Li Shiji’s rough life

In 1945, when he was 12 years old, Li Shiji met Master Cheng Yanqiu by chance. At that time, someone said that she "looks a lot like Master Cheng, why don't she consider her his goddaughter?" It was such a joke, but the master took her seriously. The next day, Mr. Cheng made a special trip to Li Shiji's Shanghai home with gifts and visited her parents. The sudden visit of the master was a big surprise for Li Shiji, a theater fan. For Mr. Cheng, “I respected him so much from the bottom of my heart that I didn’t know how to treat him. The adults quickly asked me to kneel down and kowtow to the master. I kowtowed and recognized him as my godfather, thus confirming the relationship between father and daughter." From then on, Li Shiji began to formally and systematically learn Peking Opera from Mr. Cheng. However, it is not easy to become a disciple of a great master. If Xiao Shiji accidentally forgets the lyrics or sings wrongly, his godfather will definitely hit him with a mahogany ruler. When she was young, she worked very hard when she was learning skills. When practicing walking, she would hold paper on her head, hold a book on her head, hold a bowl on her head, and even put a bowl of water on her head. She would repeat this practice for a week. Just wear out a pair of shoes. At this time, the ingenious Mr. Cheng will definitely sew a new pair of shoes for his beloved goddaughter and mail them from Beijing to Shiji in Shanghai. Shiji is full of gratitude and touching, and redoubles his efforts to continue practicing. . Shiji yelled into the jar to avoid disturbing his neighbors. When he practiced reciting "Yutangchun", he put a piece of rice paper on the wall, used his mouth to push the energy, and sprayed the rice paper with spit foam before he stopped. . In addition to learning from Mr. Cheng, under Mr. Cheng's arrangement, Shiji also had to learn martial arts, Huadan, Kunqu opera, etc. from other famous teachers. He practiced from four in the morning to nearly ten or eleven at night every day, which was extremely hard. . Although he had studied opera with Master Cheng Yanqiu all his life, Li Shiji was always rejected by Master Cheng whenever he asked to formally become his disciple. He could not bear to let his beloved goddaughter do this business, so his apprenticeship gradually became less popular. It became a knot in Li Shiji's mind, deep in his heart.

After liberation, Master Cheng and Li Shiji, as well as a group of other accomplished performing artists at the time, were sent to Moscow to participate in the World Youth Festival as representatives of the backbone of New China's literature and art. Before leaving, Premier Zhou Enlai, who was in charge of the event, accidentally learned of Li Shiji's long-cherished wish for many years, so he promised her with care that after the event, he would personally host the apprenticeship ceremony for her and Master Cheng. Li Shiji I was extremely moved and embarked on the journey with full joy.

That performance was very successful. Although the living conditions in a foreign country were extremely difficult, Li Shiji still persisted, just to wait for her wish to become a disciple after returning to China. However, just after the performance, when she While she was busy with her new performance, she suddenly received the news that the master had passed away. The sudden death of the master was like a bolt from the blue to Li Shiji. He was at a loss and rushed to the hospital, lying on the master's body with tears streaming down his face. In this way, Li Shiji's wish to become a disciple became an eternal regret. In her own words, "a lifetime of hope and a lifetime of sustenance were shattered." In 1952, although Cheng Yanqiu opposed Li Shiji's abandonment of medicine and art, she resolutely graduated from Shanghai Second Medical University, came to Beijing to form her own opera troupe, and performed through the Peking Opera Union at that time (frequent performances included Jixiang, Chang'an, Guanghe Waiting for the old theater), received good response.

In 1956, Li Shiji joined the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe. As a young actor, she often performed with masters such as Ma Lianliang and received guidance from many famous teachers. In addition, she also went to Zhongnanhai to perform for leaders. In 1976, she performed a cappella "Die Lian Hua" for the first time after crushing the "Gang of Four" at the Great Hall of the People. Although ten years of catastrophe took away the best years of her artistic life, she still sang loudly and her brilliance remained unchanged.

When she returned to the stage, she often thought about this question: if Peking Opera wants to develop, it must innovate.

In 1979, she performed "The Suo Lin Bag" at a workers' club. When the curtain lights came on, she saw a wave of applause from the white-haired audience in the audience, and she strengthened her belief: she must let the white-haired people burst into applause. The audience with black hair will become the audience with black hair, and we must find the audience lost during the "Cultural Revolution"! The next day, she went to the theater to investigate and see when the performance would last until the young audience would applaud. She also visited young people and asked them what kind of opera they liked. After investigation, she believed that Peking Opera is mostly traditional opera. Due to the slow rhythm of singing and too implicit expression, it has stayed away from the younger generation. In the following days, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to reforming and exploring Cheng School art. She carried out reform and exploration in practice and achieved good results. Over the years, she has remained silent in the face of pressure from numerous public opinions because she did not want to waste time on worthless things. Instead, she closed the door and focused on art, silently enduring slander and rumors.

In terms of art, she did not create or establish anything for herself. Her main job was to adapt and organize the works of Teacher Cheng Yanqiu so that they could survive in the new historical environment, such as "Wen Ji Returns to Han" ”, “Suolin Bag”, “Mei Fei”, etc. But she is also proud of herself, and she feels great joy in the new life of each drama. Li Shiji's husband, Tang Zaixin, was born in an intellectual family in 1922. His father, Tang Zhishang, studied abroad at Oxford University in England in his early years. After returning to China, he worked as an engineer at the Shanghai Electric Power Company. He had high expectations for his son and wanted him to follow his own path and train him to become a talent in science and engineering. Tang Zaixin lived up to his expectations and was admitted to St. John's University with excellent results. However, he had been obsessed with Peking Opera since he was a child. While studying hard, he insisted on listening to the opera jokes broadcast on the radio every day and compared them with the lyrics of the "Da Xi Kao". As time went by, he became familiar with the operas of many professions and genres.

In the autumn of 1945, Shanghai Meyer West Ai Road (now Maoming South Road). Tang Zaixin met Cheng Yanqiu for the first time. He played accompanist for Master Cheng, and they collaborated for the first time on the 26th "Spring and Autumn Pavilion" of "Suolin Bag". At the end of the song, applause broke out. Cheng Yanqiu called him personally that night and asked him to hang out with him the next afternoon. Because he knew simplified musical notation and could quickly memorize all the singing tunes, Mr. Cheng was very satisfied with him.

One day, Cheng Yanqiu asked Tang Zaixin to help Li Shiji. They collaborated for the first time on "Congratulations to the Queen and Cursing the Palace". He couldn't help but be secretly surprised: What a broad and bright voice! Generally, girls' vocal cords tend to be narrow and thin, but hers is round and broad, and her timbre is also very nice. Later Tang Zaixin told Li Shiji that he was surprised that such a young child could sing so well, and he came to sing with her almost every day.

Throughout the night, Li Shiji rarely spoke and just sat quietly. When he heard the compliments, he was neither modest nor shy, as if he was indifferent. Two words stood out to Zaixin: quietness and stability.

Cheng Yanqiu later called Tang Zaixin, Xiong Chengxu, and Min Zhaohua the "Three Musketeers". Because Cheng Yanqiu once asked them to assist Li Shiji in singing and rehearsing, the saying of "The Three Musketeers" spread later. After Cheng Yanqiu left Shanghai, "Congratulations to the Empress and Cursing the Palace" premiered. At that time, Li Shiji, who was known as "Little Cheng Yanqiu", quickly became a hot topic among theater fans.

That year, Li Shiji was only 12 years old, while Tang Zaixin was 23 years old.

The two later worked together to adapt and create many plays. Tang Zaixin became her mentor and friend, and finally became her partner in life.

As for her husband, she said that she is full of respect, pride and pride. Although her husband is not as famous as herself, his creations and contributions are more. Even now, even though he is sometimes confused, he will still point out to himself when he sings incorrectly during practice. In order to maintain his body shape, Li Shiji did not have a son until he was in his forties. But in 2001, this only beloved son suddenly passed away in a car accident at the age of 27, leaving behind two daughters, one was 3 years old and the other was just one month old.

The 25-year-old daughter-in-law is heartbroken! His wife, Mr. Tang Zaixin, could not bear the huge blow of losing his son in old age, and he could not afford to fall ill ever since. The ruthless reality brought about by the whole misfortune made Li Shiji shed tears all day long, and he could only silently carry this burden alone with his weak shoulders. An unbearable burden.

Li Shiji said blankly: "I can't sleep all night now, and I don't know how to raise these two children. My daughter-in-law is so young, and she will have to reorganize the family sooner or later. If the children follow her, she will be in a strange place." How will they grow up in front of their father? I think they should stay with me. However, the tuition fees for kindergarten are astonishing now, and our old couple’s salary alone cannot afford them. There are also elementary schools and middle schools... Was I still there at that time? ?”

It is the art of Peking Opera that has supported her to this day. Her son passed away before May Day. At that time, she was extremely sad and not in the mood to perform. But when she picked up the phone, all she heard were Peking Opera songs, so she still went on stage to sing at the July 1st Gala with a sad mood. She suffered from diabetes and many other diseases, but she was also the only supporter of the family. After the death of his son, Tang Zaixin has been sick in bed. Li Shiji has taken care of him for four years. In life, his wife cannot do without her, so she can only stay at home most of the time.

She taught students, but believed that no student could grasp the essence of the Cheng School. When some students came to Beijing to learn opera from her at their own expense, they lived in her house and she would teach in person every afternoon.

On weekends, Li Shiji will meet with fans, hoping that more people will like Peking Opera. She is pleased that one-third of her theater fans are black-haired.

At the party commemorating Cheng Yanqiu’s 100th anniversary, Li Shiji felt that her voice and strength were a little overwhelming. At that moment, she suddenly felt that she was old. Thinking that she might lose her most beloved art, she Very heartbroken. Li Shiji wants to inherit the essence of the Cheng School, but pen and paper cannot retain these things, so she plans to spare no effort to pass on these essences by teaching students and going to the box office to communicate with fans. She concluded that it was precisely because of her love for art and her sincere feelings for art that she had the understanding she has now, and it also enabled her to gradually get over the grief of losing her son in old age.

In life, she only hopes to see her two little granddaughters grow up, her husband to be healthy, and to be able to teach students what she knows. This is her biggest wish at the moment.