On July 19, 2019, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles ushered in its 70th birthday. General Secretary Xi Jinping wrote a congratulatory letter to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the China Writers Association, and the symposium to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the China Federation of Literary and Literary Circles and the China Writers Association was held in the Great Hall of the People. At a time node of great significance in the history of the development of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Art News launched two special issues of heavy issues, looking back at history and looking forward to the future, with strong response.
The column "Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the China Federation of Literary and Literary Circles" launched earlier has aroused great resonance because it presents the history of the Literary Association with temperature. In this process, we deeply feel that there are still many gaps and ambiguities in the record of the history of the development of the literary association, which is a pity for the future-oriented literary association. Therefore, China Art Daily from time to time launched a column entitled "Memory of The Literary Association", focusing on tracing the original intention of the Literary Association, excavating the historical materials of the Literary Association, activating the memory of the Literary Association, and leaving traces for the Literary Association. We warmly look forward to the vast number of literary and art federation workers, literary and art workers, readers to write, or write people, or take notes, as long as it is related to the history of the development of the literary federation in various eras, they are all welcome. "Wenlian Memory", looking forward to you.
This issue of "Memory of the Literary Association" presents for you a special article "Zhou Yang and QuYi" carefully written for this newspaper by Luo Yang, honorary member of the China Federation of Literary and Literary Circles and honorary chairman of the China Ququ Association.
In August 1958, Zhou Yang spoke at the first congress of Chinese music workers
Zhou Yang and Qu Yi
Royan
Zhou Yang wrote an inscription for the monthly magazine "Rap Singing"
Comrade Zhou Yang has always paid attention to Quyi in literary and art criticism and the leadership of literary and art organizations, expressed many important opinions, and actively supported and cordially guided the creation and development of Quyi groups.
On November 8, China Art News launched the second special edition of "Wenlian Memory"
One
As far back as the 1930s, when the "Left Alliance" period was discussed, Zhou Yang made it clear that it was necessary to use the old literary genres, such as minor keys, song books, and storytelling, to create revolutionary mass literature, to quickly organize and agitate the masses, to guide the masses to a new literary and artistic life, and to bring the toiling masses closer to the real and great art step by step. At the same time, together with Qu Qiubai, Lu Xun, and Feng Xuefeng, he refuted Su Wen and Hu Qiuyuan's attacks on the "left-wing literary circles" and popular literature, as well as their spread of fallacies such as "tolstoy and Frobel cannot be produced in storytelling and song books." Subsequently, he also wrote articles praising Qu Qiubai's minor key and bao Tianxiao, Zhao Jingshen, Zhang Tianyi, Ai Wu, Sha Ting and other forms of drum lyrics, storytelling and other forms. Although at that time, due to the limitations of objective historical conditions and subjective ideological understanding, it was impossible to truly solve the problem of the popularization of literature and art, and the creation of music and art such as rap books and song books was limited to the text and could not be combined with the rap activities of the music artists, so it failed to produce the expected effect in the literary and artistic life of the masses, but the "Left Alliance" discussed the "popularization of literature and art" and put forward the slogans written by literature and art for the masses, written for the masses, and the masses, and issued to all league members "to the factory, to the countryside, to the battlefield, The call to go among the oppressed masses" can be said to be a new innovation in the history of modern literature; and the advocacy of the creation of rap books and other books undoubtedly has a positive significance in arousing society to attach importance to the forms of national folk literature and art that the masses of the people are familiar with and close to, and to create revolutionary mass literature and art on the basis of utilization and transformation.
Two
After Zhou Yang arrived in Yan'an, especially after the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art in 1942, under the guidance of Mao Zedong's literary and artistic thought, he actively participated in the literary and artistic movement in the border areas, gained a greater understanding and further understanding of the national folk art, including opera and qu art, and so on; in successive speeches and articles, he enthusiastically praised the folk art that the masses liked to hear, and encouraged literary and art workers to combine with workers, peasants, and soldiers with literature and art, and new literature and art with folk art; it is necessary to collect and study folk art in a planned way It requires all literary and art groups to have close ties with folk artists and folk art groups, learn from each other and exchange experiences. At the same time, he enthusiastically praised Zhao Shuli's creative use of stories, allegro and other forms of creation to reflect rural struggles, and outstanding folk artists emerging from the mass literary and art movement in the border areas to create and sing allegro, storytelling and other forms of works. In July 1949, in his report on the literary and artistic movement in the Liberated Areas at the First Congress of Literary and Artistic Workers of the Whole People's Republic of China, he comprehensively and systematically expounded the achievements and experiences of the literary and artistic movement in the Liberated Areas and put forward his opinions on future work; when talking about the work of transforming folk art and folk artists, he cited Han Qixiang of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia and Wang Zunsan of North China, praising them as experts in storytelling; and asked all localities to continue to organize and improve storytelling, and at the same time organize and launch creations to provide them with usable works.
Remarkable achievements were made in the reform of music and art in the base areas and liberated areas during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and played a combating role in uniting the people, educating the people, striking at the enemy, and destroying the enemy. This is the result of the active efforts of the vast number of qu art workers under the leadership of the party, and it is also inseparable from Zhou Yang's active advocacy.
Three
After the founding of New China, Zhou Yang served for a long time as the leader of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Culture, and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and made a more comprehensive and profound exposition on the inheritance and development of national folk literature, including Quyi; his speech at the meeting of the qu art circles has a direct guiding significance for qu art work.
Zhou Yang has always attached importance to the reform and development of quyi. At the meetings of the music and art circles and the literary and art circles, he stressed on many occasions that qu art is an art that the broad masses of the people like to hear and need, has a profound mass foundation, and has great potential for the cause of qu art; he also pointed out that qu art has advantages and strong points that cannot be replaced by other arts. He said that some part of quyi has developed into opera, but its original form is still retained, and it is not because it has developed into opera, and the original form is no longer needed. Just as it is not because of movies, drama can be dispensed with, and with opera, singing can be dispensed with. All kinds of art have their own characteristics, all have their own conditions for existence, and have their own advantages. Acting, to have a lot of people to act, it is always more troublesome; the art of music as long as one or two people can do it, flexible and simple, can quickly reflect new things. In this regard, quyi plays a greater role than opera. He also praised Qu Yi many times as a literary and artistic pioneer. He said: "In the literary and artistic contingent, everyone calls Qu Yi a top soldier in literature and art. What is a sharp soldier? It is because it stands at the front line of the struggle, short and lean, can run to the battlefield, run to the production site, and can also rap in the line of fire, so it is said to be a sharp soldier. Quyi is a top soldier in literature and art, which is the glorious title of quyi, and there should be greater development in the future. ”
How to reform and develop quyi? Zhou Yang believes that like opera, opera must adhere to the direction of serving the people and serving socialism and the principle of letting a hundred flowers bloom and bringing forth new ideas. At a meeting in the music and art circles, he emphatically pointed out that our literary and artistic line today serves the people and socialism. This is the general slogan and general policy of our literary and artistic work. Literary and artistic workers are soul engineers, and literature and art are the largest service industries. To understand the needs of the object, to be accepted and welcomed by the object. Whatever they cannot accept, unwelcome, or is not very welcome, they must study the reasons for this and listen to their opinions with an open mind. He has said many times that quyi should "bloom a hundred flowers and bring forth new ideas." He said: "According to Comrade Mao Zedong's instructions and the Instructions of the Central People's Government on the Reform of Opera, the important policy of the reform of opera (including various local operas, folk plays and opera arts) is to encourage the free competition of all kinds of operas, so as to achieve 'a hundred flowers blooming and bringing forth the new'. According to the characteristics of quyi and the requirements of quyi reform work, Zhou Yang also pointed out in the "Instructions on the Reform of Opera" drafted by the Government Council of the Central People's Government: "The forms of Chinese opera art, such as big drums and storytelling, are simple and expressive, which is extremely convenient for quickly reflecting reality and should be paid attention to." In addition to the large number of new lyrics created by the composer, many historical stories and beautiful folklore that are familiar to the people should also be transformed and adopted. The "Instructions on the Reform of Opera" was signed by Premier Zhou Enlai on May 5, 1951 and promulgated to the whole country as a document of the Government Affairs Council of the Central People's Government, which effectively promoted and guided the reform of opera and opera in various places.
Zhou Yang has repeatedly stressed the importance and necessity of developing new music art. In August 1958, he solemnly pointed out at the First Congress of Chinese Qu Art Workers: Our main task today is to develop a new qu art, a new socialist qu art. Because we are in the era of socialism. Many of the programs in the past were good, but in the end they were products of the old era and reflected the lives of the people in the old era. We are in a new era, so we should take on the task of reflecting the new era. In view of the relatively narrow theme of music and art creation at that time, he also encouraged and reminded everyone to show revolutionary enthusiasm, praise the new people and new things of this era, and also have works that reflect history and write more revolutionary historical themes, and do not limit the subject matter too narrowly.
After the "Anti-Rightism" in 1957, some quyi workers had doubts about whether quyi works could be criticized and satirized. After Zhou Yang learned about it, he made it clear: Don't think that art can only praise and not criticize. Art is always praised and criticized. Cross-talk in the art of music should give play to its critical role, and do not erase this role of cross-talk. Why can't individualism, bureaucracy, and conservatism be satirized? Don't abolish irony. We are not afraid of sarcasm. We need healthy satire, we need very enthusiastic, frank criticism. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he repeatedly answered questions about criticism and satire. He said: At present, there are some contradictions, backwardness, and ridiculous phenomena in society that need to be ironic. But we must pay attention to proportions, and do not hurt the people and hurt friends. Chairman Mao has said that there are two kinds of irony: to the enemy and to oneself. Socialism must be protected and upheld. Do you want to criticize or even satirize wrong and negative phenomena? Yes. Otherwise, quyi will lose half of its role. We must criticize imperialism and the Kuomintang reactionaries without criticism. We must use more brains and encourage the people more. We must rejoice in what the people like and worry about what the people are worried about. The characteristics and strengths of crosstalk are to make people laugh. But our people's cross-talk is not laughter for laughter, but laughter with praise and contempt, laughter with love and hatred. For hostile things, crosstalk should be like a sharp dagger, piercing its chest. For the shortcomings of the people, they should be full of enthusiasm, bitter mouth, and be kind to people, so that people will laugh and break out in a cold sweat, just like taking a strong medicine. He also said that any literature is a language art. Cross-talk, in particular, relies on the charm of language. A good and beautiful cross-talk, its every sentence must be surprising, surprising and victorious, giving people unexpected surprise effects and aesthetic enjoyment, it can enrich people's spiritual realm, but also can change customs and customs, correct the social atmosphere.
On the issue of political content and cultural entertainment, Zhou Yang expressed his great support for Comrade Chen Yun's opinion: Our literature and art should not only pay attention to political content, but also enable the audience to obtain cultural entertainment. He said that we sometimes emphasize only education. But still have to get entertainment, there must be rest, there must be pleasure, there must be gimmicks! If you don't have that, why listen to books? Ancient Chinese people also understood this truth, "edutainment and education", music and teaching! Of course, vulgar entertainment, we have to oppose, we have to resist. But proper cultural entertainment, proper rest, not only cannot be opposed, but should be welcomed. Chinese people have a lot of wisdom, and they are still a humorous people, a people who can tell jokes. Low-level gimmicks can't be asked for, but healthy gimmicks are indispensable. In art, in a sense, it can be said that without humor, there is no art. Crosstalk is inseparable from gimmicks. There are no gimmicks, no brilliance, no features.
Correct treatment of new music art is crucial to the inheritance, innovation and development of music art. Zhou Yang very much agreed with Comrade Chen Yun's attitude toward the new book. He said that Comrade Chen Yun had long spoken out to support the new book and vigorously create new repertoire expressing modern life; for the new book, as long as there were three points of good, he applauded. This is the attitude of Marxism. Whether it is opera or opera, if it cannot advance with the progress of the times, then its tradition, no matter how deep, will eventually lead to stagnation, or even to death. There are certain difficulties in developing modern repertoire. Traditional repertoire has been honed over generations and is artistically more refined. Modern tracks are sometimes a little rougher, so you can slowly sharpen it a little more refined! Therefore, we must vigorously support and vigorously support modern repertoire. He advocated that the art of music should be popularized and improved. He said that to measure the development of things, one is to look at its quantity, and the other is to look at its quality. People who do something new must have a determination to create high-quality works. Literature, music, opera, and opera can all write works of a very high level. Form does not play a decisive role.
How to correctly treat the heritage of quyi is another big issue that Zhou Yang is concerned about. Soon after the liberation of Beijing, on the basis of investigation and study, he further proposed that new literary and art workers and artists should make joint efforts to remove their dross and essences and enhance their democratic, revolutionary, and artistic nature; they should not only inherit the good things in the old music art, but also actively develop them. All kinds of opera and opera art should be universally excavated, studied and transformed so that they can be developed on a new basis. In the late 1950s, some cultural leading departments and some comrades in the music and art circles did not attach importance to traditional music and art, and he reminded everyone in time that in addition to vigorously creating new works, it is also necessary to constantly sort out the old music art. Don't throw away the traditional good stuff. Traditional programs such as "Yang Jia jiang" and "Wu Song" are very good, there is no reason to abandon them, as long as the bad part of it is removed and raped with a new point of view, it becomes new. After smashing the "Gang of Four," in order to arouse everyone's attention to traditional quyi and reform and innovation on the basis of inheriting excellent traditions, he also emphatically pointed out that quyi is the creation of the people for generations. There is the wisdom of the people in traditional programs, there are many good things, and there is no reason for us to abandon it casually. We want to inherit it, protect it, and develop it. The form of qu art must be inherited, reformed, and innovative, and it must maintain traditional characteristics and boldly innovate. He also clearly pointed out that for traditional things, we must adopt an attitude of historical materialism. The so-called historical materialism does not require the ancients to talk about historical materialism, and we cannot demand such a thing from them. For example, the history expressed in opera and opera is much the history of the people's imagination and fantasy. Although this is not entirely history, not pure history, perhaps hypothetical history, perhaps glorified history, is it possible to simply accuse the authors of these traditional bibliographies of distorting history? These imaginations often contain the wishes of the people. Bao Gong, Mu Guiying, Fan Lihua, these figures have long been praised by the masses, loved and admired by them. Can you erase these characters from the stage just because they are the product of artistic imagination? Therefore, how to organize and process these tracks is indeed very careful. It is not to demand the ancients from the viewpoint of modern people, but to explain the words and deeds of the ancients from the viewpoint of the most scientific materialism in modern times, which is the viewpoint of historical materialism. Quyi heritage has a history of more than a thousand years, long-term accumulation, not exclusively operated by any one person, but collectively created by countless storytellers. There's a lot of in these legacies, but there's also the essence. These essences should be loved no matter what. The language of stage art, in addition to drama, qu art is an important aspect, there are many essences, which are not available in the world, rare. We want to protect it well. Of course, there are also bad ones. Fine language is jewelry, but these jewels are mixed with bad language. How to clean them up, remove and remove bad language, keep its essence, highlight the essence? It is hoped that the research and cleanup will be organized and planned.
Quyi is a comprehensive art. Zhou Yang believes that in order to engage in new music art, it is necessary to innovate the performing arts. Inheriting and learning from traditions should be combined with bold creation and bold innovation. Improving rap and accompaniment in the art of music requires the cooperation of musicians. You can't save all the traditions, you have to break something that is bad or not suitable for the present. You can't move forward without a breakthrough. Now there are some kinds of songs, such as Sichuan Qingyin, Henan Pendant, and female singers create a more natural and beautiful posture, which is very good. Beijing rhyme drum, Beijing opera, there is such a format, how is not easy to break, but some local opera, qu art forms, relatively free, easy to break through. Is it that some of our forms of music and art in Beijing are also slightly freer, liberating some ideological shackles? Whether the music of some genres can be enriched. Some big drums, especially the big drums in the north, the voice of female comrades is very beautiful when singing, but when performing, it is a man's action, is it possible to find a beautiful action that is more suitable for female gay performance on the stage? Quyi is a language art, so to improve the level of rap, you must bite very clearly word by word, very emotional, and people will be fascinated by you as soon as they hear your voice. If you don't have this skill in language arts, you don't want to be a good music performer. To be able to speak, to sing, to be able to narrate. The artistry of rap is important. The art of rap should have its own style. To form a genre, you have to have a good play! Works that represent genres are excellent programs that many people have heard, watched, and often want to hear and watch over the years. This is a valuable asset.
Zhou Yang has pointed out many times that with the development of the times, Quyi should win over all kinds of listeners, find workers, peasants, soldiers, students, and cadres, take their hobbies as hobbies, change their styles according to their opinions, and at the same time enable them to accept the original good styles and improve their hobbies for their own national things. It is necessary to explore the path of improvement among the basic audience.
Zhou Yang has a high enthusiasm for the vast number of music and art teams. In his speech, he pointed out more than once that quyi artists are a very large team and have made great efforts in the reform of quyi. The importance they received from the state and the people in the new society, the profound touch and enlightenment they received in their contacts with the workers, peasants, and soldiers, and the ideological training and education they received in participating in various socio-political activities have greatly enhanced their patriotic political enthusiasm and enthusiasm for creativity. He warmly praised Chang Baokun and other revolutionary martyrs who made glorious sacrifices on the front line of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, as well as Han Qixiang, Ye Yingmei, and other recognized exemplary figures. He repeatedly warned the relevant cultural leading departments to attach importance to this contingent and not to adopt an attitude of contempt or exclusion. At the same time, he is very concerned about the study and improvement of quyi workers, and hopes that quyi workers will strive to improve themselves politically, ideologically, culturally and artistically. To read more books, read more literary works, be able to grasp the characters described in literary works, fully grasp, fully appreciate, artists in this regard of the knowledge requirements are more abundant. You can play "Wusong Fighting Tigers", you can also play "Railway Guerrilla", and you can even consider playing a foreign one, why not? Chinese artists and music artists can grasp more characters, the ancient world, the modern world, understand, so that his cultivation is relatively high. You also have to go to the countryside and go to the factory to exercise yourself. New literary and art workers should participate in the qu art team, first of all, to learn from the qu art circles, and then to help them, and cooperate well with each other. He had heard that some people despised music writers and actors, and said with emotion that all those who wrote music books were writers and were fully qualified to join the Writers Association; those who sang music were also eligible to join the Musicians Association. He also participated in the Music Artists Association, the Writers Association, and the Musicians Association. Why aren't music writers literary? He encouraged everyone to cultivate more quyi talents, and said that the cultivation of quyi talents is very important and difficult. The drums in the north and the evaluation bombs in the south can be set up separately to train successors to the music and art industry. He also encouraged the reform of the music industry at the Second Congress of Chinese Music Workers in November 1979. He said: Literary and art organizations should act in accordance with the laws of art and economic laws.
In his speeches and articles, Zhou Yang repeatedly proposed that the leading departments of the party and government culture should strengthen their leadership over the work of qu art. He said: Quyi work is a part of cultural work, and quyi workers are an army on the cultural and educational propaganda front, and it is necessary to organize and train this army well, and unite and advance together with those who engage in opera, write novels, write poems, and paint pictures.
In short, some important expositions on quyi work published by Zhou Yang since the founding of New China involve many aspects of quyi. These expositions closely integrate Mao Zedong's literary and artistic thought with the reality of the music and art circles, meet the requirements of the vast number of music and art workers, and are therefore welcomed and supported by everyone, play an important guiding and promoting role in the development of China's socialist music and art cause, and have had a positive impact on the literary and art circles and people from all walks of life who are concerned about music and art.
Four
Recalling Zhou Yang's support and guidance for the creation and development of China's music and art groups is also very kind and difficult to forget.
The scene of the first congress of Chinese music and art workers
The Preparatory Committee of the All-China Quyi Improvement Association, China's first national music and art group, was established in July 1949 during the First Congress of Literary and Artistic Workers of China with the support and guidance of Zhou Yang. He not only advocated the use of Quyi as a department of literature and art, giving ideological and professional guidance, but also served as the initiator of this group and a member of the preparatory committee. In 1953, when the Preparatory Leading Group for the Second National Literary Congress discussed the question of whether to formally establish a national quyi group, there was a difference of opinion, one opinion was that quyi was an important department, there was a large contingent, and a national quyi group should be established, such as the Chinese Quyi Workers Association or the Quyi Creation Research Group, in order to unite and promote the reform and development of quyi in the quyi circles under the leadership of the party; the other opinion was that it was enough to merge quyi into the theatrical groups. There is no need to form a separate national music group. Comrades Wang Zunsan and Zhao Shuli, who were then directors and vice chairmen of the Preparatory Committee of the All-China Association for the Improvement of Qu art, vigorously advocated the establishment of a national qu art group; in addition to expressing their opinions at the meeting, they also wrote to Zhou Yang and asked him to forward it to Comrade Liu Shaoqi to explain the importance and necessity of establishing a national qu art group, and to criticize the problem that some comrades did not attach importance to qu art; a few days later, Zhou Yang interviewed Wang Zunsan and said that after research, he decided to set up a national qu art group during the Second National Literary Congress. The Chinese Quyi Research Association was established first, and then the Chinese Quyi Workers Association was established on this basis; and guiding opinions were put forward on the nature and tasks of the Chinese Quyi Research Association. Subsequently, we drafted the draft statutes of the Chinese Qu art research association, one of which was detailed, similar to the draft statutes of the various literary and art workers' associations at that time, and the other was a brief chapter, all of which were sent to Comrades Hu Qiaomu, Zhou Yang and Lin Mohan for their approval. What is memorable is that they have carefully reviewed the two kinds of draft regulations, Hu Qiaomu and Lin Mohan are inclined to adopt the former and return the draft charters that they have revised; Zhou Yang prefers to adopt the simplified chapter, and soon returns the revised draft, and said that he has studied with Qiaomu and Mohan and agreed to adopt the brief. The members of the board of directors of the China Quyi Research Association and the vice chairman suggested candidates, which were also determined by Zhou Yang at a meeting, and two of the directors suggested that the candidates were added according to his suggestions. On September 30th, the inaugural meeting of the Chinese Quyi Research Association was held in the conference room of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He was invited to attend the meeting, expressed warm congratulations and made an important speech. He praised the achievements made by the qu art circles in the past four years, especially the positive role played in the propaganda of going to the DPRK to offer condolences and cooperate with various political tasks; he encouraged everyone to study hard, strengthen unity, systematically collect and sort out the heritage of qu art, organize new qu art creations, study the experience and problems of the national qu art creation and collation work, and systematically promote outstanding qu art works in order to reform and develop Chinese qu art. After the establishment of the Chinese Quyi Research Association, it has actively carried out various work in accordance with the above requirements.
The First Congress of Chinese Qu Art Workers held in August 1958 and the Establishment of the Chinese Qu Art Workers Association on the basis of the Chinese Qu Art Research Association were also supported and guided by Zhou Yang. Earlier, he held a meeting and listened to the report on the preparations for the congress and the proposed candidates (draft) of the council and presidium members of the association. Documents and the schedule of meetings (draft) were adopted, including the work report and the draft charter, as well as the note on the draft charter. Regarding the proposed candidate for the chairman of the association, Zhou Yang, Yang Hansheng, Liu Zhiming and other comrades all approved of Zhao Shuli as the proposed candidate for the chairman of the association, but Zhao Shuli repeatedly pushed back, suggesting that Wang Zunsan (then chairman of the Chinese Qu art research association) be the proposed candidate for the chairman of the association, Zhou Yang carefully considered Zhao Shuli's opinion and said: Wang Zunsan is a very good old comrade, as the chairman of the association proposed candidate is appropriate, but he is not in good health, now retired, it is not good to serve as the chairman of the association, in the future we must respect this old comrade. He consulted his opinions more at work, cared more and cared for him in life, and finally persuaded Zhao Shuli to suggest a candidate as the chairman of the association, which would not affect his going to the countryside and writing in the future. On the opening day of the congress, Zhou Yang attended the meeting to congratulate him and made a warm speech to the congress, expounding his views and requirements on quyi, hoping that everyone would strive to develop new quyi and serve socialism, which was warmly welcomed by all the deputies. Since then, he has been invited to attend and speak at some important activities organized by the association, such as songwriting, singing activities and theoretical research activities.
After smashing the "Gang of Four", he resumed his work and continued to care about the affairs of the music industry and the work of the association. He was invited to attend and speak at many important events in the qu art circle, such as the member congress of the Chinese Qu Artists Association, the council meeting and the creation symposium, the cross-talk symposium and the Spring Festival gala of the qu art circle, and placed high hopes on the qu art circle. At the beginning of 1984, under the condition of poor health, he also attended the enlarged meeting of the board of directors held by the China Ququ Association in Beijing, and made an important speech, calling on the qu art circles to conscientiously study "Comrade Chen Yun's Talk and Correspondence on Commenting on Bullets" and strive to create a new situation in qu art work. In his many speeches, he also expressed many important opinions on how to improve and strengthen the work of the association, hoping that under the leadership of the party, the association will actively carry out its work and make it truly become a professional group that the vast number of music and art workers (including creation, performance, commentary, research, editing, teaching and organization) voluntarily combine and actively carry out study and practice of art, and promote artistic creation, theoretical criticism and international cultural exchanges. Zhou Yang's concern, support and guidance for the work of the association have greatly improved the sense of responsibility and enthusiasm of the staff of the association, and played an important role in continuously improving and strengthening the work of the association.
In his revolutionary career of more than half a century, Comrade Zhou Yang, as a revolutionary and literary and art theorist, as one of the leaders of the revolutionary literary and artistic movement and the party's literary and artistic work, has made outstanding contributions to propagating Marxism and Mao Zedong Thought and implementing the party's literary and artistic principles, policies, and theoretical construction, including his contributions to the development of socialist music and art. The study of Zhou Yang's literary and artistic thought should also not ignore his exposition on qu art. Revisiting these discourses in the music and art community will still gain useful enlightenment and enhance confidence and strength to move forward.
(The author is an honorary member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and honorary chairman of the China Ququ Association)