magnificent and flawless, and everyone says in unison: the best, the best, the best. ”
3. "For the first time in the history of ballet, there was a toe dance with a knife and a gun"
The story of the "Red Detachment of Women" in the form of ballet dance is inseparable from Premier Zhou's concern and revelation.
In 1963, after Premier Zhou watched the "Notre Dame de Paris" performed by the Central Ballet of China, he said to the leaders and actors of the troupe: You have been performing Western and Soviet ballets for ten years. The subject proposed by Premier Zhou at that time was the Paris Commune or the October Revolution.
In January 1964, a symposium was held, presided over by Vice Minister of Culture Lin Mohan, and attended by seniors, experts, choreographers, musicians, choreographers, and actors in the capital's literary and art circles, specifically to discuss how to create new works of ballet. The most enthusiastic discussion at the meeting was the theme of the Red Detachment of Women, believing that ballet is mainly to play the characteristics of women's dance, and the Red Detachment of Women is based on women as the main role, which can play the strengths of ballet. At the same time, this theme has a strong local character. After much discussion, the topic was decided as the only option for the meeting.
Guo Moruo presented the award to Zhu Xijuan (right), actress of "Red Detachment of Women", at the award ceremony of the first film "Hundred Flowers Award". Xinhua News Agency
The image of the Red Detachment of Women was made into puppets, clay figures, comics and various cartoon character drawings. Profile picture
Lu Yexiang's one-year-old great-granddaughter kisses a picture of her heroic grandmother. Photo by Zhang Jie
In February 1964, the creative team of the ballet "Red Detachment of Women" was established, including composer Wu Zuqiang, choreographers Li Chengxiang, Jiang Zuhui, Wang Xixian, stage artist Ma Yunhong, and actors Bai Shuxiang, Zhong Runliang, Wang Guohua, Li Xinying, etc. The artists came to Hainan Island to live in depth, deep in the mountains, in the primeval forest, in the Li villages, to explore the era that the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army had experienced, to pursue the lofty ideals, great beliefs, and glorious sacrifices of the revolutionaries. They interviewed Feng Zengmin, company commander of the "Lady Scout Army," wang Shixiang, Pang Xuelian, Huang Dunying, Lu Yexiang, and other veteran soldiers. Later, the dance sections in which the soldiers raised their guns, aimed, shot, and dropped bombs were inspired by the experiences of the old Red Army. To play a soldier, you must be like a soldier. The actors also participated in military training in the troops on Hainan Island, Zhangjiakou, Datong, and Beijing, and ate and lived with the cadres and fighters of the troops. Veteran revolutionaries such as General Luo Ruiqing and Admiral Xu Shiyou also participated in the examination and revision of the works.
The fighting life of the "Red Detachment of Women" was eventually moved to the ballet stage, and the Chinese generation of ballet artists interpreted the legend of China's great revolutionary heroes with the ballet art that was unique to the Western art world.
In September 1964, the ballet "The Red Detachment of Women" was performed at the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing. After watching the performance, Premier Zhou Enlai said happily: My thinking is more conservative than yours, and I originally thought that it would be difficult for ballet to immediately express China's modern life, and it would be necessary to make a transition and first perform a play on the theme of foreign revolutions. After that, in the small auditorium of the Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, and other central leaders watched the performance and gave full affirmation.
"For the first time in the history of ballet, there was a toe dance with a knife and a gun, and you guys are amazing." This is the praise of the dance drama by Alyssa Alonso, a Cuban dancer who came to China. Later, some articles commented on the revolution brought by "The Red Detachment of Women" to the world ballet stage: on the ballet stage, for the first time, the heroic warrior became the protagonist; the ballet dancers held up steel knives and steel guns for the first time in the dance, showing a distinct atmosphere of the times; and the stretching coconut groves, the hero trees blooming with kapok, and the Li maiden dance and bucket dance full of southern style also have distinct Chinese national characteristics.
For more than half a century, "The Red Detachment of Women" has been performed for a long time and has become a legend in the history of Chinese ballet. At the end of 1993, the rearranged "Red Detachment of Women" was performed in Shanghai, and the response was enthusiastic. According to news reports at the time, "In the beautiful melody, this ballet rearranged according to the 1964 version made the generations present look back on their past passions, and also brought a novelty to the many children and teenagers in the audience last night." ...... The curtain is closed, the whole audience stands up, for a long time, upstairs and downstairs, forming a warm and spectacular theater scene. In 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, as a soundtrack to the ballet "Red Detachment of Women", Wu Zuqiang's "Wanquan River Water Is Clear and Clear" composed by Wu Zuqiang and composed by Du Mingxin was selected as "100 Excellent Songs".
"Red Detachment of Women" also went out of China and "danced" to the world. In October 2003, the National Ballet of China was invited to participate in the Chinese New Year performance in France. The world-renowned "Lyon Dance House" took the initiative to designate the ballet "Red Detachment of Women" as a performance repertoire, and the audience was full, and even the aisles were crowded. In 2009, "The Red Detachment of Women" appeared on the stage of the Paris Opera and was highly praised by the world's mainstream media and critics. Zhao Ruyu, a former director of the National Ballet of China, once said: "Every foreign troupe has its own housekeeper's play, and "The Red Detachment of Women" is the watching drama of China Ballet, which records the history of Chinese ballet and also represents the highest artistic level of Chinese ballet. ”
"Red Detachment of Women" has also been adapted to the stage in other art forms such as opera and opera. As early as the tenth anniversary of the founding of New China in 1959, Guangdong Province organized the performance of the Qiong opera "Red Detachment of Women" created by Wu Zhi, Yang Jia, Li Bingyi and other collectives. In 1964, at the National Peking Opera Modern Opera Observation and Performance Conference, the four troupes of the China Peking Opera House premiered the Peking Opera version of "Red Girl Scout Army" adapted by Tian Han. In 1964, Shanghai Kun Opera Created and Rehearsed the Modern Kun Opera "QiongHua". In 1972, the Peking Opera movie "Red Detachment of Women" starring Du Jinfang, Feng Zhixiao and others was released. In addition, there are many opera versions such as Yu opera and Han opera. The comic strips created by Du Ziling are also widely circulated.
4. The former "Qionghua" is gradually drifting away, and the spirit of the hero is still shining
The story of the "Red Detachment of Women" comes from reality, and is sublimated in works of art, and in the end, it inspires thousands of people to bravely move forward, dare to be the first, work hard, not afraid of sacrifice, firm faith, selfless dedication. This is the charm and power of the red gene inheritance.
"The Song of the Lady Scouts". Profile picture
Poster of the English version of the ballet "Red Detachment of Women" when it was performed to the outside world. Profile picture
As the most vivid interpretation of "women can hold up half of the sky", the words "Red Women's Army" once became the best synonym for the sonorous and powerful expression of heroic pride. In the fields of the whole country, in the mining areas, factories, and reservoir dams throughout the country, there have been countless well drilling teams, machine ploughing teams, harvesting teams, squads, and commandos composed of female groups following the example of the "Red Women's Army." The banner of the "Red Women's Army" has appeared in the newly built railways and ports, in the Capital Iron and Steel Company, in the Kailuan Coal Mine, and in the Liujiaxia Reservoir construction site. In the People's Liberation Army, young female fighters are even more likely to follow the example of the Red Detachment of Women. Whether in the snow in the alpine mountains or on the training ground of the southern troops in the strong sunlight, one of the loudest slogans of the military training of female soldiers is "We are the Red Detachment of Women!" ”
"Red Detachment of Women" relives the original intention of the revolutionaries, guides the people, especially the women who have been oppressed by feudal tribal power, patriarchal power and husband power, to raise their heads, stand up, dominate their own destiny, awaken the audience's sensibility, rationality and spirituality with unparalleled beauty, and show the audience the art form that condenses the source of thinking, sensibility and wisdom, so that they can enjoy art while watching the performance.
Art knows no borders, art lasts forever. A red story, interpreted and passed down for more than half a century, enduring. The red classic works seem to have the divine power to promote qiankun, leaving the heroic image portrayed to the audience forever. And in the new century, the story is still circulating.
In 2005, the TV series "Red Detachment of Women" was released, which used young actors to emphasize the vitality and youthful beauty of young people. In 2014, CCTV's Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Horse was used in the "To Youth" section, using the performance clips of the ballet "Red Detachment of Women", which aroused the enthusiasm and memory of the audience. In June 2017, the national opera "Red Detachment of Women", jointly launched by the Central Opera House and Hainan Province, was staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, once again showing the strong vitality and immortal charm of the theme of the Red Detachment of Women with the unique art form of opera. In 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, the modern Qiong opera "Red Detachment of Women" was staged in Hainan. On the occasion of celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Party, Shanghai Kun Opera Re-created the Kun Opera "Red Detachment of Women". The "town troupe" of the Central Ballet, "Red Detachment of Women", is an "evergreen tree" on the stage.
In April 2014, Lu Yexiang, a 100-year-old veteran soldier, died at his home in Zhongyuan Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province, and the media reported it under the headline "The last veteran of the Red Women's Scouts died." Once again, this has led people to focus on the group of heroes. The newspaper in his hometown reported that "the former 'Qionghua' is gradually drifting away, but the spirit of 'Qionghua' still shines in this red land." During the revolutionary period, they held up half of the sky of the qiongya revolutionary struggle, and exchanged their hands and blood for freedom and liberation. They inspire people to be optimistic, to rise up, to fight hard. "In the context of the new era, although we have become rich in material life, the spirit of the Red Detachment of Women can also inspire us to struggle and strengthen our belief in serving social progress."
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily