Prose about the leap from a cat-eared poet to a messenger of folk culture

I heard from Yue Youren, a former division reporting team member who transferred to Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, that Shi Xiaoliang, a comrade in the same unit when we were on the front line in Laoshan, Yunnan, chose his own career after retiring and founded a comprehensive store in his hometown of Yixing, Jiangsu Province. BaMianLaiFengTang is a non-governmental organization that integrates professional, academic, research and dissemination functions. After nearly ten years of hard work, he has become a well-known "messenger of folk culture". His cultural and artistic career is also booming, and he is praised by both inside and outside the art circle as "the reappearance of contemporary Mansheng".

Shi Xiaoliang? That silly soldier who doesn't seem very talkative at first glance, who is honest, honest, and simple, but who dreams of becoming a poet? He is a typical poetry fan and loves to write poems. He also wrote many short poems in "Maoer Cave" and calls himself the "poet" of Maoer Cave. However, more than ten years later, he has become a slightly famous "cultural messenger". After getting in touch with Shi Xiaoliang, I briefly browsed through the Zisha Painting and Calligraphy website he opened, the "Zen on Teapot Painting" blog, and a large stack of books and periodicals that were specially delivered, and found out that his current pen name is Xiaoyang and his stage name is Yihu Taoist. No. Folk Tao Fu. Therefore, I had the idea to explore his difficult and tortuous life interpretation career from a poet with pierced ears to being involved in calligraphy and painting, from an army officer to a professional in folk culture.

Realizing dreams in the military camp, showing off one's talents

In April 1963, Shi Xiaoliang was born into a poor family in the Dongshanbao Squadron of the Xiangtou Brigade in Yicheng Town, Yixing, the Tao capital. At that time, three years of natural disasters had just ended. Shi Xiaoliang's father was originally a porter in Yicheng Port District. In 1960, he was transferred to the production team as a squad leader. His mother was an out-and-out illiterate farmer. Shi Xiaoliang, who was supposed to have a city registered permanent residence, became a country boy. At that time, the education environment was very poor. From Xiangtou Primary School, to Xiangtou Middle School, to Shilipai Middle School, he never went to a good school. Because there was no school building, he took classes in ordinary farmers' homes when he was in junior high school, and also took classes in cave dwellings with his own small bench. So until the first year of high school, Shi Xiaoliang basically didn't read many books. While studying, he also herded cattle and planted rice seedlings. In the second year of high school, with the resumption of the college entrance examination, Shi Xiaoliang's idea of ​​​​jumping out of farming became increasingly strong, and he felt that it would be difficult to achieve a career in three-thirds of the land. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had to walk more than ten miles. I started at five in the morning and arrived at school at seven. It was very cold in the winter and I had no decent clothes or pants to wear. I only had a pair of half-worn cloth shoes. Sometimes I couldn't bear to wear them, so I could only walk to school barefoot. At that time, my feet and hands were all covered in purple blood. In such a difficult environment, Shi Xiaoliang studied very hard and always wanted to leave the farm and go out of the countryside. During the college entrance examination, due to the lack of teachers in rural middle schools, the poor quality of education, and the lack of a solid foundation, he failed in the college entrance examination. But he did not give up because of this and was looking for opportunities.

Shi Xiaoliang really wanted to continue studying, but due to great family pressure and financial difficulties, he could not continue to study again. Seeing that the dream of college was difficult to realize, under this situation, he chose the only way Lu: Serve as a soldier and try to get into the military academy. In October 1981, he was drafted into the army and went to Shanxi. In the army, Shi Xiaoliang participated in military training assiduously while secretly reviewing the culture. He soon got a good job - tutoring the leaders in the culture. In the process of providing cultural tutoring to leaders, his cultural knowledge has also been consolidated and improved. It is really a double-edged sword! Hard work pays off. Encouraged by his superiors, he plucked up the courage to apply for the military academy. Through his own hard work, he was finally admitted to the Changsha Artillery Academy with high scores, fulfilling his dream of attending a military school. After graduating in 1985, he was assigned to a group army in Shijiazhuang as a platoon leader. At that time, Shi Xiaoliang was so proud! After all, he had made the leap from a soldier to an officer. He wanted to return to his hometown and show his fellow villagers that he had made a difference! Became an officer and put on a four-pocket cadre uniform. He also silently vowed to work hard in the army, achieve a great career, and be promoted and reused by his superiors.

Going to Laoshan to participate in the war provided him with a platform and opportunity for poetry creation. After the recapture of Laoshan and Zheyin Mountains in 1984, the fighting on the Sino-Vietnamese border was still very tense. For the purpose of training the troops, the Central Military Commission pulled a large number of troops into the "Two Mountains" battle. Shi Xiaoliang's unit was also included in the battle. object.

In 1995, Shi Xiaoliang invited the famous Hebei landscape painter Zhong Changsheng, the flower-and-bird painter Wen Yu, and the director of the Zhenjiang Painting Academy Li Weicheng to Yixing, held an exhibition at the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall, and paid for more than twenty paintings by each of them. , caused a certain response. After the exhibition, Shi Xiaoliang contacted Zhong Changsheng and asked him to paint Jiangnan scenery. The two of them were invited to the appointment. As if they were there, they were inspired and created many valuable works. Zhong Changsheng sketched during the day and painted at night. Shi Xiaoliang enjoyed the natural scenery during the day and contemplated poems. This resulted in the poetry and painting collection "Appreciation of Zhong Changsheng's Landscape Paintings - Jiangnan Gardens and Water Towns Series", which was promoted by many domestic TV stations and newspapers.

After publishing this book, Shi Xiaoliang especially wanted to achieve something in this area. After working as secretary and section chief of the Political Department for two years, he came up with the idea of ​​resigning.

Self-employment, sweet winter plum blossoms

Shi Xiaoliang is the first person to dare to eat crabs. In 2001, for the first time, the army’s military officers transferred to cadres implemented a two-way choice, which allowed them to relocate and choose their own careers. . He abandoned secular prejudices and the good words of relatives and friends, did not seek comfort, and bravely became the first person to choose his own career. The pen name "Xiaoyang" was chosen when he decided to choose his own career and determined to take the road of cultural communication. He said that because he chose a new starting point, he gave himself a new pen name and started a new path; secondly, "Laughing Yang" is also his way of life, a smiling and optimistic attitude towards life; in addition, "Xiaoyang" also has some homophony with his real name "Xiaoliang".

Everyone’s environment and conditions are different, and their will to live is also different. When he first came out, Shi Xiaoliang was like a small boat on the sea, without direction. After staying in Wuxi for nearly a year, Shi Xiaoliang prepared to establish the Wuxi branch of China News Service. However, in practice, he felt that it was difficult to build an air-to-air tower because they were all attached to others. If one side of the tower collapsed, , maybe the whole thing will collapse. So, he began to think about improving his plan. Shi Xiaoliang likes to study calligraphy and painting. Although he has not achieved much results, he has liked it for so many years. He thought: Chinese calligraphy and painting have a traditional national spirit, and purple sand is a unique brand in the world. It would be great if the purple sand from his hometown could be combined with calligraphy and painting. In this way, it has great charm for both artists and people who like tea culture. With such good soil and good opportunities, how could we not seize them? Did he resolutely decide to go back to his hometown to pursue such a career in a down-to-earth manner? Shi Xiaoliang began to have new dreams.

The process is for you to enjoy, and the results are for others to see. Others generally only see your results. If you want to do something good, you must have your own world. Shi Xiaoliang had a very strong desire to succeed. At that time, his total transfer fee was only more than 130,000 yuan. Adding in his family's savings, he had more than 200,000 yuan a year. It is difficult to build a large position with just this little money. To do business, you need to have the spirit of taking risks. With this idea in mind, Shi Xiaoliang rode his motorcycle around Yixing for more than 30 times, and finally hit a place that was inconspicuous but had great development prospects. It is still a bit desolate and the infrastructure along Tahrir Square is incomplete. He thinks the location is good, but the calculation still gives him a headache. Although the first floor of Jingxi Building in Liberation Square has an area of ​​nearly 1,100 square meters, the house and decoration total cost 3 million. How can he get so much money? But he never gives up on something he believes in. He believes that Liberation Square has good architectural feng shui, good environment, and reasonable prices. It is an ideal location and more suitable for hosting a cultural and art salon. To start a business, you need the courage to take risks, so he sold his old house, borrowed money from relatives and friends, and then borrowed 1.85 million yuan from the bank, and finally created the first folk culture salon in Jiangnan.

At the beginning, Shi Xiaoliang only had a vague liking for calligraphy and painting. But I really liked and understood Chinese calligraphy and painting when I organized an exhibition at Yixing Art Museum at my own expense at the end of 2002 - a personal exhibition of Zhu Xinjian, a representative of contemporary new literati painting, and an exhibition of Shi Xiaoliang's own collection. Yang Haikuan, Shi Xiaoliang's comrade in Shijiazhuang who was fond of calligraphy and painting, recommended Zhu Xinjian to him to a great extent.

At that time, he had no feelings for Zhu Xinjian. He didn't dislike Zhu Xinjian's paintings, but he didn't like them to the extent he does now. When Zhu Xinjian's paintings were brought over, the ink smelled very bad, but after they were framed and hung, they felt different every day. During that exhibition, Shi Xiaoliang stayed in the exhibition hall for a week, looking at Zhu Xinjian's works. After reading it for a week, Shi Xiaoliang felt his eyes suddenly light up and he felt a sense of enlightenment. In the future, he fell in love with this art so much. Chinese painting gave him endless power and enjoyment of beauty.

Before Shi Xiaoliang had too much contact with calligraphy and painting, he always believed that painting should be realistic, beautiful and complete. Zhu Xinjian's paintings changed his perspective 180 degrees. He realized that art should be natural, plain, straightforward, and more flavorful. Style should be put first. The style of Chinese painting is the essence of human beings. The straightforwardness of human nature. That kind of humanity is directly reflected in the art of calligraphy and painting. Expression on the Internet is the best art. It does not express official status, false elements, exaggeration, or ostentation. It directly expresses the plain, peaceful and far-reaching heart, allowing you to calm down, appreciate, and enjoy . This is why Shi Xiaoliang is so partial to, admires and loves Zhu Xinjian so much. It is because he has captured the connotation and essence of Zhu Xinjian's paintings. Zhu Xinjian's paintings played a great role in cultivating Shi Xiaoliang's personality, establishing his personal artistic outlook, and improving his aesthetic taste. From then on, Shi Xiaoliang wanted to do such a thing even more. He has a clear idea of ​​what the cultural and art salon should be, what kind of things it should do, and how it should take this path.

The exhibition still relies on others. After all, Shi Xiaoliang does not have the financial or social status to support it. He can only achieve certain influence and results by working diligently and laboring on his own. Once when he moved to a new home, the father of Sun Jianping, editor-in-chief of Yixing Radio and Television News, happened to live downstairs in his home, and he helped with the decoration. Through the editor-in-chief's father, Shi Xiaoliang and Sun Jianping were connected. Sun Jianping told him that the newspaper wanted to run a column about art collection. If you contracted it, you would have to pay a small page fee. You could make some advertisements, and you could also make purple sand, which is popular in Yixing collections. At that time, Shi Xiaoliang wanted to have a column in newspapers and TV to air his opinions and display research results. After discussion with the newspaper, the special edition was named "Yangxian Collection", with four sentences in mind: advocating tradition, exploring art, guiding collection, and promoting new talents. From this, Shi Xiaoliang came into contact with some calligraphers, painters, and ceramic artists, which expanded the communication surface and the public's awareness, and embarked on the road to become associated with purple sand.

There are ups and downs in the filing process. When he just started to run the first special edition of the newspaper, Shi Xiaoliang didn't know what to do or what kind of layout it would be, and he was unsure. When contracting a special page, you must first pay a certain fee to the newspaper, and secondly, you must do it tastefully, write stylish articles, and launch powerful columns. Until now, Shi Xiaoliang has published 128 issues. Many readers who read this page wrote to him and called him, saying that this is Yixing's "China Culture News" and "China Culture News" should be like this. At that time, Shi Xiaoliang basically worked overtime every day, working as a ceramic artist during the day, and working overtime at night to write and proofread manuscripts, revising them over and over again, striving for accuracy, high quality, and high taste. This newspaper had the deepest impact on Shi Xiaoliang in that he accumulated a lot of information, made many friends, wrote a number of articles, and improved his appreciation.

Popularity spreads far and wide

Chinese culture has a long history and is a treasure of world civilization. Especially Chinese painting, it is directly directed to the heart. Only when souls collide and emotions are convection can one deeply appreciate the charm and temptation of painting. On September 19, 2004, Yixing City's Jiefang Square, located in the bustling downtown area of ​​​​Jiangnan, was decorated with lights and colorful decorations, integrating cultural and art research and collection (the direction of Chinese new literati paintings and literati purple clay pottery), editing and publishing, art exhibition forums, design and creation, etc. A comprehensive, academic, research and dissemination non-governmental organization - Bami Lai Feng Tang was established here.

In the past 10 years, Shi Xiaoliang’s Ba Mian Lai Feng Tang has organized and planned more than 100 exhibitions and forums, edited and published five volumes of "Yixing Pottery and Literati Painting" and "Zhu Xinjian's Traditional Chinese Painting?" Paintings from the Fengtang Collection of Eight Sides" and "Twelve Chinese Contemporary Zisha Young and Middle-aged Families", assisted the Yixing Municipal Agriculture and Forestry Bureau in publishing the first and second volumes of "Yangxian Tea" and more than 100 books, periodicals and picture albums, co-organized with Yixing Radio and Television News There are 128 special editions of "Yangxian Collection", more than 200 issues of the "Tasting Tea and Discussing Pots" column co-organized with Minbei Daily in Nanping City, Fujian Province, and "Purple Clay Pottery and Literati" co-published with Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao" and "Big Weekly" Fifty issues of the special topic "Painting"; it has collected tens of thousands of calligraphy and painting works and purple sand pottery works including contemporary new literati painters Zhu Xinjian, Fan Yang and other famous contemporary purple sand pottery artists. Together with Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao, Fujian Minbei Daily, Wuxi Daily and Yixing Daily Mainstream media such as daily newspapers have established their own publicity platforms and planned and promoted more than 300 literati painters and purple clay pottery artists across the country. It has received nearly 500,000 domestic and foreign visitors free of charge, and provided free books and periodicals worth more than one million yuan to art lovers across the country. Bamiandaifengtang has become the focus of attention in the new literati painting circles and purple sand pottery circles in Jiangnan and even the whole country. Together with the Propaganda Department of Nanping City, Fujian Province and the Northern Fujian Daily, we jointly researched and developed a series of Zisha teapots from famous Wuyi cultural figures. When you taste tea, you can judge the teapot, and teapots and teapots have the same reputation. They complement each other and have unprecedented influence. By April 14, 2012, "Tasting Tea and Discussing Pots" entered Xiamen, Fujian Province. On November 18, "Great Wuyi Cultural Pot" entered the Sixth Straits Tea Expo in Wuyishan. In just four years, Shi Xiaoliang has already Twenty-six times (events) of the "Tea Tasting and Pot Discussion" theme series activities have been successfully held in nearly 20 cities across the country.

Shi Xiaoliang’s success and the series of measures taken by Ba Mian Lai Feng Tang have attracted strong attention from local, domestic and foreign mainstream media. In 2006, the 11th issue of "Demobilized Military Officers" published an interview with "Dreams for Art"; Jiangsu Satellite TV filmed and broadcast the special feature "Winds from All Directions and the Fragrance of Calligraphy and Ink" during the Army Day in 2007; on April 13, 2007, Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao "Published the article "From all directions, pottery is used as a medium to spread traditional culture"; on March 31, 2008, the second page of "Wuxi Daily" published the headline "From soldier to "folk culture ambassador" - Shi Xiaoliang's account of promoting the spread of local culture" " article; on September 23, 2008, the 15th page of "Modern Family News" published the headline "Cultural Business Started by a Military Cadre"; in 2009, the fourth issue of "Demobilized Military Officer" published his self-written article "Little Children". "Making a Big Article in the Salon"; his self-employment experience and achievements were compiled into the book "Jiangsu Retired Military Officers" published by Jiangsu People's Publishing House; in 2010, the first issue of "Golf Travel" magazine published "Tangible World, Intangible World" Qiankun - Shi Xiaoyanglt;Hehe Tianxiagt;Purple Clay Pot Set", in September, the magazine published the article ""Folk Culture Ambassador" Shi Xiaoliang, the Five Elements Belongs to "Rui""; May 20, 2010, Shi Xiaoliang was invited to co-organize the "Entrepreneurship Forum for Demobilized Military Cadres and the 20th Anniversary Symposium of the "Demobilized Officers" Magazine"; in 2011, the fifth issue of the high-speed rail "let'sgo" Hainan special issue published "Three Wisdoms: Inheriting Zisha Culture and Opening Up the Path to Enlightenment" "Gate" article and so on.

Over the past 10 years, Bamienlaifengtang has been favored and praised by celebrities from all walks of life.

Han Tianheng, the former vice president of the Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Painting and a famous seal engraver, said pertinently after a comprehensive inspection of Bamienlaifengtang: "Unexpectedly, one of my students opened a folk culture and art salon and closed down. Bamianlaifengtang is a cadre transferred from the military. It can be said to be the 'first cultural and art salon in the south of the Yangtze River' because it has such a large scale and magnificence." Zhang Shouzhi, a professor at the School of Arts and Crafts at Tsinghua University, often visits Ba Mian Lai Feng Hall. He sees Ba Mian Lai Feng. As the hall became more and more prosperous, he was very surprised and said: "For a pure folk culture and art salon to survive and develop in the special soil of Yixing, it must have its own uniqueness. I have seen many private and public salons in Beijing. Museums, art galleries, etc. are struggling to carry out daily activities, and some even rely on renting out their storefronts. It is indeed a miracle that Bamilaifengtang can combine purple sand with calligraphy and painting, continue to research and publish continuously."; General Manager of China Painting and Calligraphy Network Moderator Wang Ziyong posted: Critic Jia Fangzhou said that after listening to Zhu Xinjian's talk for the first time, he had an idea. If Zhu Xinjian brought a graduate student, this graduate student would follow him every day and record what he said, and then compile it into a booklet. Just like Rodin's book, just like Goethe's book, it will eventually become a classic. Nowadays, some people have done this; the famous art critic Li Xiaoshan came to Bamiilaifeng Hall and watched it for ten minutes. The first thing he said was: Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, really unexpectedly, this small Yixing actually has a special collection and a place to study Zhu Xinjian’s paintings. Li Xiaoshan also said: "Ba Mian Lai Feng Tang has profound contemporary significance and historical and cultural value because of its research and collection of Zhu Xinjian's works." Dafeng, finally compiled into "Dafeng Talks about Art", which seems to be called the contemporary "Five Deng Huiyuan". "Dafeng Talks about Art" published by Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House became one of the best-selling books in the art category in 2007.

Bamiilaifengtang starts from Shi Xiaoliang alone: ​​from the "Mao Erdong Poet"; from visiting thousands of calligraphers, painters and purple clay potters; from the pieces of art works brought back It started; it started with the Wuxi Branch of the China News Service; it started with the purchase of one hundred paintings by the famous painter Zhu Xinjian; it started with planning the first exhibition; it started with the Taihu Culture and Art Media Center; it started with the Wind from All Directions on September 19, 2004 The birth of the church begins…. BaMianLaiFengTang started from the business philosophy of "nurturing literature with culture and cultivating treasures with possessions"; starting from the thoughts of "returning to zero" and "picking up suffering"; starting from more than one hundred exhibitions and forums; starting from "Dafeng Tan" Starting from "Yangxian Collection", "Ta Kung Pao" and "Northern Fujian Daily"; starting from "Yixing Collection", which combines literati purple clay pottery with contemporary new literati paintings. Starting from the series "Pottery and Literati Painting"; starting from the first opening of the "Pot Painting Forum"; starting from the series of activities "Zisha Pots by Famous Wuyi Cultural Masters"... Shi Xiaoliang started with his debut novel "I am a Meteor"; started with giving up officialdom; started with visiting calligraphers and painters; started with the first collection; started with the military to choose a career on his own; started with buying a house and setting up a church; started with a series of observations about culture and art The article begins; it begins with the more than one million written records of the interview with Zhu Xinjian; it begins with the editor-in-chief of a series of cultural and art albums... Starting from the ambassador of folk culture and art: starting from the observation and research of folk art; starting from the inheritance of Zisha culture by Chen Mansheng in the Qing Dynasty; starting from the combination of new literati paintings and Zisha pottery; starting from the perfect marriage of Zisha pots and Wuyi Mountain rock tea and its series of activities It started; it started with the continuous tea parties at the tea pot painting forum; it started with visiting the leaders of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in Wuyi Mountain and tasting pots and discussing Taoism face to face; it started with Yixing, the capital of pottery? The series of activities of "Tea Pots and Teas with the Same Reputation" in Wuyi, the tea town, started; it started with lectures at hundreds of universities, started with the "ant workers" of Gandang culture, and started with the research of "literati ceramics"; it started with walking in Yixing, Jiangsu - Jingdezhen, Jiangxi - Wuyishan, Fujian ——Longquan, Zhejiang, the establishment of folk culture and art circles in four provinces and four cities began... Every beginning is a planning theme that Shi Xiaoliang dares to break through; every beginning is a witness to the eight years of fruitfulness of Bami Lai Feng Tang; every beginning has great significance for the new literati painting world and the purple sand ceramic art world. Unprecedented.

From a fan of Maoerdong poetry to a messenger of folk culture, Shi Xiaoliang successfully completed the role transfer from a soldier to a businessman; from wanting to get ahead to benefiting the public, inheriting, developing and disseminating folk culture, Shi Xiaoliang realized the role of a child. The dream of becoming famous. A person who likes and is strongly attracted by the atmosphere and charm of art should spend more energy studying art, absorb more nutrients, and cultivate an inner world that is more important than himself. Facing life correctly and facing various facts that have happened and are about to happen should be the path of life for everyone pursuing self-development.