The Dancing actress Tao Hui -

Me and Taohui

Part 1 Morning dream

In my dream, everything was destroyed and I was transported back to an ancient, non-industrial era. I was obsessed with researching wind and water power, using dynamics to create engines, very busy and so on.

This is a very tense and busy dream.

I was halfway through watching “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” before going to bed.

When I woke up, I fell back asleep and dreaming of how to writ these paintings of Tao Hui. Start from 20 years ago.

In my dream, I flash back 20 years to 2003 and met Tao Hui on the stairs of our apartment building We became friends and were neighbors on the 2nd and 28th floors.

The painting was done in 2020, starting from February 24th. At that time, she was still filming in Russia and I didn’t know the name or plot of the movie. She showed me some behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and I found a reference photo to draw from. Later, I found out that it was called “Wonder Family. Launching on July 21, 2023, next month.

In 2004, before I applied to film school to study directing, I needed to prepare a sample film. I adapted it from a dream I had and called it “The First rule”. Later, I found out that I didn’t need to submit a video work for my application. That year, I was accepted by Professor Wang Hongwei. I didn’t use this long film and only submitted the first 10 minutes for an assignment at the end of the first semester.

At that time, I was too busy being in love and didn’t make any new films.

Tao Hui played the lead female role for me. It was a combination of the most tragic events in a family’s life, a miserable world. Professor Zhang Ming and Professor Tian Zhuangzhuang both used this film as a case study in their classes at the school’s film theater.

They thought that the film’s atmosphere was well done, including the music and acting. I can’t remember much else.

Because of my classmates’ reactions, it was very interesting.

Wait a minute… Let me wake up and brush my teeth.

I’m not writing this article in my dream anymore…

2023.6.21 7:30am lilyma马莉

Excerpt from Moli’s Heart: Moli’s diary

Saturday. I woke up early and organized some documents.

Afterwards, I decided to watch a documentary and take a long nap. I slept until nearly 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and then I woke up to organize some translation drafts. They were sent by Mr. Alain Kuropatwa from France. They were early works of “Picasso, Dwarf dancer” by Picasso and included authentication and explanatory documents in English and French. Wow! Fortunately, I have AI, so my research can be more accurate and detailed. After I finish writing the first two pieces, “ When a women falls in love” and “The dancing actress Tao Hui,” I will write about Picasso’s “Picasso, Dwarf dancer（Nana）“…

Funny thing is, all of these are related to dance, haha~

(Actually, I don’t know if I can write it well. I briefly skimmed through it, and it seems to be a combination of primary literature and archaeological texts. We’ll see… fun to learn anyway, then see how to share….)

《我和陶慧》（二）回到过去

Me and Taohui

Part 2 The Past

In the early stages of the epidemic, I had no concept of it at the time, I just felt that it was dangerous.

Tao Hui is currently shooting in Russia, where the epidemic is more severe than here.

I am very familiar with these photos, they are reference photos for these paintings. I always thought she was shooting a film related to dance, as she has a good foundation in dance. She had been practicing by pressing the back of her foot before shooting.

She has a passion for ballet. Around 2006 or 2007, I even accompanied her to a photo studio to take a series of photos, which should be available online, in black practice clothes.

I always teased her, “Your body proportions are different from ours, why is your butt located on your waist?!”

At that time, we all said that it is not easy for an adult woman to return to the level of thinness and muscle tone of a ballet dancer. She has to reduce her chest.

After another 10 years, even more hard. She must being harsh on herself. Seeing her flying around on the aerial hoop, I thought she was acting in a ballet-themed film like “The Nutcracker”. We both love “Black Swan” and admire Natalie Portman’s dedication.

Finally, “Advancing of ZQ” is about to be released, which is a relief, as it shows her strictness towards herself.

Rather than focusing on Tao Hui’s performance and physical requirements, it is more about her inner heart.

Even though she graduated from Peking University with a psychology master degree, she always jokes that she is the least educated person in her family.

After finishing filming, she secluded herself in a pile of books during the three years of the pandemic, only doing necessary work. There are certain types of books that I still ask her for recommendations on.

One time, we had only video chat, drinking yellow wine and reminiscing about the past.

I should have written many stories about us in my past diary entries. Two girls, who met by chance, shared many common interests, such as understanding human nature.

Whether as actors, directors, or writers, understanding and studying human behavior and psychology are essential.

We also talked about “Carmen,” “Dream of the Red Chamber,” “La Traviata”…

Of course, from the time we met on New Year’s Day in 2003 until I stopped going to nightclubs and bars, we spent about ten years together, which is quite a long time. We were genuine “playmates,” experiencing the most relaxed, confused, and youthful days. We truly enjoyed dancing and singing together.

Let me search the memo:

2012, December 22nd, 23:57 Beijing

Talking about the end of the world (I really do believing in the 2012 end of the world prophecy) is getting a bit tiresome. However, my plan to escape for 3-5 years has fallen through.

So, on the 20th, braving the snow, I found an excuse to go to Tao Hui’s house to drink.

I cried for 5 hours, and when I got tired of crying, I ate a little, and then cried again. My eyes were swollen like a pig’s head. Feng Qinchuan was as tired as a pig’s head.

I drank all of Tao Hui’s good wine.

2006, February 14th, Shanghai

Tao Hui said she would come to Shanghai at the beginning of the year to continue shooting outdoor scenes. Well, it’s already now and she’s still in Zhejiang. I don’t know when it will be finished. So, tomorrow I decided to go to Zhejiang… (It should be for shooting “Spy Family”).

December 13, 2005, Beijing

……Tao Hui said, “A friend told me, ‘Tao Hui, with your intelligence, you don’t need to work so hard to achieve success. Why make yourself so mentally tense and exhausted? ‘” I said, “This is a process. You have already experienced this process… the environment has changed most people…”……

She told me a story about how celebrities support impoverished college students. I felt very sad. There are many good people in the world. Most people are good. But the world is inherently cruel, and the feelings of sadness and anger are hard to let go of.

Tao Hui is a film and television actress. The general perception of the word “actor” is that they lack education. But Tao Hui is not like that. She is not an ordinary actress. She is intelligent and hard worker, although not particularly beautiful. She is very serious and perceptive. I like her, it’s her determination and loyalty that I admire. Our perspectives on “loss” and our attitude towards friends are very similar, which is why we have become such good friends.

……

Do you feel that she is younger than me, but more mature, hahaha!

2022.1.22Afternoon

Lin Yu Tang Talk about women

I laughed my ass off when I read an article of “I like to talk with women” by Mr. Lin Yutang.

I think he’s really funny and intelligent.

My girlfriend Tao Hui Said: I tell you a cold trivia facts, that it was Mr. Lin who invented the Chinese word “humor”.

Oh, I didn’t know. As I describe myself as the humorous.

There’s so much tings I don’t know. As it is now to future, learning is just better than nothing.

Friendships and emotions are incredible wealth.

Sometimes I feel a bit ‘selfish’, insisting on writing and drawing them down, making them my own, savoring them carefully.

Of course, there are ways to express and portray emotions, most time with mouth. But with time, they can be easily forgotten. Articles and artworks are better alternatives.

Looking at the old diary, they were jumbled and messy. However, they bring a smile because many times, as we go on with life, we forget our original selves.

I was thinking, those ten or so years when I first came to Beijing, yes, we all encouraged each other. Tao Hui, her strictness towards herself has always been a positive energy that motivates me.

20237.17 晨 9am lilyma马莉

Excerpt from Moli’s Heart: Moli’s diary

《陶慧又接了舞台剧》

Tao Hui took the stage play again

Tao Hui ask me this afternoon, if I want to come to see her new play.

I said, sure! I replied that it was a good idea and I could go to the rehearsals.

I thought, I could accompany her during the rehearsals and also draw some sketches of her. This way, I could spend time to be with her without take care of each other, and not leaving my works, since I have to work everyday. Plus I can have some new materials to work with. I think this arrangement is very reasonable, and fun.

I told her that I would finish work on Saturday or Sunday (Sandy is coming to the studio for video shooting every weekend again), and then I could follow back to the city with my working pal SandyX.

Oh, I only like to draw people I like. And I draw myself too much or too many. Drawing friends is fun to recoding something I care. Which is efficient and logical.

It’s settled then!

Oh, I remembered that rehearsing requires using voice. If we smoke too much, we can make hot water with pear syrup. This not only moistens our throat and lungs, but also has an immediate effect in relieving dryness in the body.

2023.3.8 Afternoon lilyma马莉

Excerpt from Moli’s Heart: Moli’s diary

跳舞的女演员 陶慧