Mei Lanfang has performance income. When she went to Hong Kong, she took it to Hong Kong and deposited it in the bank. However, shortly after returning to Shanghai, Hong Kong under the rule of the Japanese aggressors froze all this high deposit and could not withdraw it. Mei Lanfang, who has been living on interest, suddenly has a difficult family life. How the whole family can survive has become a difficult problem that Mei Lanfang thinks day and night. He asked his wife what to do. The newspaper published the news that Ms. He Xiangning made a living by selling paintings. We might as well learn from her. Give full play to your painting talent. How do you make a living by selling paintings? "
In fact, Mei Lanfang had this idea for a long time, but she didn't say it, for fear that her wife wouldn't agree. Lady take the initiative to say it out, he naturally nodded. The two set out to conceive, the wife grinds ink and the husband paints. In less than eight days, I drew more than 20 pictures of fish, shrimp, plum and pine. When the public saw the eye-catching advertisement "Our shop sells Mr. Mei Lanfang's paintings, welcome to come", they snapped up one after another. In less than two days, more than 20 paintings were all sold out.
After the news came out, the Shanghai literary and art circles, the press and the business circles reacted very strongly. Many celebrities proposed to hold an exhibition for Mei Lanfang. Mei Lanfang was particularly excited when she learned that. In order to live up to expectations, he practiced hard for half a month and painted dozens of works for the organizers to arrange. The organizer selected the Double Ninth Festival to be exhibited in the Shanghai Exhibition Hall, and invited Mei Lanfang and his wife to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
However, the news spread like wildfire, and the Japanese, puppet and traitors colluded with each other and made trouble at will. They sent a group of plainclothes policemen into the exhibition hall in advance, and many visitors left one after another. Mei Lanfang was surprised to find that the door was empty. When he entered the exhibition hall, he found a note pinned to each painting, which read "President Wang's Order", "Vice President Zhou's Order" and "Chief Okamura Ningji's Order" ... Some of them read "Send to Tokyo for Exhibition". Mei Lanfang and his wife saw this scene, and their eyes were burning. They immediately picked up the paper cutter on the table and stabbed the picture. "wow! Wow! Hey! " In a few minutes, the Chinese painting was torn to pieces.
Mei Lanfang's indignant destruction of paintings soon spread throughout Shanghai and the whole country. The newspaper of Shanghai authorities published the first news, saying: "Minister Chu was dumbfounded, and an art exhibition was a false alarm!" Soong Ching Ling, Guo Moruo, He Xiangning and Ou Yangyuqian delivered speeches of solidarity, praising Mei Lanfang's integrity and being admired by the world. The masses also sent letters to support Mei Lanfang's patriotic action. Mei Lanfang was moved to tears when he saw that the people of the whole country appreciated and supported him so much. He excitedly said to his wife, "I, Mei Lanfang, am no longer a lonely swallow!" "
Make a living by borrowing money.
Mei Lanfang was cut off from economic resources and lived in natural poverty. He had to sell his house in Beijing in tears, and then sold his collection for many years. Nevertheless, I borrowed money from my relatives and friends. A friend learned that his family's life was desperate, so he donated money to help each other. Ye Yuhu, an old painter, proposed to hold a Chinese painting exhibition in cooperation with him, highlighting the theme of plum and bamboo and expanding social influence.
The occupied area of Shanghai is in chaos and panic, with water and electricity cut off or air raid warning, and citizens live in fear. It is in this difficult environment that Mei Lanfang made great progress in painting and overcame a series of unimaginable difficulties. After eight months' hard work, he painted more than 70 works of/kloc-0, with a wide range of subjects, including ladies, Buddha statues, flowers, pine trees and plum blossoms. Together with Ye Yuhu's works, it was exhibited in a villa of China Bank on Chengdu Road in the spring of 1945, which was well received by the majority of visitors.
After the exhibition, Mei Lanfang was forced to sell most of her works in order to make a living. Income is to pay off debts, to arrange the livelihood of the family, and to support people with more difficulties in the troupe. Mei Lanfang bitterly recalled the vicissitudes of these years and said gloomily to his friends, "I can't describe the pain of an actor who refused to perform on stage because of his beard because he resisted the harsh social environment." I paint partly to make a living and partly to amuse myself. Otherwise, I really want to suffocate. "
During the Anti-Japanese War, Mei Lanfang resolutely refused to perform for the national enemy, which showed the indomitable strength of a generation of artists. This incident has become a touching story of China, widely praised by the people of China, and greatly inspired the determination of the people of China to fight bravely.
Practice painting and grow a beard to escape from the tiger's den
On August 1937 and 13, the Japanese army attacked Shanghai and the Battle of Songhu broke out. Shortly after the Japanese invaders occupied Shanghai, they learned that Mei Lanfang, a world-famous Peking Opera master, lived in Shanghai, so they sent someone to invite Mei Lanfang to give a speech on the radio and let him express his willingness to serve Japan's "Imperial Road". Mei Lanfang, who had an insight into the Japanese conspiracy, decided to leave Shanghai for Hong Kong as soon as possible to get rid of the Japanese invaders. So he took a message to the Japanese saying that he would go out to perform, and at the same time led his family to Hong Kong by boat on a starry night.
After Mei Lanfang came to Hong Kong, she lived in seclusion and refused to show up. In order to pass the time, besides practicing Tai Ji Chuan, playing badminton, learning English, reading newspapers and news, his main energy is spent on painting. He likes to draw birds, Buddha statues, grass insects, fish and shrimp and dances of foreigners. Family members and members of the troupe are very happy after seeing these works, saying that they have brought them a lot of beauty and joy.
194 1 1 In late February, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, and Mei Lanfang was miserable. She is worried that the Japanese will come to him to act. What should I do? After consulting with his wife, he decided to take a bold step: grow a beard, not sing and dance, and not perform for the Japanese and traitors. He said to his friend, "Don't look at my beard. It will be useful in the future. If the Japanese are unreasonable and insist that I come out to sing, then he will have to go to jail and be beheaded. "
1942 1 October, when Sakai, commander of Japanese troops stationed in Hong Kong, saw Mei Lanfang grow a beard, he was surprised and said, "Mr. Mei, why did you grow a beard?" How can a great artist like you quit the stage art? Mei Lanfang replied, "I am a singer. Now that I am old, I have a bad appearance and a bad voice, and I can't act any more. I have been studying painting at home for several years to support myself! " Sakai was very unhappy and left angrily. A few days later, Sakai sent someone to find Mei Lanfang and insisted that he perform several performances on stage to show the prosperity after Japan ruled Hong Kong. Coincidentally, Mei Lanfang suffered from severe dental disease at this time, and half of her face was swollen. Sakai had no choice but to give up. The next day, Mei Lanfang felt that the situation was very serious, and Hong Kong had become a place of right and wrong, and could not stay long. So he immediately returned to Shanghai by boat and returned to his hometown in Shanghai after more than three years' absence.