Information about Wu Shuang’s father

Wu Zuguang Table of Contents[hide]

Biography

Review of Works

A Brief Collection of Past Events

Concepts of Life< /p>

Bibliographic Chronology

(1917-2003)

[Edit this paragraph] Biography

Wu Zuguang, also known as Wu Zhaoshi and Wu Shao, Famous modern playwright and director. Originally from Wujin, Jiangsu, he was born in a large house in Xiaocaochang, Dongcheng, Beijing on April 21, 1917. The family provided Wu Zuguang with a literary environment. His father, Wu Ying, participated in the founding of the Palace Museum and was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, seal cutting, and appreciation of ancient cultural relics. He had a profound impact on Wu Zuguang's literary career. In the same year, Wu Zuguang graduated from the Confucius School in Beijing. After studying in the Department of Literature at the University of China and France for one year, he applied for the position of Secretary to the Principal's Office of Nanjing Theater College. The novel "Gong'e's Resentment" published in 1934 was his debut novel. After the July 7th Incident, he went to Hunan and Sichuan with drama schools to teach Chinese and Chinese drama history. He graduated from the University of China and France in liberal arts in 1936. In 1937, Wu Zuguang served as secretary to the principal's office of the Nanjing National Drama College. In the same year, he wrote the anti-Japanese drama "Phoenix City", which became a powerful weapon for the national drama circle to fight against the Japanese invaders. In the following years, he created plays such as "Song of Righteousness", "Returning Home on a Snowy Night", "Lin Chong Runs at Night", "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" and "Youth Travel", which shocked the theater world. All of the above works were included in "Wu Zuguang Drama Selections". 》. In 1945, the supplement of "Xinmin Evening News" which he edited took the lead in publishing Mao Zedong's lyrics "Qinyuanchun·Snow". In 1946, he founded the "Yinguang Cup" supplement of "Xinmin Evening News" and "Qingming" magazine in Shanghai. He also created "The Legend of Ghost Hunt" and the new drama "Chang'e Flying to the Moon" to denounce the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang. He was later persecuted by the Kuomintang reactionaries. Flee to Hong Kong. In 1947, he wrote and directed films such as "The Soul of the Country", "Don't Lose Your Youth", "Tears of Mountains and Rivers", "Spring Wind and Autumn Rain" and "Returning on a Snowy Night" in Hong Kong. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wu Zuguang successively created works such as the film "Red Flag Song" about female spinning workers and the children's drama "Abatement of the Four Pests". After 1954, Wu Zuguang directed the films "Mei Lanfang Stage Art", "Luo Shen", and "Tears of the Barren Mountain", leaving extremely precious information for the two Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu. In 1963, he collaborated with his wife Xin Fengxia to adapt the Ping Opera "Flowers as Matchmakers", which became a successful masterpiece on the Ping Opera stage. In addition, he also created a large number of works such as "Wu Zetian", "Three Beats of Tao and Three Spring", "Jianghu", "New Fengxia Legend" and "Three Passes Banquet".

From 1937 to 1948, Wu Zuguang served as a lecturer at the Nanjing National Drama College, director of Chongqing Central Youth Drama Society and Chinese Drama Society, editor of the supplement of "Xinmin Evening News", editor-in-chief of "Qingming" magazine, Hong Kong Greater China Film Director of the company and director of Hong Kong Yonghua Film Company. After 1949, Wu Zuguang served as director of the Central Film Bureau and Beijing Film Studio, choreographer of the Mudanjiang Art Troupe, screenwriter of the Chinese Opera School, Chinese Opera Research Institute, Beijing Peking Opera Theater, professional creator of the Art Bureau of the Ministry of Culture, member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Chinese Dramatists Association. Executive director, vice chairman, honorary chairman of Youyi Publishing Company. In 1957, he was mistakenly classified as a rightist and was sent to work in Beidahuang. He returned to Beijing in 1960 and worked as a screenwriter in the Experimental Peking Opera Troupe of the Central Opera School and the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe. He wrote plays such as "Wu Zetian", "Feng Qiu Huang" and "Three Beats of Tao and Three Spring". In 1979, he was transferred to the Art Bureau of the Ministry of Culture to engage in professional creation. After smashing the Gang of Four, he wrote the Peking opera "The Red Lady" and the play "The Legend of the River", both of which were very popular. He was a member of the 5th to 8th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wu Zuguang published the drama collection "Snowstorm Collection" and the essay collection "Flowers of Art". He also directed a number of art films, among which "Mei Lanfang Stage Art", "Luo Shen", "Tears of the Barren Mountain", etc. Later generations left behind precious information about Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu. In 1960, he returned to Beijing to work as a screenwriter for the Experimental Peking Opera Troupe and the Chinese Opera Research Institute, and created Peking Opera scripts such as "Three Beats of Tao and Three Spring" and "Three Passes Banquet". The film script of the Pingju Opera "Flower as Matchmaker" can be called a renovation of traditional dramas. A model work. After the "Cultural Revolution", Wu Zuguang created the drama "Crossing the Rivers and Lakes" based on the life experience of his wife Xin Fengxia. On April 9, 2003, he died in Beijing due to coronary heart disease at the age of 86.

[Edit this paragraph] Review of works

▲"Three Beats of Tao and Three Spring"

Wu Zuguang's work in the 1960s was acquired by Changchun Film Studio in 1983 Filmed as a color stage art feature film.

In the Five Dynasties, Zheng En, a wandering hero, passed through Pucheng County and was beaten severely by Tao Sanchun, a melon watcher, for stealing watermelons. Zhao Kuangyin saw her outstanding talent and appearance, and arranged a marriage between Zheng En and Tao Sanchun.

After Zhou Shizong Chai Rong ascended the throne, he named Zhao Kuangyin King of Nanping and Zheng En King of Beiping, and granted permission for Zheng En and Sanchun to marry. After Sanchun said goodbye, she also missed Zheng En day and night. The imperial envoy asked her to go to Beijing to get married. She did not wear a phoenix crown and harem, rode a small donkey, and led her younger brother Tao Hu to the capital.

They came to Shili Fort outside Bianjing City and met General Gao Huaide sent by Zhao Kuangyin and Zheng En. Gao Huaide disguised himself as a red-bearded bandit and threatened to make Tao Sanchun his wife. Tao Sanchun was furious when he heard this and fought with him. After a fierce battle, Tao Sanchun defeated the "thieves". In desperation, Gao Huaide revealed his true feelings. After Tao Sanchun heard the news, he burst into the palace in anger and wanted to settle accounts with Zheng En.

Zheng En saw Tao Sanchun breaking into the Golden Palace and hid quietly. Chai Rong saw that Sanchun had no direction and ordered the imperial army to capture her. The imperial army was defeated by Sanchun again, and the general Gao Huailiang was also defeated. Chai Rong had no choice but to order Zhao Kuangyin to find Zheng En overnight and marry them.

Zheng En asked what was the result of the battle at Shilibao? Gao Huaide lied that he secretly shot an eagle feather arrow and shot Sanchun off his mount. After hearing this, Zheng En felt that Sanchun's prestige had been ruined, so he immediately returned home to get married. In order to show off as a prince, Zheng En complained that he was thirsty in the bridal chamber and asked Sanchun to pour him tea. Miharu suppressed her anger and ignored him. When he found an oil-selling clapper on the table, he thought Sanchun was deliberately humiliating him and asked his maid to punish Sanchun according to family law. Sanchun couldn't bear it anymore and started fighting with Zheng En, knocking Zheng En to the ground in a few rounds. Zheng En knew he was outmatched and ran out of the bridal chamber, calling Gao Huaide for help. Gao Huaide had already disappeared without a trace.

After hearing the news, Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin came to break up the fight. In front of them, Tao Sanchun made selling oil bangles a family law of the Zheng family to show that he would never forget his roots. Zheng En knelt down to apologize and admit his mistake, and the couple reconciled. Chai Rong granted Tao Sanchun the title of first-grade brave lady and allowed her to participate in government affairs.

▲"Flower as Matchmaker"

Produced by Changchun Film Studio in 1963 and written by Wu Zuguang. This film script is hailed as a model of the renovation of traditional dramas.

Wang Junqing and his cousin Li Yuee were childhood sweethearts. They had a deep love for each other and vowed to stay together for hundreds of years. The Queen Mother missed her grandson very much and asked Ruan Ma to arrange marriage for Junqing. Ruan Ma arranged for him to marry Zhang Wuke, who was outstanding in talent and appearance, but Junqing refused. After being questioned several times by the Queen Mother, Junqing revealed his true feelings. He would not marry someone other than Yue'e and would never empathize with others. The Queen Mother was helpless and asked Ruan Ma to go to Yue'e's house to talk about their marriage.

Li Maolin, Yue'e's father, believed that having an affair between a man and a woman was indecent and refused to allow the marriage. When Junqing learned of this, his condition worsened day by day. The Queen Mother was worried, so Ruan Ma came up with a plan and encouraged Junqing to go on a blind date in Zhangjia Garden. She believed that as long as Junqing saw Wuke, he would love Woke, and this could be done. But Junqing was seriously ill and could not go. Ruan's mother came up with another plan and asked her cousin Jia Junying to go on a blind date on her behalf. Junying and Wuke met in the garden. Wuke saw that he was talented and behaved in a chic manner. He gave him a red rose as a token of love to express his agreement. Junying gave the red rose to Junqing, but Junqing refused. Ruan Ma also suggested to the Queen Mother that she might as well marry Wu Ke first. Junqing was bound to give in. The Queen Mother nodded and agreed to marry each other on a regular basis.

When Yue'e heard the news, she couldn't bear the pain. Yue'e's mother knew her daughter's worries well, so when her father was not at home, she adopted the strategy of giving away her daughter under a false name, and sent Yue'e to the Wang family to marry Junqing. When Wu Ke's sedan chair arrived, they were already married. Seeing the situation, Wu was furious. She made a scene in the flower hall, then broke into the bridal chamber and questioned Junqing sternly, but Junqing was speechless. Seeing this situation, Ruan's mother didn't know what to do. Suddenly she found Jia Junying standing aside and was about to drag him into the bridal chamber. As a result, the two pairs of lovers smiled broadly and fulfilled their wishes.

Excerpts from "Flowers as Matchmakers"

Giving you a rose, Jun Moxiao

(Zhang Wuke sings) Call Wang Junqing, you are just in time, don't care The girl's face is so hot; my heart can't stop beating wildly. I have something to ask you. Listen carefully. Should I not be upset about marriage? Should I say I don't? It's worth half a penny; you said that my mind is weak, my hands are not skillful, you said that I am ugly and have no talent, and that my figure is not slim. We met in the garden today, and I asked you to look at the flowers carefully; you look at the red roses, then the mimosa, you look at the wisteria tray, then look at the willow bent waist, and you look at the orchids. Ruzhi, look at the hibiscus Rumian, look at the beauty of the flowers in my garden. Take one step and the phoenix spreads its wings; take two steps and the colorful clouds float; Wu Ke takes a series of steps and the hairpin ring rings loudly, making you laugh that the little scholar is upside down for the flowers.

This is the beauty of a gentle lady

(Zhang Wuke sings) Zhang Wuke looked at this girl carefully from top to bottom; he only saw how her hair was. So dark? Why is your makeup so beautiful? Why use osmanthus oil when your temples are fluffy and smooth? Gao Wanfeng did not move forward or backward in compilation, so he had a name called Xianrenji. Wearing a pearl and phoenix threaded through silver thread on the temples, she walks brightly and trembles, just like a golden rooster nodding its head. She has a hibiscus face, eyebrows as beautiful as distant mountains, almond-shaped eyes that are spiritual and translucent, her nose is high and her small cherry mouth is set off, her teeth are like jade, her lips are like vermilion, neither thin nor thick, and she wears eight-treasure jadeite in her ears. What is it called a red gold hook? The upper part of his upper body was originally a red embroidered shirt, with gold-plated edges and a cloud button. Surrounded by thousands of words, there was also a lion undressing and rolling an embroidered ball. Wearing a small shirt, her cuffs were a little thin; she put on her makeup, raised her hands, and with a little effort, her sleeves were revealed; the tips of her ten fingers were exposed like bamboo shoots, her wrists were like white lotus roots, and she was born with With a pair of dexterous hands, Qiao Niang gave birth to this pretty girl. She wore eight pleated skirts, all made of brocade grosgrain. The red shoes were exposed under the skirt again, and they were covered with flowers. They were locked with gold thread, and the bottoms were closed with five-color velvet ropes. It's hard to describe with a skillful hand, and it's hard to draw and draw. She's born pretty, moves gracefully, moves gracefully, moves gracefully, how can she act so gracefully. I can’t guess how many generations this good girl has been practicing? The beautiful fairy was even uglier than her, and Chang'e was shy when she saw her. Young people don't love her enough, and that's you, seventy-seven, eighty-eight, ninety-nine... When the old man saw her, his eyebrows lit up with joy, and he nodded in agreement. There are really few women like this in the world. This is what a graceful lady and a gentleman are like.

▲"Returning on a Snowy Night"

This play is Wu Zuguang's masterpiece. It was completed in 1942. In 1948, it was directed and made into a movie by Wu Zuguang himself. It was produced by Hong Kong Greater China Film Company Produced.

In the late 1940s, on a cold and snowy night, a man staggered through the gap in the collapsed wall into the garden of the wealthy Su Hongji, holding on to the withered crabapple. The tree seems to be looking for his shadow left here in the past.

Twenty years ago, in this big city, there was a Peking Opera actor Wei Liansheng who came from a poor background and became famous for his role as Huadan. Dignitaries, young men and women, and even ordinary citizens were fascinated by his voice and appearance. He had many contacts and often helped poor neighbors, and was highly respected by people.

Su Hongji, the president of the court who started out as a smuggler of opium, leads a life of drunkenness and dreams. His fourth concubine, Yu Chun, was originally a fireworks woman, but was later redeemed as a concubine by Su Hongji. Yuchun has a passionate heart for freedom and happiness, and is unwilling to live in a cage-like life of wealth. She met Wei Liansheng through her opera studies and confided her tragic life experience to him. Later, she invited Liansheng to her small building before he went to the Su Mansion to celebrate his birthday. The two of them had similar experiences in the past, and they were both used to relieve their worries and boredom, losing their dignity as human beings. As a result, pity gave birth to love, and they agreed to elope and move towards freedom. At this time, Liansheng picked a begonia flower from the window and gave it to Yuchun. Unexpectedly, all this was glimpsed by Wang Xingui, who was recommended by Liansheng to be the steward of the Su family.

The villain who is good at flattery was ungrateful and reported the matter to Su Hongji. When Yuchun ran away as promised, Wang Xingui led several thugs to capture Yuchun, and Liansheng was deported. The two of them said goodbye, and from then on they were separated from each other. Twenty years later, Liansheng returned to his hometown suffering from premature aging, but his life had changed. Yuchun had been given to Tiannan Salt Transport envoy Xu Fu by Su Hongji and became his concubine. Liansheng was so moved that he died quietly under the crabapple tree on that windy and snowy night.

[Edit this paragraph] A brief collection of past events

▲The strange injustice of "Erliu Hall"

Wu Zuguang also reviewed and recalled his own circumstances during his lifetime. "Second-rate Hall" is a traumatic memory that he cannot get rid of.

Painter Huang Miaozi, born in 1913, lived in Australia for nearly ten years in the late 1980s and served as a visiting professor at Griffith University in Queensland. He was an eyewitness and witness to Erliu Hall. When interviewed by reporters at his residence in Beijing, he said: Erliu Tang is an absurd farce.

The initial formation of Erliu Tang was related to a man named Tang Yu. Tang Yu is an overseas Chinese in Yangon who was active in the film industry in Shanghai in the early 1930s. It is said that because she objected to the arranged marriage, she fled to Shanghai and then moved to Chongqing. Tang Yu has a brother who is a wealthy businessman in Yangon. This rich brother values ??brotherhood and cares deeply about his brothers. Tang Yu's brother gave him a gold comb and told him that if he ran out of money, he would You can exchange money by breaking a comb tooth. Tang Yu took the comb and had a sudden idea. He sold the gold comb and used the money in exchange to build a house.

New houses are constantly being built. Local materials are used to build the houses. Most of them are made of huge bamboos that are easily available locally and tied together to make roof trusses, doors, and windows. Then they are plastered inside and outside, and roofs are added to form living rooms. , this kind of building, collectively known as "bundle house" locally, can become a beautiful Western-style residence after careful processing. Tang Yu built more than two or three houses, all of which were provided for friends to live in. His first house, "Yilu", was for Xia Yan's family.

Wu Zuguang wrote in his memory of Erliutang: The largest house that Tang Yu finally built was in Side Village, downhill from Silili on Zhongyi Road, with a very spacious large house. The living room and three bedrooms are well decorated and named "Bi Lu". "Bi Lu" has the same pronunciation as "fireplace". Tang Yu particularly liked fireplaces and built a beautiful and elegant fireplace in the large living room.

Huang Miaozi said that Tang Yu’s Bilu is an attractive place in Chongqing’s literary and art circles. Friends are willing to come here to gather. Bilu is like a salon or club today. Wu Zuguang was an active figure in Bilu during that time, and the years in Chongqing were the heyday of Wu Zuguang's life. In Chongqing, drama has become the most popular and fashionable cultural activity. Wu Zuguang's "Song of Righteousness", "Youth Tour" and "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" have all become popular shows.

In its heyday, Bilu had more than a dozen tenants. One day Xu Bing (Xu Bing was the Minister of United Front Work after liberation and was in charge of literature and art in Chongqing at the time) and Guo Moruo came to Bilu. The people living there had not yet gotten up. Xu Bing said that these second-rate people are really lazy. In fact, everyone was participating in the performance at that time, and it ended at three or four o'clock in the middle of the night. At that time, everyone had just learned the northern Shaanxi word "erliuzi", and Mr. Guo said that we should name them "erliutang". The name "Erliu Tang" was called.

But Wu Zuguang doesn’t like this term. He has always been diligent in writing and does not like to gather in groups to chat too much.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, everyone went their separate ways. In 1947, Wu Zuguang went to Hong Kong. After arriving in Hong Kong, he changed his profession and became a film director. This job brought him new popularity and generous income.

Wu Zuguang returned to Beijing in September 1949. In front of him is a new country, and waiting for him is a happy marriage.

At that time, actors Dai Hao and Yu Jingzi rented an old-fashioned large house at No. 34 Xiguanyin Temple, Dongdan. The entrance was a row of six bungalows connected to a large building. There is a building for Sheng Jialun, and a large one downstairs is occupied by the musician Wu Xiling and his family. There is also a two-room bungalow across the courtyard rented by Huang Miaozi and Yu Feng. Old friends gather here again, and it is the same as before. An old man from Lu. So it spread immediately, and everyone said that a "second-rate hall" had been rebuilt in Beijing.

Wu Zuguang rented a bungalow with six rooms in a row. It was here that he and Xin Fengxia got married.

Xin Fengxia was sold to Tianjin since she was a child and grew up in a slum in Tianjin. His father sells candied haws, and his mother is illiterate. The family relies on her singing to support them. She studied acting at the age of 6 and became a leading actress at the age of 14. In 1949, when Xin Fengxia was 22 years old, she began to go to Beijing to make a career in the world. In Beijing she met Wu Zuguang. In Beijing, the marriage of Wu Zuguang and Xin Fengxia became famous for a while.

Wu Zuguang was an active figure in the "Erliu Hall", and artistic young people often went to him. Du Gao, Qian Zhuang, and Tao Ye often gathered around him. This group of people is regarded as the "small family" of the "second-rate hall".

In 1954, Wu Zuguang, who was deeply burdened by the "second-rate hall" relationship, bought an 18-room courtyard house located at No. 9 Majiamiao, Shuaifuyuan. He moved his father who lived in Shanghai He and his mother came to live in Beijing. At that time, his father had suffered a stroke and had been bedridden for many years.

The "Erliu Hall" had trouble during the "elimination of counterrevolutionaries" movement. At that time, some people thought this place was strange, why so many artists came and went there. Old people like Qi Baishi and Mei Lanfang, young people like Du Gao and Tianzhuang, so many people from the art and music circles gathered together. Many people began to doubt. Subsequently, members of the "small family" of "Erliu Tang" were characterized as members of the "Hu Feng Counterrevolutionary Group", and people who came and went from "Erliu Tang" were considered to be peripheral organizations of the "Hu Feng Group" and were scrutinized.

In 1957, the "Erliu Hall" came under scrutiny again. A task force came and asked: What are you doing here? In fact, we didn’t do much, we just talked about literature and art and chatted. The task force didn't believe it. The painter Zhang Ding wanted to start a magazine at the beginning of 1957, and he was waiting for approval of his application. This matter was also recorded by the task force, saying that the "second-rate hall" wanted to publish official publications.

Many people asked why the "Erliu Tang" organization was established. Those who were asked said that there was no such organization at all. However, some people deliberately added insult to injury by saying that "Erliu Tang" had a Tang seal. Because Sheng Jialun asked Wang Yanxiang's brother to carve a seal "Erliu Tang", which was said to be the seal of the Tang Dynasty at that time. Wu Zuguang bought several New Year pictures. The New Year pictures depict several children and are titled "Never Get Tired of Playing." Wu Zuguang liked the "never tired of playing" game and gave a copy to each of his friends. He hung "Never Tired of Playing" on the wall, and no one else hung it. The painting "Never Tired of Playing" was regarded as the emblem of a "second-rate hall". At that time, the "Petofi Club" incident occurred in Hungary. "Erliu Tang" is regarded as China's "Petofi Club".

After the anti-rightist movement began in 1957, many people in the "erliu tang" were classified as "rightists."

In May of this year, the Party Central Committee issued a call for everyone to help the party rectify its work. Wu Zuguang has stopped working in films, which he has always been uninterested in, and is eager to write a new script, which he has named "Blowing Wrinkles in a Pond of Spring Water". However, people kept coming to his home, repeatedly interrupting his writing. There were many reporters from newspapers and magazines, many friends who were discussing the current situation, and even some senior cultural leaders who asked Wu Zuguang to accompany him to a small folk theater troupe to "set fire". It is even more clear that he was ordered to ask Wu Zuguang to express his opinions and write an article to give opinions to the leaders. Wu Zuguang did have a lot of opinions about the leaders of the literary and art circles; but Wu Zuguang encountered resistance at home.

The resistance came from his wife Xin Fengxia. When Xin Fengxia heard some of Wu Zuguang's opinions, she was very disgusted and even afraid. She believes that she suffered so much in the old society that she was able to turn over thanks to the Communist Party saving her. Although today's leadership methods have problems, they are much better than those in the old society. Wu Zuguang said: "This time it was the Communist Party that asked everyone to put forward opinions. In order to improve the work, Chairman Mao asked us to put forward opinions." She said: "Then you are not allowed to put forward opinions!"

5 On March 31, Zhou Yang and Yang Hansheng invited Wu Zuguang to attend a meeting of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and sent a car to pick him up. The car honked outside the gate, and the person picking him up urged him, but his wife, who had always been docile, refused to let him go. . Xin Fengxia stood at the door with her hands on her hips and refused to allow Wu Zuguang to go out. There was no room for turning around, so Wu Zuguang pushed his wife away and left. He heard his wife crying, but he didn't look back, ran out of the yard, out the gate, and got in the car.

Wu Zuguang recalled: "This is the first time in my life that I have been so rude to a woman, and I really regret it in my life."

In terms of consequences, his wife's obstruction was right. . There were only five or six people attending the meeting that day, including Ma Sicong and Jin Shan. Wu Zuguang’s speech at that meeting was later given a title by his predecessor, Mr. Tian Han: “The Party “Stops Leading the Art Work as Soon as Possible””, which was published in the newspaper and became a reflection of Wu Zuguang. Ironclad evidence of the party.

Wu Zuguang was labeled a "rightist" and noted as a counter-revolutionary rightist.

One early morning in the early spring of 1958, with heavy snowfall, Wu Zuguang went to his parents' house to say goodbye to the old man.

He wanted to go to Beidahuang for labor reform with a huge rightist brigade of 500 people. As early as a few months ago, when Wu Zuguang began to be criticized, he put away all relevant newspapers and periodicals so that his father would not see them. Therefore, his sick father had no idea what was going on, and he had no idea where his son was going. He was smiling. At that time, Wu Zuguang did not know that this was a permanent farewell to his father. His father passed away the next year, and half a month had passed since Wu Zuguang received a funeral telegram from Beijing while working in the spring plowing fields.

In 1966, the "Cultural Revolution" began. Initially, the storm did not affect Wu Zubald. Only after all the "capitalist roaders" and those in power were uncovered did the old rightists resume their activities. He was taken out again. The issue of the "second-rate hall" was raised again. This time, the leader was no longer Wu Zuguang, Xia Yan became the backstage boss, and the actual spearhead of the struggle was directed at Zhou Enlai.

The "Erliu Hall" has been politicized. It was still an ideological issue at the beginning. During the Cultural Revolution, it was characterized as an "anti-party, counter-revolutionary, and anti-socialist group" and was criticized. This time it's a big deal. Jiang Qing personally investigated the case. People from the "second-rate hall" were locked up. Wu Zuguang decentralized labor again, Huang Miaozi and Yu Feng were imprisoned, and Dai Hao was sent to a labor camp.

On June 19, 1979, the Office of the Review Committee of the Ministry of Culture issued a notice to revoke the "Report on the Organizational Activities of the "Erliu Hall"". At this time, Wang Ming, a playwright in the "Erliu Hall" and "Little Family", was tortured and died in a labor camp in Anhui. The dramatist Gianzhuang could not survive the years of hardship and died young. Huang Miaozi and Yu Feng were imprisoned for seven years.

▲The last years

Shortly after the death of his wife Xin Fengxia, Wu Zuguang was hospitalized three times due to his depression, old age, and cerebral embolism caused by arteriosclerosis. But he still maintains an optimistic attitude towards life.

On weekdays, he often stands on the balcony of his home and watches the busy traffic and people coming and going, with a smile on his face... He also often sits in a wheelchair and goes downstairs for a walk with his nanny. Or go to the barber shop to shave and wash your hair. This is the most pleasant time for him.

Wu Zuguang has had an indissoluble bond with books since he was a child. A few years ago, although he donated his and Xin Fengxia's book collection to the Beijing Opera School, the books he collected later filled the bookcases at home.

Wu Zuguang also particularly likes watching football games, watching almost every game. His daughter Wu Shuang said with a smile: "Dad is old and often falls asleep while watching TV. However, this has never happened when watching football, boxing, or Peking opera. Especially when watching football games, he looks like a young man in his 20s. , muttering "foul" from time to time... Although he is old and frail, and his brain is not as easy to use as before, he is very expressive when watching the ball. "

Wu Zuguang likes sweets, especially sweets. Love to eat hamburgers. In order to keep the old man smiling, Wu Shuang specially raised a pair of small pets - Baby and PP. Mr. Wu likes PP the most. Whenever he sees PP running around the house and being naughty, he always has a happy smile on his face. These two cute little animals have become his "darlings". Wu Zuguang often touches them and teases them, jokingly saying that there are "eight people" in his family - himself, his daughter, his son-in-law, his grandson, two nannies, and Baby and PP.

[Edit this paragraph] Concept of life

Wu Zuguang was born in 1917. At that time, warlords were fighting, and the country was in a period of poverty and weakness, internal and external difficulties; The Japanese invaded China and the nation was in danger. When the People's Republic of China was founded, Wu Zuguang was in his prime, a golden age of creation. It stands to reason that he had become famous as a young boy. He was one of the few outstanding playwrights in the Chinese literary world at that time. He should have been It’s time to write more dramatic works that can reveal the face of the times. But unfortunately, it didn't take long for the entire country to be pushed into a state where talking in sleep was strictly forbidden, and what followed was the well-known ten years of catastrophe. Being able to survive the disaster and enter old age is the only desolate luck; I have always believed that people like Mr. Wu Zuguang were born at the wrong time. Come to think of it, there must be many people like Wu Zuguang who have experienced those times and lamented that they were "born at the wrong time". Wu Zuguang's good friend, calligrapher and painter Huang Miaozi, once said to Wu Zuguang: "He was born at the wrong time, and his talent is endless." These eight words, on the one hand, naturally commented on Wu Zuguang, praising his talent and lamenting his fate. Why can't it be for Huang Miaozi's self-esteem?

But Wu Zuguang did not agree with his friend's gift. He concluded: "Life is at the right time, and death does not matter." Wu Zuguang often expresses this meaning to his friends: the most wonderful thing in the entire twentieth century. The sixty years since then have caught up, so how can we say that we were born at the wrong time? Wu Zuguang's calligraphy in his later years was self-contained, handsome and elegant, majestic and generous, and there was an endless stream of people seeking calligraphy. It is said that Wu Zuguang always gave away the four-character scroll "I was born at the right time" to people. He wrote thousands of them to people, whether they were high-ranking officials or ordinary people, they always gave these four words as gifts. But the painting I saw, even though the calligraphy was open and elegant, was not written with a brush, but with a hard pen. It was probably written in his twilight years when he was too weak to write. This also shows Mr. Wu Zuguang’s open-minded attitude.

Wu Zuguang’s life was not a smooth one. On the contrary, it could be said that it was full of ups and downs. After entering the new society, like most intellectuals at that time, they all encountered the disaster of overthrow.

In his later years, when he should have been enjoying a comfortable life, he was involved in a lawsuit over an essay on the "International Trade Case", which lasted for several years without peace. But why could Wu Zuguang continue to express to others that he was "born at the right time"? My understanding is that a person like Wu Zuguang, who is upright and dares to tell the truth, has a kind of "morality" that is often called in our traditional culture, and a kind of mighty integrity. Because of this kind of "morality" and this kind of majestic character, they are not limited to the gains and losses of one person, one moment, one moment, one thing, one person, one moment, one thing, one person's gains and losses, one person's personal gains and losses, but one who takes a broad view, focuses on the big picture, and focuses on the entire era. , personal encounters are like mustard seeds and Xumi. As calm as the high mountains of the Five Mountains, as quiet as the autumn moon on a flat lake, a gentleman can view the world with openness, and Wu Zuguang's open-mindedness in his later years can be viewed in this way.

[Edit this paragraph] Bibliographic chronology

▲Bibliography of works

"Phoenix" (script) 1939, life

" "Song of Righteousness" (script) 1942, Publishing Department of the Literary and Art Grants Management Committee

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" (script) 1943, Qi Bookstore

"Running at Night" (script) 1944, Weilin Publishing House

"Child Army" (children's script) 1944, Xinlian Publishing Company

"Returning on a Snowy Night" (script) 1944, Xinlian Publishing Company

"Youth Travel" (script) 1945, Enlightenment

"Backstage Friends" (collection of essays) 1946, Shanghai Publishing Company

"Chang'e Flying to the Moon" (script) 1947, Kaiming

"Lin Chong Runs at Night" (script) 1947, Kaiming