If she hadn't done this, perhaps there wouldn't be the Legend of the Winter Emperor today. Timeline of Meng Xiaodong’s life

1. Born in a Liyuan family with an academic background

Meng X

If she hadn't done this, perhaps there wouldn't be the Legend of the Winter Emperor today. Timeline of Meng Xiaodong’s life

1. Born in a Liyuan family with an academic background

Meng Xiaodong’s real name was Meng Linghui, because he was born on December 9, 1907. In winter, he later got the stage name "Meng Xiaodong". Meng Xiaodong was born in a Liyuan family. His grandfather and father were both actors and made a living by singing. So Meng Xiaodong started practicing Kung Fu with his father when he was less than five years old. He went on stage at the age of seven and made his official debut at the age of twelve. Moreover, Meng Xiaodong learned from Laosheng from the beginning.

2. Learning from a teacher in her childhood

Meng Xiaodong’s first teacher was her uncle Qiu Yuexiang. In the fourth year of the Republic of China, Meng Xiaodong's father, Meng Wuye, accidentally suffered a stroke while singing in an opera troupe. Although he was treated promptly, he still suffered from physical inconvenience and was unable to move half of his body. Mr. Meng Wu is the source of the family's income. Not only can't he act now, but he also has to seek medical advice, which is really sad. In desperation, the Meng family wrote to the then nine-year-old Meng Xiaodong to Qiu Yuexiang, an old actor, as his apprentice, and signed a three-year contract. After the expiration of the term, he would work for the master for three years. During the three-year performance period, all income would be If you return to the master, half of it can be given to your family in the fourth year, and from the fifth year onwards, all of it can be used to support your family.

Nine-year-old Meng Xiaodong left school and began a formal apprenticeship. Since Qiu Yuexiang was her uncle and the two families had a harmonious relationship, Meng Xiaodong did not receive too many beatings. However, the master was also very strict in teaching drama and would take Meng Xiaodong out for a walk and shout out every morning. At a young age, Meng Xiaodong is smart and takes opera lessons seriously. He does not feel the hardship but appreciates the sweetness. With his diligent study and unique talent, Meng Xiaodong's opera skills have rapidly improved. At the same time, the complicated dramatic world unfolding in front of her not only amazed her with novelty, but also made her tired. During that period, Meng Xiaodong, under the guidance of her master, sang almost every day, or even all the time.

3. The early days of girlhood

The three-year contract between Meng Xiaodong and her master Qiu Yuexiang came to an end in a blink of an eye. Meng Xiaodong also grew up into a twelve-year-old girl and ushered in the new year. Her first official stage performance opportunity. At that time, Wuxi New World was recruiting an old student to come to the stage, and Qiu Yuexiang decided to let the fledgling Meng Xiaodong give it a try. When the manager of New World saw Meng Xiaodong, who was short, thin and frail, and still childlike, he unconsciously lost confidence. But Qiu Yuexiang swore to him: "Young apprentice has been following me for many years. It's not my grandma who sells melons. You can do it on stage!" Then he asked Meng Xiaodong to sing "Xiaoyaojin" to the manager. Meng Xiaodong opened his mouth. Even though the manager was impressed, her singing voice was clear and high-pitched, with pure timbre, high, low, wide and narrow, and she could move the tune freely. After the song ended, the manager repeatedly praised: "Xiao Nizi is not simple! She really deserves her reputation!" He made a decision on the spot: he would sing "Xiaoyaojin" on the first day of the sex scene in Wuxi!

Meng Xiaodong’s debut in Wuxi New World was a huge success as expected. Although she is only twelve years old, her singing skills cannot be underestimated. Her voice is wide and bright, and she does not sound like a girl at all. female tone. At the end of the day's performance, the entire theater applauded wildly and the crowd was buzzing. The next day, "Xinbao" commented:

"Wang Bo wrote "Afang Palace Fu" when he was twelve years old. He has been a genius since ancient times. Meng Xiaodong was able to sing Tan and Liu tunes at the age of twelve, and he is also a genius."

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The success of this first show is a manifestation of Meng Xiaodong’s super talent, but it is also a sweet harvest of her hard work since childhood. It was because of her hard work and hard work in the past three years that she was able to shine when the opportunity came, allowing people to see the debut of a rising star in the opera.

In November of the same year, Meng Xiaodong joined the Qiankun Dajing Class in the Shanghai World Amusement Park through the introduction of his sixth uncle Meng Hongmao. This is undoubtedly another major step forward in Meng Xiaodong's drama career. In the following years, Meng Xiaodong traveled all over the country and performed in Fujian, Nanjing, Jinan and other places, all of which aroused enthusiastic responses in the local areas. Meng Xiaodong's unique and bright voice and singing have been recognized and valued by more and more audiences and professionals. Her beautiful tunes are lingering in the places where she has walked, making it unforgettable.

4. The famous Mei Meng on the same stage in Beijing

In the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925), the 18-year-old Meng Xiaodong once again ushered in a big success in her drama career. This year, Meng Xiaodong went north to sing opera accompanied by his master. The prosperity and excitement of the capital made Meng Xiaodong, who was still in his prime, feel nervous and full of longing.

This year, Meng Xiaodong premiered in Beijing with his play "Silang Visits His Mother" and became an instant hit. It can be said to be a blockbuster. From then on, the name Meng Xiaodong spread like wildfire in the capital, and soon spread throughout the entire city of Beijing. Following this, Meng Xiaodong received constant invitations in the capital, and her beautiful appearance and outstanding temperament also attracted many people. But at the same time, there were many famous actors in the capital at that time, and the competition was fierce. If Meng Xiaodong was complacent and neglected to practice, there is a chance that he would be forgotten soon. If Meng Xiaodong wants to stand out among the many sieges and establish a stable position, he must be more diligent and hardworking, and put in more sweat and hard work. Meng Xiaodong knew that she had good luck and needed to seize the opportunity, so she guarded against arrogance and impetuosity, worked hard, performed during the day and at night, rushing around and performing double performances, like a high-speed spinning top without stopping.

(Picture caption: Such a beautiful girl must have been so amazing when she played Yang Silang in "Silang Visits His Mother"!!)

Something surprising happened this year. The most unforgettable thing in Meng Xiaodong's life was also a turning point in her life that was difficult to judge - performing on the same stage with Mei Lanfang. At that time, Mei Lanfang was already a world-famous acting king, and Meng Xiaodong was also a famous up-and-coming actor who was well-known in the capital. It can be said that the first collaboration between these two talented people attracted the attention of the whole country.

Meng Xiaodong and Mei Lanfang first met when they went to a luncheon arranged by Feng Gengguang, accompanied by their master Qiu Yuexiang. Feng Gengguang was the president of the Bank of China at the time and a close friend of Mei Lanfang. The luncheon arranged this time was also for Mei and Meng to meet and talk about singing and rehearsing together. After both of them arrived, President Feng stepped forward to introduce Mei and Meng to each other. Meng Xiaodong bowed humbly to Mei Lanfang and casually called "Uncle Mei!" At that time, Mei Lanfang was just 30 years old. Known as an "Oriental handsome man", he was now called "Uncle" by an eighteen-year-old girl. Everyone present couldn't help but burst into laughter. Mei Lanfang also returned the courtesy: "Miss Xiaodong, you're welcome!" Feng Gengguang came over and said to Meng Xiaodong: "If we meet often in the future, let's call him Mr. Mei."

Eighteen-year-old Meng For the first time, Xiaodong met Mei Lanfang, the drama master who is considered the number one in the acting world. Now that he was meeting the top idol that he admired in his career, how could he not be nervous, nervous or even incoherent? Meng Xiaodong could hardly imagine facing this handsome gentleman who was famous in the opera house. The relationship between her and Mei Lanfang, which was constantly being cut off and turned into chaos, also played the prelude at this time.

5. Combination with Mei in the Golden Age

The combination of Meng Xiaodong and Mei Lanfang is both unexpected and reasonable. Both of them are indeed perfect in talent and appearance. match. In fact, the union between Mei and Meng was thanks to the help of Mei Lanfang's friends, that is, the enthusiastic wooing of Mei's party members. Feng Gengguang, mentioned above, also played an important role. Seeing that some of his friends were watching the close cooperation between Mei and Meng, he also wanted to help Mei and Meng have a good relationship for a century off the stage. He formally entrusted Qi Rushan and Li Shikan to be the matchmakers and asked Mei and Meng directly what they thought.

Mei Lanfang was very happy when he heard it. After several cooperations on the same stage, he had already been impressed by Meng Xiaodong's extraordinary talent. He thought that Meng Xiaodong was a rare talent from Kun Laosheng, who was both beautiful and not beautiful. Girls who have lost their aura will naturally be happy if they can be combined with her. But at that time, Mei Lanfang already had two wives. The first wife, Mrs. Wang, had been ill in bed for a long time, so there would probably be no objections, but the second wife, Fu Zhifang, had a fierce temperament, and everything would definitely not be smooth sailing. At that time, Li Shikan proposed to Mei Lanfang the idea of ??"hiding a beauty in a golden house". Mei thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.

After the Mei Meng incident was settled, Meng Xiaodong’s first priority was to end the master-disciple contract with his master Qiu Yuexiang.

After Qiu Yuexiang learned about this, he let out a long sigh: "It's true that women are not allowed to stay in college! In the past few years, I have followed me all over the country. I have done a lot of singing and made a lot of money. But now I am very popular in Beijing. I want to marry him." , I’m afraid Mei Lanfang won’t let you show up and sing. As the saying goes, if you don’t practice for a year and a half, all your efforts will be wasted.”

Meng Xiaodong heard this. He became anxious and said loudly: "Who said I won't sing anymore!" In fact, Meng Xiaodong had also considered before that if he could combine with Mei Lanfang and act together on the same stage day and night, it would definitely be of great artistic benefit. , how could we stop singing as soon as we get married, as Master said? Why can’t I stop singing after getting married? Can I make special exceptions? Meng Xiaodong secretly made up her mind that not only would she continue singing, but she would also sing better and better. For Meng Xiaodong, singing has become a part of her life, integrated into her flesh and blood.

Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong, as the best "partners" of a pair of students and dancers in the troupe world, through several cooperation and pairing on the stage, they fell in love with each other and made a fake show. This golden marriage is indeed It is a commendable story through the ages in the history of modern Chinese drama. Mei Meng lived a very happy and worry-free life after her marriage. Their new house was first set up in Feng Gengguang's mansion, and then secretly moved to a large house in an alley. Every day, close friends gathered together for leisure and romance, and they were greatly satisfied both materially and spiritually. .

6. Cultivation of education in a deep golden house

Because the marriage between Meng Xiaodong and Mei Lanfang was still private at the time, the outside world knew almost nothing about it. Meng Xiaodong was hidden in the courtyard of a deep house. Mei Lanfang went out to sing every day, while she passed the time freely by herself. This carefree but monotonous and rigid life gradually made Meng Xiaodong feel empty. She suddenly realized that what her master said before marriage was true: once she married Mei, it would probably mean the end of her stage life. Meng Xiaodong left the stage where he was haunted by dreams, as sad and thirsty as a fish out of water. For this reason, Meng Xiaodong expressed her desire to return to the stage several times to Mei Lanfang, but Mei Lanfang rejected her: "The male leads outside and the female leads inside. It's great that you are free now. If you go out to sing, your friends will You're laughing at me, Mei Lanfang, who can't even support his own wife. Where do you want me to put this face?" Meng Xiaodong could not disobey Mei Lanfang, so she had to swallow her anger and stay at home as a wife.

However, Meng Xiaodong, who is diligent, studious and motivated by nature, did not want to waste time doing nothing like this. She settled for the next best thing and asked Mei Lanfang to hire a teacher to teach her drama in order to avoid becoming unfamiliar with her skills. Mei Lanfang met Meng Xiaodong's request and hired Mr. Bao Jixiang, a famous teacher at the time, to teach her. From then on, Meng Xiaodong finally settled down and studied hard in the house.

While continuing to study opera, she also started taking cultural courses. Because Meng Xiaodong dropped out of school at the age of nine to study under a teacher, her cultural accomplishment was actually very low. Meng Xiaodong also had a clear understanding of this. She was not willing to be an actor who only knew how to sing. She imagined actors such as Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, and Yu Shuyan. Like a master, he can write well and draw well. Aspiring to make progress, she took advantage of this free time to take cultural courses, go to the window on time every day to practice calligraphy, read plays and vernacular novels, Mei Lanfang also taught her how to paint plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos and chrysanthemums, or talk about the story of the opera garden, or think about the rhyme of the opera words. , it can be said that it is enjoyable. After that, Meng Xiaodong specially hired a Chinese studies teacher to learn calligraphy, so she later became able to write well and write well, which was the solid foundation she laid at this time.

Meng Xiaodong married Mei Lanfang during the golden period of his career, and then spent a period of leisurely and happy life hidden in the golden house. Compared with the busy and hard work in the past years, this period of time was Although it feels a little empty, it is also stable and relaxed, and there is no need to be exhausted from rushing around like in the past. Meng Xiaodong, who has devoted himself to studying drama since he was nine years old, and has been constantly improving and improving, has finally put aside his beloved drama stage for the sake of love. But the cold reality soon shattered Meng Xiaodong's beautiful fantasy. This famous match made in heaven did not end well.

7. Lao Yan separated and returned to the stage

The marriage between Mei and Meng lasted for more than four years. In the end, they parted ways and lived separately, and no longer interacted with each other.

There are many reasons for the weakening and breakdown of their relationship, including the informal status given to Meng Xiaodong by the Mei family, the instigation of Mei Lanfang's second wife Fu Zhifang to compete for favor, the public scandals among the people, the personality conflicts between Mei and Meng, etc. Wait, it's not that it broke out overnight, but that the contradictions that accumulated over time were finally irreconcilable and had to end together. Mr. Zhao Rongchen, a performing artist of the Cheng School of Peking Opera, said in his book "After Hanlin Sends to the Pear Garden": "Two good actors can be very matched and complement each other artistically, but they may not necessarily form a perfect family; they are all actors. Son, who can condescend? There will definitely be trouble in the long run. "Mei Lanfang and Meng Xiaodong are both famous actors on the stage who are loved by millions of people. They are enthusiastically admired and sought after by the people in the audience. Naturally, they are arrogant and arrogant. When there were some frictions, neither party was willing to bow their heads and admit their mistakes. Coupled with the intrusion and intervention of various external factors, the two eventually became disinterested and exhausted.

Meng Xiaodong became famous at a young age. Her extraordinary talent and beautiful face have kept her at a commanding height to receive praise and admiration from the public. He works hard, so he is inevitably arrogant and competitive. When Mei Lanfang was still in a dilemma between her and Fu Zhifang, Meng Xiaodong immediately proposed breaking up: "The long-term pain is worse than the short-term pain. Instead of dragging on like this, it is better to cut the knot with a quick knife!" Lanfang said: "I still hope you calm down. Life is like a chess piece. You can't make a single mistake." "I just made one wrong move and lost the whole game." Mei Lanfang tried to persuade her to stay, but Meng Xiaodong was determined to leave: "I can't stay in such a heartbroken place any longer!" Mei Lanfang tried to give Meng Xiaodong some money, but Meng Xiaodong also refused and said firmly to Mei Lanfang: "Please don't worry. , I don’t want your money. If I don’t sing in the future, I won’t be worse than you in singing. If I don’t marry in the future, I won’t be worse than you if I get married!”

The breakdown of Mei Meng’s marriage happened in Around 1930, the New Culture Movement was in full swing, and the call for women's liberation was getting louder and louder. Meng Xiaodong's decisiveness echoed the theme of female resistance of that era. Meng Xiaodong not only worked hard in her drama career and refused to be outdone, she also dared to love, hate, let go and leave when it came to love and marriage. When she was in love, she would marry the person she loved regardless of the cost, and when her love was disillusioned, she would be resolute. She turned around and left. She wanted freedom, self-esteem, self-respect, and a life of self-reliance and self-love.

In September 1933, Meng Xiaodong posted an announcement on the first page of Tianjin's "Ta Kung Pao" for three days in a row: "Dong was naive and unsophisticated at the time, and everything was presided over by the introducer. The name was determined. Everyone knows that Lan Fang was vague, and on the day of her mother's death, she was unable to fulfill her precepts, so she decided to break away from her family relationship. There is no need to comment further in the winter. "

This announcement is because Mei Lanfang was adopted by his uncle as an adopted son since he was a child. According to the social customs at the time, he could marry two wives, so he was 20 years old. Meng Xiaodong married him. As a result, when Mei Lanfang's aunt (that is, her adoptive mother) passed away, Mei Lanfang's first wife Fu Zhifang did not allow Meng Xiaodong to enter the house and kneel down, which meant that she did not recognize her status. Faced with this situation, Mei Lanfang chose to wrong Meng Xiaodong and persuaded her to leave first. Meng Xiaodong shed tears all the way and left the Mei family. Because of the incident, she became seriously ill and even wanted to escape into Buddhism.

It took a long time for Meng Xiaodong to feel better, and then she was invited by the "Tianfeng News" sponsored by Sha Dafeng to perform a charity performance to raise funds for disaster relief, which was regarded as her return to the stage. However, a newspaper in Tianjin shamelessly serialized a novel at this time, alluding to Mei Meng, and mentioned Li Zhigang (an avid fan of Meng Xiaodong, who wanted to assassinate Mei Lanfang because of his pursuit of her, and accidentally killed the enthusiastic Zhang Hanju). Alluding to Meng Xiaodong as the culprit in the Li Zhigang incident. Mei Lanfang's repeated silence aroused Meng Xiaodong's anger: "I betrayed others, and others betrayed me?" Liao Liao is an accusation of being wronged. Meng Xiaodong resolutely married him regardless of their 13-year age difference and her rising career. She was willing to quit the stage and endure long-term loneliness, but it ended like this.

After the breakup announcement in 1933, Meng Xiaodong never mentioned Mei Lanfang again.

She put all her thoughts on her career in Peking Opera, recording records and performing on stage. In 1938, she became a disciple of Yu Shuyan, the first of the four great beauties. She learned the true story and became the number one female beauties. All the dust has settled and no dust has risen. As for who let down whom between Meng Xiaodong and Mei Lanfang, just as Meng Xiaodong himself said: "The world will have its own judgment."

8. Befriend Du and establish Xue Yumen

At that time, Beijing was the "holy land" longed for by Peking Opera actors. Meng Xiaodong's biggest purpose in going to the north was to pursue artistic development. In addition to performing, she successively sought help from Chen Xiuhua, Chen Yanheng, Sun Zuochen, Wang Junzhi, Su Shaoqing and others. , delving into Tan School art. The wider Meng Xiaodong's knowledge, the deeper his understanding. During the identification and comparison, she made a rational decision, and finally targeted the Yu Sect (Xintan Sect). She believes that the art of Yu School is not only exquisite and profound in singing, recitation and performance, which is definitely beyond the reach of other schools; but also in terms of singing, the three-note combination (treble standing, alto hall, bass Cang) can hide the subtlety in the ordinary, Loved her even more. She has been attracted to Yu Sect for a long time and is determined to find an opportunity to establish Yu Sect and teach him personally.

In fact, Yu Shuyan also admires Meng Xiaodong's artistic talent. In 1935, someone introduced a group of Shanghai enthusiasts to become a disciple of Yu Shuyan, but Yu refused. After the introducer left, Yu said to the friend next to him: "Some people are also white believers, and they are just trying their best." The friend asked: "In today's world, who is better?" Yu Shuyan replied: "At present, among laymen and laymen, Meng Xiaodong is the only one who is close to my acting skills and can be cultivated! "Wherever sincerity comes, gold and stone will be opened. After a long wait and many twists and turns, Meng Xiaodong finally got his long-cherished wish. On October 21, 1938, she officially became Yu Shuyan's disciple, becoming Yu Shuyan's last disciple and the only female disciple.

At this time, Yu Shuyan was weak and sick, and had long since retired from the stage. Meng Xiaodong served diligently and took good care of him. Meng Xiaodong's art has made a qualitative leap since he became an artist compared to before he became an actor. He can compete with Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, and Yang Baosen, the old Peking Opera veterans at that time. He is famous all over the country and is honored as the "Winter Emperor".

In 1943, Yu Shuyan died of bladder cancer. Meng Xiaodong mourned her mentor. Her elegiac couplet wrote: The Qing Dynasty inherited the inheritance and Shangyuan was famous. Since the art has declined, who can do it better? The rhyme of the song is passed on; the weak texture is drifting away, Cheng Men holds the bridle, only regretting that the inheritance has not been completed, and is heartbroken that he cannot repay his teacher.

The pinnacle of Meng Xiaodong's drama career was also the last official performance in her life. It was "Searching for Orphans and Rescue Orphans" initiated by Du Yuesheng in 1947 to benefit the Shaanxi flood disaster. This performance can only be described as "sensational" in the end. Those who had questioned Meng Xiaodong's qualifications as the "Winter Emperor" have remained silent since then. This is also an answer sheet that Meng Xiaodong handed over to his teacher Yu Shuyan, who passed away four years ago.

Someone commented like this: "(Meng Xiaodong) has been studying at Yu's house since he worshiped Shu Yan every day, no matter the cold or summer. In the past five years, he has learned dozens of plays, and he is the only one who has received the mantle of Yu's school. A real person... If the things of the Yu School are the stuff of the real research institute, Meng Xiaodong is really the only qualified graduate student. Being famous is extremely rare, but good art cannot be widely spread, which is always a disgrace. What a shame." (Meng Yao's "History of Chinese Opera" Volume 3)

9. Guangling's last song moved to Hong Kong with Du

Du Yuesheng's love for Meng Xiaodong began as early as 1925. here we go. Although he later married Yao Yulan, a famous student, he still missed Meng Xiaodong. In 1936, Meng Xiaodong was invited by Du Yuesheng to inaugurate the Golden Theater and cut the ribbon, and then performed there for more than 20 days. Because Meng Xiaodong was a good friend of Du Zhi's fourth wife, Yao Yulan, and naturally lived with Yao Yulan during the performance, so Meng Xiaodong's contact with Du became frequent.

In 1946, Du Yuesheng, who had returned to Shanghai, asked Huang Guodong, the general accountant, to write to Meng urging him to go south. Because Meng Xiaodong missed Yao Yulan, he stopped making excuses. Her friends' greetings and Du Yuesheng's silent respect and consideration made her feel a warmth she had not experienced in several years. Meng Xiaodong was impressed by Du Yuesheng's deep love for the past few years, and Yao Yulan's repeated matchmaking. Not long after this trip to Shanghai, he finally agreed to marry him.

August 30, 1947 was Du Yuesheng’s 60th birthday. At that time, there were floods in some areas of the country, so Du Yuesheng decided to hold a birthday relief benefit performance, and all the proceeds from the performance would be used for disaster relief. Naturally, this benefit performance invited Meng Xiaodong, who had already graduated as a teacher. Meng Xiaodong performed "Searching for Orphans and Saving Orphans" twice, which was a complete success and the whole house applauded. Meng Xiaodong performed a famous play by the Yu School almost flawlessly, and received rave reviews from both inside and outside the industry. But unfortunately, this also became Meng Xiaodong's last performance on stage, and she declined all invitations to recuperate. There is speculation that her failure to perform on stage may be due to her weak constitution. She once said to her disciples: "A play consumes too much energy and is beyond the physical ability to win."

1949 Liberation War , Meng Xiaodong lives in Du Yuesheng's Shanghai home. Later, when the situation became tense, Du Yuesheng had to flee to Hong Kong due to special political reasons. Although Meng Xiaodong was not officially a member of the Du family at the time, and going to Hong Kong also meant separation from family and friends, he still made the decision: "Follow Lao Du." ! "Meng Xiaodong is determined to live and die with her current lover, Du Yuesheng.

But the stable life did not last long after arriving in Hong Kong. In the late autumn of 1950, Du Yuesheng planned to escape to France again to avoid the limelight. At that time, he announced the matter in front of the whole family. Meng Xiaodong said abruptly: "If I go with you, will it be considered a servant girl? Or will it be considered a girlfriend?" Meng Xiaodong had wanted to ask this question for a long time. In order to repay Du Yuesheng's kindness, she came to Shanghai from Peking and Hong Kong for more than a year. He is always ready to cook soup and medicine, and takes care of him like a maid without caring about his status. This is completely different from the arrogant Meng Xiaodong when he was young. Du Yuesheng's condition has become more and more serious since arriving in Hong Kong. She has served him tirelessly without any complaints, but she has always been like an outsider in front of the Du family. As a woman, she also longed for formal recognition. She couldn't help but feel even more sad when she thought of her first failed marriage. Fortunately, with a few words to wake up the dreamer, Du Yuesheng immediately decided to hold a make-up wedding with Meng Xiaodong.

The 63-year-old Du Yuesheng and the 42-year-old dignified and slender Meng Xiaodong held a belated wedding. Meng Xiaodong had been pursuing the name that Mei Lanfang had not given her back then. Finally, she got her wish and became the fifth wife of the legendary tycoon Du Yuesheng. For Meng Xiaodong, who is known nationwide as aloof and aloof, this may be her final compromise with her fate and reconciliation with her own helplessness.

Taiwanese writer Zhang Junqu described it as follows in the book "The Biography of Du Yuesheng":

"Meng Xiaodong possessed unique skills but was lonely and proud all his life. She had been hit so many times that the words "experienced all the vicissitudes of life" could barely be used to describe her. Since Du Yuesheng entered the family when he was 60 years old, she has always been with the tea stove and medicine pots. She has never shared Du Yuesheng's wealth and splendor one day. For a moment, she had received Du Yuesheng's affection and tenderness. Therefore, the more seriously Du Yuesheng's illness became, the more she felt that she had let down Meng Xiaodong's deep affection for letting an outstanding and strange woman like Meng Xiaodong enter Du Mansion. In such a chaotic and complicated environment, it is really cruel for her to be with a chronically ill old man like a candle. ”

No matter in her first marriage. She had a hidden marriage with Mei Lanfang, or worked hard in her second marriage to become Du Yuesheng's concubine. Meng Xiaodong was always loyal to her heart emotionally, and she loved the one she loved with all her heart and soul without any regrets. , just like her perseverance in her career. Meng Xiaodong is such a detached and unconventional woman. She is independent and has a clear mind. Although her fate is ups and downs, she still faces it calmly.

10. Ten years of teaching in Taipei in Hong Kong

In 1951, 64-year-old Du Yuesheng died in Hong Kong, and the Du family fell apart. Meng Xiaodong also moved out of Du Mansion and lived alone in an apartment, living in seclusion. Then with the help of friends, Meng Xiaodong began to recruit apprentices to teach opera. Just like his teacher Yu Shuyan, Meng Xiaodong had extremely strict requirements for teaching apprentices and set many rules for his disciples. This is precisely due to Meng Xiaodong's loyalty and love for art.

It is precisely because of this sincerity that she hopes her apprentices will have a sense of awe and faith when learning opera, practice and learn opera with a meticulous attitude, and treat the opera with loyalty, fear and sincerity. Just like Meng Xiaodong himself has insisted on throughout his life.

In 1967, Meng Xiaodong left Hong Kong and settled in Taipei. Life in Taipei is leisurely. Meng Xiaodong reads paintings, reads poetry, chants sutras and meditates every day, without worries. However, illness was Meng Xiaodong's biggest opponent in his later years. When he was young, Meng Xiaodong was physically weak due to overwork, and in his later years, he was plagued by illness and could not get rid of it. In the last ten years of Meng Xiaodong's stay in Taipei, as her disciple Mr. Li You said: "In the ten years in Taipei, most of them were ill."

In 1976, Meng Xiaodong, the legendary drama "Liyuan Winter Emperor", was Died of illness at the age of 70.