Wang Xin

Wang Xin

Wang Shen (October 1918 - October 15, 2007), formerly known as Wang xingeng, was born in Dangkou Town, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. He is a famous composer and the author of the song "singing the motherland". Honorary chairman of Tianjin Music Association and winner of lifetime achievement award of "Golden Bell Award" of China Music Association.

He joined the revolution in 1936 and the Communist Party of China in 1943. He has successively served as head of Tianjin music group, vice president of Tianjin People's Art Theater, President of Tianjin song and dance theater, executive director of China Music Association, chairman of Tianjin Music Association, vice chairman of Tianjin Federation of literary and art circles, etc.

Character experience

To become a composer

Influenced by folk music since childhood, he loved music and learned to play flute and erhu. His parents wanted to train him to be a composer, but his family was too poor to afford him to go to middle school. In 1932, 14-year-old Wang Shen came to Shanghai and worked as a trainee clerk in Xianshi department store. In 1935, under the influence of the Anti Japanese and national salvation patriotic movement launched by Shanghai people, he had a strong sense of patriotism, met left-wing progressive musicians Xian Xinghai, Lu Ji, sun Shen, etc., took part in the Anti Japanese and national salvation singing movement led by Xian Xinghai and Lu Ji, and went to Ningbo, Zhejiang Province to actively publicize the Anti Japanese war. In 1938, he went to Yan'an to study music with Xian Xinghai, Lu Ji and Xiang Yu at Lu Xun Institute of literature and art.

With Xian Xinghai

When Xian Xinghai wrote "the Yellow River Chorus" in the rehearsal and performance of "Luyi", Wang Shen also served as the lead singer of Wang Laoqi in "riverside counterpart". After graduating in 1939, he first worked in the Shanxi Chahar Hebei base area, and then served as the Music Department of North China United University. From then on, he began to write revolutionary songs. During the war of resistance against Japan and the war of liberation, Wang Shen composed hundreds of songs, such as "Jin Cha Ji", "sun up the hill", "combat production", "election of village head", "border region children's group", "fight against diehards", "always follow the Communist Party", which greatly inspired the revolutionary enthusiasm of the army and the people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

The leadership of the mass drama club

In 1942, Wang Xin began to be the leader of the mass drama club. During the war of liberation, he wrote a small opera "Baoshan join the army" and a large number of songs. In January 1949, Wang Shen led the comrades of the mass drama club into the newly liberated Tianjin. After liberation, he entered the composition department of the Central Conservatory of music for further study. The main works include the songs "children's group of border areas", "fighting production", "happy labor", "singing the motherland", "just because of meritorious service, song of breeder", "Ode to the motherland", opera "Baoshan join the army", "Yihetuan", "coal shop new workers", chorus "unite against imperialism", etc. Among them, "singing the motherland" is a passionate, bold and ambitious Ode to the new era, which carves out the image of the Oriental giant standing up and enjoys high reputation at home and abroad.

Creating and singing the motherland

On the eve of the National Day in 1950, Wang Shen, who was on a business trip to Beijing on Tiananmen Square, which has been renovated and red flag flying, saw the high spirited masses and happy and lovely children in the rehearsal procession. He thought of the vigorous and prosperous New China, and was full of creative passion in his heart. On the train back to Tianjin, he began to create. Soon, a new song "singing the motherland" was born: "the five-star red flag flutters in the wind, how loud the victory song is, singing our dear motherland, from now on to prosperity and strength..." This golden melody of the times, which embodies patriotism, love for the party and the soul of the nation, soon spread all over China and became an everlasting music classic sung by millions of people. On the eve of the national day of the second year, the Central People's government and the central Ministry of culture recommended two songs to the people of the whole country, one of which was singing the motherland.

Chairman Mao's autograph

On October 29, 1951, at the meeting of the National Committee of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference, Chairman Mao learned that Wang Shen, who was present at the meeting as a nonvoting member, was the author of "singing the motherland." he said: this song is good. He specially sent the newly published Anthology of Mao Zedong to Wang Shen and signed his name for him. In 1954, singing the motherland won the first prize in the national popular song selection. In 1989, "singing the motherland" won the gold record award of China National Record Corporation. In 2000, the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Tianjin municipal government commended Wang Shen for his 50th anniversary of singing the motherland and 60th anniversary of his music creation. After the liberation of the whole country, Wang Shen also created the song of praising the motherland and running to the prospect of happiness. His opera "Ode to Wang Jie" was performed and encouraged by Premier Zhou. He also composed songs for Chairman Mao's poems and wrote Interludes for the drama "Hongyan" and "chaitoufeng". In the past few decades, Wang Shen has composed nearly a thousand revolutionary songs, which has made great contributions to the people's music career. In 1982, Wang Shen suffered from cerebral thrombosis and right hemiplegia. This is undoubtedly a fatal blow to him who regards Chuang as his life. But Wang Shen fought against the disease tenaciously. Under the care and help of Wang Huifen, a 12-year-old revolutionary wife who joined the party in 1944, he wrote notes, rhythms and bars on the children's writing board with his movable left hand. Then he asked his wife to "translate" them on the paper, and then revise them over and over again, without weakening his enthusiasm for creation.

The important thought of Three Represents

In order to publicize the important thought of "Three Represents", he created "the banner of truth"; after the 16th National Congress, he created "the party, we can't do without you" and "faith". Wang Shen's songs such as "picking the stars" and "everyone reaches out a hand and pushes the earth forward" won many awards in the national selection. Wang Shen said that as a veteran party member, I will do my duty and contribute to the construction of advanced culture as soon as I have a breath! In 1994, Wang Shen and Wang Huifen pooled their decades of savings together with their children's support to set up the Wang Shen music creation foundation to reward song creation. They also made 30000 tapes of selected children's songs and held a donation ceremony to children of 56 nationalities in the Great Hall of the people. When they learned that the old revolutionary base areas in Hebei were affected by the disaster, they raised 5000 cases of instant noodles and clothes in Tianjin to send to the disaster areas. In 2003, when SARS was rampant, Wang Shen opened the war at home and created the first anti SARS song in Tianjin, "unite as one, unite as one city". He also took 20000 yuan from his home and made 3000 CDs of 19 songs, all of which were sent to front-line medical units such as Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital and Tianjin Haihe hospital. In 2003, when Wang Shen heard that 56 young people in the old revolutionary base areas with excellent character and learning were admitted to university, but they could not afford to pay the tuition fees, he asked his wife to push him around in a wheelchair to "lobby", and used his reputation and influence to raise 450000 yuan for them, so that they finally entered the University. When these poor students find Wang Shen's home to express their gratitude to him, their feelings can no longer be suppressed: These are two old people who live a frugal life, and they need more care! The youths cried "grandfather, grandmother" and knelt down. Wang Shen and his wife quickly picked them up and repeatedly said, "this is your home in the future." "if you study hard, it will be the biggest reward for us!" During the interview, the reporter mentioned that at the recent "congratulations on Comrade Wang Shen's participation in the 70th anniversary of the Anti Japanese national salvation movement and the" diamond wedding "commemorative activities of Wang Shen and Wang Huifen", when a leading comrade of Tianjin municipal Party committee praised Wang Shen as a banner of Tianjin's literary and art circles, Wang Shen immediately waved his hand: "Wang Shen is not a banner, the Communist Party of China is a banner, and the" Three Represents "is a banner Banner Comrade Wang Shen is sick and old, but everyone who comes into contact with him can feel that his heart and his whole spiritual world are still so hot, so young and so bright red.

Wang Shen died in Tianjin on the morning of October 15, 2007 at the age of 89.

Wang Shen was buried in Tianjin Yong'an cemetery on December 22, 2007

social activities

In his later years, Wang Shen, regardless of his illness, devoted himself to the prosperity of music and social public welfare activities. In 1994, he took out all his savings and set up the "Wang Shen Song Creation Award Foundation" to encourage songwriters to create more and better songs to sing the motherland.

Representative works

The song "singing the motherland". In June 2019, singing the motherland was selected as "100 excellent songs celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the people's Republic of China" by the Ministry of publicity.

Chinese PinYin : Wang Shen