Some time ago, pianist Fu Cong died in the Uk due to "new crown pneumonia" at the age of 86.
Fu Cong
On the 27th, it was reported that it was suffering from "new crown pneumonia", and the news of his death came on the 28th.
Fu Cong is one of the most famous pianists in China, known as the "piano poet" and "Chopin of China".
Time magazine described him as "the greatest Chinese musician today."
Fu Cong's father was the great translator Fu Lei.
The correspondence between Fu Lei and his son Fu Cong, the "Fu Lei Family Letter", has influenced generations of people.
Today, the father and son in the Book of Fu Lei's Family have passed away.
Fu Cong and Fu Lei
On March 10, 1934, Fu Cong was born in Shanghai's Garden Village.
Fu Cong began to learn the piano at the age of 7 and a half, performed publicly with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18, and began to participate in competitions abroad at the age of 19.
During his visits to Germany and Poland, he often played Chopin's works, which were affirmed and valued by Polish musicians.
The Polish government officially invited Fu Cong to participate in the "Fifth Chopin International Piano Competition" held in Warsaw in 1955.
Fu Cong practiced
On January 17, 1954, at the platform of shanghai railway station, Fu Lei and his young son Fu Min sent Fu Cong to participate in the competition.
When his father Fu Lei was parting, he said to him: "Being a man is the first, then being an artist, then being a musician, and finally being a pianist." ”
The train had been gone for a long time, and his relatives were still standing on the platform, waving at him vigorously.
Fu Cong never forgot this day in his life, and this was the last time he met with his parents.
On October 28, 2013, Fu Cong and Fu Min "returned the ashes of their parents to the roots"
In the 1955 "Chopin International Piano Competition", 21-year-old Fu Cong won the "Third Prize" and "Mazurka" awards, which was the first time that a Chinese musician won an award in an international piano competition.
Awards ceremony
Fu Cong's Chopin music shocked the Poles, and some people even asked Fu Cong: "Why aren't you a Pole?" ”
After the competition, Fu Cong directly stayed in Poland to continue his studies, and after Fu Cong graduated in 1958, he did not choose to return to China, but went directly to the United Kingdom for art.
At that time, his actions were defined as "defections" and he was not rehabilitated until 1981.
Documentary "Naked Danxin - Interview with Fu Cong" Source: Grand Theater Zero Distance
Under the epidemic, the ill-fated pianist and father reunited in heaven.
Today, I would like to relive this "Fu Lei Family Book" with you.
Mr. and Mrs. Fu Lei spent their lives painstakingly and painstakingly raised two children: Fu Cong and Fu Min.
One became a famous piano master and the other became a special teacher of English.
In the eyes of many people, this is undoubtedly the result of educational success. Therefore, the "Fu Lei Family Letter" has become a study guide for many Chinese parents.
Older brother Fu Cong, mother Zhu Meifu, younger brother Fu Min
From 1954 onwards, Fu Lei and his wife began to send family letters to their son Fu Cong, who often discussed art-related issues with his son in the family letters.
This is also a point of mention and help for his son's career as a father.
Before his son became famous, Fu Lei stressed to his son that in the creative process, we must pay attention to the combination of rationality and sensibility.
He felt that it was necessary to practice hard skills while playing the piano, but if you want to become a real artist, you also need to learn to inject the most sincere emotions into the music, because only in this way can you impress the audience.
After his son became famous, Fu Lei warned Fu Cong to ensure his "dignity of art".
What does that mean?
It is that after an artist becomes famous, it is easy to get lost, start creating for money, and hold concerts one after another.
Fu Lei was very worried about this, and the worried father even asked about his son's financial situation from time to time in his home letters, the purpose of which was to "monitor" his son's income and expenditure, hoping that Fu Cong's artistic creation was pure.
From this incident, we can see that in fact, Fu Lei has been adhering to a simple outlook on life and influencing his children in this way.
He also often gives advice to his son in terms of how to behave.
For example, he often emphasizes in his family letters that he should adhere to the "big me" and abandon the "small me".
That is, do not be too careful about personal fame and gain.
Because we will find that life is always full of bitterness and contradictions, when we are passionate about personal fame and fortune, but do not get fame and fortune, we will inevitably become extremely painful because of jealousy and hatred.
On the contrary, if we insist on the "big self", not only for personal purposes, but for social welfare and the future of mankind, because the starting point is justice, ideals, and love, we can force ourselves to make some small contributions.
It's also the best remedy for "cynicism."
In terms of dealing with the world, Mr. Fu Lei reminded his son in this way, that is, "We must be generous and measured."
He analyzed the psychology of people: for the rare gifts, it is valued, and often what is obtained is not only not valued, but considered to be the right to be enjoyed, and it is easy to have resentment.
Therefore, if you want to give help, it is best to help on the blade of the knife, help others when they need it most, and never let yourself become a good old man who is ultimately difficult to refuse any request from others.
In addition to his outlook on life and how to deal with the world, Mr. Fu Lei's advice on his son's feelings is also very valuable.
Before his son got married, he only told his son two words, "self-love."
Because repeated, fruitless love pairs make people numb to love.
When the son really entered a marriage, Mr. Fu Lei taught his son the harmonious way of getting along with his wife for decades, that is, "the friendship of gentlemen is as light as water" and "husband and wife should respect each other as guests", because only calm, subtle and gentle feelings can last.
Mr. Fu Lei also reminded his son that he should not neglect his wife and family for the sake of art, and that on the long road of two people, he should always pull his wife and not let his wife fall behind.
In this way, a long-term harmonious marriage can be maintained.
In fact, from Mr. Fu Lei's family letter to his son, we can also see the common characteristics of Chinese parents, that is, to take their children as the focus of their lives.
In the "Fu Lei Family Letter", Fu Lei, as a father, always tries to arrange everything for his son, even to various details of life.
But Fu Cong himself has said that for this kind of care, he, like many of our children, is also a little bored.
On April 13, 1966, Fu Lei and Fu Cong had their last correspondence.
In the letter, Fu Lei wrote: "Every night before going to sleep, there is a hope - not only to be with flesh and blood, but also to meet relatives and friends who have been isolated for a decade or two. I also often dream of you, and the music on your piano is very clear in dreams."
Didn't wait to get together.
On September 3, 1966, Fu Lei and his wife chose to hang themselves because of persecution.
To prevent their bodies from lying on the ground and making noises to wake up neighbors, they spread cotton wool and sheets on the ground.
As a "defector", Fu Cong was unable to return to China to deal with his parents' affairs, and was not approved to return to China until 1979.
For the next 54 years without his parents, he lived according to his father's expectations until his death.
In the early hours of this morning, I saw the news of Mr. Fu Cong's death and scolded him.
Suddenly, I thought that Mr. Fu Cong had already thought about it before he was born, and what would happen a hundred years later: "The things of fame and fortune behind him, I can't take care of these things, it doesn't matter."
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