Introduction: On October 1, 1999, a pair of twin sisters rose to prominence at the military parade, and then on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala in early 2000, they amazed the audience with a song "Sisters in the Army".
Now, twenty-two years later, what is their current situation?
The focus of the 1999 military parade was the two female soldiers"Twin sister flowers"Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili. Their steps are uniform, showing a heroic and sassy spirit, which is impressive.
Although people lamented that they would never have the opportunity to see them again after the parade, it was spread on the Internet less than three months later"Twin sisters appeared on the 2000 Spring Festival Gala"The good news makes people smile.
At 8 p.m. on February 4, 2000 (Chinese New Year's Eve), the audience couldn't wait to stay in front of the television, ready to catch a glimpse of them. In the program, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili performed with the song "Sisters in the Army", their dancing posture was as light as a feather, and their singing was crisp and loud like a yellow bird, which attracted thunderous applause and cheers from the scene.
On the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, twin sisters Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili successfully won the first prize in the song and dance category with their wonderful singing and dancing performances. This not only showcased their outstanding talents, but also made the national audience deeply love them.
Since then, they have become stars in the hearts of people all over the country, and they are enthusiastically pursued by a large number of fans no matter where they go, and even when they go shopping, many people will ask to take photos with them.
Advertisers naturally did not miss this business opportunity, and they have sent them invitations, and are even willing to pay them an annual salary of millions of endorsement fees. However, the two Zhang sisters were not interested in these lucrative treatments, and their idol was Wu Jiong, a hygienist who used his meager strength to treat wounded soldiers during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Even in the cruel environment of the war, Wu Jiong did not give up his duties, and after retiring from the army, he still stuck to his post of protecting the people and the country. Therefore, the two sisters of the Zhang family hope to be like Wu Jiong, and use their talents and efforts to contribute to society, rather than just pursuing material prosperity.
Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili have cherished the ideal of serving the motherland since they were children, and no matter how generous the conditions offered by advertisers, they have always firmly refused. The twin sisters both graduated from Shijiazhuang Bethune Military Medical College, and after graduation, one devoted himself to the military medical career, and the other became a medical librarian of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Their success is inseparable from the careful education of their parents and the unremitting efforts of individuals, so how much have they paid behind many honors?
At home in a small county town in Liaoning Province, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili were born in 1977. Although their parents were ordinary working-class people, they attached great importance to education and the cultivation of talents.
The father was a military fan, and often wrote war-themed books and movies, and the twin sisters also developed a strong interest in the military. Seeing their interest, my father began to envision them growing up to be great female soldiers, and told them every day about the heroic deeds of the great soldiers.
Among the many stories, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili's favorite is the story of Wu Yi.
Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili have an irresistible enthusiasm for dance, and whenever ** sounds, they will dance, as if they are integrated with **. Despite their family's poverty, their parents still wanted them to train professionally in dance.
Zhang's father calculated in his heart that if he sent them to the Children's Palace, the family budget would definitely be stretched. But he knew that it would be unfair to the other if only one of the daughters was allowed to study.
So, he told his wife about the idea. When his wife heard this, she was deeply moved by his determination and love. She said that nothing is more important than the happiness of the children, and if you want to learn dance, let them learn together.
With the encouragement and support of his wife, Zhang's father decisively took out all his family savings to provide the opportunity for his two daughters to learn dance. Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili are grateful and know their parents' dedication and expectations, so they never miss school, and after each class, they will spend twice as much time practicing as others.
Whether it is the dance studio in the early morning or the lights in the middle of the night, they have left their hard work, and the students and teachers are all amazed. A month later, their basic skills have been perfected, and they have stood out from many dance students and become outstanding students in the limelight.
During a commemorative event at the Children's Palace, the teachers told about the heroic deeds of the heroes of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, including Wu Jiong. Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili have a deeper understanding of Wu Jiong's experience, and their admiration for Wu Jiong arises spontaneously, and they also regard Wu Jiong as their goal of studying hard.
In 1991, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili were 14 years old, and due to their long-term learning of dance, their bodies and postures were very elegant. At this time, the Beijing Military Region was recruiting literary and artistic soldiers, and Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili had the idea of signing up after learning the news.
When they got home, they told their parents about the idea. Father Zhang was very happy when he heard this, but he also had some worries.
Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili grew up under the care of Zhang's father since they were children, and they have never set foot in dirty work. As a result, Zhang's father expressed concern about whether they would be able to withstand the rigorous training and management of the barracks.
In this regard, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili had firm expressions and a serious tone to assure Zhang's father that they were not afraid of hardships and would persevere to the end. After hearing this, Zhang's father's face changed from worry to hesitation, and when the Zhang sisters saw this, they immediately began to grind and simmer, and finally succeeded in persuading Zhang's father to agree to their joining the army.
Although they have received the support of their families, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili are still extremely nervous. After all, there are only seven places for literary and artistic soldiers, and there are tens of thousands of people who have signed up nationwide, and they don't know if they can stand out from the competition.
With good luck and strength, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili successfully won the key to the door of the barracks. Before they set foot in the barracks, they were prepared for the hardships of life.
However, the reality of military camp life far exceeded their expectations, and they were overwhelmed by the study and training day after day, but they never had the idea of giving up in their hearts.
After five years of tempering, they have climbed to new heights. In 1996, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili performed extraordinarily, handed in eye-catching answers, and successfully received the admission letter from Bethune Military Medical College.
When it comes to professional choices, the two sisters have very different intentions, the older sister has a soft spot for nursing, and the younger sister has a passion for testing.
This was a disagreement between sisters, they learned to respect each other under the guidance of their parents, whether in school or in the army, they always stuck to their original intentions, and through unremitting efforts to obtain the rank of second lieutenant, becoming "sisters in the army".
In 1999, the 50th anniversary of the National Day, a day of national celebration, the country invested a lot of energy in planning a grand military parade in order to celebrate, and Li Longchi, who was in charge of the female soldier phalanx, felt a little regretful because of the lack of two team leaders.
The soul and the most dazzling presence of the phalanx of female soldiers requires a standard military posture and excellent physical fitness. Although there are many female soldiers who meet this condition, very few can attract attention.
Team leader Li Longchi has been selected for more than half a month, but he still can't find the ideal candidate, which makes him feel more and more pressure. In order to find inspiration, he repeated many military parades, and finally locked his eyes on He Aize and He Yangze.
They were the leaders of the 1984 women's phalanx, and their appearance drew a national cheer and sparked widespread discussion.
Li Longchi found He Aize and He Yangze, which reminded him of Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili, and he had an idea to make the sisters of the Zhang family the leaders of the female soldier phalanx.
So, he found the sisters and revealed his thoughts to them. Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili were a little surprised when they heard the news, they never thought that they would have the opportunity to become the leader of the female soldier phalanx.
But when they calmed down, they decided it was a rare opportunity and didn't hesitate to say yes. At this time, the members of the parade had been training for more than two months, and in order to catch up with the progress of the team, they once again showed determination and perseverance, spending twice as much time every day on training.
They wake up earlier than everyone else, go to bed late, and even spend their rest time training.
Li Longchi had some concerns about whether Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili could withstand the hard training, and if they failed to persevere, Li Longchi would need to find a phalanx leader again.
However, they lived up to Li Longchi's expectations. At the military parade ceremony, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili attracted the attention of the whole country with their dazzling performances and won wide praise.
And that's not all, they were also favored by composer Zang Yunfei, who used them as inspiration to compose a song and dance song "Sisters in the Army".
Because Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili's popularity is too good, the team of the Spring Festival Gala came up with the idea of letting the Zhang sisters appear on the Spring Festival Gala, but this idea was initially rejected by the comrades-in-arms song and dance troupe.
After all, "Sisters in the Army" has been in preparation for a month, and the team has put in a lot of effort and effort, and it is impossible to let go easily.
In order to make the comrades-in-arms song and dance troupe change their minds, the Spring Festival Gala team sent representatives to lobby and persuade many times, and after some unremitting efforts, they finally achieved their wish. Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili were both surprised and stressed when they learned the news, because they understood that this change meant that they would take on greater responsibilities on their shoulders.
"Sisters in the Army" is Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili's masterpiece, but under the radiant appearance, they face unprecedented challenges. Since this song covers both singing and dancing, the Zhang sisters have been learning dance since they were young and have profound dance skills, so they have no difficulty in dancing.
However, singing is their shortcoming, they have never been exposed to vocal music, it is difficult for them to master techniques such as treble and bass, and they still cannot reach a satisfactory singing level after many practices, which makes the two sisters anxious.
In order to master the rhythm as soon as possible, they practiced diligently, day and night, and did not rest until late at night. Although this method is a little clumsy, after a period of hard work, their progress is amazing, and they can complete the song performance excellently, and even the ** teacher is surprised by their progress.
After they became famous, the Shenyang female writer Li Jianqing specially wrote a book for them "Sisters in the Army", which recorded in detail the arduous journey and dedication of the Zhang sisters from obscurity to becoming "sisters in the army".
Even in 2022, Zhang Weiwei and Zhang Lili are 45 years old, but their stories still inspire us and make us understand the importance of hard work and perseverance.
They now have happy families and lovely children, and these children are gradually growing into promising young people. I believe that their children will also create their own brilliance in their respective fields.