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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
preface
Ah Bing, a wandering artist known as the master of Chinese erhu art, has a little-known legendary life behind him.
Not only did he suffer from gambling and smoking, but he also contracted syphilis and became blind. However, such a man who seems to have fallen to the bottom is on a par with Beethoven in the world of music.
How did Ah Ping go from a wanderer to a master of art on a par with Western music giants? What kind of twists and turns and brilliance has his musical journey experienced?
An ill-fated beginning
In the summer of 1893, the city of Wuxi was filled with a faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers. In a side room of the Lei Zun Palace, a loud cry broke the tranquility of the Taoist temple. This life that is not expected is the famous musician A Bing, formerly known as Hua Yanjun.
Hua Yanjun's father, Hua Qinghe, was a Taoist priest of the Lei Zun Temple, and his mother was a widow surnamed Qin. In that era of honor, this unruly love was destined to be disgraceful. The birth of Hua Yanjun not only did not bring joy, but brought more trouble to the hard-working mandarin ducks.
Widow Qin couldn't bear the pressure and gossip of the world, and committed suicide with hatred when Hua Yanjun was four years old. The young Hua Yanjun didn't know the pain of life and death, but he invisibly carried the heavy shackles of fate.
Although Hua Qinghe felt sorry for his son, in order to avoid gossip, he had to send Hua Yanjun to the countryside and hand him over to his aunt to raise. Hua Yanjun, who grew up in the countryside, has shown a strong interest in music since he was a child.
He loves to listen to the sounds of nature, whether it's the babbling of a stream or the gentle song of birds.
When he was eight years old, Hua Qinghe became the host of the Lei Zun Hall and decided to take Hua Yanjun back to his side to educate. However, he never dared to recognize Hua Yanjun as his son, and could only be called a master and apprentice.
In this way, Hua Yanjun began his musical path, but he didn't know that his closest "master" was actually his biological father.
A musical genius honed by rigour
"Iron Hand Pipa" Hua Qinghe's music education for Hua Yanjun can be described as extremely strict. No matter how cold or hot it is, Hua Yanjun has to practice hard.
Hua Qinghe often trained Hua Yanjun in unconventional ways, such as letting him hit stones against the wind to practice the strength of the drum, and hanging iron rings on his wrists to increase his wrist strength when playing the flute.
Once, Hua Yanjun was practicing erhu, and Hua Qinghe suddenly broke in and shouted: "That's not right! Again! Hua Yanjun was so frightened that his hand shook, and the strings cut his fingers. Blood dripped down the strings, Hua Yanjun gritted his teeth and continued to play the piano despite the pain.
When Hua Qinghe saw this scene, he was both relieved and distressed. He stepped forward, gently wiped the blood on Hua Yanjun's fingers, and said softly: "Yanjun, remember, real music is played with your heart, not with your hands. Every note of yours should be full of emotion, as alive as the blood on the strings. "
Hua Yanjun nodded as if he didn't understand, and from that day on, he practiced even harder. Whenever he felt tired, he would think of Hua Qinghe's words, as if those notes had really become a melody flowing in his blood.
In this way, under the rigorous training, Hua Yanjun's musical talent has been fully developed. He is not only proficient in pipa and erhu, but also has great achievements in singing.
By the age of twenty-one, Hua Yanjun had become a well-known local musician and was affectionately known as the "Little Heavenly Master".
A twist and fall of fate
However, fate always likes to play jokes with people. Just when Hua Yanjun's career was thriving, Hua Qinghe was terminally ill. Before dying, Hua Qinghe finally mustered up the courage to confide the truth to Hua Yanjun.
It was a rainy afternoon, Hua Qinghe on the sickbed held Hua Yanjun's hand with difficulty, and said tremblingly: "Yanjun, I have something to tell you." In fact... I'm not just your master, I'm still... Your biological father. "
Hua Yanjun was struck by lightning and couldn't accept this fact for a while. He knelt in front of Hua Qinghe's bed, tears raining down. Years of doubts have finally been answered, and behind those harsh trainings, there is a deep fatherly love.
Hua Qinghe tearfully instructed: "Yanjun, I will hand over the Lei Zun Hall to you." I hope you will inherit my mantle and pass on the music. But remember, music is meant to purify the mind and not be blinded by worldly temptations. Hua Yanjun nodded solemnly, but he didn't know that what awaited him would be a bigger test.
After his father's death, Hua Yanjun and his cousin Hua Boyang were jointly in charge of the Lei Zun Palace. However, without his father's restraint, Hua Yanjun soon lost his way. He began to make some bad friends and indulged in lustful dogs.
One day, Hua Yanjun tried opium for the first time in a tobacco house. The feeling of fluttering fascination fascinated him, and he began to frequent the smoke house. Gradually, Hua Yanjun became an addict and was in a mess all day long.
Not only that, Hua Yanjun also got into the vice of gambling. He often stayed up all night, squandering the incense money of the Lei Zun Temple in the casino. At one point, he even lost the precious lute that his father had left him to a casino.
In this way, Hua Yanjun ruined his future and the reputation of the Lei Zun Hall in just a few years. To make matters worse, he contracted syphilis during a prostitution. The disease quickly destroyed his body, eventually causing him to go blind.
The prodigal son turned back, and music was reborn
After losing his sight, Hua Yanjun finally came to his senses. He realized that he had failed his father's expectations and was ashamed of the cultivation of the Lei Zun Palace. On a dark and windy night, he quietly left the Leizun Palace, took the erhu left to him by his father, and began a wandering life.
Since then, Hua Yanjun has given himself a new name - A Bing. He made a living as an entertainer in the streets of Wuxi, using music to soothe his wounded soul.
At first, Ah Bing's life was very difficult. He was often hungry and unclothed. Sometimes, he would curl up on a street corner on a cold night and play a requiem for himself with the erhu.
However, it was in this predicament that Ah Bing's musical talent was sublimated. He incorporated his suffering and perception of life into his music, and composed many touching tunes.
One of the most famous is "Erquan Reflecting the Moon", which seems to be a spiritual picture woven by Ah Bing with musical notes, which vividly expresses his perception of life and his yearning for beauty.
Ah Bing's music began to attract more and more listeners. People were moved by the sound of his piano and stopped to listen. Gradually, Ah Bing's reputation began to spread in the city of Wuxi.
It was at this time that Ah Bing met another important person in his life - Dong Xuandi. The simple rural widow is attracted to Ah Bing's music, and the two soon fall in love. Under the care of Dong Yudi, Ah Bing's life has been relied on, and his music creation has entered a new stage.
Swan song and eternity
However, fate always seems to refuse to give Ah Bing a chance at peace. As he grew older and suffered from illness, Ah Bing's health deteriorated. But even on the sickbed, he still refused to let go of his beloved erhu.
In the winter of 1949, a musician named Li Songshou came to visit. At that time, Ah Bing was already very ill, but he still insisted on playing for Li Songshou.
On that day, Ah Bing used all his strength to play six tunes, including "Erquan Reflecting the Moon", "Listening to the Song", "Cold Spring Wind and Rain", "Big Waves and Sand", "Zhaojun Out of the Plug" and "Dragon Boat".
Li Songshou was deeply moved by Ah Bing's music, and said, "Mr. A Bing, your music is a treasure of Chinese folk music. We must save them so that more people can hear them. Ah Bing smiled with relief, knowing that his music had finally found a chance to be passed on.
A few days later, Ah Bing gave his last public performance at the inaugural meeting of Wuxi Dentists. That day, although his body was weak, Ah Bing still insisted on taking the stage and played "Erquan Reflecting the Moon" for the audience. When the last note fell, the audience burst into thunderous applause.
Soon after, Ah Ping passed away peacefully at home at the age of 57. Although his life ended, his music remained in this world forever.
After Ah Ping's death, his musical works began to be known by more and more people. "Erquan Reflecting the Moon" has become a classic of Chinese folk music, influencing generations of musicians.
In 1978, when the world-famous conductor Seiji Ozawa performed "Two Springs Reflecting the Moon" in Beijing, he was deeply moved by Ah Bing's music and was so excited that he shed tears. Ah Bing's music has not only been widely circulated in China, but also has gone to the world, becoming an important representative of Chinese music culture.
Today, in the streets and alleys of Wuxi, people still think of the blind artist A Bing, and remember the moving and power he conveyed with music. His story has become a legend for generations to come, inspiring them to persevere in the face of adversity and pursue their dreams.
epilogue
Ah Bing's life is like a symphony of ups and downs. He went through the low point of his life, but he wrote an eternal chapter with music.
His story teaches us to persevere in the search for the light in our hearts, even in the midst of darkness.
Ah Bing has transcended the boundaries of time and space with his music and touched the hearts of countless people. His spirit will forever inspire future generations to forge ahead on the road of art. #长文创作激励计划#
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