Memoirs of Movie Star Hu Die (continued 9)

The beginning of the journey

The Delegates from China set off in three batches. The first batch were Mr. Tao Boxun, Yu Yiqing, and Sun Guiyi.

The second batch were Mr. Huang Qian and Mr. Yan Heming.

The third batch was Mr. Zhou Jianyun and I, and the last batch set off. The reason why we were late to leave, there were many rumors in the outside world at that time, thinking that I was delayed for a while because I had to prepare for the packing, in fact, at that time, I starred in the "Night Fragrance", which was not over, was rushing to shoot, and the personal temporary decision to leave, naturally it was inevitable that there was a bit of a rush, and at the same time, the star company also had many important tasks to be handled in recent years, so Mr. Zhou Jianyun could not quickly withdraw from the country, and as a result, he had to postpone the departure date.

Before leaving, the Soviet ambassador to Shanghai, Vavilov, gave us a tour in the embassy. He expressed great pleasure and welcome to my presence. At that time, we raised the question that we might not be able to meet the deadline of the exhibition, but he took it all the time, telling us not to worry, he would send a telegram to ask them to extend the exhibition, and be sure to wait for us to attend the meeting. Hearing that he was so enthusiastic, we felt even more at ease to go. Unexpectedly, by the time we arrived in Moscow, the Assembly had been closed for many days. We couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Fortunately, the host of the film festival was very enthusiastic and repeatedly apologized, because we could not catch up with the meeting, and in order to make up for the plan, it can be said that we have reopened a film festival, which makes our group deeply touched and deeply grateful. This is a later word, which will be elaborated later.

February 21, 1935, is a memorable day for me, although I often have the opportunity to go out when filming, but it is the first time to go abroad. At noon that day, we carried our luggage to the ship and came to the dock to see off, in addition to our relatives and friends and many colleagues of the star company, there were many enthusiastic moviegoers. In addition to my gratitude, I felt a little panicked. I have received my affection for them, but when I think of them coming here today to send off and have great expectations for me, I can't help but be sincerely afraid. Participating in this film festival can be said to be the first time that China has gone abroad since it began to have its own films in 1922; For all the members of the delegation, it was also the first time to undertake the heavy responsibility of "cultural exchange", which was really an unusual long trip!

The ship we were on was the "North", which was specially sent by the Soviet Government to welcome the return of Ambassador Yan Huiqing and Mr. Mei Lanfang and his troupe to perform in the Soviet Union.

The "Northern" mail ship set sail at 2:00 p.m., and it was raining heavily in Shanghai that day, and when the mail ship slowly sailed away from the port, looking at the fading crowd, although it was only a temporary farewell, there was still a wave of inexplicable sorrow in my heart. It is true: it is a sadness, it is a farewell, it is not a taste in the heart.

The "Norte" mail ship is not very large, weighing only six thousand tons. The interior and exterior of the cabin were newly decorated, and I heard that it was repainted and deliberately modified because of this voyage. According to this ship, there are two or three classes, and the first two classes can carry fifty passengers. However, this time, there were no ship passengers except for our group and three or two Soviet passengers. Since the ship is almost full of Chinese, there is no strong sense of exoticism in it.

I'm trying to live on the ocean for the first time, so I can't stand it anymore even though there are no big winds and waves along the way. The first day there was nothing, still eating, drinking, sleeping and playing. But the next day was not right. When I woke up the next morning, I felt dizzy and vomited immediately when I got out of bed. This taste still feels terrible to this day, and there is no way but to lie back on the bed and dare not move. All day, I didn't eat anything but boiled water. Until the next afternoon, I didn't dare to get up or eat. Zhou Jianyun and his wife took good care of me, but they were also worried about me, because the voyage was less than one-third of the way, so it was not possible to go on. Later, someone said that the ship was seasick, as long as it was barely eaten, it would be better. So I followed this and told the waiter to bring the meal to the room and force myself to eat a full meal. Maybe it was a psychological effect, maybe it was because the wind and waves calmed down slightly, but on the third day, my spirit recovered a lot, and I no longer felt the pain of sailing.

Three meals per day on board. Breakfast is milk cereal and the like, lunch and dinner for roast chicken and pork steak steak, etc., and the usual Russian meal in Shanghai is also similar, the taste is also good. Bread is available in black and white. There was no afternoon refreshment, and the service personnel on board were all Soviets. Fortunately, the Soviet government sent a female interpreter who was familiar with Chinese with the ship, so she did not feel any language difficulties.

The Tonnage of the "Norte" cruise ship is very light, so the equipment is relatively simple, and there are very few recreational things. Every day, except for small talk, I only play foreign chess or play cards. Fortunately, my relatives and friends gave me a lot of old newspapers and magazines before I left, so I spent five days on the boat. Except for two days of seasickness, I don't feel so lonely.

On February 27, 1935, the ship arrived in Vladivostok. When you arrive at the dock, customs personnel board the ship for inspection. At the same time, we also need to register the valuable things such as gold and silver ornaments we carry one by one, and obtain the vouchers for future inspection when leaving the country. Without this certificate, Haitian can confiscate things, and if the things brought out exceed the number registered at the time of entry, they will also confiscate. Customs officials usually have extremely strict inspections of entry, but this time we are particularly preferential, and it is enough to take a look.

The ship arrived in Vladivostok and was greeted by the commissioners of the Soviet Association for Foreign Cultures sent from Moscow and personnel sent by the local authorities and the Chinese consulate. After disembarking, we first went to the consulate to rest, and the consul of Quan treated us with great hospitality. In Vladivostok, we both stayed at the Jolyuskin Hotel. The scale of this hotel is quite magnificent, with ornate chandeliers and marble columns, which have a very classical art flavor. But perhaps because of the old age or something else, everything is stained with old colors. The room was also very spacious, and the only thing that surprised and disturbed me was that I found a few bed bugs on the bed at night.

The waiters at the Masonskin Hotel are both men and women, and their costumes are neat. There is also musicians playing at dinner. The room fare here does not include meals, and you have to pay for meals separately. Things are not cheap, food is not delicious, a roast chicken is two dollars, and it is still an old chicken.

Here I might as well say a little bit about Vladivostok. Vladivostok is an important commercial port on the Pacific coast, passengers going to Europe through Siberia used to enter from the northeast of China, after the 918 incident, it is not easy to travel in the northeast, so tourists take Vladivostok to see more and more, the port is also increasingly important. Before I arrived in Vladivostok, I thought Vladivostok was a lovely place, but when I arrived, I was very disappointed. The streets are muddy because of the snow, mixed with the mud of pedestrians. Although there are many people on the street, they cannot hide the desolate color. The shops are half open and half closed, the pedestrians look hurried, and the clothes are not glamorous, which makes me think of the scene in Shanghai after 128. It has been more than ten years since the October Revolution in the Soviet Union, and it is not an easy task to think that it is not an easy task for a great country to make every place prosperous, not to mention whether the policies of the rulers are adapted to the national conditions at that time and conform to the will of the people.

After dinner, Miss Yan, the daughter of Ambassador Yan, went outside to hang out, because the road was snowy and slippery, thinking of buying a pair of rubber shoes, but ran outside, the shops were closed, and then asked people, only to know that the store rested after 6 p.m. every day and no longer did business.

The shops here, the US dollars and rubles are common, and the attitude of doing business is not slippery, nor is it necessarily polite. It is as if buying and selling is the freedom of everyone, and no one has to befriend anyone. They saw that we were neither surprised nor particularly enthusiastic, as if there were no distinction between the nations and races in their minds, but only that they were human beings and that they should respect each other.

Vladivostok's means of transportation are mainly trams, and some horse-drawn carriages and automobiles. There are very few cars, and the bodies are very old. The price is very expensive, and it costs two dollars for a short distance, which was a lot of money forty years ago. The tram is the most popular tool, all day long to see the tram is crowded with people, the car is small and crowded, often see many passengers pulling on the window, but the body is hanging outside the car. Shanghai's trams are crowded, but they are really spacious compared to Vladivostok.

The most inconvenient thing here is the problem of water. Clean water is bought with money. The water pipe does not lead to the pipe of the outside water company. You have to buy the water yourself, put it in the trough, and then the faucet will release the water. So the bathing is very inconvenient. The washbasins used by the Soviet Union and European countries, which did not have rubber stoppers, were used to using their hands to follow the water flowing from the faucet and then pouring their faces, which was a bit different from the habit of first filling a basin of water and then washing it with a towel. When I washed my face, I had to use a handkerchief instead of a stopper.

Entertainment places are both cinemas and dance theaters, but because I only stayed in Vladivostok for three days, most of the time was spent in the entertainment, so I did not go. The first journey into the territory of the Soviet Union passed in such a hurry.

Bai Mei Lanfang as a teacher

At 6 p.m. on March 2, I took a special express train to Moscow, where I had three meals a day, which was generally OK. I live in the same room as Miss Yan, and every time I go to the dining room, I always have to go through many doors. Bored in the car, I was curious again, and once I simply counted him. There were originally sixteen doors. To calculate precisely, it takes me thirty-two times to open and close each door from the bedroom to the dining room, and I open and close thirty-two times when I come back, a total of sixty-four times, so that the meal I eat can be digested almost immediately.

The food in the car for the first few days was fine, but after a few days, it was probably a lack of food in the car, and the result was that the day was not as good as the day. There was no white bread, only brown bread, but fortunately I was a casual person, so I didn't think much of it. Fortunately, when I was leaving, my family was afraid that I was not used to eating Western food, so they insisted that I bring some canned food, and at this time I was saved.

There are many stops along the way. The big station stopped for about ten minutes, and the small station only stopped for five or six minutes, and when we arrived at the important consulate station, Ambassador Yan got off the bus to see. We were afraid of the cold and it was snowy along the way, so sometimes we just got out of the car to take a souvenir photo.

Before we left Shanghai, we heard that the soviet climate was very cold, so we should bring all the clothes we needed for cold days, so we had enough cold equipment, so we didn't feel cold. It was coldest only when we were about to arrive in Moscow, getting off at Chita and taking a photo with the consul. After standing for a while, my hands and feet stiffened, as if a thousand cold knives were inserted into my ears, which was really the coldest day I felt in this European tour.

The car was boring, and everyone sometimes played bridge, and most of the time it was just leap chatter. Ambassador Yan's appearance looks very majestic, but in fact he is a very kind elder, and when he is there, the atmosphere will often become relaxed and pleasant, because he has been talking and laughing from time to time, and he has been an envoy stationed abroad for many years, and he has seen and heard a lot, and he has also added a lot of knowledge to us.

Mr. Mei Lanfang is a silent and humble gentleman, treating people sincerely, because there is time in the car, I am interested in new things, plus Mr. Mei and I neither drink alcohol nor play cards, some people say: "Here is Mr. Mei, why not worship the teacher, this opportunity to learn to sing Peking Opera?" Mr. Mei said humbly, "That's how dare you!" However, I can't help but repeatedly "Yang Ge'er" (the meaning of "begging" in the Beiping dialect), and said: "Worship the master does not dare, just sing a passage of 'Three Niangs and Godsons'!" Don't look at me learning dialects very fast, and learning what dialect is like anything, but this head, this voice, once I learn Beijing opera, it really becomes an elm knot, Rao is Mr. Mei's sentence by sentence, he can't learn it, but he doesn't want to give up this great opportunity, so he asks Mr. Mei to teach me to sing a catchy "don't kiln", this "father of the child..." A sentence can still be hummed out, It was really Mr. Mei who taught it himself. So I sometimes joke that I am still a disciple of Mei Lanfang.

After the "July 7" Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, there was a period when Mr. Mei Lanfang took refuge in Hong Kong, and I was also in Hong Kong at that time, but each other's feelings were heavy for the national disaster. And now Mr. Mei has long been ancient, and I am dying of old age! It's hard to look back on.

The words are far away, or the book is returned to the truth. Go back to your trip to Europe!

People who have taken the train have such experience, the days are not easy to pass, especially long-distance travel, rumbling, monotonous sounds, making people groggy, always want to sleep, always feel tired, I am fortunate to climb a good teacher like Mei Lanfang, the days pass very quickly.

There are two absolute opposite pleasant and nasty things in the car, the good news is that there are vendors at all the stations along the way to do business in the car, selling milk, egg bread and the like, which are very cheap and fresh and delicious. Sometimes there is a very fat and tender roast chicken, which is really different from the old chicken of Vladivostok for two yuan, especially in the next few days when there is a shortage of delicious food on the car, and I think it is a supreme delicacy. But the annoying thing is that there is no bathroom in the car, and there is not a good bath in the ten days of the journey. Fortunately, it was cold, and if it was in the summer, I really didn't know how to do it.

After ten days of driving, all you see along the way is white snow, and outside the window, regardless of the forest plain, it is full of snow, decorated with a brilliant silver world. Although I spent my childhood in the north, I have never seen such a magnificent snow scene. The car is especially beautiful when passing through Lake Baikal, the scenery is strange and dazzling, the car has driven for a long time, and the magnificent scenery is still in the mind for a long time.