Public welfare and charity
Public welfare and cultural care for people living with HIV/AIDS
The musical "Love and Life" will be performed on university campuses.
Text by: Ai Qun
December 1st, 2015, marked the 28th World AIDS Day. On the stage of the Shanghai Daning Theater, Chinese-American musician Dong Rongcan, with his Chinese heart and profound love for the Chinese nation, led nearly 200 Shanghai musicians and children's choir members in a performance of the moving, tear-jerking, and heartwarming original charity musical, "Love and Life," themed on "Caring for Vulnerable Groups of People Living with HIV/AIDS." This was the first musical in Chinese art history to focus on "caring for people living with HIV/AIDS." The beautiful and melodious music, touching plot, dramatic conflicts, and excellent performances moved audiences of all ages to tears. Even the orchestra members had tears in their eyes. Applause resounded throughout the performance; the audience's hearts were gently touched by the sincere love emanating from the music. Moved by the songs and the characters' genuine emotions, they were inspired to express their own passion for human compassion.
Inspired by the charitable efforts of Peng Liyuan, the "World AIDS Goodwill Ambassador," during her visit to the United States last September and at the United Nations General Assembly to show concern for vulnerable groups living with HIV/AIDS, Dong Rongcan, drawing on his artistic insights and sense of responsibility for realizing the "Chinese Dream," worked tirelessly day and night to create the touching story and script for the musical "Love and Life," composing all the songs and music for the entire production. He also dedicated 16 hours a day to the extremely demanding task of writing the orchestral arrangements. On November 11, he arrived in Shanghai to assemble the performance team and complete the assembly and rehearsals for the entire production, preparing to present it as a gift to "World AIDS Day" on December 1.
This is a charity performance, and tickets are not sold to the public. Dong Rongcan faced the difficult situation of having no funding to bring an original musical to the stage. However, Dong Rongcan made a decision that most people would not understand: in addition to dedicating all his creative energy to the script, composition, and orchestration, he also took on all the costs required to produce the musical, including venue, lighting, sound, set design, and all other expenses.
What moved him was that his charitable act was not a solitary or helpless one. Just as he wrote in the script, "The world is moving! China is moving!", cultural figures and students from all over gathered on this stage of love. Parents of the participating primary and secondary school students expressed in WeChat groups that this performance was a profound life lesson for the 70 children on stage, an unforgettable memory for a lifetime.
The story depicts a couple who both passed away after contracting HIV. They left behind a boy who had been infected with HIV in infancy. A volunteer couple, Norlin and her husband, promised to raise the child for the terminally ill mother. However, the Norlins faced misunderstanding, pressure, discrimination, and fear from those around them, leading to their separation, the child running away from home, and pressure from the mother-in-law. Despite this, Norlins remained steadfast in her promise and unwavering in her love, resolutely shouldering the responsibility of raising the child alone. This mother and son, filled with dreams and hope, bravely faced the future.
The world is taking action, China is taking action. Society has extended a helping hand to people living with HIV/AIDS, and Aunt Peng sent warm greetings to orphans living with HIV/AIDS. The child's condition is improving, and Norlin has joined a volunteer team caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. She bids farewell to everyone and leads them on a journey to a distant place.
As the theme song "Thank You" played, Ambassador Peng Liyuan's public service announcement "We Are Together" appeared on the LED screen, making it seem as if Ambassador Peng was right among us, and the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. The plot was intricate and gripping, and it also promoted awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and dispelled misconceptions.
The most touching scene came at the end of the play: as the volunteer team caring for AIDS patients was about to leave to continue their journey of love in other places, Liu Xin, the host who played the "volunteer," a Hong Kong film actress, said emotionally, "Dear friends, goodbye. Today we leave for love, just as we came for love yesterday: 20 days ago, a composer came to Shanghai from the United States and dedicated his love to tonight's entire stage. With 18 days of hard work, he produced this musical, 'Love and Life.' He is the People's Artist Dong Rongcan, who served as producer, director, artistic director, screenwriter, composer, arranger, and conductor!" At this moment, the entire audience erupted in prolonged applause. Filled with emotion, Dong Rongcan stepped to the front of the stage and said in a heartfelt voice, “Twenty days ago, I came with love; in a few days, I will leave with longing. I deeply thank the 200 actors and musicians on stage tonight, and I also thank the entire audience. It is your love that has made my ‘China Journey’ a success. With you, there is love; with love, there are dreams; with dreams, there is a tomorrow for China!” As his passionate words fell, and he bowed deeply to all the actors to express his gratitude, the atmosphere reached its climax.
Then, Dong Rongcan used these words to close the curtain of the musical "Love and Life": "Friends, let's meet again at the next stop of love!" At this moment, the entire audience stood up to show their respect.
The musical has ended, leaving people with a sense of emotion and reflection. What power enabled such a large-scale musical, produced without any financial support, to be completed in just 18 days? It is the power of love: "Love can change everything!"
Dong Rongcan graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1981 and later served as a composer for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In 1985, he went to the United States to pursue a degree and held solo concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York twice, in 1992 and 2000. During the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, he went to the disaster area and composed the music album "Holding Hands, Through Thick and Thin" as a gift to the victims. He returned to the disaster area on May 12, 2009, and successfully staged the large-scale song and dance gala "Holding Hands, Through Thick and Thin" to comfort the victims and armed police officers. In recognition of this, the People's Daily Overseas Edition published an article on June 12 titled "Dong Rongcan: A Chinese American with a Chinese Heart," reporting on his 365 days of concern for the disaster area.
Several days after the musical, Dong Rongcan returned to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Salt Lake County Mayor Byrne McAlton wrote a letter of thanks to every organization in Shanghai that participated in the performance: "Caring for people living with HIV/AIDS is a shared theme between the people of our two countries. Thank you for your excellent charity performance in the large-scale musical 'Love and Life'; thank you for supporting composer Dong Rongcan of Salt Lake City with your love. You have connected the friendship between our two countries and two cities through your actions. Let us work together to bring love to the world stage."
Recently, Dong Rongcan began the second phase of his musical "Love and Life." Given the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS in Chinese universities in recent years, he has begun adapting the script to reflect university campus life and rebuild students' ethical and moral values. He plans to launch an HIV/AIDS prevention awareness tour across universities in China starting in the fall of 2016. To encourage wider participation in this charitable activity, he intends to involve university art troupes and other social arts groups in the performances, creating a surge of awareness and support for HIV/AIDS prevention.
(over)
Passing on hope with love
Dong Rongcan: A Chinese American with a Chinese Heart
-- Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition, June 2, 2009, 10:25 AM
"At this moment, my year-long journey of love, as an overseas Chinese, is coming to an end. I came to Sichuan alone, and a few days later I will return to the United States alone, back to the days when I longed for my homeland... I have been searching for you all for the past year, and today I have finally found you. I will let this longing flow in my blood. From now on, my life will no longer be lonely, because you are in my heart and will always be with me! Now, may I step down from the stage and shake hands with everyone?"
On stage, Mr. Dong Rongcan, a Chinese-American alumnus of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, spoke with tears in his eyes. "Yes, yes..." The voices of thousands of people responding simultaneously below the stage echoed like the shouts of boatmen on the Yangtze River, reverberating through the mountains and valleys... This was a call of kinship, a fusion of bloodlines—a touching scene that unfolded on the afternoon of May 12th on the playground of Tongji Central Primary School in Pengzhou, Sichuan! Later, Mr. Dong Rongcan learned that this was the school where the Premier of the People's Republic of China had visited the previous year and inscribed the word "Love."
Three hundred and sixty-five days of longing
On May 12th last year, a massive earthquake struck Wenchuan, Sichuan, shocking the world! When Dong Rongcan, a Chinese-American, heard the news, he rushed back to his homeland during a national day of mourning. The mournful sirens of the trains and the nationwide silence of grief left an indelible mark on him. Driven by the conscience of a musician, he went to the disaster area, where he witnessed the suffering of his compatriots and the immense love and compassion of people across the country and the world. His sense of mission as a musician led him to compose heart-wrenching songs, written in countless sleepless nights and at various crossroads, his tears flowing freely.
He has dedicated 35 years to music, is a music doctorate holder who has moved between Chinese and American cultural circles, and twice held solo concerts and romantic piano recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York, the world's most prestigious art venue. He has never cried in such settings, but this time in the recording studio, he shed tears more than once. Thus, a music album he composed and financed...Join hands and weather the storm together.Thus, the book was born.
The album encapsulates the entire process of the earthquake, featuring 16 songs including "Children, Hold Your Mother's Hand Tightly" and "Spring Scenery in the Disaster Area," covering four important aspects: rescuing victims, surviving near-death experiences, rebuilding homes, and the global connection between Chinese people.
The album is like a concert of "disaster relief, reconstruction, and gratitude." With the performers' emotionally charged narration: "Millions of buildings collapsed, but billions of hearts stood firm!" it proclaims to the world: "The Chinese nation is an indestructible Great Wall!" This gradually elevates the listener's emotions to a climax! Particularly inspiring is the album's theme song, "Hand in Hand, Through Wind and Rain," which expresses the nation's increased resolve and strength after experiencing disaster! Encouraged by the Utah branch of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology in the United States, the album's premiere concert was successfully held as a charity performance in the US on July 9th last year.
The destruction of a city, the suffering of a nation, the deaths of 80,000 people… 365 days is too short for the families in the disaster area, too short to even wipe away their tears; 365 days is also too long for Dong Rongcan, an overseas Chinese yearning to return to the disaster area. He is anxious; he wants to know if, in this past year, those who survived the catastrophe have found warm homes? Are those wounded hearts healing?
In February of this year, he came up with a new idea: to hold a series of song and dance concerts in the hardest-hit cities and counties on the first anniversary of the earthquake, so that the pain of the past could be mourned; so that yesterday could pass and tomorrow could continue.
Interaction between 1 and 15,000 people
Mr. Dong had doubts about whether a song and dance concert could be scheduled for the special date of "May 12th." With the strong support of the "Corner Voice International Care Network," he had already coordinated, planned, and arranged various aspects, including funding, equipment, accommodation and travel for the performing troupe, and cooperation with staff in Sichuan. At this difficult time, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Mianyang Art College of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music resolutely took on the responsibility of hosting and organizing the concert, thus ensuring that the performance time and location in Sichuan could be confirmed. Mr. Dong Rongcan said that it is particularly worth mentioning that Wang Longxing, the main leader of the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration, specially approved the [document/document/etc.].Join hands and weather the storm together.Xu Xiaoxuan, the original singer of the album and a military singer who had just been discharged from the army and joined the unit, came to the disaster area to participate in a charity performance; the Beijing "Phoenix Orchestra", which had participated in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, also flew in to perform the water drum "The Rise of Life", which opened the song and dance concert.
On May 7th, Dong Rongcan's pre-departure rehearsal at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music successfully rekindled the compassion of the people in the metropolis; on May 8th, Dong Rongcan led his troupe into the disaster area; on May 9th, accompanied by leaders of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music Mianyang Art College, and with the assistance of Anchang Primary School, Dong Rongcan and the performers visited the old town of Beichuan; on the evening of May 10th, the first charity performance in Sichuan was held as scheduled, with over 100 performers and staff from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music Mianyang Art College's dance troupe, choir, and backing vocal group, along with volunteer teams from Beijing and Shanghai, presenting [the performance].Join hands and weather the storm together.The song "The Call of Life" was successfully staged at the Mianyang Grand Theatre. Xu Xiaoxuan's moving vocals, tender and heartfelt yet uplifting, touched the hearts of countless disaster victims. Next, a piano poem, "A Stroll Through Jiuzhaigou," performed by Mr. Dong Rongcan, used the notes "5, 1, 2" as its main melody, also moving the audience. On May 11th, Dong Rongcan and his team's second charity performance at Beichuan Anchang Primary School attracted over 5,000 teachers, students, parents, and members of the public. During the performance, Dong Rongcan guided the audience in singing "Blood Ties Can Create Miracles," which, against the backdrop of music and vivid images, transported the audience back to yesterday, evoking strong emotions and bringing many to tears…
Just as the "Journey of Love" came to an end and the hundred performers departed, Dong Rongcan received another call from volunteers inviting him to perform at Tongji Town Primary School in Pengzhou. With only 12 people remaining, what to do? Dong Rongcan immediately decided: "Even with just 12, we must go." On the 12th, the performance team arrived in Pengzhou after a difficult journey, arriving at 2:30 PM. Thousands of people were already quietly waiting in the Tongji Town school playground. Seeing this, Dong Rongcan and the performance team were deeply moved. Ignoring their fatigue and hunger, the performance began at 3:15 PM, with the local disaster-stricken area art troupe also happily participating in the interactive performance. One hour and 45 minutes later, as the concert was about to end, the school principal approached Dong Rongcan and said, "Look, your thousands of loved ones are still reluctant to leave. What should we do?" Thus, the scene described at the beginning of this article occurred.
"Where love lands, it rises from the ashes." Dong Rongcan's journey of love began in Utah, USA, and passed through Salt Lake City, New York, Shanghai, Mianyang, Anxian, and Beichuan in China, finally landing in Tongji, Pengzhou, China. At least 15,000 people participated in or experienced this concert. It should be said that with the free distribution of 10,000 CDs in the disaster area, this relay continues to move forward with the passage of time and the mutual dissemination among people... (Chen Jin, Hu Ruijuan, Liu Liying)
Our charity projects
Xiuying Nursing Home, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Address: No. 30, Lane 380, Dezhou Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Telephone: 021-58453914
Founding the Shanghai Xiuying Nursing Home: A filial son's love is as boundless as a mother's. In 2005, driven by love for his mother and care for the elderly, Association President Dong Rongcan donated 1 million yuan in his mother's name, Zhao Xiuying, to establish the "Shanghai Xiuying Nursing Home" (No. 30, Lane 380, Dezhou Road, Pudong, Shanghai) in Pudong New Area, asking for nothing in return. Mainstream media outlets such as Xinmin Evening News gave extensive coverage to this act of patriotism and love for others.
