Do you know? On an ordinary autumn day in 1992, Gong Guotai of the Shanghai Peking Opera Company received a letter that he had been looking forward to for ten years. At that time, his hands were shaking.
The letter lay quietly in the palm of his hand, and the familiar handwriting on the recipient's address made his heartbeat skip half a beat.
If you want to talk about it, you have to go back to 1982. At that time, Qi Shufang was a well-known Peking Opera actor, and she took 30 actors to perform in the United States.
"Brushing dishes in the United States makes more money than at home!" This sentence was written in the letter, and there was indifference between the lines. Gong Guotai stared at the words several times, as if he didn't know them.
In the letter, Qi Shufang calmly recounted her "new life" in United States - marrying Ding Meikui, the choreographer of the troupe, and living the life she wanted.
It was a big deal at the time. The entire literary and artistic circle exploded: a Peking Opera actor trained by the state defected collectively with most of the people in the troupe, who would believe it? What's even more chilling is that this is not a temporary idea, according to insiders, this matter has been planned for a long time.
The performance plan back then was quite normal: I went on a United States tour with classic plays such as "Fire Phoenix" and "Three Forks", but I didn't expect it to turn into a well-planned escape.
At that time, this incident was a big stab, and the leaders of the Shanghai Peking Opera Company almost didn't get angry, and the Ministry of Culture was alarmed.
Gong Guotai clutched the letter tightly, and his eyes appeared on the smiling face of his wife when he said goodbye. Who would have thought that there was such a big secret behind that smile? Ten years, a whole ten years of waiting, in exchange for such a "farewell letter" without any feelings.
And guess what? If this matter is placed now, it can't be a hot search? #京剧演员集体叛逃# #为什么选择背叛祖国# How big is this topic? But in those days, it was like a stone that weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
The most ironic thing is that in this letter, Qi Shufang also mentioned her "achievements" in the United States. From a Peking Opera performer who has been trained by the state to claim that he can better "spread Chinese culture" in a foreign country, this change has come unexpectedly.
Seriously, what kind of cultural transmission is this? It is clearly for that green card, for the so-called "United States dream".
In this way, a letter ten years late not only ended a marriage, but also uncovered the scars of an era. And this story has also become one of the most embarrassing past events in the literary and artistic circle in that special era.
Speaking of Qi Shufang's road to fame, it was really all the way. Who would have thought that this person who later shocked the entire Peking Opera industry was a new star of Peking Opera who made Mr. Mei Lanfang nod again and again.
We have to start from the beginning. At that time, Qi Shufang was a piece of jade. When Master Mei Lanfang watched her performance, she gave an evaluation of "rising star" on the spot.
This was not a casual remark in the opera circle at that time, which is equivalent to the ace tutor of a talent show now giving a five-star evaluation, and everyone who understands it understands.
If you want to say that she is best at the job, it has to be the classic repertoire of "Fire Phoenix", "Three Forks" and "Picking Up Jade Bracelets". These dramas made her purple in China, can you believe it? Even the king of Luxembourg looked at her differently, summoned her and praised her martial arts and singing skills.
But did you find that from this point on, Qi Shufang's vision seemed to have begun to change. The applause and praise on the international stage seemed to push her to another level.
To put it bluntly, domestic achievements don't seem to be satisfying to her.
At that time, she was the focus of attention everywhere she went, and invitations from various foreign theater troupes flew like snowflakes.
Interestingly, her status in the country was already quite high at that time. The country can be said to spare no effort in cultivating her, but she always seems to feel that this is not enough.
Just like some artists now, they are so popular in China that they have to go abroad to "develop", what is the result? I can't even drink saliva.
But Qi Shufang is much "smarter" than these people. What she chose was not simply "development", but directly played "disappearing". This operation makes people gasp when they say it: with 30 people, they collectively disappeared into the United States, and this script is written, tsk.
Did you think she had planned it a long time ago? From receiving national training, to accumulating fame, to performing abroad, every step seems so natural, but looking back, I feel hairy in my heart.
What kind of cultural exchange is this, it is clearly paving the way.
What's the most ironic? When she was in China, it was the new hope of the Peking Opera industry, and she was the successor who could carry forward the traditional Chinese culture. The result? Changed hands and used this gold-lettered signboard as a stepping stone to run out.
To be honest, if this matter is to be put now, how big a melon must it be? The pillars of the national team defected en masse with a group of people, this hot search has to blow up, right? But in those days, this kind of thing was like a heavy punch to the hearts of all those who cared about traditional culture.
From the much-anticipated Peking Opera actress to the defector who makes people in the circle avoid. Qi Shufang's 180-degree change has to be said to teach a lesson to the literary and artistic circles at that time: no matter how famous he is, no matter how talented he is, he is an empty shell after all if he has no feelings for his family and country.
Speaking of Qi Shufang's marriage, this is even more interesting.
But Qi Shufang's "vision" is really amazing. She said that she saw a sense of striving for progress in Gong Guotai, and felt that although this person is a small person now, he will definitely be able to soar in the future.
Not long after marriage, Qi Shufang became pregnant. It stands to reason that this should be a happy event, and Gong Guotai is happy. But who would have thought that Qi Shufang had another calculation.
Just because she had a scene at hand that was going to be filmed for a long time, she proposed to kill the child.
This operation is really chilling: for the sake of the cause, even your own flesh and blood can say no, don't want it. What's even more outrageous is her reason: "In my heart, career is always more important than family."
Poor Gong Guotai, although he had mixed feelings in his heart, he still chose to be fulfilled. He probably never dreamed that this would not only be the loss of a child, but also the prelude to the beginning of his marriage to begin to collapse.
After the abortion, Qi Shufang's career has reached a higher level. But what about this marriage? To put it bluntly, it's an empty shell. Later, she led the team to perform in United States, and Gong Guotai was still waiting for her to come back at home.
What are the results waiting for? Ten years later, a letter told him that he had remarried.
Who do you think this is left on you, and who can stand it? For the sake of her artistic career, Qi Shufang can be said to have "sacrificed" her married life cleanly: first beat her own children with her own hands, and then abandoned her husband and children and left the country.
This plot is more exciting than the current bloody dramas.
What's the best part? They didn't think there was anything wrong with them from beginning to end. In her eyes, these sacrifices are worth it for the so-called "bigger stage".
This thought, to be honest, makes people shudder.
Marriage has become a stepping stone on her way to chasing her dreams, and Gong Guotai has become the biggest victim of this "sacrifice".
Who would have thought that the famous Peking Opera actor who called for wind and rain in China would have to start from street performance in the United States in United States? This reversal is even more magical than the current Internet celebrities who have changed from the rich second generation to the anchors with goods.
Qi Shufang and her new husband Ding Meikui's life in the United States was not easy at first. Do you think you can become a master directly when you go abroad? Dream on! In the United States, few people understand the art of Peking Opera.
But the resilience of this "betrayer" is really strong. For the sake of that green card, she can be said to have given up: starting from street performances, she lived a life of coarse tea and light food.
If this experience is made into a movie, I am afraid it will be more bloody than "Beijing Meets Seattle".
Honestly, United States enjoy Peking Opera? Isn't that hard to get to the sky? But Qi Shufang and Ding Meikui really came out. With the help of their friends, they finally got the green card they had been dreaming of.
After getting their green cards, the couple began to form their own Peking Opera troupe in the United States. With their team, they traveled to more than 100 cities in United States. This operation, to be honest, is a bit of a meaning that the East is not bright and the West is bright, but people have really made a name for themselves.
What shocked the domestic literary and art circles the most was that Qi Shufang actually became the first Chinese artist to win the United States "Highest Achievement Award for Traditional Art".
What's more, professors in the United States also specialize in studying her Peking opera. It is said that the popularity of academic circles in United States at that time was about to catch up with the domestic "red studies" research.
What do you mean by that? Just like some Internet celebrities are not popular in China, but they have gained a lot of fans abroad.
Interestingly, she later became a "master" in the mainstream art circle in the United States, which is really nice to say.
From a street artist to an "art master", Qi Shufang's operation can be said to be a success, but I always feel that this success is not very glorious; Let's say it's a failure, people do have a foothold in a foreign land.
It's like a knot that can't be untied, and the more you think about it, the more complicated it becomes.
In her later years, Qi Shufang finally gave an explanation for her "defection". But this statement, to be honest, sounds outrageous.
"If I continue to stay in China, I will be one of many Peking Opera artists," she said in an interview. In the United States, I can let Westerners understand Chinese culture, which is much more useful than at home.
Netizens don't buy this statement.
But I have to say that Qi Shufang did make a breakthrough for Chinese Peking Opera in the United States. Her performance introduced many United States to the art of Peking Opera.
It's like a paradox: she betrayed the motherland, but she is spreading Chinese culture; She abandoned her compatriots, but made foreigners fall in love with Peking Opera. This complexity makes it difficult to simply give a good or bad rating.
Looking back now, it is more like a mirror, reflecting the different understandings of "success" in that special era. Some people choose to persevere, some people choose to betray, but history will eventually give a fair judgment.
Finally, let's be honest: no matter how much she has achieved in United States, the stain of the collective defection of 30 actors will never be washed away. This is like a warning sign, standing there to remind future generations: no matter how great the achievement, it cannot be worth the eternal infamy of betraying the motherland.