On May 4, 1927, Raoyang County, Hebei Province ushered in an unusual newborn - Wang Runsen. This young baby later shocked the Chinese drama stage as Lan Tianye.
Wang Runsen's artistic talent sprouted in the affluent family environment of Beiping, a historic cultural city where he moved with his family when he was a child. His mother often took him to listen to Peking Opera and learn painting, and under the influence of his ears and eyes, Wang Runsen became deeply interested in art.
After seeing the child's talent, his grandfather used all his savings to invite famous teachers for him to systematically learn the art of painting.
In this harsh war, Wang Runsen paid a huge price. In order to protect him, his grandparents and father died in a hail of bullets from the enemy. Fortunately, his mother remained strong by his side and became the last support in his life.
This unforgettable experience gave Wang Runsen a deep understanding of the pain of the fall of the country, and the seeds of patriotism were also planted in his young heart. Although life was difficult, his love for art grew stronger in his heart.
This love, like a ray of light in the darkness, guides him forward.
With the support of his mother, with his love for art and love for his motherland, Wang Runsen was admitted to the National Beiping Art School with excellent results. The moment he stepped into this school, he felt the power of art, which was not only the beginning of his artistic career, but also the starting point of his contribution to the country.
Since then, Wang Runsen's life trajectory has undergone earth-shaking changes. He is about to embark on a legendary journey of life, leaving his mark on the path of art and revolution.
The teenager in the small county town of Hebei Province has gradually grown into a great artist who will leave a strong mark in the history of Chinese drama.
Sitting in the classroom of the National Beiping Art School, Wang Runsen and his classmates burned with unquenchable patriotic feelings in their hearts. The country is in danger, and at this moment, they do not have the ability and mind to continue to focus on painting.
Patriotic enthusiasm is like blood surging in their veins, and they are eager to contribute to the country.
With this enthusiasm, Wang Runsen did not hesitate to devote himself to various patriotic propaganda campaigns. However, he was troubled by a deep sense of anxiety and powerlessness, and he longed to do something more meaningful.
At this moment of confusion, Wang Runsen confided in his friend Pu Sixun the bitterness in his heart. After Pu Sixun heard this, he suggested that he join the repertory troupe. This suggestion puzzled Wong Runsen, who did not understand how he could serve his country by joining the repertory troupe.
However, out of trust in his friends, he joined the repertory troupe without hesitation.
On the first day of joining the repertory troupe, Wang Runsen was deeply moved by the actors' passionate performances. This made him realize that the repertory theatre is not only a place for performing arts, but also an important platform for expressing inner emotions and arousing the awakening of the general public.
However, bigger surprises are yet to come.
Over time, Wang Runsen reveals a shocking secret in the repertory troupe: it turned out to be a secret intelligence organization of the Communist Party. Faced with this truth, Wang Runsen did not hesitate at all, and decisively chose to join the Communist Party of China and began his dual identity career.
Since then, Wang's life has become more fulfilling and dangerous. During the day, under the guise of a show, they come and go freely; At night, they carefully transferred intelligence and supplies.
Every mission is full of challenges and risks, but Wang Runsen never tires of it and feels his importance to the country.
Every time Wang Runsen, who was only a teenager, entered the enemy-occupied area, he would be harassed by the Japanese army and traitors. In the face of these difficulties, he was always able to skillfully maneuver with a "flattering" posture to save the day.
His courage and wisdom were recognized by the organization, and he was gradually entrusted with more important tasks.
In 1948, as tensions mounted, the Kuomintang began a large-scale manhunt for Communists, and many members of the Second Drama Team were listed as the focus of surveillance. In this case, Wang Runsen showed extraordinary wisdom and courage, and he took advantage of the opportunity of the Mid-Autumn Festival to "catch the wind" and skillfully led all the members of the second drama team to safely transfer to the Cangzhou Liberated Area.
In order to protect his family, the organization asked Wang Runsen to change his name and surname, and the name Lantian Ye became his new identity. With this change, he began a 75-year career of incognito. This new identity not only represents his new life, but also places great expectations on his future.
During these years of constant war, Mr. Lantian Ye skillfully blended art and faith. He covered his underground work as an actor and used art to show his patriotism.
This experience not only honed his will, but also laid a deep ideological foundation for his future artistic career, and Mr. Lan Tianye's artistic and revolutionary experiences were intertwined, forming a rich and magnificent picture of his life.
On October 1, 1949, the bell of the founding of the People's Republic of China rang in Tiananmen Square. For Lan Tianye, this is not only a new birth of the country, but also a major turning point in his life. He officially said goodbye to his dangerous career as a secret agent, but he did not choose a comfortable life.
Instead, he put all his passion and energy into the art he loved.
In 1952, Lantian Ye's fate took a turn. He joined the Beijing People's Art Theater and became the first batch of actors in the theater together with Tian Chong, Zhu Xu and other actors, and was closely associated with Beijing Renyi.
Together, they have contributed their own strength to the development of Chinese drama art and written a brilliant chapter together.
Lan Tianye has created many unforgettable characters on the stage, such as Zeng Wenqing in "Pekingese", Qin Zhongyi in "Teahouse", Dong Ci in "Cai Wenji", and Hu Han Evil Shan Yu in "Wang Zhaojun".
Every character is brought to life, and the audience is deeply immersed in his performance, and he is like a kind of magic that is able to inject the characters in the script into the soul and make them truly exist on stage.
Lan Tianye's drama "Teahouse" is considered to be a landmark work of Beijing Renyi, and the play is still being performed today and has become an unsurpassed classic. His performance in the play makes this work even more sparkling.
Lan Tianye is not only an excellent actor, but also an excellent teacher. Under his careful guidance, batch after batch of outstanding actors have emerged. Tong Chao, Lin Liankun, Song Dandan and many other artists who later became national first-class actors have all received the true biography of Lantian Ye.
They not only inherited Lan Tianye's exquisite performance skills, but also inherited his dedication and love for art.
Lan Tianye treats every role with full dedication, which is as serious as the attitude of underground work when he was younger. Every time he takes the stage on stage, it is like returning to the era of fighting for the country, and he always naturally integrates his love for the motherland into his role.
This sincere emotion of his always touches the audience.
Mr. Lan Tianye's artistic career is not only his personal achievements, but also the epitome of the development of new Chinese drama art. Since the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he has devoted himself to the development of Chinese drama art and led the direction of art. Until the vigorous development after the reform and opening up, Mr. Lantian Ye has always stood at the forefront of this stage.
He proved with his practical actions that in the field of drama art, he has firmly advanced towards the belief of "wholeheartedly to the party" throughout his life. Whether it is creating classic roles on the stage or cultivating younger generations behind the scenes, Lantian Ye has done his best.
His dedication and contribution have made a strong contribution to the development of Chinese drama and left an indelible mark on the history of Chinese culture and art.
In 2011, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Beijing People's Art Troupe prepared a special performance. This news reached the ears of the 84-year-old Lan Tianye, which aroused his deep attachment to the stage again.
When the troupe invited him to return to the stage, Lan Tianye accepted the challenge without hesitation.
However, due to his poor physical condition, Lan Tianye, who is already old, had an accident during the rehearsal. At one point, he accidentally injured his finger and had to be taken to the hospital immediately.
This news made the entire crew worried, and everyone sweated for the health of this respected old artist.
However, to everyone's surprise, Lan Tianye still appeared on the rehearsal floor with a smile on his face the next day. Instead of backing down from his injury, he apologized to each actor for delaying the entire rehearsal process.
This scene deeply touched everyone present, and Lan Tianye's dedication and professionalism to art made the young actors feel extremely admired.
Lan Tianye often said: "If you are in your position, you must seek your own government." This sentence is not only his attitude towards work, but also a portrayal of his life. Even in his eighties, he still retains his love and awe for the stage.
In his opinion, since he has chosen to return to the stage, he must go all out and do his best.
Lantian Ye's professionalism deeply touched everyone in the crew. He uses his practical actions to interpret the love and pursuit of a true artist for the stage. His performance not only won warm applause from the audience, but also set a benchmark for the entire drama industry.
Despite reaching the age of 88, Lan Tianye still adheres to the position of original script and director, and has won many major art awards. These past honors are not only the highest recognition of his personal artistic achievements, but also show the world his indispensable and important position in the field of Chinese drama art.
Lan Tianye proved with his practical actions that as long as there is a love for art in his heart, age will never become an obstacle to artistic creation.
Even after his official retirement, Lan Tianye still did not stop his pursuit of art and life. His later years remained colourful and vibrant. It seems that he wants to make up for the life experience that he missed when he was young due to war and tasks.
First of all, Lantian Ye regained his childhood dream of painting. He picked up his paintbrush and began to depict the great rivers and mountains of the motherland. Each painting is full of his deep affection for his motherland, as if he wants to leave what he has seen and heard in his life on the canvas.
These paintings are not only works of art, but also his affectionate confession to the mountains and rivers of his motherland.
In addition to painting, Lan Tianye also dabbled in a number of emerging hobbies and sports in his later years. He began to love literary play, and used his eyes and heart to feel the historical breath in the utensils; Learn to play the piano, let the melody jump at your fingertips, and nourish the soul in old age; Playing chess sharpens thinking and keeps the mind agile; Fishing allows him to enjoy a peaceful time with nature; Playing keeps him alive.
These colorful activities make the life of Lantian Ye full of fun and passion.
In the face of reporters' questions, Lan Tianye always replied with his trademark smile: "People must be passionate about life, so that they can create better." This sentence is a portrayal of Lan Tianye's later life, and it is also a true portrayal of his life. He tells us with personal experience that the value of life does not lie in age, but in the love and exploration of life.
Mr. Lan Tianye's unquenchable thirst for knowledge and creative passion have become the source of motivation for him to continue to climb on the road of art. His later life fully demonstrated an artist's love for life, his dedication to art, and his unremitting pursuit of self-improvement.
On June 29, 2021, the 94-year-old Lantian Ye won the highest honor of the "July 1st Medal". This symbolizes his boundless loyalty and selfless dedication to the party and the cause of art throughout his life. He said that this honor not only fully affirmed his personal achievements, but also highly praised the entire drama art.
With his firm belief and outstanding achievements, Lantian Ye interprets what a true artist is and what is infinite loyalty to the party and the country. In his later years, he created a touching artistic image, became a model for future generations of art workers to learn, and showed the glorious demeanor of a great artist.
On June 8, 2022, we heard the sad news that Lan Tianye passed away peacefully at his home in Beijing at the age of 95. This elder, who has experienced the baptism of war and fought all his life for the cause of the country and the cause of literature and art, has finally completed his legendary and brilliant life journey.
Lan Tianye's death is a great loss to the Chinese drama industry, and it is also a regret for the entire cultural and artistic circles. At the farewell ceremony, the relevant leading comrades of the Central Committee and Beijing Municipality personally attended the ceremony to pay their final respects to this artistic giant. This is not only a personal respect for Lan Tianye, but also a solemn tribute to the entire Chinese drama art.
On July 5, 2022, the Beijing People's Art Theater held a commemorative event here to commemorate "Comrade Lantian Ye". The scene was crowded, and many people from the literary and art circles, as well as Lantian Ye's students and colleagues, came to the scene one after another to recall this artist who dedicated his life to the cause of Chinese drama.
At the venue, people reviewed Lan Tianye's artistic career and remembered his great contribution to the cause of Chinese drama. Mr. Lan Tianye's life is a microcosm of the development of Chinese drama and a witness to the vigorous development of New China's literary and artistic undertakings. He spent 75 years interpreting his deep affection for the party and the country, as well as his endless love for dramatic art, in the name of the ordinary.
Although Lan Tianye has passed away, his artistic spirit and patriotism will forever inspire future generations. As many people lamented, Mr. Lantian Ye passed away at an advanced age, presumably he has no regrets in his life. His life is undoubtedly worthy of the honor of the winner of the "July 1st Medal", and is worthy of his life creed: "Devoted to the party and devoted his life to the art of drama."
Although Lan Tianye's departure marks the end of an era, his artistic legacy and spiritual legacy will forever inspire Chinese artists to continue to move forward and contribute to the development of Chinese culture and art.