Speaking of Yu opera master Chang Xiangyu, there may be few people in the country who do not know. Especially to her famous singing segment "Who says women are inferior to men" most people will hum two sentences.
In the early spring of 1952, the 28-year-old Yu opera actor Chang Xiangyu did a remarkable thing:
She donated a fighter jet to the Chinese Volunteer Army, which was fighting to resist the United States and aid Korea. The MiG-15 fighter, named the Xiangyu Drama Society, was soon sent to the front line for combat.
Chang Xiangyu's righteous act of donating the aircraft caused a sensation throughout the country and became a news of concern for hundreds of millions of people.
A young Yu opera actor had such a feeling of serving the country that he raised funds to buy planes to support the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea through charity performances, and the news also alarmed Zhongnanhai and attracted Chairman Mao's attention.
Chairman Mao said to the staff around him, "Chang Xiangyu is a singer of Yu opera, not only performed well, but also donated planes for the Korean battlefield, and I want to meet her." ”
In April 1952, during the National Literary and Art Festival, Chang Xiangyu led her drama club to perform in Zhongnanhai Huairen Hall. After the performance, Chairman Mao cordially shook hands with Chang Xiangyu and said to her, "You are a great Xiangyu!" I should learn from you..."
This scene of history and past events has been reproduced in the documentary "For Peace" recently broadcast by the CCTV comprehensive channel.
In the 1950s, a Soviet MiG was also expensive. At that time, it was worth more than 1.5 billion yuan, equivalent to 40 million yuan today.
What sparked Chang's desire to donate planes to the volunteers was a message from the Korean front that was broadcast by the Central Radio in June 1951.
On this day, the battlefield news said: "A certain highland of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was bombed indiscriminately by more than 100 enemy planes, and all the soldiers of the company died heroically.
Chang Xiangyu recalled afterwards that after hearing the news, she did not sleep all night. Early in the morning, I couldn't help but say to my husband, Chen Charter: "Our weapons and equipment are backward, the volunteer army is fighting too hard in Korea, we donate a plane, is it not in the middle?" Let's do it."
Chen Charter believed in his wife very much and said busily: "Medium, do it!" ”
Chang Xiangyu once said: "After liberation, I am no longer a lowly 'drama'. I want to protect my country, I want to love my country, when the whole country rose up to donate, the drama club donated three days of performance income, I felt less, I thought of donating a plane... ”
But Chang Xiangyu was only the president of the small "Xiangyu Drama Society" in Xi'an City at that time, and he did not have much money in his hands.
A master in the drama club said to her, "Don't dream, you are a fool's dream." You don't even have to donate a machine gun, you want to donate an airplane cannon? ”。
But Chang Xiangyu, who has a stubborn personality, said: "We carry out charity performances, and if someone watches the play, won't there be money?" If we can't do it for half a year, one year will not work for two years, and we don't believe it will be finished! ”
In the summer of 1951, Chang Xiangyu sold his child's golden locks and his own jewelry, sold his car, first donated 40 million yuan (old coins), and used the rest of the money as a fund for the theater's tour of the charity performance, buying the things needed for the charity performance.
On August 7, 1951, she led the members of the drama club from Xi'an to kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Xinxiang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Changsha and other 6 provinces and 7 cities to carry out charity performances.
In order to rest assured of the charity performance, Chang Xiangyu entrusted 3 young children to the Xi'an Nursery School. Driven by her, the patriotic enthusiasm of all the cast and crew of the drama club was mobilized.
In August 1951, Chang Xiangyu and her husband Chen Charter successfully adapted the Yu opera "Mulan", and the famous singing section "Who Says Women Are Inferior to Men" was born at this time.
Chang Xiangyu led the "Xiangyu Opera Society" to run east and west, north to south, traveling nearly 10,000 miles, footprints throughout Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Shandong and some urban and rural areas, has performed 180 times, the audience reached more than 300,000 people, and most of them were full.
If she performs for half a year, it is equivalent to one performance a day, and there is no free time.
The drama club kept singing during the day, and at night Chang Xiangyu took the cast and crew to live directly in the theater, eating pickles and sleeping on the floor. Ordinary people heard that Chang Xiangyu was for the volunteer army to collect donations for the charity performance, and many farmers also carried grain to see the play to show their support.
Sometimes there are more spectators than one, and audiences who can't buy tickets sit directly outside the theater and listen.
In Guangzhou, when it was heard that Chang Xiangyu was performing for the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the lessor immediately waived the rent. A patriotic overseas Chinese in Nanyang donated his gold watch on the spot. Other farmers donated baskets of fresh eggs...
Marshal Ye Jianying, then chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Government and mayor of Guangzhou, watched Chang Xiangyu's performance and personally wrote four words for the drama company as "patriotic artist". And this title has almost become a lifelong symbol of Chang Xiangyu.
After half a year, the charity performance raised 15. RMB 200 million (old currency). Chang Xiangyu solemnly handed over the money to the Then General Association for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea, and entrusted them to buy a fighter jet on their behalf and dedicate it to the volunteer army that fought bloodily on the Korean battlefield.
In February 1952, Chang Xiangyu led the whole cast and crew to return to Xi'an station in victory.
Since then, this artist who has swept the theater stage has formed a deep affection with the PLA troops.
Upon learning of the news that the cross-talk performance artist Chang Baokun had gone to the DPRK to mourn his unfortunate sacrifice, Chang Xiangyu and her husband were filled with indignation and immediately requested to participate in the condolence performance in the DPRK.
On the Korean front, Chang Xiangyu not only brought the loud and high-pitched Yu opera singing voice to the soldiers, but also climbed the ice and snow like the soldiers, walked into the position, drilled into the tunnel, and insisted on braving the enemy's artillery fire to comfort the performance.
Chang Xiangyu recalled, "The conditions at that time were particularly difficult, I ate and lived with the volunteer soldiers, lived together day and night, was born and died together, and heard and witnessed many touching stories. It was often me who cried and sang on the stage, and the soldiers cried a lot offstage. ”
The motherland condolence group not only brought the warmth of relatives and the actors' heartfelt performances, but also played a huge role in encouraging the soldiers.
"Who says women are inferior to men?" Peng Dehuai, commander of the Volunteer Army, heard about Chang Xiangyu's touching deeds and received her specially. When Mr. Peng shook hands with her, he couldn't help but praise: "Chang Xiangyu, you are really not simple! ”
Born in 1923 in Donggou, Gongyi, Henan Province, Chang Xiangyu, whose original name was Zhang Miaoling, had a living begging in her childhood due to her poor family. In order not to let her be a child bridesmaid, her father took her to learn acting. The Zhang people in the village believe that it is a shame that there is a "drama" in the clan, and often bully them.
But her father told her that she must be a stubborn strongman. In his father's eyes, Xiang Yu, the king of Western Chu, was a stubborn person, and "Xiangyu" was actually the harmonic sound of "Xiang Yu". Later, Zhang Miaoling followed her father Chang Huiqing's surname and changed her name to Chang Xiangyu.
Chang Xiangyu was already a well-known actor in Yushan and other places before liberation, and was the founder of the Chang school of Yu opera.
In 1948, she founded a private "Xiangyu Opera School" in Xi'an, and at the end of 1954 after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Xiangyu Opera Society" was changed to a state-run company, and soon transferred back to Henan and settled in Zhengzhou.
Chang Xiangyu is a deputy to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th National People's Congress and an honorary member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He has served as the vice chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association, the chairman of the Henan Dramatists Association, the president of Henan Yu Theater, the president of Henan Provincial Opera School, and the professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music. He died of illness in June 2004.
In July 2004, the State Council decided to posthumously award Chang Xiangyu the honorary title of "People's Artist". In September 2009, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, she was named one of the 100 Chinese that have touched since the founding of New China.
More than sixty years ago, Chang Xiangyu's donation of aircraft to the volunteer army had a great chain reaction, and it became a hot topic of discussion throughout the country for a while.
According to records, at that time, in response to the call to resist US aggression and aid Korea and defend the country, many young girls donated their dowries, and some elderly people also donated their life savings. According to some sources, by June 1952, the total amount donated by the people of the whole country was more than 3,700 fighters.
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