Leading an Open and Dignified Life
Guan Guimin talks about the character of an artist
By Wei Junyu
Epoch Times
Dec 10, 2005
The first live performance of the 2006 NTDTV Chinese New Year Global Gala will be held in Boston in less than a month. The renowned Chinese singer and musician Guan Guimin and his wife will be performing. This reporter interviewed Mr. Guan.
In the interview, Mr. Guan reveals his thoughts about how quickly the moral standards of China's society are degenerating, and the performing arts are no exception. When he was in China, Guan Guimin associated with the class of celebrities who lived in the western district of Beijing, an area known for its rich cultural events. Although celebrities lead a better life than everyday people, most of them lack a sense of security. For female artists, if they become somewhat well-known and are pretty, they have to find someone for political and financial backing (and protection). Otherwise, while performing outside of their local region, the local authorities would take advantage of them, and they might have no chance to become a star.
According to Guan, the moral atmosphere in China today is so bad that everyone is affected, and it is difficult to immunize oneself from its influence.
Before he began to practice [the spiritual practice of] Falun Gong (Falun Dafa), Guan often told his friends: "Human thoughts are like water. They take on the shape of the container. If they assume the form of an animal's brain, you will become an animal."
After practicing Falun Dafa, Guan feels that he is always in a clear state of mind and physically strong. He also writes songs and composes musical pieces. The most significant change is that he feels he knows how to live a meaningful life, how to become a good person, and how to improve himself. Guan believes that Falun Dafa has cleansed him of the corrupt influences of society and has helped to purify his mind.
Many Chinese radio and TV stations wanted to interview Guan Guimin but declined after learning that he practices Falun Gong. Even though some media did speak with him, their interviews went unpublished, fearing retribution from the Chinese government. For the past 6 1/2 years the CCP has enforced a brutal crackdown targeting the practice. Guan commented, "The CCP looks strong and its 'black hands' have reached everywhere. As a result, many overseas Chinese are still afraid of it even though they have left the country for many years. They are afraid that their family members would be affected, that they could not go back to visit their relatives and friends, or their businesses in China would be affected."
Asked how he can tolerate threats, loss of livlihood and attempted blackmail, Guan smiled a little and said: "I am not afraid."
"If you are not afraid of it, it can't do anything to you." Guan said that CCP threatened his relatives in China. The Chinese consulate made threatening calls to him after his performance with other Falun Gong practitioner artists. He said: "What on earth are you afraid of? I am doing things with dignity."
Nowadays Guan Guimin is leading a healthy and happy life. He joked, "I didn't need to do anything but sing in China; now I have to do everything except singing." He said that life is a little hard now and making a living is not so easy, but he feels happy and relaxed. He never had this kind of feeling in China. He said: "In the past, I have done some unrighteous things. I felt that I had to hide myself from being seen as I really am. Now things are completely different. I have nothing to hide now. I feel that I need to improve myself in some areas, but I am not afraid to expose my weaknesses. I feel I am leading the open and dignified life that I never had before."