drama, once said: "The achievements of "The Tea House" are unprecedented and unparalleled in the world."
"The Tea House" is the representative work of Mr. Lao She , and it is also a treasure in the history of Chinese drama. Since its inception in 1958,
has been performed more than 700 times and is still highly regarded.
Lao She is based on the background of Yutai Teahouse , with more than 70 characters, vividly showing the bizarre appearance of all beings in the changes of the old Chinese society.
From the end of the Qing Dynasty, the melee of warlords to the Anti-Japanese War , the fate of individuals fluctuated in the torrent of the times.
Some people are insensitive, some people fight desperately, and some people are charitable and help others.
hides many truths of human nature in the scenes of life and the joys and sorrows of the world.
When you read Mr. Lao She's "Tea House", you will understand that there are three realms in life:
Fools sink, wise people cross themselves, and saints cross people.
Image source: Panoramic Vision
What is more terrible than poverty is the cannibalism of the weak
The Yutai Teahouse in the city is still full of people and lively.
The famous eunuch Pang next to the Queen Mother, has nothing to do to drink tea at this teahouse.
But he found that the rich man who used to be respectful to him now dares to play tricks with him.
bought his wife and son with money in order to give himself a face.
has a smart and beautiful wife and a well-behaved and sensible son, but Eunuch Pang never treats them kindly.
He vented all his anger inside and outside the palace on the mother and son, beating or scolding them. After
changed the dynasty, Eunuch Pang lost his power, and his nephews teamed up to bully him.
He doubled the torture he suffered to the mother and son, pinched and twisted his wife, and stabbed the young son with a cigarette stick.
The bottom people who have been devastated by life are even more numb and cruel in their hearts.
Xiao Er Dezi, a thug who often goes to teahouses to cause trouble, always runs away from foreigners, officers and soldiers, afraid to provoke them.
And with the social turmoil, when students became the targets of oppression, he often went to school to show his prestige and beat the students.
He knew that he couldn't beat the strong, so he chose honest students to attack, even female students.
The students were bruised and bruised by him, and they begged for mercy, but he ignored them.
Others accused him of being lewd and bullying the weak, and he didn't feel ashamed.
sociologist Sun Liping also proposed a concept: the bottom of fell to .
If you are at the bottom, it is easy to fall into a mode of mutual harm, everyone steps on me and I step on you.
Because we spend a lot of energy on hurting each other, we don't have the energy to improve, and there is no way to escape.
The more incompetent people are, the more they like to bully the weak and transfer their pain to the weak.
is not scary to be at the bottom, what is scary is the thinking of the weak who are embarrassing each other.
Life is already difficult, why bother?
Image source: Panorama Vision
greedy for money, will eventually perish
There is a villain in the book that everyone hates, named Liu Mazi. In order to make money,
did everything he could to sell foreign goods to dignitaries at high prices.
He pimps and sells the daughters of poor families to others as tools or playthings to inherit the family.
Kang Shunzi, the daughter-in-law of Eunuch Pang, was the one who went to the countryside to look for it.
At that time, he asked Eunuch Pang for 200 taels of silver, but he lied to Kang Shunzi's father that the other party only paid 10 taels.
made a lot of money in just a few years by earning a huge price difference. After
entered the Republic of China, he became more courageous. No matter what the identity of the other party was, as long as he had enough money, he was willing to trade.
Once, when he was negotiating business with two deserters, he happened to catch up with the troops to investigate the deserters.
The two deserters used the money originally used to buy their daughter-in-law to survive, bribed army officers.
officers want to make money and have to meet the targets of their superiors.
So, they tied up Liu Mazi without any reason, and made him a job.
He cried out "wronged", but no one was willing to stand up and speak for him.
The officers dragged Liu Mazi to the middle of the road and killed him on the spot.
said in Tao Te Ching: "No misfortune is greater than a deficiency, and nothing is greater than a desire to gain." If
were not greedy for money, how would he risk his own life?
Money is a double-edged sword. If you take it rightly, you can live in peace, but if you take it in the wrong way, it will only go deeper into trouble.
Image source: Panoramic Vision
Put down your face, you can carry your life
Yutai Teahouse regulars Song Erye and Chang Siye are a pair of close friends. Both
are the children of Eight Banners . During the Qing Dynasty, received money and rice every month, and lived a life of worry-free food and clothing.
However, the changing times have left them with nothing.
Master Song can write and calculate, so he can find a job to support himself. But he, who has always been pampered, can't let go of his air, and he can't wipe his face.
Even if he doesn't have enough to eat and wears shabby clothes, he still walks around with a bird cage every day, pretending to be decent in front of outsiders.
In the end, penniless, he starved himself to death.
In contrast, Fourth Master Chang is able to bend and stretch.
He wakes up in the dark every day, carries the burden of selling vegetables along the street, and asks Wang Lifa to take care of his own business.
As he got older and his physical strength became too much, he switched to selling peanuts with a basket.
relied on her strength to eat steadily, allowing Fourth Master Chang to survive the difficult years.
"Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Guan Yan" has a cloud: Cang Lin knows etiquette when he is honest, and knows honor and disgrace when he has enough food and clothing.
face is worthless in the face of survival.
The face is for others to see, it is optional; if the day is good, only you know.
overdrawing himself in order to be looked down upon by others will only make reality worse.
learns to bow his head in order to carry the burden of life, so as to make life better.
You work hard to support yourself and take care of your family, which is the greatest honor.
Image source: Panoramic Vision
People who are trapped by old thinking, abandoned by the times
In the old days, there were row upon row of shops on the street, pedestrians crowded shoulder to shoulder, and it was very lively from morning to night.
Today, businessmen are going bankrupt one after another, and those century-old stores have closed.
There are very few idlers playing with birds and parrots, and the patrolmen also take advantage of the fire to loot and loot money, and most of the new shops come down.
The Yutai Teahouse, which Wang Lifa took over from his father, was still standing in depression and dilapidation.
And Wang Lifa's management method is to "improve" in time.
At first, he only sold tea, snacks and meals for the guests to eat, drink and chat.
During the period of the Republic of China, he redecorated the tea house and freed up half of the area for short-term rental apartments, which were specially rented to students who were well-off. In order to attract soldiers and officials to come in for entertainment,
added storytelling and performances.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Kuomintang spies and American soldiers were rampant. He also thought about adding waitresses and standing at the door to attract guests.
is like this, relying on flexible adaptations again and again, Yutai Teahouse has survived the storm.
Wang Lifa's landlord Qin Zhongyi also understands the importance of judging the situation.
He used to be a famous rich man who made money by renting out the real estate accumulated by his ancestors.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, he realized that the current situation was chaotic, sold many properties, and turned into an industry early.
He introduced advanced machines, opened factories, provided a large number of jobs for the people, and made a lot of money himself.
I often see this sentence: "When the times abandon you, you don't even say hello."
sticks to outdated customs and stubborn rules, and sooner or later will be left behind by the ever-changing changes.
dares to break free from the cage of thinking, in order to broaden their horizons and live in the right circumstances.
is just like what Zhu Xi said: "If you don't have any restrictions, you will be able to understand everything."
Image source: Panoramic Vision
Altruism is the highest level of selfishness
Wang Lifa is shrewd and slick in life, but has a very kind heart.
often have fortune-tellers and hawkers in shabby clothes who go to the teahouse to shout and disturb the guests.
Wang Lifa never rudely drove them away, but brought them a bowl of tea to moisten their throats.
During the period of the Republic of China, the business of the teahouse was deserted and there were not enough staff. The old man complained that he was too tired and wanted to quit his job.
At this time, Kang Shunzi brought his son vigorously to the teahouse for help.
It turned out that Eunuch Pang had been abused to death by his nephews, and their mother and son were also swept out of the house.
Wang Lifa was not rich, but he couldn't bear them to live on the streets and took them in.
For this, Kang Shunzi was very grateful and decided to work hard for the teahouse.
For many years, Kang Shunzi didn't care about wages, didn't complain about hardship and tiredness, and took care of the teahouse as his own home.
's son vigorously grew up. After he went to Xishan to participate in the revolution, Kang Shunzi was reluctant to leave.
Until the eve of the war of liberation, a Kuomintang cadre took a fancy to the teahouse and wanted to turn it into a high-level clubhouse, and to drive away Wang Lifa and his family. If
insists on staying, it may be a dead end; if they don't stay, the family has nowhere to go.
When Wang Lifa was at a loss, Kang Shunzi decided to go to Dali and took risks with Wang Lifa's family.
Wang Lifa, who once extended a helping hand to Kang Shunzi, has now made a living for his family with the help of the other party.
altruism is the highest level of self-interest.
People have been striving for happiness all their lives, but they don't know that their blessings depend on their own practice.
Have an altruistic heart, do altruistic things, and the one who ultimately benefits is actually yourself.
Image source: Panoramic Vision
There is an impressive sentence in "Tea House": "The era is the era of heroes, and life is the life of the people." lifetime.
Difficulties from others, bad situation and pressure of survival can always easily drown the little people who are struggling in the wind and waves.
However, there is no night without dawn, and there is no endless suffering.
As the poet Kaneko Meiling said:
"Towards the bright side, even if it is only a spacious one, but also to the direction of the sun." It's hard to live a life as your biggest supporter.
Author: Xu Chaomu, this article is an original one-volume book every night, and you are full of poetry and literature.