Chen Mei is a world-famous violinist, and her success cannot be replicated - she appeared as a soloist at the Royal Concert Hall at the age of 10, and held a world tour with the Mozart Ensemble at the age of 14; President Putin, the British prince are her super fans... What surprised the world was that when her career reached its peak, Chen Mei suddenly decided to go skiing!
For a while, criticism was rife, and Chen Mei was also confused. But she quickly sorted out the feathers: I was born for love, to be a free and unbridled life. At the Sochi Winter Olympics in early 2014, Chen Mei won the first place from the bottom. Yet her bright smile in the snow infected everyone. People suddenly found that her life was so wonderful, and her performance was even more passionate and charming.
The trouble with the richest artist: not knowing where to go
In 1983, in an old-fashioned house in London, England, 5-year-old Chen Mei stood at the window and played the violin against the River Thames. In the evening, her mother Chen Xiaoluan returned and found that her daughter's fingers were swollen. But the next day, Chen Mei asked her mother to wrap her fingertips in tape and continue to practice. Mom asked her, "Why do you still insist on the pain?" Chen Mei said: "I like to play the piano. At that moment, Chen Xiaoluan knew that her daughter would definitely be able to go a long way on the road of art. No true artist is forced to succeed by his parents. Success requires tenacity, and it is impossible to achieve without inner love.
Mother Chen Xiaoluan is not a conformist woman. Born in Beijing, she married her first husband, Wanakowon, a British-Thai man, at the age of 20 in Singapore as a freshman, and Chen Mei was born the following year. After graduating from university, Chen Xiaoluan ended her first marriage and brought her daughter to London, England, to become a Chinese lawyer. Her education for her daughter was: life is short, don't let it be bitter. If her daughter felt that practicing was very difficult, she would suggest that she sell it. However, the daughter did not think that it was bitter, and she got unprecedented pleasure from it: Chen Mei was absorbed by the Royal College of Music in London at the age of 10 and appeared on the Royal Albert Hall for solo performances. In 1991 she collaborated with the Mozart Ensemble on her first world tour... In a 2006 Fortune Survey by The Times on young artists under the age of 30 in the UK, Chen Mei topped the list with £32 million. Chaplin's granddaughter inherited a 30% stake in Hollywood production company Limelight to come in second place.
Many of Chen Meiyuan's relatives and friends in China have placed high hopes on her, hoping that she will become a genius like Paganini, the "god of the violin". But people don't know, she is just doing what she likes, and has no concept of "success". For example, she's getting ready to be a skier!
In 2008, Chen Mei returned to Beijing as an ambassador for the Beijing Olympics, and her mother and daughter lived in her grandmother's house. Grandma informed the relatives and friends, and the aunt and uncles immediately rushed in, and the stars held the moon and surrounded Chen Mei in the middle. Grandma asked Chen Mei, "You have been so successful, how do you plan your future path?" Planning?" Chen Mei was very dazed. At this time, the aunt received a phone call, Chen Mei heard her excitedly say: "Our family Chen Mei is back, she is currently a famous violinist in the world..." Invisibly, Chen Mei felt that the burden on her shoulders was very heavy.
For the first time in the night, she was sad because of the dream in her heart. She carefully asked her mother, "If you live for your loved ones, you can't take risks in life, right?" Knowing her daughter's thoughts, Chen Xiaoluan was silent—Chen Mei was a persistent girl, and once she said, "I want to have a special concert." So in 1997 she took a glider on the ice of Lake St. Mauri from 2400 meters away, gliding in, boiling the whole field; Another time she wanted to sing at the Eiffel Tower. This is something that has never been done before. But because her concert audience in New York's Times Square was so crazy, the police had to block traffic, more than 100,000 spectators screamed in unison, sensationalizing the music scene, and the Paris city government unprecedentedly approved her to hold a concert in front of the Eiffel Tower... She has performed many miracles over the years, being the youngest Oxford speaker at the age of 16 and breaking record sales records several times. As a mother, how can you let affection tie her wings? So Chen Xiaoluan firmly told her: "No matter what you do, I will support you." ”
Chen Mei was very impressed. In an interview with China Central Television reporter in Sochi, she said: "For the first time, I found that life is more than an experience of freedom and indulgence, it can be mixed with choice, helplessness and inevitable guilt. ”
"Spoiled talent": Skiing on the go
But after all, she could not resist the yearning in her heart.
In October 2009, Chen Mei discovered that a new ski equipment store had opened near her residence. Inexplicable surprises came to mind. The clerk brought out a brochure and introduced her: "You see, our ads were all shot in Zermatt. "Zermatt, that's the world's skiing mecca. Chen Mei silently pronounced the name, thinking that it made the pronunciation of the tip of the tongue and lips gently colliding.
Chen Mei spent more than 4,000 pounds to buy a pair of top-of-the-line skis, and everyone looked at her on the way home. She was excited. Passing by the ticket booking point, she resolutely booked a ticket to Geneva. Climbing the "glacier city" small town of Zermatt, Chen Mei's heart almost flew out of her chest. Between the peaks of the Alps, the air is clear, and the 45 kilometers of pistes meander among the clouds, this is the life she yearns for! Almost all the people walking around the town were people in ski suits, holding skateboards and laughing. Thinking of the ski celebrities gathered here, Chen Mei could no longer hold back the dream in her heart, and excitedly decided to ignore it and stay! The next day, she bought a house in the town.
In November, Chen Mei won the award for the top ten outstanding Chinese youth in the United Kingdom. Li Junchen, the representative of the organizers, informed Chen Mei to accept the award, and the phone called over, and Chen Mei shouted in the cold wind: "Can you hear the snow?!" I'm skiing and I'm going to be a skier!" The crowd was stunned. Is this girl too arbitrary?
When the news spread that Chen Mei was going to temporarily quit music and dismiss her "mom's agent", her Chinese fans were so surprised that they left messages on her Twitter: "You are 31 years old, do you have such an old skier?" The ski world can be without you, and you know how important you are in the violin world. "Talent is not something for people like you to waste." ...... Chen Mei was overwhelmed. The news reached the ears of Grandma Beijing, and this authentic old lady of Beijing was furious. She called her granddaughter Xingshi and asked, "You've only been tossing and turning for a few days?" A person must have the spirit of self-denial if he wants to succeed..." Chen Mei was completely blinded.
The next day, her study task was the "Big Turn", which could lead to a fall if she was not careful. Coach Smith pointed to a slalom ruler not far away and shouted, "Turn! Turn!" Chen Mei was in a bleak mood and did not know the point. Halfway through the slide, she had just tried so hard that the two skateboards trip together and crawled into the snow with a rolling belt. Due to the thin snow next to her, Chen Mei's body was crushed to the hard rock, and there was a sharp pain. Chen Mei's heart tightened, what to do if she couldn't take the bow after she hurt her arm... Before she could react, Smith ran over and shouted, "I'm a professional coach!" You should go to the amateur instructor and you should play with the skiers. Can't get into the national team, bad reputation!" Chen Mei struggled to get up and apologize: "Give me another month, if it really doesn't work, you can reject me." ”
All kinds of disobedience annoyed Chen Mei. In the evening, she called Chen Xiaoluan: "Mom, will you and grandma often have conflicts?" How do you avoid the differences between Chinese and Western cultures?" Her mother told Chen Mei that she was strongly opposed by her parents when she got married, but she never regretted marrying Vanakorn. When she divorced, she was stopped by the second elder, but the love had come to an end, and she was unwilling to barely maintain her children. She hopes that Chen Mei will evaluate her as, "My mother is cool", not "My mother has been wronged for me all my life". "Patience is a traditional virtue of Chinese women. But when it's a firefight with the life you love, say to it, stop. Chen Mei, who rarely shed tears, cried and decided to continue practicing.
The following month, Chen Mei went crazy about general training. She broke 5 pairs of gloves and broke countless skateboards.
One morning at more than 6 o'clock in the morning, Chen Mei and the team members took a gear train to the snow field, and the train creaked all the way up, and suddenly there was a power outage! Chen Mei and several team members were trapped in the middle of the mountain. The standby storage equipment waits an hour to be installed. Chen Mei decided to get out of the car and climb up the mountain by herself, so that she could train more than the other team members. Everyone looked at each other: "If you want to climb, you can climb, we are waiting in the car." So Chen Mei climbed up the snow field on foot. The athletes in the training all remembered this ordinary Chinese-Thai mixed race girl.
One day in January 2010, Chen Mei was still practicing in the corners after the team. Smith shouted, "Don't eat?" Chen Mei gritted her teeth: "Practice this action before eating." Smith shook his head helplessly: "Although your physical strength, age, and skills are at a disadvantage, you are the hardest, don't fight hard." I officially receive you!" Chen Mei rushed to the coach's side with happiness: "Thank you!"
In order to express her gratitude, Chen Mei took the initiative to play a song "Colorful Dance" to the coach and team members. When the violin makes the first sound of lingering pity, the whole restaurant suddenly falls silent... The song has been exhausted, and everyone is intoxicated, and the applause is thunderous. One of the team members said movingly: "Although we don't know music, it's so good!" You shouldn't come to learn to ski, you should learn to play. Chen Mei smiled happily. She didn't tell them that such a small-scale performance could only be enjoyed in her home by members of the British royal family, Prince Charles and Prince Edward.
Skiing can enjoy the thrill of speed, but constantly wrestling and excessive exercise make Chen Mei overwhelmed. Chen Mei began to understand the meaning of patience. She had to show all her patience and perseverance for that love. And music and skiing have nothing in common, the former requires calming down, and the latter has to set up their adrenaline to the highest.
Dreaming of horses: the happiest penultimate first place
Since February 2010, Chen Mei has been undergoing closed ski training at the Zermatt ski resort. Before "isolation from the world", Chen Mei wrote a long letter to her grandmother with an unskilled Chinese: What is the concept of success, money? vanity? approval? I think that people's troubles are never because of love, but because of the heart that needs to be reciprocated. Like having two different dreams and then realizing them one by one. That untalented dream may be a hundred times more difficult to fulfill, and it is bitter. But if you can really do it just by liking it, caring for it, experiencing it, and becoming one with it, regardless of the ending, it is still so touching and worthy of dedication. I would like to be born for love and to be a free and unbridled life.
Chen Mei did not have her grandmother's Chinese address, she sent the letter to her mother first. Chen Xiaoluan burst into tears after reading it and sealed it with a kiss. She rejoiced that her beloved daughter was not only passionate, but also kind and soft, so accessible.
One day in the early winter of 2012, Chen Mei finished her physical training and went to the parking lot to pick up the car, just put the skateboard in the trunk, and a bunch of reporters rushed up.
"Miss Chen Mei, I heard that you gave up your music career in order to ski, but your skiing performance is very bad, why did you do it?" Will you return to music?" Chen Mei's eyes were dizzy by the flash, and she was momentarily dumbfounded. The next day, the Times published a dazed photo of Chen Mei and a commentator's article "Are Genius Artists Crazy?" At this time, the coach and teammates learned that the girl who trained wholeheartedly next to them was the famous violinist Chen Mei! The ski team boiled over.
Smith asked her, "Do you want to go to the Winter Olympics?" Chen Mei nodded. Even if you can't get a ranking, you can stand on the Olympic track is a dream. However, with her grades, she could not compete at all. Learning that her father was Thai, Smith told her: "If you are a Thai athlete, you may be able to stand at the beginning of the Olympic ski run." ”
According to Olympic regulations, countries that do not have the world's top 500 skiers can choose to send one male and one female athlete to participate in the qualification tournament. However, she had to compete in five official matches and earn an average penalty score below 140.
Chen Mei was ecstatic and immediately called Chen Xiaoluan: "Mom, do you believe it, I have hope to participate in the Winter Olympics!" Chen Xiaoluan listened to the causes and consequences but did not comment on it. Her biological father, Vanakorn, disappeared with a new home. Chen Mei knew that her mother did not want her to be close to her biological father. The hope of reaching the hand slipped away again, and Chen Mei was very disappointed. She remembered that the picture of her biological father had been cut off by her mother. His mother's heart to cut off contact with him was evident. Her skiing performance is not good, the idea of participating in the Winter Olympics is also very strange, will her mother who will always support her this time be by her nature?
Unexpectedly, she returned to London at Christmas, but Chen Xiaoluan greeted her from afar on the road. After entering the house, her mother put the note with Wanakorn's mobile phone number in Chen Mei's hand: "I have raised you alone all these years, and he has not paid any effort, I really don't want him to snatch you away." But I can't punish you in this way. Chen Mei and her mother hugged tightly...
Vanakon was thrilled to receive a call from Chen Mei. He was proud to have all of his daughter's performances. He then helped his daughter change her nationality. Unexpectedly, everything was more difficult than expected. Both Chen Xiaoluan and Chen Mei want to retain British citizenship, but Thailand is a country that does not recognize dual citizenship. Vanakorn wrote a long letter to Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Yingluck asking her to release her daughter's dream. Coincidentally, Yingluck also heard about Chen Mei. She wrote to the King, and with special approval from the King of Thailand, Chen Mei became a Thai national and retained her British citizenship.
The dream is getting closer and closer, and it becomes a fun thing.
In August 2013, Chen Mei began to compete intensively, just to brush up on the minimum penalty requirements. Half a year later, her results are still not ideal, ranking 1740th in the world. When she was anxious, she unexpectedly received a call from her grandmother. Grandma in Beijing was surprised: "I heard that you can participate in the Winter Olympics?" Not simple. Lately, your family has been talking about you, and the newspapers have published you. Chen Mei said shyly, "My grades are not good, and I can't get the rank." Grandma smiled: "Your mother is right, among the girls who can play the piano, you are the best at skiing, and you can play the best piano among the girls who can ski." ”
Being tolerated by my family seems to be a lot of good luck. At the end of 2013, she competed in 4 races in Slovenia. The other contestants were at least 14 years younger than Chen Mei, but in the end, Chen Mei also brushed out 4 sets of beautiful data, creating a "new low" in her life. She applied to the Thai Olympic Committee and was certified by the International Snow Federation. She finally got her Olympic ticket.
Chen Xiaoluan learned the news and made a special call to thank Vanakorn. 35 years of time, enmity and hatred in greetings.
The news that Chen Mei will participate in the Sochi Winter Olympics was released in the Chinese, British, Thai and Russian media, which caused a great shock. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Shoigu, who are her fans, replied to reporters with a smile: It is an honor to see the idol at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
At the opening ceremony, Chen Mei was also pleasantly surprised to see her idol, the Swiss skier Youluo. As soon as the athlete arrived in the background, Chen Mei shouted loudly to Yuluo: "Can you sign?" Yuro ran over and pulled up her tracksuit and leaned over to her. Chen Mei was confused: "What?" Yulo said slyly, "Aren't you going to sign me?" Chen Mei laughed. The two signed each other's tracksuits. Yulo told her that half of the dozen discs in his car were hers. Athletes shouted, "It's amazing to be able to see a great musician in our sport!"
This is a race that attracts the world's attention at the Sochi Winter Olympics! On the morning of February 18, 2014, Chen Mei will stand on the track to compete! To show her excitement, she asked her mother to paint a Smurf on her face in oil. Chen Xiaoluan disagreed: "It's too unashamed. Chen Mei was not reconciled, and ran to the bathroom to secretly paint two teeth blue.
Here it comes. No. 87 athlete Chen Mei stands on the alpine skiing track. In the focus of countless long guns and short cannons, she grinned, and the world saw her cute two small Bluetooth. Chen Xiaoluan smiled helplessly.
Grandma watched the live broadcast with her relatives and friends in Beijing. At the beginning of the game, Chen Mei was left behind, somehow, no one pinched a handful of sweat for her, seeing that the distance between her and the penultimate was getting farther and farther, everyone laughed kindly... In the end, Chen Mei finished the women's big qudao competition in 1 minute 44.86 seconds, ranking first from the bottom.
Rushing to the finish line, she revealed her trademark bright smile and was filled with excitement. The British BBC reporter emotionally explained on the spot: "Chen Mei cannot achieve such achievements in music in a short period of time, but she bravely surpasses herself, this is the Olympic spirit!" This is the real love of life, this is the real wonderful life!" At the scene, Chen Xiaoluan had tears in his eyes. In Beijing, relatives stood up and applauded her...
Editor/Xia Zhijun
(Source "Zhiyin" month-end edition 2014 No. 15, exclusive copyright, strictly prohibit reprinted, otherwise it will be investigated for infringement liability!) ）