Ma Sanli’s personal experience

Ma Sanli studied at Tianjin Huiwen Middle School. After graduating from junior high school, he dropped out of school to do crosstalk due to poor family circumstances. Born into a family of folk arts, his grandfather Ma Chengfang was a famous storytelling artist who was good at telling "Water Margin" and became famous for a while; his father Ma Delu was one of the "Eight Virtues of Crosstalk" and was also the favorite disciple and son-in-law of Enxu, a senior crosstalk artist; His mother, En Cuiqing, once learned to sing Beijing-style drums; his brother, Ma Guiyuan, learned from Li Dechen, one of the Eight Virtues of Crosstalk, and was famous for being good at performing "Wengui" jokes. The family environment has influenced him since he was a child, and he is very familiar with the art of cross talk. Under the influence of his father and brother, he developed a profound foundation in "speaking", "learning", "playing" and "singing". He began to perform on stage in 1930. His academic skills improved rapidly and his horizons broadened. He learned art from his father Ma Delu when he was 12 years old, and later became a disciple of the famous crosstalk actor Zhou Deshan (nicknamed "Zhou Toad", who is the same disciple as Ma Sanli's father Ma Delu), one of the Eight Virtues of Crosstalk. Before liberation, he partnered with Geng Baolin, Liu Kuizhen, Hou Yichen, and Zhang Qingsen. In 1947, he appeared on the Tianjin Grand View Garden Theater, which is regarded as a major stage by rap artists across the country, and partnered with Hou Yichen, which was very popular among the audience. The following year, he came to Beijing for the third time, performing at Huasheng Radio and Tea House Theater. His unique style of Ma's cross talk caused a sensation "like an atomic bomb explosion" among folk art fans.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Ma Sanli actively composed and performed new cross talk. In 1950, at the invitation of New Voice Theater, Ma Sanli made a comeback and returned to Tianjin Wei, establishing his position in the minds of his peers and audiences.

In the nearly ten years since then, Ma Sanli has had smooth sailing and a happy mood. New system, new life, everything is new. This new thing brought him a new identity and a new status. He has "turned over" and turned from a "stinky artist" into a professional artist. He joined the artistic team of the condolence delegation to North Korea and served as the deputy captain. He became the deputy leader of the municipal folk art troupe. He was designated As a member of the CPPCC, he enthusiastically adapted and performed new cross talk. He asked the comrades in the regiment to love the party and New China. He said, "The party and the government have allowed us to have units, formal jobs, and enjoy cadre treatment. Every day We received wages every month and were given work permits." However, 1958 soon came, and the anti-rightist movement quickly began, and Ma Sanli was quickly labeled a "rightist." As for why he was labeled as a rightist, the mainstream theory is that he adapted and performed "Buy the Monkey" and created a nationally known image of "Madaha" who is careless and not serious about his work. However, when he was rehabilitated in 1979, it was discovered that there was no "rightist" identification material in his file. This was entirely because the number of indicators had increased from the original 4 to 11, which was too many, so he had to be reported to make up the number. It was this right winger who "made up the numbers" that completely changed everything about Ma Sanli. He fought, even jumped over the building, but to no avail. During a criticism meeting, he was cornered and yelled: "You are driving people to death!" An old friend sneered twice and opened the window: "Oh, you are going to die!" Scaring people? Okay, if you are really that generous, you can jump out of here, you are smart!" Without saying a word, Ma Sanli stood up suddenly and jumped out of the window, with most of his body already hanging by the table. An artist who played a single string quickly stretched out his arm and clamped one of Ma Sanli's feet, saving Ma Sanli's life.

At this time, Ma Sanli was in his 40s and in his prime. According to Ma Zhiming, it was the time to make a good living. However, from becoming a rightist in the autumn of 1958 to returning to the Municipal Folk Art Troupe in the autumn of 1977, Ma Sanli only did cross talk for three years in the 19 years, which corresponded to 11 years of being transferred to labor four times and being locked up in a "cow shed". "I have been doing briquettes, cleaning and other chores for 5 years.

In 1970, in response to the evacuation of the city's population in preparation for war, Ma Sanli and his family left Tianjin and settled in Beizhakou Village in the southern suburbs. When Ma Zhiming recalled his life in Beizhakou, he said: "At that time, six families were decentralized together. Later, when the policy was implemented, we were the last family to leave. The house was damaged, it rained heavily, and there were no leaks in the inner and outer rooms. My brother and I sat under an umbrella. , my parents were sitting on the threshold. It stopped raining, so I went to the city to find the revolutionary committee of the folk art troupe. They refused to come back and moved us to an empty house that was already vacant, and we lived there for another two years.

”

Of course this is another sad description. However, what can comfort the old man is that another twenty years have passed, and Tianjin citizens voted to elect 10 local celebrities to be built by the Haihe River. Statues were erected for them for future generations to admire. In the end, they voted the most for the old man who had been telling cross talk for them all their lives - Ma Sanli. In 2000, Mr. Ma Sanli was diagnosed with bladder cancer. On December 8, 2001, Ma Lao performed on stage at the Tianjin People's Stadium to celebrate his 80th anniversary and perform farewell to the crosstalk art audience in Tianjin.

Mr. Ma was 87 years old at that time, and his admirers were from all over. Organizing a farewell performance for Mr. Ma became a major event in the cultural world, especially in the cross talk circle. At that time, many famous figures in the national cultural circle and many famous figures in the cross talk circle gathered. In Tianjin, among the participants are the famous CCTV presenters Zhao Zhongxiang and Ni Ping; celebrities in the entertainment industry include Ma Ji, Jiang Kun, Feng Gong, Huang Hong, Li Guangxi, Ma Yutao, Guo Song, etc. Ma Sanli also took the stage to perform for the audience during the program. .

At 6:45 on February 11, 2003, Ma Sanli said goodbye to his audience at the age of 89 due to ineffective treatment. His funeral was held in accordance with Muslim customs in Tianjin.

I am a crosstalk actor and an ordinary Communist Party member. In accordance with the party's requirements, I use crosstalk and laughter to serve the people. Leaders at all levels and the folks in Tianjin have given me a lot. Honor and care. I have also been selected as an "Outstanding Communist Party Member in Tianjin". The gratitude in my heart cannot be expressed in words.

I have one. My last request is that after I pass away, please make my funeral arrangements simple. I don’t want organizations at all levels to worry about me anymore. At the same time, I have many friends, students, and disciples, so I won’t pay my last respects. I don’t accept flower baskets, wreaths, elegiac couplets, or money or gifts. All my life, I just want to leave smiles to the people, instead of causing trouble to everyone and wasting money on the country. I sincerely wish the cross talk to be prosperous, the people to be happy, and the country to be prosperous.

January 10, 2003

Posthumous Notes

Brothers Twelve and I Walk Seven

Overthrow Four Six Twenty One

The ancestral secret recipe is so fun

The Northeast is never tired of buying monkeys

The all-encompassing Xijiang Moon

Three points into the wood to meet the fans

The old man is engaged in art Eighty Years

Legends of Smiles in the Jianghu