98 year old conductor Cao Peng signs for readers in a wheelchair, planning for the Shanghai Book Fair on-site | Shen Guang | Book Fair
On the first day of the 2023 Shanghai Book Fair, 98 year old conductor Cao Peng appeared in a wheelchair accompanied by his family.
He may be the oldest signing guest at this year's Shanghai Book Fair. Although sitting in a wheelchair, he looked energetic in a white suit and striped tie. The Symphony of Great Love - Biography of Cao Peng, as one of the first series of books in the "Shen Guang Plan", was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House. On the cover, Cao Peng is wearing a tailcoat, holding up his baton as if music is flowing out of the book.
The first batch of books on the "Shen Guang Plan" has been released
Readers lined up in long queues to sign for the sale, and Cao Peng wrote down the names and blessings of each reader, leaving dates and marking himself as "98 years old at the time.". He writes leisurely and with a powerful pen. His grandson told reporters that his grandfather had only recently recovered from the second COVID-19. "He always disobeys. The doctor asks him to rest well, but he always can't stay idle."
Cao Peng said, "I am very grateful to all my friends for coming through the scorching heat. I am honored to have my personal biography" Symphony of Great Love - Cao Peng's Biography "published in the" Shen Guang Plan "series. There is great love in the world, and there are always unexpected beauty in life that is worth hearing and seeing."
Commander Cao Peng and critic Mao Shi'an
The "Shen Guang Plan" was jointly established by the Shanghai Education Development Foundation and the Shanghai Special Foundation for Patriotic Construction in the Business Community. "Shen" represents Shanghai; "Light" refers to making significant contributions in various fields in Shanghai, leaving behind light and illuminating the future. After nearly two years of deliberation and preparation, the "Shen Guang Plan" series has launched four books in the first batch: "From Grassroots Teachers to People's Educators - Yu Yi's Biography", "Symphony of Great Love - Cao Peng's Biography", "The Golden Age - The Biography of Gong Haocheng" and "Reflections on Time - Zhu Ronglin's Essays".
Among them, "Symphony of Great Love - Biography of Cao Peng" tells the story of Cao Peng's growth from a young man in Jiangnan to a musician. Starting from his personal experience, it showcases the development trajectory of Chinese music culture since modern times.
Cao Peng is from Jiangyin, Jiangsu, and joined the New Fourth Army at the age of 20. He, who had a natural talent for music since childhood, often taught soldiers to sing patriotic songs. After the liberation of Shanghai, he entered Shanghai as a member of the Cultural and Art Troupe of the East China Military Region and transferred to the Shanghai Film Studio. He became the conductor of the Shanghai Film Orchestra and recorded music for dozens of films such as "Longxu Gou".
In the Chinese conductor industry, Cao Peng has achieved multiple firsts: during his study abroad at the Moscow Conservatory of Music in 1960, he conducted the first Chinese symphony concert held overseas in the history of Chinese music, and became the "first person" to introduce the violin concerto "Liang Zhu" overseas. In 1963, he directed the Shanghai Opera House to perform the entire foreign opera "Madame Butterfly" for the first time. In 1975, he led the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to go abroad for the first time and perform in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, allowing overseas audiences to hear the voice of China
Compared to these admirable artistic achievements, what is even more admirable is Cao Peng's persistent dedication to the popularization of symphony music for decades. He has always believed that there is no amateur in symphony. In 2005, at the age of 80, he and his eldest daughter Cao Xiaoxia, who had returned from Japan, founded China's first non professional symphony orchestra - the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra. Later, they successively established the Shanghai Student Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Urban Youth Symphony Orchestra, providing opportunities for children of different ages to learn symphony.
In 2008, due to an article about autism in a magazine, Cao Peng and Cao Xiaoxia founded the "Angel Companion Salon", hoping to use music to open the hearts of children with autism. Cao Peng believes that to open the hearts of children, they must first open their ears.
At the Shanghai Book Fair, the "Children of the Stars" also arrived, and their copper pipe quintet brought moving music. Under the leadership of Cao Peng, they became acquainted with music, starting with simple instrument performance, learning to sing, dance, and play instruments, slowly opening the window of their hearts and walking out of a closed world.
At the Friendship Hall, the children of the Angel Companion Salon performed live
Cao Peng's two daughters, Cao Xiaoxia and Xia Xiaocao, wrote a piece of "Promise from Father" which was recited at the book exhibition: "Dad is already 98 years old this year, but he often says:" While I can do it, you can use it. "After experiencing the baptism of revolutionary war and the exploration of the art stage, his steadfast commitment is to use it for the country, for the people, and for love. He has always been diligent, hardworking, emotional, and meritorious, composing a symphony of great love between cities." The two daughters abide by the promise from their father, to help him achieve his lifelong ideals, and continue this love.
On site recitation, the heartfelt words spoken by Cao Peng's two daughters to their father
Wen Zeyuan, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Shanghai People's Publishing House, said, "We hope that the 'Shen Guang Plan' can help readers understand the development of China's education, music, finance, economy and other fields since the 1980s and 1990s by studying and organizing the personal biographies or self selected works of these typical characters, recording the development history of Shanghai and reflecting its urban spirit."
In the future, the "Shen Guang Plan" will gradually launch new works. Wang Ronghua, Chairman of the Shanghai Education Development Foundation, said, "Cao Peng's life can be described by the eight words' grasping the soul and understanding the Tao, walking with beauty '. His love for his motherland, hometown, and children are all in this book. The power of role models is infinite, and we hope that more successors will emerge and make new contributions to the great cause of education."
