In 1957, the film "Beacon Fire in the Border Village" directed by Lin Nong was released, which described the story of the Jingpo people in the southwestern border area in the early days of liberation who assisted the People's Liberation Army and fought against the remnants of the Kuomintang.
After the film was broadcast, it was warmly welcomed by the audience, and Wang Xiaotang, who played Mano, won the Young Actor Award at the 11th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with his wonderful performance.
Today we will talk about Wang Xiaotang's story.
In 1934, Wang Xiaotang was born in Kaifeng, Henan, when the land of China was in flames, Japan gradually intensified its aggression against China, and launched a full-scale war of aggression against China in 1937, occupying a large area of China's territory, and even Nanjing, the capital of the Nationalist Government, fell into the hands of the enemy.
Wang Xiaotang's father Wang Shuhui worked in the Political Department of the Chongqing Garrison General Headquarters, in charge of culture, is the rank of major general, Wang Shuhui was very dissatisfied with the phenomenon of passive anti-Japanese resistance and corruption of the National Government, so he applied for resignation and left the National Government, Wang Xiaotang's mother Wang Jian is a painter, and the husband and wife have a common hobby, that is, Peking Opera.
Wang Xiaotang, who was born in this kind of family, was deeply influenced by the cultural atmosphere, coupled with her high artistic talent, when she was 10 years old, Wang Xiaotang began to learn Peking Opera performance with Peking Opera singers.
At that time, there was a famous Peking Opera singer named Lang Dingyi in Chongqing, Wang Xiaotang's mother liked to watch her play very much, and thought that if Lang Dingyi could accept her daughter as an apprentice, her daughter would definitely succeed in the field of Peking Opera, so she asked Lang Dingyi to accept her daughter as an apprentice, at first Lang Dingyi refused on the grounds that the performance was too busy, but under the repeated pleas of Wang Xiaotang's mother, Lang Dingyi agreed to see Wang Xiaotang.
It was this side that changed Lang Dingyi's mind and decided to accept Wang Xiaotang as an apprentice.
In 1948, Wang Xiaotang returned to his hometown Nanjing with his parents, and then moved to Hangzhou to study at Zhejiang Provincial Girls' High School.
In 1952, Chen Yi, then Minister of the Ministry of Culture of the General Political Department, decided to build a top song and dance troupe, Peking Opera Troupe, Yue Opera Troupe and other teams, and sent Huang Zongjiang to Shanghai to lobby some famous performers to participate in the General Political Art Troupe.
When asked "dare to join the army", Wang Xiaotang did not hesitate to shout the word "dare", and under Zhao Dan's strong recommendation, Minister Chen Yi specially approved Wang Xiaotang to join the army and enter the Peking Opera Troupe of the General Political Department.
Chen Yi said:
"If she is really a talent, a melting pot of revolution, she can be trained to become a talent. ”
In September of this year, Wang Xiaotang officially enlisted in the army and became a Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Wang Xiaotang really lived up to everyone's expectations, only half a year after joining the army, she made a third-class meritorious service, with the increase in performances, Wang Xiaotang's acting skills improved rapidly, and soon, Wang Xiaotang was transferred to work in the repertory troupe.
1954 was another turning point for Wang Xiaotang.
This year, Lin Nong and director Zhu Wenshun were preparing to make a film called "The Mysterious Traveling Companion", when selecting the heroine, dozens of people were not satisfied with it in a row, and in desperation, the two had to come to the General Political Drama Troupe, but by chance they met Wang Xiaotang, who was practicing on the snow, and the two directors' eyes lit up, and the candidate for the heroine was determined.
In the Spring Festival of 1956, "The Mysterious Traveling Companion" was released, and Wang Xiaotang played the Yi girl Xiao Liying, which left a deep impression on the audience, and this film made Wang Xiaotang famous.
In 1958, Wang Xiaotang was transferred to Bayi Film Studio and became a professional film actor.
It was this year that Wang Xiaotang won the Young Actor Award at the 11th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for his outstanding performance in "Beacon Fire in the Border Village".
Since then, Wang Xiaotang has filmed many films such as "Heroes and Tiger Courage", "Sea Eagle", "Wildfire Spring Breeze Fighting Ancient City", and with the wonderful performance in "Wildfire Spring Breeze Fighting Ancient City", Wang Xiaotang was unanimously elected as the best actress in the third popular film "Hundred Flowers Award" in 1964.
In just two years, an unprecedented political storm swept across the land of China, and the literary and artistic circles bore the brunt of the "hardest hit area", Wang Xiaotang was also impacted and imprisoned in the "cowshed", "two crimes": one is to protest against the rebels for creating unjust, false and wrongful cases, and the other is to protect the black line of literature and art and concoct the theory of red line dictatorship.
In December 1969, the "stubborn" Wang Xiaotang was demobilized and arranged to become a female worker in the Beitaishang Forest Farm in Huairou County, a northern suburb of Beijing.
In March 1975, under the instructions of Li Desheng, director of the General Political Department, Wang Xiaotang was finally rehabilitated and returned to Bayi Film Studio.
"The Chinese say that receiving the grace of the people's dripping water should be repaid by the spring, and I, receiving the favor of the people's spring, and doing my best, can only be the reward of the dripping water!"
Since then, Wang Xiaotang has gradually transformed into a director, was appointed as a director in 1984, and wrote and directed the movie "Fellow Countryman" in 1986, and was once again awarded the third-class merit.
In 1988, Wang Xiaotang was appointed deputy director of Bayi Film Studio and was awarded the rank of colonel, and in 1992, Wang Xiaotang was promoted to director and party secretary, and in 1993, he was promoted to major general.
In 2012, Wang Xiaotang won the Huading Award for Lifetime Achievement in Chinese Films.
Today, as a national first-class actor, Wang Xiaotang is a 90-year-old man, but she is still often active on the award platform or the annual ceremony.