Chapter 11 eternal separation

During the three years of the Liberation War, Mei Lanfang's main activities were still acting, filming, and recruiting apprentices, and he basically didn't care about the turbulent current situation. In March 1947, he was invited to participate in Tian Han's birthday celebration.In fact, this is not an ordinary birthday celebration, but an event with obvious political color to demonstrate against the Kuomintang authorities in the name of birthday celebration.The event was initiated by Shanghai left-wing dramatists such as Yu Ling and Chen Baichen.However, this does not mean that Mei Lanfang has become interested in politics at this time.

During the busy period, 1948 has also come to an end.With the military retreat of the Kuomintang, every Chinese, no matter whether they have always cared about politics or are out of touch with politics, has to face a big choice in life: to stay or to stay?Of course, there are many people who follow the Kuomintang wholeheartedly. They did not hesitate to take their families to Taiwan.There are also many staunch communists. They are full of excitement, suppress their excitement, and look forward to the new era infinitely.Those who are uncertain are those who are neither the Kuomintang nor the Communist Party, who neither trust the Kuomintang nor understand the Communist Party very well.Mei Lanfang should belong to the "middleman".

Objectively speaking, Mei Lanfang doesn't know much about the Communist Party. He has always focused on art and doesn't care whether the Kuomintang or the Communist Party rule the world.In his view, no matter who rules the world, actors still have to rely on acting to make a living.With that in mind, he tended to stay.Therefore, when he learned that Qi Rushan insisted on going to Taiwan, he persuaded him: "You have always ignored politics and only engaged in drama work. I thought that at that time, if we were still working together, there would be no problems." His words actually reflected his attitude, that is, "just focus on drama work, not politics".

Qi Rushan insisted on going to Taiwan, but he did not follow the Kuomintang completely. According to his own statement, he went to Taiwan to join Xiaoer.He also thought that Mei Lanfang's persuasion was reasonable, and he even felt that it was not bad for Mei Lanfang to stay in the mainland, because "he is an artist, has nothing to do with politics, and has been to the Soviet Union. The Communist Party must treat him differently."However, he was not without worries about Mei Lanfang staying on the mainland.Therefore, when he moved south from Beiping and passed through Shanghai, he talked with Mei Lanfang many times, which was both persuasion and advice.In short, he told Mei Lanfang that he was worried that Mei would be used in the future.

For the so-called "being used", Mei Lanfang may have a more thorough understanding than Qi Rushan.Therefore, Mei Lanfang did not share Qi Rushan's worries and concerns about being "used".Seeing that Mei Lanfang was not moved, Qi Rushan ended his nagging with a line that is common in plays: "Think again, think again!" After sending Qi Rushan away, Mei Lanfang did "think again and again", and finally felt that there was nothing wrong with staying, not to mention that there were still many colleagues in the industry who needed his care, and his generous and kind personality was not unreasonable. He couldn't bear to allow him to leave them alone.

When the Communist Party forced the Kuomintang to retreat step by step, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party also accelerated the pace of wooing cultural celebrities.While some senior officials of the Kuomintang were tempting Mei Lanfang with favorable living conditions, the Shanghai underground organization of the Communist Party stepped up its activities.Therefore, Mei Lanfang picked up a script of "The White-haired Girl" in the courtyard of his apartment.Legend has it that he was once arranged to have a secret meeting with Zhou Enlai at the home of Yu He, a pharmacist at the Sino-French Pharmacy.Zhou Enlai persuaded Mei Lanfang not to withdraw to Taiwan with the Kuomintang, and expressed his welcome to stay.

Subsequently, the Shanghai underground party committee sent Xia Yan and Xiong Fuxi to the homes of Zhou Xinfang and Mei Lanfang successively, and asked them to stay in Shanghai to welcome liberation.Zhou Xinfang had contact with left-wing dramatists such as Guo Moruo, Xia Yan, and Yu Ling very early, and also worked with Tian Han and others.It should be said that he has a deeper understanding of the revolution than Mei Lanfang, and a clearer understanding of the Communist Party than Mei Lanfang.So without persuasion, he said to Xia Yan and Xiong Fuxi: "Please rest assured, I will never go with the Kuomintang, and I will stay in Shanghai to welcome liberation." Then he accompanied Xia and Xiong to Mei's house.Mei Lanfang was very moved by the sincerity of the Communist Party, not to mention that he had already made a decision.So, before Fei Xia and Xiong had much to say, he made it clear: "I'm not going anywhere."

Mei Lanfang ended up staying on the mainland. Meng Xiaodong was on the contrary. Although she did not go directly to Taiwan, she eventually left the mainland and went to Hong Kong. After finishing the birthday benefit performance in Shanghai and completing the artistic swan song, Meng Xiaodong returned to Peiping.Immediately, Du Yuesheng bought a house for her in Dingyin Hutong located in Chongwenmen.After she moved into the new house, she lived a period of life that can be said to be unexamined, sleeping, eating, playing mahjong, and occasionally smoking opium. Of course, she also took medicine, her body continued to weaken, and her stomach problems worsened.

Speaking of opium smoking, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Meng Xiaodong once participated in organizing actors to quit smoking.In the old Liyuan circle, it was a common phenomenon for actors to smoke opium. It was so common that most actors had an affair with opium.The mother and wife of Shang Xiaoyun, one of the four famous actresses, both smoked opium. As a filial son, Shang Xiaoyun would burn cigarettes for his mother every night, but he never took a sip of the smoke, and his willpower was unbelievable . So why are actors obsessed with opium?In addition to the influence of the social environment and the strength of personal perseverance, it is more out of acting needs.It is rumored in Liyuan that opium can calm the mind, reduce fire, prevent middle-aged fat, and can also help Qi, help thinking, and reduce stress.Although they all know that this thing is a scourge, it is not easy to get rid of it completely.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the government forced smoking cessation.Most of the artists in Liyuan live in poverty. They want to be admitted to the hospital to quit smoking, but they cannot afford the medical expenses.Several famous actors such as Meng Xiaodong and Ma Lianliang spontaneously organized, raised funds, and set up the "Smoking Quit Club for Peking Opera Artists" in the place of the Municipal Third Hospital, mobilizing actors who needed to quit smoking to join the club and quit smoking.Soon, the Smoking Quit Association gathered more than a hundred actors, among whom more than 30 were able to afford it at their own expense; the remaining 70 or so were all free of charge.The conditions of the smoking cessation meeting are very good. There are 8 rooms in total. Everyone eats white rice, one dish and one soup every day.Every day, a doctor comes to give injections and medicines at regular intervals to monitor the effectiveness of smoking cessation.

After a while, the first group of people who successfully quit smoking came out.Among them were Jin Shaoshan, Tan Xiaopei, Wang Yaoqing, Ma Lianliang, Ye Longzhang, Liu Yanfang, Tan Fuying, Yang Baozhong, Xu Lanyuan, etc.; then, the second and third batches attended the meeting successively, including Wan Zihe, Ru Fulan, Ru Fuhui, Wang Lianping, Fang Baoquan, Zhang Zishou, Li Yutai and others.In the end, there were only 4 or 5 people left in the "Smoking Quit Meeting".In other words, the success rate of smoking cessation is still very high.It's a pity that Meng Xiaodong doesn't seem to have completely quit. In the second half of 1948, as the war became more intense, Meng Xiaodong was unavoidably flustered and at a loss for what to do.At this moment, she received a letter from Yao Yulan.In the letter, Yao Yulan asked her to leave Peiping and go to Shanghai as soon as possible to avoid the disaster of war.Not only that, Du Yuesheng considered that the land transportation had been interrupted, so he sent his disciple Wang Qijun, the backstage manager of the Golden Theater, to Beiping to pick her up by special plane.Without hesitation, she left immediately, and she left on Du Yuesheng's special plane.Since then, she has never returned to Peiping. After arriving in Shanghai, Meng Xiaodong once again lived in the "Eighteen-story Building" Du Mansion.This time, Yao Yulan also sincerely urged Meng Xiaodong to settle down and live with them.She said something that moved Meng Xiaodong: "Let's be like a family." From then on, they really became like a family.At this time, Du Yuesheng, who was in his early sixties, was in poor health and had frequent asthma attacks. Meng Xiaodong and Yao Yulan took turns taking care of him.Under the careful care of the two concubines, Du Yuesheng felt very comfortable. Such an ordinary and stable life lasted less than half a year. In April 1949, seeing that the People's Liberation Army was about to cross the Yangtze River, Shanghai seemed to be in danger, so people panicked.Du Yuesheng also faced a choice in life: on the one hand, Chiang Kai-shek summoned him and persuaded him to go to Taiwan with good words;Du Yuesheng had some conflicts and struggles. After a lot of thinking and weighing, he finally decided not to go to Taiwan or stay in the mainland, but to go to Hong Kong with his family.This "home" and "mouth" include Meng Xiaodong. Maybe Meng Xiaodong once hesitated, what is it for her to go with the Du family like this?However, looking back, what should she do if she doesn't follow?For her who is helpless, homeless and lonely, she already regards Du Yuesheng and Yao Yulan as her relatives.In Du's house, although she has no name and identity, she can truly feel the warmth of her relatives and the warmth of home.So she chose to leave, just like Mei Lanfang chose to stay, she was very pure, without political factors. On April 23, Nanjing was liberated. Four days later, Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng's family left Shanghai on the Dutch "Baoshuyun" passenger ship.Since then, she has never been back to Shanghai, not even to the mainland. After arriving in Hong Kong, Meng Xiaodong and the others lived in an apartment at No. 18 Kennedy Terrace.This apartment has three bedrooms and one living room, which is not small in a small place like Hong Kong.However, the Du family has a large population, and they live in close quarters.Du Yuesheng rented another house and let the children move out.In this way, Meng Xiaodong also has a room of her own.Her room is very elegantly furnished, with large and small stills hanging on the wall, and a huqin.There is a very special still photo of "Wujiapo", which seems to be torn from the middle by someone.So some people suspected that the "person" who was torn off might be Mei Lanfang.It can be seen that although she has been away from the stage, deep down in her heart, she still misses her past stage career and past people very much.She did not abandon everything in the past as some people imagined. Far away from the flames of war and turmoil, Meng Xiaodong felt that life suddenly became quieter.Usually, she still mainly takes care of Du Yuesheng's sick body.In free time, especially when Du Yuesheng was in a good mood, the Du family called friends and held a small church meeting at home.At this time, Ma Lianliang, Yang Baosen, Zhang Junqiu, and luthier Wang Ruizhi were all in Hong Kong.Then, Yao Yulan sang a section, Meng Xiaodong sang a section, everyone sang a section together, Du Yuesheng also improvised a section, and the atmosphere was quite lively. Meng Xiaodong spent the last six months in mainland China in Shanghai.At this time, Mei Lanfang was also in Shanghai.However, they never had the chance to meet.Even if there is a chance, I am afraid that the two of them will not meet.When Mei Lanfang decided to stay, Meng Xiaodong left.Mei Lanfang chose to stay, which made him involuntarily turn more and more towards politics; Meng Xiaodong chose to leave, which made her, who was already far away from politics, even further away from politics. One month after Meng Xiaodong left, Shanghai was liberated.Mei Lanfang's true understanding of the Communist Party began when he saw the People's Liberation Army on the streets of Shanghai.Mrs. Mei Fuzhifang once recalled: "On the morning of the liberation of Shanghai, Lanfang took to the streets, and there were faint gunshots. When I went to Jianguo East Road, I saw many PLA soldiers sleeping on the side of the road. He came back and told me happily. We, the Communist army have indeed liberated Shanghai, and the discipline is excellent." The "excellent discipline" of the Communist army left a deep and good impression on Mei Lanfang. Before liberation, he didn't have much contact with the Communist Party, and he never knew that the Communist Party had protected him in a unique way.It was at the beginning of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, and he received greetings from Zhou Enlai transferred by the staff of the Shanghai Communist Party Office.Therefore, he expressed to Zhou Xinfang that he wanted to visit Zhou Enlai.However, Zhou Enlai did not agree.At that time, Mei Lanfang only guessed that Zhou Enlai was a little embarrassed, but he didn't know that Zhou Enlai wanted to protect him.Zhou Enlai predicted that the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party would break down at any time. If there were too many contacts with cultural celebrities such as Mei Lanfang at this time, once the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party deteriorated, Mei Lanfang would definitely be persecuted by the Kuomintang.Therefore, he refused to meet with Mei Lanfang.As he expected, after the breakdown of the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Zhou Xinfang, who had always had a relatively close relationship with the Communist Party, was intimidated by the Kuomintang agents, while Mei Lanfang was safe and sound. From the liberation of Shanghai to the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mei Lanfang was surrounded by various political activities.During these days, he frequently participated in various conferences in Shanghai and Beijing, and delivered speeches of various sizes.The most important thing is that his thoughts and concepts have changed significantly along with these large and small meetings and activities. In July 1949, the first national "Wen Dai Conference" was held in Beiping.Mei Lanfang was invited to attend as a representative of Shanghai's cultural circles.At the meeting, he carefully listened to the political report of Zhou Enlai, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Guo Moruo's general report entitled "Struggling to Build the People's Literature and Art in New China", and the reports of Mao Dun and Zhou Yang summarizing the revolutionary literature and art movement in the Kuomintang-controlled areas and liberated areas respectively. These reports opened Mei Lanfang's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that he only focused on shaping the image of beauties in the past.Therefore, the idea expressed in these reports that "literary and art workers must learn, reform their thinking, and integrate with the masters of the new society—"workers, peasants, and soldiers"" and Guo Moruo's "accept Chairman Mao's instructions, create The slogan "Literature and Art Serving the People" touched Mei Lanfang a lot, and he suddenly realized that his previous "serving objects were vague." After that, he carefully studied Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art", gradually clarifying the direction that literature and art should first serve the workers, peasants and soldiers.He said: "After clarifying this direction, I feel that my artistic life has found its true destination." Because of this, Mei Lanfang's performances since then have all closely revolved around the purpose of "serving the workers, peasants and soldiers".According to his own statement, he "has been to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Han and several industrial areas such as Shijiazhuang, Wuxi and eight cities in the northeast, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the three major projects of Anshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. North Korea expressed condolences to the work of the Chinese People’s Volunteers and the Korean People’s Army, and later went to South China to condolences to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.” From this we can see that his audience has changed from dignitaries and literati to workers, peasants and soldiers. Two months later, Mei Lanfang went north again to attend the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.On the day after the closing of the meeting, that is, on October 1, 1949, as a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, he participated in the celebration of the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China and the Central People's Government and watched the military parade.Later, he was successively elected as a representative of the National People's Congress, vice-chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, vice-chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association, president of the Chinese Opera Research Institute, and president of the China Peking Opera Company. He was also appointed by Premier Zhou Enlai as the president of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera.Since then, he is no longer a pure actor or artist, but has become a government official. The huge change of identity made him sigh from the bottom of his heart: "I was a person with no status in the old society. Today, I can discuss state affairs in the highest authority of the country and become the leader of the central organization. This is unprecedented in our opera industry." Things that have never existed are things that neither my ancestors nor myself could have dreamed of.” However, the change of identity does not mean that he understands and recognizes politics, and he is actually the original artist Mei Lanfang. Mei Lanfang still hasn't become a politician. After the National Political Association held in Beijing, Mei Lanfang led a delegation to Tianjin for a short-term performance at the invitation of A Ying, director of the Tianjin Cultural Bureau.During this period, he accepted an exclusive interview with Zhang Songjia, a cultural and educational reporter from Tianjin "Progress Daily", and his secretary Xu Jichuan also participated in the interview.At that time, the national opera circles were vigorously devoting themselves to drama reform.Naturally, the topics of the interview focused on the ideological transformation of Peking Opera artists and the reform of Peking Opera repertoires. When reporter Zhang asked Mei Lanfang "How to reform Peking Opera to meet the needs of the new society", Mei Lanfang said bluntly: "The reform of Peking Opera is not an easy task! However, let this ancient opera be better for the new society. Serving the society and serving the people is an urgent problem to be solved.” Then, he analyzed in detail: “I think it is best not to confuse the ideological transformation and technical reform of Peking Opera art. The latter should be retained in principle. However, the former must be revised after full preparation and careful consideration, so that no mistakes will occur. Because Peking Opera is a classical art with thousands of years of tradition, it is even more important for us to revise it. Be careful. Otherwise, it will be blunt and forced. In this way, the effect it achieves will be reduced." Finally, he concluded: "As the saying goes, 'changing form with every step', today's drama reform work is To achieve 'moving step' rather than 'changing shape'." Mei Lanfang's famous Peking opera reform theory of "moving without changing form" was born under such circumstances. Within a few days, reporter Zhang Songjia conducted an interview on this and wrote an article "Moving without Changing Shape - Mei Lanfang Talks about the Reform of Old Dramas", the full text of which was published in "Progress Daily". A stone stirs up a thousand waves.As soon as this article came out, it immediately attracted criticism in the literary and art circles.Since most of the critics were well-known figures in Beijing's literary and art circles, the influence was quite large.The reason for their opposition is: "The development of things always determines the form of the content. When the content changes, the form must also change." Therefore, they proposed that "moving steps must change form". If we discuss this issue purely from the perspective of art, then that's fine.The problem is that under the historical background at that time, some people went online and said that the reason why Mei Lanfang advocated "moving without changing form" was to promote reformism and hinder the thorough reform of Peking Opera.In this way, the nature is serious.Fortunately, Lu Dingyi, then head of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, stopped the further expansion of the situation in time.He believed that "Mei Lanfang is a banner in the drama world, and we must be cautious in criticizing him." He then transferred the relevant materials to the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, and asked Huang Jing, Secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Municipal Committee, and Huang Songling, Minister of Culture and Education of the Municipal Committee, to handle it properly. Mei Lanfang's mood plummeted.He embraced politics with enthusiasm, but he never wanted to be stung by politics.As far as his kind and gentle personality is concerned, his heart is full of regret, annoyance, and anxiety, but he has no anger.Reporter Zhang Songjia was very angry. He thought that "there is nothing wrong with expressing his own views on Peking Opera reform." He felt that his article had made a mistake for Mei Lanfang, so he was ready to take responsibility himself.Secretary Xu Jichuan also said that he was the one to take the blame and tried to help Mei Lanfang out.Mei Lanfang was not a person who dared to speak out, so he immediately refused, and made it clear that he would bear all the consequences by himself. The final solution to the matter was: the Tianjin Drama and Music Workers Association came forward to hold a symposium on the reform of old dramas, and invited well-known people from the literary and art circles in Tianjin to participate, as well as Mei Lanfang and Xu Jichuan.In other words, this meeting actually provided a platform for Mei Lanfang to "correct mistakes".At this meeting, Mei Lanfang revised his views in a "timely" way.He said: "On the issue of content and form, when I first came to Tianjin, I once expressed my opinion of 'moving without changing shape'. Later, the research results of He Tian Han, A Ying, A Jia, and Ma Shaobo Zhu, I feel that my opinion is wrong. My current understanding of this issue is that form and content are inseparable, content determines form, and 'moving steps will inevitably change form'." The reason why Mei Lanfang said "moving without changing form" was not just talking about it, but his deep understanding of many years of experience in Peking Opera reform and innovation.Since creating new fashion dramas in 1913, he has never stopped innovating and reforming Peking Opera. Although he gave up new fashion dramas due to the contradiction between content and form, he immediately focused on creating and rehearsing new costume dramas. .No matter how it changes, he always follows one thing, that is, never deviates from the artistic rules of Peking Opera.Compared with traditional Peking Opera, his plays have changed a lot, but they are still "Peking Opera".It can be judged from this that the "shape" he mentioned does not just refer to the form, but the artistic law and unique style of Peking Opera.The so-called "do not change form" means that it does not violate the artistic rules and unique style of Peking Opera. Obviously, Mei Lanfang's later revision of "moving steps will inevitably change form" is definitely not his true meaning.However, under the circumstances at the time, what could he do if he didn't do so?For him, whose life has always been relatively smooth, this turmoil has really taught him the power of politics.Since then, he has become silent again. Mei Lanfang in the mainland gradually turned to politics, while Meng Xiaodong in Hong Kong continued her ordinary life with no name or role.Judging from her relationship with Mei Lanfang, she is after fame.However, she has been with Du Yuesheng for many years, and it seems that her status has long since faded.In the eyes of outsiders, she is used to a life without a name, and her indifference and calmness towards life seem to have brought her to a state where she needs nothing and wants nothing.In fact, it's not always the case, how can outsiders know her true inner feelings.This kind of nameless life is not what she wants.However, she is also very clear in her heart that some things, such as fame, are not something you can pursue if you want to.The reason why she never asked Du Yuesheng to give her a title was because she was patiently accumulating and waiting for the right time. Autumn 1950, the time has come!Before that, Du Yuesheng's master Jin Rong, who stayed in the mainland, was entrusted by the government to send someone to Hong Kong to persuade Du Yuesheng to return to the mainland.At the same time, Xia Yan, Pan Hannian, and Zhang Shizhao also went to Hong Kong to persuade him to return to the mainland.The rumor spread to Taiwan.The Taiwan side was already dissatisfied with Du Yuesheng's refusal to go to Taiwan, but now they heard that he was flirting with the mainland side and became even more annoyed, so they made it public and warned him to proceed carefully, otherwise what would happen. Du Yuesheng did not choose to stay in the mainland, nor did he choose to go to Taiwan. In fact, he chose an intermediate state of not leaning on both sides and watching from both sides.He thought that Hong Kong was the safest safe haven for him.Now, he is being attacked by both sides, and he feels that Hong Kong cannot stay any longer.He wants to choose a safe place again, where?France.So, he immediately called the whole family together and expressed his thoughts.The family naturally did not dare to object.Immediately, he asked the housekeeper Wan Molin to apply for passports for the whole family.Counting the heads, there are 27 people in total. At this moment, Meng Xiaodong who had never said a word suddenly said a word.These words shocked Du Yuesheng and everyone present.She said: "I'll follow, are you calling me a girl, or a girlfriend?" This can be said to be a word that wakes up the dreamer.Whether it was Du Yuesheng, Yao Yulan, or the others, they all suddenly woke up: That's right, who is she, Meng Xiaodong, from the Du family? Many people have doubts, why Meng Xiaodong didn't say "I'll go with him, I'm just a girl, or a girlfriend" when he followed the Du family from Shanghai to Hong Kong.At that time, she was neither a servant girl nor a girlfriend, and she followed her away without a name.Why do you suddenly express this emotion now that the Du family is about to move again?In fact, this is exactly where she is smart. The so-called is not what it used to be.At that time, she went south from Beiping to Shanghai and lived in Du Mansion for only half a year.In just the past six months, it was impossible for her to consolidate her position in the Du family.What's more, she was graciously invited by Yao Yulan when she was isolated and helpless, and she was very grateful to Yao Yulan.Therefore, she had too many scruples, she didn't dare to offend Yao Yulan because of fighting for fame, and she didn't want to disturb the Du family, which would make Du Yuesheng feel disgusted with her.Otherwise, she is very likely to lose her "family" and her "home" again.The situation is different now. They have been in Hong Kong for more than a year. During this time, she has carefully taken care of Du Yuesheng's sick body, feeding soup and medicine, eating and living, and everything is fine.When Du Yuesheng was in good spirits, she would sing a few passages to make him enjoy himself.It can be said that Du Yuesheng cannot do without her both physically and mentally. Regarding the relationship between her and Yao Yulan, instead of becoming more harmonious as they lived together for a long time, they became increasingly alienated.No one can tell the exact reason. Some people say that Meng Xiaodong is lonely and hard to get close to; some people say that she has a weird temper and is difficult to get along with others;In short, it is impossible for two women who have the same man to coexist peacefully.It is said that when they lived in Hong Kong, the Du family did their own thing, and even they ate their own food because of their different tastes.Due to health reasons, Du Yuesheng ate badly burned noodles; Yao Yulan hid in her room and ate dumplings; Meng Xiaodong ate bread alone.The relationship between the two has reached this level, and Meng Xiaodong seems to have nothing to fear—this is the case even if there is no fight for fame, even if it is a fight for fame, what can she Yao Yulan do?What's more, she felt that this was what she deserved, and it was Du Yuesheng's reward for taking care of her in every possible way these days. Du Yuesheng seriously recalled what Meng Xiaodong said, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he owed her too much.He knew about her relationship with Mei Lanfang, so he also knew how much she valued fame.He suddenly thought that he was old and frail, and Xiaodong was only in his early 40s, what would she do if he passed away first?For so many years, she followed him, accompanied him, took care of him, comforted him, and gave him spiritual comfort. She gave everything. Isn't it natural to give her a name?Therefore, he immediately decided to put aside the matter of going to France, and focus on a major event without delay: holding a wedding. Soon, at the Kowloon Hotel, the 62-year-old Du Yuesheng, who was dying of illness, and the 42-year-old Meng Xiaodong, who was still charming, held a grand wedding.Yao Yulan was a little reluctant about this, she was not opposed to Meng Xiaodong marrying Du Yuesheng, in fact, Meng Xiaodong was already Du Yuesheng's person, in the eyes of outsiders, they were already husband and wife.Therefore, holding a wedding is nothing more than a formality.She just felt that Du Yuesheng was so old, and he was so sick that he didn't know how many days he would live. It was a bit embarrassing to make such a big wedding.On the other hand, she always felt uneasy about Meng Xiaodong living in Du's house for many years without a name. At the wedding, Du Yuesheng seriously asked his son-in-law, wife and son-in-law to kowtow to Meng Xiaodong, calling her "Mummy" and Yao Yulan "Niangniang".Before, Meng Xiaodong was their "aunt", "Aunt Meng", "Aunt Xiaodong", "Aunt Meng Xiaodong".After saying "Mommy", Meng Xiaodong gave each of his son and son-in-law a set of suits, and each of his daughter and daughter-in-law a watch. This "Mommy" also means that Meng Xiaodong has gained fame since then.However, is this the status she is after?Obviously not.If this was the title she was after, why did she leave Mei Lanfang in the first place?Is it better to be Du Yuesheng's fifth concubine than Mei Lanfang's third wife?With a strong personality, in order to get rid of the fate of being a "concubine", she resolutely left Mei Lanfang, but became Du Yuesheng's concubine willingly.Perhaps at the beginning, she and Mei Lanfang were out of affection, and when affection was paramount, she could not tolerate being a concubine; later, she and Du Yuesheng were more likely out of dependence.That being the case, she didn't care so much about it.Therefore, it cannot be said that she deserved this fate, because it was her own choice. When Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng held their wedding in Hong Kong, Mei Lanfang's dictated memoir "Mei Lanfang's Stage Life" began to be serialized in Shanghai's "Wen Wei Po", which attracted widespread attention from all walks of life.However, in this memoir, Mei Lanfang did not mention Meng Xiaodong at all. Later, Mei Lanfang returned to Beijing from Shanghai with her family.As early as July 1949, when Mei Lanfang went to Peiping to participate in the "Wen Daihui", Zhou Enlai made a special trip to visit him, sincerely expressed his hope that he would work in Peiping, and asked the relevant parties to do their best to facilitate this.Mei Lanfang was not willing to go against Zhou Enlai's good intentions. In addition, he later served as the dean of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Opera and the dean of the Peking Opera Academy.From then on, he settled down in Huguosi Street (it later became the Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall). Less than a year after Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng held their wedding, on August 16, 1951, Du Yuesheng died of illness.Before dying, he distributed the property.Meng Xiaodong was only allocated 20,000 US dollars.She is said to have blurted out: "How is that enough?" So what.Fortunately, they held a wedding before, and she was famous - Fifth Aunt, otherwise, she might not even get twenty cents. Even if $20,000 was not enough, she had to move out of Du's apartment at No. 18 Kennedy Terrace—it was difficult for her to live under the same roof with Yao Yulan—to move to an apartment in the embassy building after finishing Du Yuesheng's affairs.Back then, she lived with Mei Lanfang for four years, and finally settled everything with 40,000 yuan.Counting from 1937, she followed Du Yuesheng for more than ten years, and finally settled everything with 20,000 US dollars.The difference is that the former man is gone; the latter man is dead. Since then, Meng Xiaodong's life in Hong Kong has become simple again.She has no family, let alone children; she has no one to care about, and no one needs her to serve.She doesn't have any friends around her either.At this time, Ma Lianliang, Zhang Junqiu, and Yang Baosen had already left Hong Kong and returned to the mainland, and there was no chance for artists to gather together to hold a small church.What did she do to pass the time?smoke.The only friend is the luthier Wang Ruizhi.Usually, he makes a living by talking about dramas for fanciers.He would visit Meng Xiaodong occasionally, and after Du Yuesheng died, when she was alone, he became the only friend she expected. One day, Wang Ruizhi came to see her again.During the chat, he mentioned that a person from the Sing Yu School wanted to worship her as a teacher. This person was called Qian Peirong.She seemed very unenthusiastic about apprenticeships.Is she not a good teacher?Maybe, but in her own words, sickly and spiritless.In fact, there is another very important reason, that is, deep down in her heart, she does not seem to want to pass on her art.It is said that when she settled in Taipei in her later years, she had the urge to hang her voice, so she closed the windows tightly and drew the curtains, for fear of being overheard by others.Some thought she was rather selfish.In fact, most artists in the old era were unwilling to pass on their art. "Do not pass on art" was the convention of that era, the reason was that the status of artists was low and life was not easy, and they were afraid that they would teach their apprentices and starve themselves to death.Meng Xiaodong just followed the old customs. Many people want to worship Meng Xiaodong as their teacher, but they all know that she does not accept disciples.The reason why Qian Peirong boldly proposed apprenticeship was because of an incident that happened a few years ago when he went to Du's residence as a disciple of Du Yuesheng to hang his voice.At that time, Meng Xiaodong heard him sing "Wujiapo", and said to Du Yuesheng: "This is the singing style of the Yu faction." Du Yuesheng said: "Then you should teach him." Meng Xiaodong said: "He is yours. Student, not my student." From her tone, Qian Peirong heard that if he was her student, then she would definitely teach him.This made him see the hope of being a teacher, so he first persuaded Wang Ruizhi to be a lobbyist. Wang Ruizhi brought up the old story again, and Meng Xiaodong also remembered the conversation between him and Du Yuesheng at that time.Seeing Wang Ruizhi's face, she was a little shaken.Thinking about how she is alone now, with nothing to do, she might as well take in an apprentice and talk about dramas for him, so as to pass the boring time.Just like that, she nodded. Qian Peirong was very happy.However, he understood Meng Xiaodong's temper, so he didn't dare to visit the door without authorization.With Wang Ruizhi as the middleman, he didn't seem to think it was enough, so he begged Yu Shuyan's close friend Sun Yangnong to introduce him on his behalf.At that time, Sun Yangnong was writing the book "Talking about Yu Shuyan", and often bothered Meng Xiaodong.Meng Xiaodong was very supportive of this matter and actively cooperated and assisted.Later, she also personally wrote the preface to the book entitled "Looking Up to the Former Teacher".With Wang Ruizhi and Sun Yangnong, the matter of recruiting apprentices is settled.However, the first time Meng Xiaodong accepted an apprentice, not only did she accept Qian Peirong, who was recommended by Qian Peirong, she also accepted Zhao Peixin, who had worked with her before.Zhao Peixin rushed to Hong Kong from Taiwan to attend the apprenticeship ceremony with Qian Peirong. Afterwards, Meng Xiaodong successively accepted Huang Jinmao, Li Jiayou, Cai Guoheng, Wu Zhongyi, Yan Xu Songhui, Xu Mifu and others as disciples.Interestingly, none of the apprentices she accepted were professional actors, but all amateurs.The reason for this, no one knows for sure.Is it a kind of compensation for her breaking her promise of "not accepting disciples"? In the autumn of 1952, Meng Xiaodong attended a very important private party.The purpose of the party was to see off the painter Zhang Daqian.In the early years, Zhang Daqian and Yu Shuyan had a deep friendship.At that time, the well-known niche actors Yu Zhenfei and Huang Manyun were also present at the party.After drinking for three rounds, someone suggested that Meng Xiaodong sing a verse.She didn't shirk.Surprisingly, she said that she drank two more glasses and was a little drunk, so it seemed most appropriate to sing "The Drunken Concubine".Moreover, she asked Yu Zhenfei and his wife to play Gao and Pei Erlishi as cameos. The three sang impromptu.There is nothing to say about the singing itself, the key is that she sang "The Drunken Concubine".Everyone knows that this play is a famous "Mei School" play, and it is Mei Lanfang's specialty.Yu Zhenfei once collaborated with Mei Lanfang in this play.Did Meng Xiaodong really think of "The Drunken Concubine" because he was a little drunk, or did he think of Mei Lanfang who had worked with him when he saw Yu Zhenfei?何况，她唱这出戏，有十足的“梅派”风韵——当年，梅兰芳教过她，可以说，她是梅兰芳最亲密的弟子。人在醉意之下，最能显露内心深处的隐秘。在失去了杜月笙后，她是不是又想起梅兰芳了呢？ 张大千的确想起了梅兰芳。他清楚地记得他跟梅兰芳交往的每一个细节。有一次，他到梅家，梅兰芳正在画画。见到大画家，梅兰芳诚恳求教：“八爷，您说说画美人的道理。”张大千笑言：“你为什么问我如何画美人呢？你自己就是一个美人。”解放前夕，在上海，梅兰芳为张大千送行。席间，张大千对梅兰芳说：“你是君子，我是小人，我先敬你一杯。”梅兰芳不解：“您怎么自称是小人呢？”张大千笑言：“你是君子——动口；我是小人——动手。” 说到“君子”和“小人”的故事，大家都笑。唯有孟小冬，以醉意掩藏了自己。谁也不知道，此时，她的内心，是波涛汹涌，还是心如止水？ 留在大陆做了政府官员的梅兰芳的生活不可能像孟小冬那样清闲，他忙碌而充实。自从由沪迁京后，他的社会活动更加频繁：他参加首都各界庆祝抗日战争胜利六周年大会；他出席全国政协一届三次会议；他与首都50万群众一起参加了庆祝“五一”节游行活动；他与郭沫若、周扬、丁玲、冯雪峰、曹禺、赵树理等50余位文艺界代表出席了全国文联为纪念毛泽东《在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话》发表10周年举行的座谈会；他随以宋庆龄为团长、郭沫若为副团长的中国代表团赴奥地利首都维也纳，出席世界人民和平大会；他出席中国人民政治协商会议第一届全国委员会第四次会议；他参加全国第二届文学艺术界代表大会，并被推选为全国文联副主席；在全国剧协改组为中国戏剧家协会后，他任副主席。 尽管政治活动、社会活动十分频繁，但梅兰芳内心钟爱的仍然是京剧表演。即便是政治地位起了翻天覆地的变化，头上的政治光环越来越多，他依旧难忘他为之奋斗了半生的京剧事业。因而，从解放初到他去世前的十来年里，他除了为中央领导演出、庆典演出、赈灾义演外，也从来没有停止过营业戏的演出。当然，他最多的是上山、下乡、进部队、上前线四处慰问演出。他自己曾做过比较，解放前他只到过几个大城市演出，解放后他到过的城市达17个省。在所有的演出活动中，梅兰芳自说“工农兵观众占了最大的比重”，而最让他难忘的、意义也最重大的莫过于随朝鲜慰问团赴朝演出了。 不知道孟小冬对梅兰芳的这些活动究竟了解多少，但是，从旧时代走进新时代的艺人们的社会地位有了不同程度的提高，她应该有所耳闻。然而，她似乎没有返回大陆的想法。马连良、张君秋他们回去了，她不为所动。后来，俞振飞也回了大陆，她仍然无动于衷。就连她的琴师王瑞芝也于1955年返回上海，加入上海新民京剧团。对此，她还是没有动心。 一直以来，有这样的传说，梅兰芳曾于50年代到过香港，和孟小冬秘密相见，目的就是为了劝她回去。此说令人怀疑。有人自大陆到香港，面见孟小冬。闲聊中，孟小冬很随意地问起留在京、沪的京剧艺人，却单单不问梅兰芳。此人也不避讳，主动提起梅兰芳。她没有拒绝倾听，但她什么话也没说。即便此说是事实，结果也很明显：她仍然滞留在香港。也许正因为连梅兰芳都不能说服她，之后，章士钊也好，奉周恩来之命的马连良也好，就更不可能让她改变心意了。对于她坚持不回大陆，有人猜测，原因很简单，一是因为梅兰芳，一是因为杜月笙。她知道梅兰芳当时的政治地位，他已经是政府的人了，而杜月笙早年曾经参与过屠杀共产党。她跟梅兰芳有过一段情，她又是杜月笙的妾，回去后的命运会如何？她难以想像。 转眼到了1959年。这年是新中国成立十周年。在这一年里，梅兰芳完成了两件大事，一是加入了中国共产党；二是公演了他解放后的首部大戏。自抗战初期梅兰芳编排了《抗金兵》和《生死恨》之后，二十多年来，他再也没有一部新戏问世。除了抗战八年暂别舞台和解放前三年政局混乱外，解放后的十年间，他也未能拿出新戏，这不能不令人遗憾。要论原因，不是他不想，而是实属无奈。这是时代所致，梅兰芳迫不得已。 当新中国迎来十周岁生日时，戏曲界凭借得天独厚的优势竞排新戏作为献礼，有历史戏也有现代剧，一派百花齐放、欣欣向荣的灿烂景象。梅兰芳也顺理成章地有了创排新戏的理由。然而，经过近十年的政治磨砺，他已不再对政治完全茫然无知，他很清醒地认识到，此次创排新戏与从前是不同的。作为献给祖国的寿礼，也作为庆贺他入党，这部新戏要反映出他对新中国对共产党由衷热爱的心声。因此，早已摆在他案头的《龙女牧羊》，就不是最合适的了。在颇费了一番踌躇后，他选中了。“穆桂英”这个角色及其“我不挂帅谁挂帅，我领兵谁领兵”的豪气正能体现梅兰芳老当益壮、老骥伏枥的奋斗精神。 当然，抛开政治性不谈，在艺术上，这出戏不仅称得上是梅兰芳老年的代表作，更是他的经典之作。也许是他对祖国对人民发自肺腑的热爱，也许是他穷尽毕生对艺术的感悟和体验，也许是积聚在心中的能量的总爆发。总之，这出戏展示了他的全部艺术才华，也是他舞台生活50年的集中体现。 然而，仅仅过了两年，1961年8月8月凌晨4点45分，梅兰芳因急性冠状动脉梗塞并发急性左心衰竭，遽然而逝。仅仅在前一天的晚上，他的精神状况似乎不错，还笑着安慰夫人福芝芳：“这几天我已好多了，你也不要太操心了，你有高血压病，不要来得太早，要在家多休息，要多保重身体。”然后，他让长子葆琛送母亲到病房对面的休息室去休息。这是他留给家人的最后一句话，随后他便沉沉睡去，再也没有醒来，享年67岁。 《人民日报》等多家报纸均在头版发表了大幅讣告，并刊登了由周恩来等六十多人组成的由陈毅担任主任委员的治丧委员会名单。与此同时，世界许多国家的报纸也报道了这一噩耗。国内外的唁电多达近三百封，除了国内的，还有来自苏联、越南、德国等数十个国家。郭沫若、田汉、萧三、邓拓、陈叔通、叶恭绰、王昆仑等更赋诗作词，痛悼一代艺术大师。 8月10日上午，北京各界两千余人在首都剧场举行了隆重的梅兰芳追悼大会，由陈毅副总理主持，他代表中共中央和国务院向梅兰芳的亲属表示慰问。文化部副部长齐燕铭致悼词，高度称颂梅兰芳光辉的一生。参加追悼会的除了中央和北京有关部门的负责人，包括周扬、夏衍、林默涵等外，还有苏联等各国驻华使节和外交官员以及正在北京访问的一些国际友人。 据胡适日记记载，台湾的报纸转发了日本电讯，他由此得知梅兰芳去世。就连台湾都刊发了消息，可以想见，在香港的孟小冬也一定获悉了实情。不知她当时的真实心理。也许，她会默默地感叹一句：“只是一切都过去了。” 六年后，即1967年，一个意外，孟小冬和早就迁居台湾的姚玉兰取得了联系。当时，有个人劝孟小冬投资做点小生意，孟小冬拒绝了。后来，她听说此人即将赴台湾，准备找姚玉兰投资。她赶紧给姚玉兰打了电话，让她提高警惕以免上当受骗。就这样，这对因为共同拥有一个男人而断交数载的结拜姐妹重修旧好。在姚玉兰的多次劝说下，孟小冬于这年的9月11日登上太古公司的“四川”号轮船离开生活了18年的香港，奔赴台湾。 在台湾台北，孟小冬生活了十年。在这十年里，她的生活主要由姚玉兰、杜美霞母女照顾。一切都过去了，姚玉兰对孟小冬早就无所怨恨。两人都步入老年，有了相依相靠的归宿感。虽然孟小冬独居信义路上的一个公寓，但几乎天天和姚、杜见面。她俩几乎天天到孟寓，杜美霞照顾她的饮食起居，姚玉兰陪她聊天。后来，孟小冬由衷地对人说：“真奇怪，她来这儿一坐，我就觉得很定心，她要是有一天不来，我就不知道这日子怎么过了。” 除了和姚玉兰聊天，孟小冬的日常生活主要是授徒、打麻将。一个人的时候，她临写“孟法师碑”、刻图章、打太极拳、捻佛珠、诵经文、养狗、看电视。每年，她都要到法华寺执香拜佛。其实，她更多的时候是被病魔折磨。她有胃病，有哮喘，年事愈高，身体愈差。她的弟子李嘉有说过一句话，很能概括她最后十年的台北生活：“十年台北，多半病中。” 1976年农历十一月十六日，是孟小冬虚龄七十。她的友人和弟子们为她做了寿，活动持续了两天。前一天，在她的家里，摆了两桌酒席。然后，在杜美霞的陪伴下，她又去法华寺诵经。这是她每年生日那天必做的“功课”。第二天，在金山街金山航业公司招待所举办了正式的寿礼。其间，孟小冬和弟子钱培荣合作了一段《定军山》，和曲艺演员朱培声和张宜宜合作了一段上海滑稽戏。看的出来，她非常兴奋。 也正是因为又劳累，又兴奋，寿礼过后，她患了感冒，加剧了哮喘病。她一向不愿意进医院。于是，医生被请到了家里，他建议她尽快住院。她没有答应，只说了一句：“你们等我决定，听我的信儿。”姚玉兰、杜美霞也都劝她。她烦了，说：“你们谈点别的好不好？不如看电视吧。”见此，大家也就不好说什么了。 5月，她的肺部有了积水现象。她还是不听劝，坚持不住院。25日，她哮喘大发作，竟致昏迷。就这样，她被强行送进了医院。虽经全力抢救，她仍昏迷不醒。第二天晚上，她以肺气肿心脏病并发症，在台北忠孝东路中心诊所去世。 在病发前，她或许已经有了预感，嘱咐友人将她生前所录唱片和音带全部烧毁。这可以理解为她一贯的行事作风——无意让后人将自己的艺术传承下去，也可以理解为她不想让自己的声音留在人间——她厌恶这个世界。 两个星期后，在台北的市立殡仪馆，杜府为孟小冬举办了丧礼。众多社会名流，如严家淦、张岳军、陈立夫、黄少谷、张大千等赠送了挽联，给以“艺苑扬芬”、“绝艺贞忱”、“菊坛遗爱”等评价。 梅兰芳去世后，夫人福芝芳唯一的要求就是“不能火化只能土葬”。为此，周恩来建议将存放在故宫博物院的一口楠木棺材作价4千元卖给福芝芳。这口棺材原本是给孙中山预备的，因为孙中山去世后用的是苏联送来的一口水晶棺材，所以它就一直闲置着。于是有人说：“梅先生在世时当领袖（他有'伶界大王'之称），去世后睡的是皇帝的棺木（孙中山曾位居大总统）。” 在他去世前几年，梅兰芳就和夫人福芝芳商量好百年后要葬在香山碧云寺的万花山，那儿已经长眠着他的前夫人王明华。如今，他去了。福芝芳按照他生前遗愿，嘱咐孩子们将他安葬在万花山。王明华的棺木在他墓穴的右侧，左侧是福芝芳的寿穴。 按照周恩来的指示，有关部门准备为梅兰芳修建墓地，梅兰芳的长子梅葆琛参加设计制图。然而，未及正式施工，“文革”开始了，修墓一事暂时搁浅。“文革”期间，当造反派、红卫兵扛着工具冲向万花山试图挖掘梅兰芳的坟时，却因为墓前尚未立碑始终找不到坟的准确位置而无奈作罢。直到1983年，梅葆琛关于修缮梅兰芳墓的报告得以批准。墓地最终采用的是梅葆琛的设计：“汉白玉墓碑高2.5米，宽1米，被镶嵌在墓后的虎皮石弓形围墙的中间，在墓碑前正中间安置长方形花岗石墓头，四周是一朵四瓣花形的梅花。”这朵四瓣花形的梅花极具象征意义，象征着“梅氏兄妹四人，一人一边陪伴在父亲的身后。”（梅葆琛语） 孟小冬一生信佛。尽管她很迷信，忌讳说“死”，但她早就安排了自己的最终属地——佛教公墓。她曾悄悄地托友人陆京士代为物色墓地。陆京士找来找去，找到台北县树林镇山佳佛教公墓。这块墓地的原主人因为移民美国而急于转手。陆京士获悉后，赶紧告诉孟小冬。孟小冬随即将墓地买了下来，然后请人设计墓园。设计图画了两稿，她一直不满意。5月24日，也就是她发病前一天、她去世前两天，她才终于认可了设计图。公祭过后，孟小冬的灵柩被送往墓地。墓碑上的“杜母孟太夫人墓”由张大千题写。 从此，梅兰芳和孟小冬，一个长眠于大陆，一个沉睡于台湾。生前，他俩始终回避着对方；死后，一道海峡将他俩永远隔开。也许，这符合他俩的心愿。恩已断义已绝，那情，也早已消失。 真的一切都过去了。