Stories of two Party members
Print Edition
Lu Qiming
This year, the Party created the July 1 Medal, as the highest honor, to commend distinguished Party members, workers on Party affairs and grassroots Party organizations. Only 29 people received such honor nationwide.
Lu Qiming, a resident in Jing’and District’s Nanjing Road W. Subdistrict, is one of them.
The 91-year-old composer received the medal at an award ceremony held on June 29 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. After the ceremony, he was so excited to write down his sentiment.
“This morning, President Xi personally presented the medal to me. I’m so excited but at the same time I felt embarrassed. I just did what a Party member should do, but the Party gave me such a high honor,” he wrote. “I felt nothing to repay but to continue to write more songs to pay tribute to the Party. I hope I can write songs until the end of my life.”
Lu is known for composing masterpieces include the classic symphonic piece “Ode to the Red Flag” and the score for the 1956 war film “Railway Guerrilla.”
Born in 1930, Lu joined the New Fourth Army at the age of 10, under the influence of his father Lu Huisheng, a revolutionary martyr. In September 1945, the boy joined the Party. But just two months later, his father was killed.
After the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, Lu left the army. He spent seven years studying to become a symphony composer and conductor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, which laid a good academic foundation for his creations.
Over the past several decades, he has created more than 10 symphonic pieces and 300 songs.
He has also written scores for many film and television productions such as “My Memories of Old Beijing” and “Romance on Lushan Mountain.” Film songs like “Playing My Beloved Pipa” and “Who Doesn’t Say My Hometown Is Good” have been beloved by generations of Chinese people.
Lu recalled how he created the classic “Ode to the Red Flag” in 1965. He combined elements from the national anthem “March of the Volunteers” with his personal experiences and emotions in the piece.
Lu noted that he is so proud to be born in China and witness the country’s development toward prosperity.
Du Shuochen
Street performer Du Shuochen and his fellows sang the titled song of Jing’an’s original “red” drama “Once Upon A Time in Fudeli” on June 30 and July 1 at the entrance of the Jing’an Park to celebrate the Party’s 100th anniversary. Also, it was his own way to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his joining the Party.
The play is set against the backdrop of Shanghai’s Fudeli neighborhood where the Party’s Second National Congress was held. Legendary figures such as Mao Zedong and his wife Yang Kaihui are brought back to life on stage.
“The song is so beautiful, especially its lyrics which say ‘young people are heading for their faith.’ I got goose bumps whenever I sang it. About a century ago, people of my age resolutely went into revolution, and some even sacrificed their young lives for the nation. They were great people,” Du said.
He added, “After the performance, I will visit the memorial of the Party’s Second National Congress to learn the history.”
Du came from Anhui to Shanghai in 2001. As he found he couldn’t realize his music dream, he became a licensed street performer in 2016.
In early 2000, he was taken ill. Shanghai Association of Performing Arts offered helping hands at once, and another street performer even planned to sell house to raise money for him. It impressed him a lot.
“At that moment, an idea came to me that I have to do something to repay the society,” he said, and he found to be a Party member would be a good start. Under his influence, his two fellows have also applied to join the Party.
“Shanghai is a city where everyone can find a place and be part of it,” he said. “I want to continue to sing for Shanghai, for beautiful life and for the Party. I want to be the light that can warm others.”
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