Li Han, the owner of the dance hall, was very touched after knowing the story of the old man, and he hoped to continue to open the dance hall and become a place for leisure and entertainment for the elderly in Mohe.
Recently, the song "Mohe Ballroom" created by musician Liu Shuang has been on the hot list of many music platforms, and the story of an old man behind the song who remembers his deceased wife with a solo dance has also touched countless people. Liu Shuang posted the gif of the old man's solo dance on the Internet, and said with an article that this zhang Dequan (homophonous) old man is the prototype character of "Mohe Ballroom".
▲ In March 2020, Liu Shuang posted on the WeChat public account that the old man in the picture who danced alone in the middle of the dance hall was the archetypal character Zhang Dequan (homophonous) old man in the background story of "Mohe Dance Hall". Screenshot of the image source WeChat public account
On October 25, the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism of Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province, posted an introductory video about "Mohe Ballroom" on its officially certified short video platform account.
In May 1987, more than 200 people were killed in a huge forest fire in the Daxinganling area of Heilongjiang, including Zhang Dequan's wife, Kang.
Before the tragedy, the two had no children, and more than thirty years after Kang's departure, the elderly Zhang Dequan did not remarry. Kang loved to dance before he was born, and when the two fell in love, they often sneaked into the warehouse full of clutter, lit a lamp, and practiced dancing in the narrow open space, "countless grain powders flew up and down, like elves dancing for the two.". This scene is also the most precious memory of the elderly Zhang Dequan in this life.
Later, someone opened a dance hall not far from the warehouse, and whenever night fell, Zhang Dequan would always dance alone in the dance hall. Musician Liu Shuang learned this story by chance during the Mohe gathering, and after obtaining the consent of the old man, he created the song "Mohe Ballroom", which was dedicated to all the lives that died because of misfortune.
On November 2, a staff member of the Mohe Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism told the Beijing News reporter that the old man's affairs are real, his wife did die in the fire, as for the situation of the dance hall, the staff said that it is not very clear, but at present, there is only one dance hall in Mohe, located in the 38th district of Mohe City.
The Beijing News reporter contacted the dance hall owner Li Han (pseudonym), Li Han said that Liu Shuang released the gif of the old man dancing alone, he saw it and found that the dance hall inside was the same as his own dance hall, and he also had some impressions of the old man, and he had seen the old man dancing alone in the dance hall. Li Han was very touched after knowing the story of the old man, and he hoped to continue to open the dance hall and become a place for leisure and entertainment for the elderly in Mohe.
▲ The archetypal character Zhang Dequan in "Mohe Ballroom" went to dance in the dance hall located in the basement. Courtesy of respondents
Beijing News: Have you seen an old man recently?
Dance hall owner: The old man has not appeared in the dance hall in the past two years. After the song "Desert River Ballroom" went viral, many people tried to find the old man, but they have not found it until now.
Beijing News: When did you meet the old man, and what was his state at that time?
Dance hall owner: Probably in the early days of the opening of the dance hall in early 2019, I saw old people come to the dance hall to dance. At that time, he looked to be about 60 years old, and he danced there by himself, dancing for more than an hour and leaving, five or six times, each time dancing alone.
Beijing News: When did you know the story of the old man, and how did you feel after knowing it?
Ballroom Owner: Because the old man is not a regular visitor to the dance hall, I am not familiar with him. I learned about the story of the old man after the song "Mohe Ballroom" broke out about a month ago.
I was very touched after listening to this story. I came to Mohe in March 1987 and was working on the construction team. On May 6, a huge forest fire broke out in the Daxinganling area. The next day, I went with my brother-in-law and the construction team to extinguish the fire. My brother-in-law disappeared at the time and didn't get in touch for four or five days, only to learn later that he had gone to another town. I have heard many sad stories, and I have almost experienced them myself, and I will have different feelings.
Beijing News: When did the dance hall open, and what was the original intention?
Dance hall owner: I opened this dance hall in 2019, the dance hall is located in a basement, about 600 square meters. It is still the only dance hall in the county. Because I usually like to dance, I later invested in this dance hall. This ballroom is part-time and I also have my own job.
Beijing News: What kind of music will be played in the dance hall, and who will come?
Ballroom owner: The ballroom opens around 6:30 p.m. and closes around 9 p.m. Usually disco, rumba, tango will be put. All the people who came were retired elderly people from the forest farm, all about 60 years old. Very few young people come, and the youngest is a person in his forties and fifties. In the summer, everyone will dance in the square, and in the winter, when it is cold, they will come to the dance hall, which is a place for everyone to relax and entertain.
Beijing News: How is the dance hall operating now?
Dance hall owner: After the story of zhang Dequan's old man was on fire, the dance hall also received a lot of attention. However, due to the epidemic, the dance hall is now closed. After listening to the story of the elderly Zhang Dequan, I was very moved, whether I made money or not, I hope to open the dance hall down, and hope that the old man in Mohe has a leisure place.