White Jade Cream: A life of humiliation and damage to a generation of celebrities
Text/Lao Zhang is on the road
Wang Meng, a well-known writer who has retired for many years and former minister of culture, settled in today's headlines, and the first paragraph he published was aimed at the Fan Bingbing incident, and some people scolded the "drama" to speak out, believing that the reason why some people played long plays and short plays was because the long-term unjust feudal hierarchy was deeply rooted in the minds of these people, and he hoped that the language of our public opinion would not turn back history.
Wang Meng's words have caused controversy, and Fan Bingbing's right and wrong are not within the scope of this article. I am now telling the story of a "drama" in an old era, let us see how the "drama" was manipulated and destroyed by fate in the past era, which was not far away.
Commentary is a kind of opera that circulates in northern China, ranking among the five major opera genres in China, and it is also considered to be the second largest drama genre in China. Critics are known as "bouncing plays" or "falling plays", and there are also titles such as "flat cavity zi zi plays", "Tangshan drops", "Fengtian drops", "flat plays", "comments", etc., and finally became famous throughout the country under the name of "commenting on dramas".
In the old days, artists, on stage, they fought hard for art; offstage, they had to send people under the fence, everywhere at the mercy of others, often had to be wronged and perfect, bowed to the power, and even became the playthings of high-ranking officials and nobles.
Because of this, the artists of that era had almost no family background worth showing off, either picked up by the drama team halfway through, or when they fled, their parents were really unable to support and sold to the boss of the drama class. Otherwise, it is backward in the family road, unable to make a living, and joining the drama class to eat mixed food.
Bai Yushuang, the founder of the drama "White School", is such an artist. She is now known as a "critic performance artist" by posterity, and in that era, her life was a typical portrayal of the fate of the "dramatists" who were insulted and damaged.
Bai Yushuang (1907-1942), formerly known as Li Guizhen, also known as Li Huimin. A native of Luan County, Hebei Province, she is the daughter of Li Jingchun, a lotus flower fall artist. She is known as the queen of drama and the founder of the white art of drama.
Bai Yushuang's father, Li Jingchun, was an entertainer who sang lotus flowers, and Bai Yushuang's original name was unknown. Since she was a child, she sang opera with her father, learned the Beijing rhyme drum at the age of 11, and changed to drama criticism at the age of 14, performing in Qingdao and Dalian. Later, he studied drama with Sun Fengming and became the protagonist of sun family drama class. The name given by the master was Guizhen, so in the early years, li Guizhen's name was used in the drama newspaper, and it was changed to Bai Yushuang after becoming famous.
Li Jingchun is a singer, and often stays in this drama class and runs in that drama class. Similar to today's ride-and-go. Around 1921, Li Jingchun died of illness, and the family's economic support was only 14-year-old Bai Yushuang.
At this time, his younger brother Li Guozhang could not read the book, so he returned to the family and pulled erhu in the drama class.
Bai Yushuang's mother, later known as Fat Grandma Li, felt that since Bai Yushuang could sing and her brother could pull strings, she would simply form a class. She and her brother were in charge and found some small actors.
Bai Yushuang had never been to school, and lived a bumpy life in the drama team, she was very good at learning, and if she didn't understand, she immediately asked. She seriously performed, hanging her throat in the early morning, the colder the day, the more she went to the cold wind to stand for most of the day.
Bai Yushuang gives full play to her own characteristics, her voice is relatively low, the nasal tone resonance is good, the bass is wide and round, and the tone is pure. In order to give full play to his own strengths, Bai Yushuang boldly innovated and created a singing method of low strings and low singing.
The white jade frost drama became popular, people became famous, and trouble ensued.
One day in 1934, when Lu Xun and his students talked about the mayor of Beiping City's order prohibiting young men and women from swimming in the same swimming pool, Lu Xun simulated the strange appearance of wearing gas masks on his head, which made the students laugh. The mayor of Beiping City is Yuan Liang.
Yuan Liang (1882-1952.12), the fourth mayor of Beiping in the Republic of China, Yuan Liang, a native of Hangxian County, Zhejiang, was a Chinese poet. Studied in Japan in his early years. After returning to China, he served as the general office and negotiator of the Changtu Police. Later, he was the Secretary-General of the Shenyang Negotiation Bureau. From 1916 to 1922, he served as a senator of the State Council of the Beiyang Government. In 1924, he was appointed president of the National Water Conservancy Bureau and for a time acted director of the Central Agricultural Experimental Field. In 1929, he became Director Of the Second Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In June 1933, Yuan Liang became the mayor of Beiping Municipal Government.
In 1937, when the "July Seventh Anti-Japanese War broke out", Yuan Liang abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown and lived in Shanghai. In March 1953, Yuan Liang died of illness in Shanghai.
In 1934, Bai Yushuang performed at the Beiping Enlightened Theater, performing the play "Take the Fly". Yuan Liang, who has never watched commentaries, became interested in Bai Yushuang, watched her several plays, the mayor took the lead in the scene, and Bai Yushuang became even redder.
One day, Yuan Liang sent someone to send a letter after watching the play, inviting Boss Bai to eat a supper, and did not want to, Bai Yushuang just did not go. So, Bai Yushuang stabbed the honeycomb. Yuan Liang played the banner of maintaining the social weathering of Peiping and ordered that Bai Yushuang be immediately expelled.
The next morning, several policemen with guns came, holding official documents, saying that it was because her play was "offensive", and the mayor did not let Bai Yushuang act in Beiping, and he had to leave Beiping immediately. The police then escorted them all the way to Tianjin on the train.
The plot of "Take the Fly" is that a fly becomes a spirit, comes down to fall in love with people, and gives birth to a child, and finally is known by the Heavenly Court, and the Jade Emperor sends the Heavenly Soldier Heavenly General to capture this fly essence. Because this play is absurd and bizarre, similar to the later "Tianxian Match", it is well received by the city, and the ticket price has risen again and again, from the triangle to one yuan, and the ticket price has been comparable to Mei Lanfang's performance.
When starring, Bai Yushuang and the two actresses who played the beard wore "sanitary pants", red belly pockets, and a dozen lights, similar to exposing their arms and legs. Their outfits are at best similar to those of gymnasts or figure skaters. But in those years, it was already very inconspicuous.
Due to the limitations of the times, history, audiences, etc., the repertoire of the commentaries and performances had some unhealthy ideological and artistic tendencies. Some preach fatalism and karma, and some are low-grade yellow. In fact, at that time, all art disciplines such as Peking Opera, big drums, book commentary, and cross-talk had such problems.
The so-called bai yushuang's performance "the content is unhealthy and offensive", which is just an excuse for Mayor Yuan Da.
Bai Yushuang led An Guanying and Xiao Fuzi (Xiao Baiyushuang) to Shanghai, and after settling down, they performed on the Tian toad Stage.
Bai Yushuang's adoptive mother and class master only regarded her as a cash cow, doing everything possible to squeeze money out of her, regardless of her personal emotions and physical health.
Bai Yushuang had never left his drama class in his life. Falling in love is naturally also an actor in his own team.
The famous opera performance artist Xin Fengxia once wrote an article about the past of Bai Yushuang and her lover's elopement.
Bai Yushuang could not stay in Beiping, so she went to Shanghai, she first went to visit those rich and powerful owners, there was a person named Wei Tingrong (nicknamed Big Old Wei) who was a well-known Qinghong gang in Shanghai, and he was a capable person who did business, and he was rich and wealthy, and it was said that he was the husband of the beautiful person on the trademark of the beautiful brand cigarette. This man is the owner of the tobacco company and a shareholder in several theater gardens. Some merchants led by him came up with ideas for white jade cream, using the three words of white jade cream, first out of the white jade cream soap, the soap is white oblong, the appearance decoration is very exquisite, and the packaging is printed with a beautiful woman similar to white jade cream. Using this method for publicity, the Shanghai audience has not yet watched the play, and they know about the white jade frost. Merchants will do business, white jade cream soap immediately became a new commodity in short supply, and the bungee jumping scene of white jade cream was also full.
When Bai Yushuang sang in Shanghai, she was red and purple, except for acting, she lived a life surrounded by old wives, taking a car, going to a restaurant, playing cards, dancing, eating and drinking every day. She soon grew tired of the vulgar and boring life, but she couldn't get rid of it. She fell in love with a band musician who beat her.
This man was young and honest, and he was a famous good man named Li Yongqi. Bai Yushuang and her mother Fat Grandma Li proposed it, and this fat Grandma Li, who saw money and loved money as much as her life, resolutely disagreed. Bai Yushuang promised to make her a lot of money, buy her a house, buy land, and open a deal, but she still did not get the freedom to fall in love.
Bai Yushuang sang on the stage, Li Yongqi played on the stage, inevitably eyebrows, often seen by fat Grandma Li. In order to save the cash cow, she spent money to buy off hooligans and thugs to track Li Yongqi, and also beat Li Yongqi badly to prevent Bai Yushuang from contacting Li Yongqi.
Bai Yushuang and Li Yongqi can't get close to each other usually, and can only occasionally talk secretly in the background, and Fat Grandma Li keeps an eye on them at all times. Bai Yushuang discussed with Li Yongqi and decided to elope to rebel against his mother. One night after the play, she used the excuse of playing cards with someone to take off from Shanghai to Tianjin with Li Yongqi and ran to Yangcun, Li Yongqi's hometown in Hebei Province.
Bai Yushuang's escape had too great an impact on this class. As soon as she left, the pillar was gone, and Fat Grandma Li supported Bai Yushuang's adopted daughter Xiao Baiyushuang to play the protagonist. Although The little white jade cream voice is not as thick as her mother's, but she has her own singing style, she has put up a lot of white jade cream plays. This is also the opportunity for the little white jade cream to emerge.
Bai Yushuang returned to her hometown with Li Yongqi, who was full of earthy qi, and made up her mind to live in the countryside with Li Yongqi, she used the money and gold and silver jewelry she brought to buy a house in the village and buy land, determined to farm, and declared: "I confessed my fate to Li Yongqi." "But it's easy to say, it's not so simple to do, she is used to luxurious enjoyment, she is used to seeing those broad old masters, wives, young masters, and young ladies; a piece of loess crops in the countryside, where can she bear it?" Coupled with the fact that the rural people also couldn't get used to her, it wasn't long before Bai Yushuang got bored and couldn't stay.
The Audience in Shanghai wanted to see Bai Yushuang's play, and Fat Grandma Li put on a human feeling, but it was Shanghai's famous able man Lao Wei. He personally went to Yangcun in Hebei Province to take Bai Yushuang back to Shanghai. Li Yongqi actually got the house and the land, but in this way, he could no longer give Bai Yushuang a beating, so he went to another shift by himself.
Li Yongqi has a nickname called "moon cake" because when Li Yongqi was good with Bai Yushuang, Bai Yushuang once asked him what he wanted. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Li Yongqi, a farmer by birth, replied, "I want mooncakes." Since then, Li Yong has received such a graceful name, and later his real name has not been called
At that time, there was a newspaper in Shanghai, Xinmin Bao, and the editor-in-chief Wu Juyi made rumors in the newspaper and ruined Bai Yushuang's reputation. Bai Yushuang had no choice but to invite him to dinner and give him money, but as soon as he left the restaurant, Wu Juyi was shot dead by anti-Japanese hoe traitors.
In retaliation, the Japanese army arrested Bai Yushuang and his mother and imprisoned them for two weeks, both of whom suffered a lot.
Bai Yushuang was brutally tortured. The Japanese stripped her lower body and pulled her lower body with a brown fur rope. Bai Yushuang was devastated beyond human appearance, and it was also that torture that caused her to fall into a fatal root.
After Bai Yushuang was released from prison, his body weakened. Even so, in order to survive, she still had to sing, twice a day, wind and rain.
(Stills)
In 1942, Bai Yushuang performed the play "Boudoir Persuasion" in the Tianjin Beiyang Theater, but it was not halfway through, and the blood flowed to the ground. Soon, his condition worsened, and Bai Yushuang was admitted to the hospital again. A few days later, Bai Yushuang completed a short 35-year-old life.
(The picture in this article is a network information)