Twenty-one years after its inception, it exceeded 4,000 episodes; it created the miracle of the family situation series of TV short dramas with the longest broadcast time and the largest number of episodes in the history of Chinese television, and the ratings, influence and economic benefits... There is no doubt that "Foreign Daughter-in-law Local Lang" (hereinafter referred to as "Foreign" drama) is a beautiful "Lingnan culture" business card, which has become a "longevity benchmark" for literary and artistic works.
On the occasion of the launch of more than 4,000 episodes of "Wai" drama, its creative ideas, artistic characteristics and operating mechanisms, as well as the creation rules and development trends of TV column dramas, have aroused widespread concern from people in the industry. On December 28, 2021, more than 20 industry insiders, experts and scholars discussed the above topics in Beijing.
As Zhong Chengxiang, a librarian of the Central Research Museum of Literature and History and former chairman of the China Literary and Art Critics Association, said, this TV short drama has been welcomed by the audience in cantonese-speaking areas and has cultivated a large number of relatively fixed audience groups, which has kept a position for the diversification of China's television art and the blossoming of a variety of TV dramas.
21 years of persistence: using fireworks to write the centripetal force of the times
Premiered on November 4, 2000, the drama "Wai" is a tv series of tv series on contemporary family life with Cantonese as the main language produced by Guangdong Radio and Television Station. The 4,000 episodes broadcast on the air have written about the shortness of the parents of the people, the bittersweet and sour life, the long feelings of the neighbors, and the Chinese the strong nostalgia complex and the national temperament of watching out for each other, showing them vividly and interestingly.
At the seminar, Tong Yao, executive director and general manager of Guangdong Guangshi Media Co., Ltd., Ding Lei, chief editor and editor of Guangdong Guangshi Media Co., Ltd. and chief screenwriter of the "Wai" drama, and Liu Yingying, the actor of Luo Feiyan in the play, respectively explained the theme, plot content and artistic characteristics of the "Wai" drama from the aspects of creative ideas, plot content and character shaping.
They said that in the future creation of the "Wai" drama, it will further improve the quality and innovation, more profoundly and accurately reflect the changes of the times and social progress, show the essence of Lingnan culture in the new era, shape the image of Guangdong and the people of Guangdong in the new era, and continue and display the collective memories of the People of Guangdong and the yearning for a better life, and the efforts and struggles made for a better life.
The persistence of the "Wai" drama in the past 21 years is inseparable from the main creative team's emphasis on "seeing the big with the small", deeply understanding the reform and opening up and the new era of southern Guangdong style and development changes, reflecting the open and inclusive Guangdong spirit.
The experts and scholars attending the meeting conducted a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the "Outside" drama from a professional point of view. They believe that this is a visual "Guangzhou Urban Chronicle", which uses pyrotechnics to write the centripetal force of the times, but also has clear paragraphs and details; it reflects the grand theme through new thinking and new aesthetic pursuits in the plot content, and also gives the work more social appearance and the spirit of the times through distinct character group portraits.
"This drama insists on creating from the perspective of the people and the feelings of the people, and telling stories in the form of drama that the people like to hear," said Zhou Ranyi, deputy secretary-general of the China Federation of Radio and Television Social Organizations, who insisted on putting social benefits in the first place and truly achieved popularity without vulgarity, vulgarity, and kitsch, thus winning the audience, winning the market, and also winning time.
Spiritual Strength: Highlights the inclusiveness of Lingnan culture
Zhao Tong, deputy director of the Television Art Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, believes that after 21 years of 4,000 episodes of creation, the drama "Wai" as a civilian epic that records the development of the times and reflects the feelings of the family and the country has truly achieved "articles and the times", in the form of TV column dramas, with a large volume of continuous and uninterrupted attention to life and depictions of the times, has become a visual record of social history and development scenarios in literary and artistic works.
The drama "Outside" adheres to integrity and innovation in recording social development and changes. Li Lei, deputy editor of the Film and Television Criticism Edition of the Literature and Art Department of Guangming Daily, noted that in the creation of the last 1,000 episodes, the vision of the main creative team from the first 3,000 episodes focused on the conflict and collision of the cultural life habits of locals and outsiders within a family, extended to how neighbors coexist harmoniously in the context of different ages and different groups, watch out for each other, and how to better face new challenges and meet new changes in daily life.
"The transformation of this creative method complements the social development trend, showing a broader and broader cultural vision, and giving the work an artistic trait of not only basing itself on local culture, but also caring for the inclusive, open and diverse nature of the whole country and even the world." Li Lei said.
Xie Youyi, a member of the China Writers Association, deputy director of the China Reportage Youth Creation Committee, and deputy director of the Reportage Creation Committee of the Guangdong Writers Association, combined with the analysis of Guangdong's unique regional culture and spiritual connotations, believes that the display of the spirit of Guangdong by the "Wai" drama lies in the convergence and collision of various cultural customs in the modern city of Guangzhou, highlighting the inclusiveness of Lingnan culture.
"Twenty-one years after its inception, breaking through 4,000 episodes", the drama "Wai" has created a miracle in the history of Chinese television in terms of time span and creative volume. Zhu Yannan, secretary of the party committee and director of the Development Research Center of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, believes that if it is adhered to for a long time, the unique characteristics, advantages and value of this original brand will be more prominent.
Cultural tolerance is an important support for cultural prosperity, and as a local drama, the drama "Wai" consciously overcomes the negative influences in the double-edged sword of localization. "Focus on telling the story of Guangdong, but not only the story of The Cantonese people, many of which are universal topics in Chinese society, so what is told is the story of the whole of China." Zhu Yannan believes that this is also an internal reason why the drama has always maintained its freshness and lasting vitality.
On the basis of the first 3,000 episodes, the selection of materials for the last 1,000 episodes is further close to China's social changes, going deep into all walks of life, and the all-encompassing short stories reflect the subtle progress of all aspects of Chinese society, so it is real and touching.
In Zhu Yannan's view, the "Wai" drama also has a news-informative nature, pays great attention to Chinese society, especially the local news hotspots in Guangzhou, and plays a role in actively guiding public opinion while transmitting news information.
[Reporter] Liu Changxin
【Author】 Liu Changxin
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client