General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his important speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association: "The literature and art should give the most enthusiastic praise to the great process of the people's creation of history, and to all those who strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. , All the heroes who sacrificed and dedicated themselves to the people give the most affectionate praise." As an actor who has played many heroic characters, I am deeply inspired and inspired.
In my 15-year film career, I have played the Chinese People's Volunteers who fought on the front line to resist US aggression and aid Korea, the astronauts who gave their precious lives to the aerospace industry of the motherland, and the grassroots poverty alleviation cadres who were diligent and selfless. In the process of growing up with the characters, I have witnessed the rapid development of the motherland, and felt the spiritual strength of the strugglers of the times who are not afraid of difficulties and forge ahead bravely. One of the most memorable for me is the character "Ma Defu" in the work "Shan Hai Qing", a work on poverty alleviation.

Stills of "Shan Hai Qing"

I was very unfamiliar with this role at first, so I came to Minning Town, Yongning County, Ningxia ahead of schedule. The shooting location was in the vast northwest Gobi Desert. It was midsummer at that time, and there was no water, no electricity, not even a tree or a place to cool off. The sandstorm was whirring and scraping, and after scraping, it was all sand. Standing on the Gobi Desert for a day, my skin burst and my lips cracked. I put on old yellowed clothes and cloth shoes, combed the hair that is common in the local area, and painted plateau red on my sunburnt cheeks. I never changed this outfit until I finished the shooting task. The land in the northwest seems to have a kind of magical power, basking in the sun there, blowing the wind there, eating the sand there, and suddenly became a character in the play.
I was 35 when I filmed "Shan Hai Qing", and Ma Defu in the play was a 19-year-old young man who had just graduated from an agricultural school. How to close the age gap through acting? After careful consideration, I decided to find a fulcrum from the shape and demeanor. When Ma Defu first took office, facing the familiar elders in the village, his head would be lowered unconsciously, and his mouth would not be able to close because of nervousness; as the work progressed smoothly, Ma Defu's state also relaxed. During the shooting process, I also fully felt the love and dedication of the entire creative team to this work. There is such a scene in the play: Splash, a childhood sweetheart with Ma Defu, who later married someone else by accident. In order to support Ma Defu's work and seek a better life, he used a trailer to pull his paralyzed husband, young children and others. All the belongings, after walking for seven days and seven nights, finally crossed the Gobi and came to Jintan Village to settle down. At the entrance of the village, Ma Defu and her looked at each other from a distance, smiling and weeping. This scene is the key to the turning point of the plot and the climax of the emotional surge. It must be presented with the most beautiful pictures. The director decided that he had to use the best light before the sun went down, and such a scene was only half an hour a day. Although the shooting time was very tight, the main creative team still waited silently in the Gobi. Sure enough, that atmosphere completely immersed us. Under the setting sun, the two did not have a single line, but their eyes were intertwined with complex emotions such as joy, sadness, relief, and understanding, which moved everyone.
Today's Minning Town has a new look, with rows of red brick houses, shady green trees, tens of thousands of hectares of vineyards and modern vegetable greenhouses. It is the poverty alleviation cadres' spirit of tackling the fortifications of "not breaking Loulan, but not returning it" and their dedication to "bow their heads and be willing to be ruthless cows" that made the former Gobi Desert into today's "Jiangnan". The performance experience of "Shan Hai Qing" allowed me to follow the poverty alleviation cadres and villagers through a relocation and a rebuilding of their homes. I felt the tangible benefits that poverty alleviation brought to the people, and also felt the importance of poverty alleviation. If poverty alleviation is a war without gunpowder smoke, then every poverty alleviation worker is a hero on the battlefield!
On April 24, 1970, the Long March-1 carrier rocket carrying the Dongfanghong-1 satellite was successfully launched, realizing the dream of entering space. Last summer, I followed the crew of "My Father and I" to the rocket engine research and development base. Here, I learned a lot of touching stories of the first generation of astronauts in our country. They are indifferent to fame and fortune and devote themselves to research. Because of their busy work, it is difficult to take care of their families, but as children of people and parents of people, they also have the same tenderness and nostalgia as ordinary people. I hope that through my role of Shi Ruhong, the audience can see not only the rigorous, meticulous, brave and fearless rocket engine designers, but also their tenderness and warmth as ordinary people. The more the human side resonates with the audience, the more awe-inspiring the hero side is.
It's an honor for me to play these fighters. As a literary and artistic worker, we are born at the right time, and the stage to display our talents is extremely broad. At the same time, I also feel a great responsibility and a mission on my shoulders. In the days to come, I will continue to deepen my life, take root in the people, adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, and use excellent literary and artistic works and successful artistic images to warm, inspire and inspire people, express my feelings for the people, and sing for the times.
(This article was published in the 20th edition of People’s Daily on May 17, 2022.)