In August 2019, sketch actor Zhao Lirong, who once brought joy to hundreds of millions of TV viewers, suddenly became a popular search object, and sketch clips related to her also quickly became popular on the short ** platform.
There was even a time when the classic line "Palace jade liquor, one hundred and eighty glasses" became a national stalk.
Later, they all had common childhood memories of Zhao Lirong, and they used her sketch lines as a special joint code.
However, just when people were caught in the rush of memories of Zhao Lirong's sketches, a news shocked everyone, it turned out that Zhao Lirong had passed away in July 2000 at the age of 72.
Zhao Lirong's last message before her death was even more heart-wrenching, she said: "As long as it doesn't hurt me, I can die, I'm not afraid."
Zhao Lirong first appeared on the stage of life in 1929, when she was only one year old, but she was not afraid to play the role of "Cai Wazi", and performed vividly on the small stage in the countryside of Baodi County, Tianjin, and won warm applause from the villagers.
Zhao Lirong's family can be said to be a microcosm of the living conditions of the people at the bottom of society at that time, and her mother Meng Yunde was an ordinary farmer who made a living from farming.
Zhao Shucheng's father was slightly better, he was a craftsman, and he mainly made a living from haircuts.
Because of his excellent haircutting skills, Zhao Lirong's father was often invited by the troupe to help cut his hair, including the "Fusheng Opera Society", which was popular in Northeast China and developed in Beiping at that time, which also laid the foundation for Zhao Lirong to become a drama performer.
Due to the success of his first performance, Zhao Shucheng often dabbled in drama and was deeply impressed by the acting talent of his youngest daughter Zhao Lirong, so he took her to ** social drama whenever he had the opportunity.
After a few years, when Zhao Lirong took the stage again in 1934, the audience could see that her performance had become more sophisticated, no longer as immature and undisciplined as when she was a year old.
Zhao Lirong is extremely talented, and after more than four years of observation and Xi, she has made rapid progress.
A generation of famous singers "Hibiscus Flower is her, when she came to the capital from Anton with the Fusheng Opera Society. The "Fengtian Luozi" she played is deeply loved by the people of the capital, and it can be said that it is very popular.
Hibiscus Flower only went to listen to the play on a whim, but it happened to be the day when Zhao Lirong sang on stage, which happened to let her see this good seedling.
After inquiring about the situation in the teahouse, Hibiscus was pleasantly surprised to find that the skilled little girl turned out to be the daughter of her old acquaintance, the barber Zhao Shucheng. What a coincidence.
Furong Hua was very pleasantly surprised when she heard the news, and she immediately went to Zhao Shucheng's house, hoping that he would agree to hand over Zhao Lirong to herself and let her follow her to learn Xi and drama.
Zhao Shucheng was anxious about his daughter's future livelihood, and after hearing Hibiscus Flower's proposal, he gladly accepted it and entrusted Zhao Lirong to Hibiscus Flower without hesitation.
In 1940, Zhao Lirong followed the advice of Hibiscus Flower and decided not to use the nickname "Lao Ai" given to her by her mother, but adopted a new name "Zhao Lirong", when she was only 12 years old.
With the broadcast of classic sketches, the name of this representative of the comedian has gradually become a household name in China.
Zhao Lirong's master Furong Hua was indeed very attentive, not only teaching her skills, but also arranging Ma Jingui as another master for her. I can say that I did my best.
Under the careful guidance of the two theater masters, Zhao Lirong began her formal theatrical career in 1943 when she took the stage as a leading actress at the "Qingfeng Theater" in Zhangjiakou.
In just two years, Zhao Lirong has made remarkable achievements, and she successfully joined the "Youth Drama Club" in Mentougou in 1945.
From 1945 to 1949, there were constant wars in the country, but Zhao Lirong also lived smoothly in the turbulent times with the drama skills she learned.
After the liberation of Beiping, Zhao Lirong and many well-known actors such as Xiaobai Yushuang appeared on stage one after another, and staged many classic plays such as "Brothers and Sisters in the Wasteland" and "White-Haired Girl" in the North China Theater.
However, at this stall, Zhao Lirong's hibiscus flower was unfortunately diagnosed with tuberculosis. The medical technology of that era was not very advanced, and for ordinary people, tuberculosis was basically a terminal disease.
However, what is surprising is that the hibiscus flower is magically ** under the care of Zhao Lirong with all her heart.
However, this miracle seems to have exhausted Zhao Lirong's luck in the future, and after that, no matter how hard Zhao Lirong tried to take care of her sick relatives, she could not turn the situation around.
Zhao Lirong joined the General Political Liberation Experimental Drama Troupe in 1952, where she met the second noble person in her life, that is, the high-profile drama actor Xin Fengxia at that time.
In the process of cooperating with Xin Fengxia, the two worked together and co-created a series of works such as "Liu Qiaoer" and "Flower as the Matchmaker", so Zhao Lirong's popularity has also risen.
Zhao Lirong is 24 years old and is also in the right age to get married. Her good friend Xin Fengxia enthusiastically introduced Sheng Qiang, who is also engaged in drama work with her.
In 1953, Zhao Lirong and Sheng Qiang's love was as fast as a tornado, and they tied the knot.
Soon after, they welcomed their eldest son, Sheng Daming. In 1957, they added another child, and the family of four lived a very happy life.
However, unexpectedly, Zhao Lirong's life of suffering began to unfold gradually from this moment.
When Zhao Lirong was married for exactly 7 years, in 1960, her husband Sheng Qiang died unfortunately due to his weak health and could not bear the burden of high-intensity labor.
How will the young widow survive when she has to take care of two young children?
Sheng Qiang's family tried their best to match Zhao Lirong to remarry Sheng Qiang's younger brother Sheng Hong, and they have already given the answer.
Zhao Lirong was reluctant at first, because in the old times, most women were shrouded in the pressure of chastity in their hearts, and they believed that "a good woman should not have two husbands".
However, she was soon crushed by the weight of life, and she could not continue to sing Pingju during the special period, and Zhao Lirong, who lacked financial ** and men to rely on, lived an extremely difficult life.
After four years of persistence, Zhao Lirong finally made a compromise and entered the palace of marriage with her original brother-in-law Sheng Hong.
After Zhao Lirong remarried, she ushered in the birth of a pair of children, which significantly improved the family environment for her and her new husband.
Unfortunately, the good times were fleeting, and one blow after another followed: first, the youngest daughter died at the age of 7, and then in 1984, her husband Sheng Hong died of a heart attack.
It seems that God has played a huge joke on Zhao Lirong, she has experienced the death of three close relatives from her youthful high-spirited to her youth, which is really tragic.
Such a painful experience can leave most people depressed and unable to get back together.
If Zhao Lirong gave in easily, then there would be no wonderful moments in the later sketches, such as "Fourteen or fifteen sixteen flowers bloom in spring, and on June 6, I watch Gu Xiu hit six or nine heads in spring, such a package is simply too uncomfortable, I can't open my mouth, I can't keep up, you say it's uncomfortable, you say it's uncomfortable, you say it's uncomfortable." ”
Zhao Lirong did not give in to fate.
Later, someone asked her what kind of mental support she relied on to get through those gloomy days, and Zhao Lirong just replied with a smile: "Life always has to pass." ”
There is infinite power in the plain wording.
In the 80s, theater was already seen as a representative of obsolescence, and the new trend of television has taken the place of theater. Under this trend, Zhao Lirong also ushered in the second spring of her career.
Zhao Lirong made a cameo appearance in 1986 as the queen of Che Chiguo in the old version of "Journey to the West", and the following year she participated in the "Journey to the West" Qi Tianle Gala and performed the show "Cabinet Edge".
In 1988, Zhao Lirong was invited to participate in the "Spring Festival Gala" for the first time and performed the sketch "Emergency", but this rare ** show did not make her famous in one fell swoop, and the response was mediocre.
Zhao Lirong starred in film and television dramas again in 1989, and she played the role of Grandma Liu who entered the Grand View Garden for the first time in the movie "Dream of Red Mansions".
Maybe it's because of the similar age, or maybe it's because of her rich experience, Zhao Lirong portrayed the role of Grandma Liu very well, which is simply moving.
As soon as the movie "Dream of Red Mansions" was broadcast, the literary and artistic circles seemed to have discovered the potential of Zhao Lirong, a new generation of "mother" actors.
In the same year, Zhao Lirong successively starred in the TV series "Cangsheng" Aunt Tian and performed "A Day of a Heroic Mother" with Hou Yaowen at the Spring Festival Gala at the end of the year.
Zhao Lirong's homophonic stalk performed in the sketch"Sima Guang (cylinder) smashed cylinder (light)."It left a deep impression on the audience, especially for everyone to remember her name firmly.
In 1991, Zhao Lirong played the role of a mother again in the movie "Chinese New Year".
Surprisingly, she unexpectedly won many awards such as the Best Actress Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Best Actress Award for Hundred Flowers, and the Golden Phoenix Award of the China Film Performing Arts Society.
These accolades make her the first Chinese actress to win the title of actress at an international film festival.
However, Zhao Lirong's peak moment has yet to come.
In 1992, the time was finally ripe, and Zhao Lirong ushered in the third noble person in her life, who was the comedian Gong Hanlin.
Zhao Lirong is looking for an actor to play the role of "son" for her new sketch "Mother's Heart", and Gong Hanlin is one of the candidates.
They met for the first time backstage of "Spring Festival Gala" and immediately had a strong affection for each other.
Zhao Lirong asked Gong Hanlin affectionately: "You are the son, right?"Gong Hanlin naturally agreed to be Zhao Lirong's godmother.
After the two met Gong Hanlin, they co-starred in a number of popular sketches, including China's earliest rap performance "So Packaged".
The Adventures of a Part-time Job gathers a number of talented characters, forming a vivid picture.
"Lying like a bow and standing like a pine" in Kung Fu Order".
"Veterans Out of the Horse" is a wonderful work on stage.
These works not only made the audience laugh again and again, but also opened the first era of Chinese sketches because of their unique themes and pioneering performance forms, which are of great significance in the history of sketches.
The sketch world ushered in a landmark figure, Zhao Lirong. She once said in an interview: "I have been acting in opera for many years, but the audience still prefers my sketch performances. ”
Zhao Lirong didn't meet the sketch until her later years, but the sketch brought her far more than the drama.
However, if you look closely, you will find that the reason why Zhao Lirong's sketches are so funny is closely related to her unique singing voice.
Therefore, if there was no Zhao Lirong, who studied Xi drama diligently at the beginning, then today's "generation of comedy star" Zhao Lirong would not exist, and her sketches have become her belated glory.
Most viewers have the impression that Zhao Lirong is that she is the grandmother who is always smiling, and she seems to always maintain a healthy and optimistic state.
During the period of "So Packaged", Zhao Lirong's physical condition was extremely poor, but this fact is little known. The basic skills training of the troupe is very strict, and it was during that time that Zhao Lirong's leg injury left hidden dangers.
* Those who have passed "So Packaged" will deeply remember Zhao Lirong's last kneeling posture.
However, this plot was not set in advance, but only because Zhao Lirong's old illness suddenly attacked and fell, which triggered this beautiful coincidence.
In 1996's "Part-time Job Adventure", Zhao Lirong's physical condition became more worrying.
During the sketch rehearsal, Zhao Lirong accidentally fractured her knee, resulting in frequent severe pain in her knees, but as a dedicated actor, she did not take a day off to rest, but insisted on enduring the pain to perform on stage.
Zhao Lirong rarely mentions the sad stories behind them in public.
She has been suffering from illness for many years, and even more than ten years after her death, there are still many people who think that she is alive like Uncle Benshan or Aunt Cai Ming, and we don't know about this fact.
It wasn't until I was browsing through the trending topics that I realized that the old comedian had been dead for years.
In the next few years, Zhao Lirong's health deteriorated day by day.
When she appeared on stage for the last time in 1999, she even needed help to slowly walk on stage, because Zhao Lirong had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.
Zhao Lirong ended her last sketch performance successfully, saying that she had fulfilled her wish for the stage and could now face cancer and death calmly.
She began to prepare for her death, and sewing a shroud for herself became the most important thing in Zhao Lirong's last days.
Zhao Lirong has chosen a posthumous portrait for herself, and she is still busy doing things for her family even at the last moment of her life, so as not to bring additional burden to her family, all of which are preparations in addition to shrouds.
However, Zhao Lirong clearly underestimated the pain caused by cancer. As one of the most life-threatening malignant tumors, lung cancer has a wide variety of complications.
Zhao Lirong often felt tightness in her chest, and the pain was like the bones in her body were about to be crushed.
According to the children's memories, Zhao Lirong's crying could always be heard in the middle of the night because of the pain.
During the day, Zhao Lirong always behaves strongly, and only in the dead of night will she let down her guard and express her inner emotions.
Although Zhao Lirong is such a strong person, she also has a day when she can't bear it, and at the moment of dying, she said to her children many times: "As long as it doesn't hurt, I'm not afraid of death." ”
There will even be a request for "euthanasia" to preserve the last dignity and leave in a dignified manner.
Zhao Lirong's children were in pain to see her suffering from lung cancer, but they were more afraid of their mother's departure, so they chose to continue, and ultimately failed to realize this simple and difficult wish.
Zhao Lirong passed away at 7:30 a.m. on July 17, 2000 at the age of 72.
In her life, Zhao Lirong showed her talents in childhood, entered the marriage hall twice when she was young, and experienced many life and death separations.
Her life was not all smooth sailing, and she did not even enjoy much time in her later years, but fortunately she met three noble people, which led to the creation of many excellent works of art.
Zhao Lirong has created infinite joy in her limited life, just as the poem says: "Some people die, but he is still alive."
Therefore, her spirit and her works still exist in the world and live in everyone's memory. Her voice and smile can also transcend time and last for a long time.