Guangming Daily: Chinese aesthetics on the stage There is cultural self-confidence in the details

The artistic value and aesthetic realm of an evening party are often not determined on the stage, let alone on technical means. The workers who are engaged in the creation of the evening are well aware of this, because they are facing a much wider and more complex "world" about the party than the specific stage.

A reality is that fewer and fewer audiences will pay attention to how many stars are invited to a party, and few people will like a party because of the brilliant stage lights or some kind of stage technology. Judging from the various evenings of national television stations and Internet platforms in recent years, "content is king" is still the most important concept and practical goal of the creation of the evening, and the creative and artistic content presented around it has become the most valued element for the audience. In recent years, a group of young choreographers and creators who are active in television media and Internet platforms have bravely explored with an innovative spirit and become a pathfinder in this field to enter the aesthetic world of young audiences.

When the eyes of the world are more and more focused on China, and when the people's aesthetic concepts and appreciation levels are constantly changing, literary and art workers, especially the creators of the evening party, are no longer satisfied with the so-called "evening party body". We are pleased to see that many young creative personnel insist on making a variety of art forms "for my use", looking for the theme of the evening from the topics that resonate with the times, striving to pay tribute to the times with literature and art, and condensing and recounting the vivid Chinese stories. Such an approach shows that Chinese youth have never stopped exploring the innovative road of telling Chinese stories and disseminating Chinese voices, and strive to show a more real, more three-dimensional and more vivid China.

The creation of major theme literary and art evenings often strives for clear themes, excellent content, and novel forms. This is not an easy task, and the creative team needs to build a clear content context and tell the story in a variety of art forms. In 2021, "how to tell the story of the centennial party" has become a must-answer question for the young creators of the party. The creative team of the "100 Years of Youth" party spent up to half a year to answer. The birth of the answer did not come from making cars behind closed doors and waiting for the inspiration to appear, but from "opening the book and sinking into it; stepping on the legs and going out", they consulted materials, field investigations, in-depth study of party history, and thoroughly understood the details. The team innovates and expresses various audio-visual art forms such as traditional song and dance, drama, musical, and recitation, fully mobilizes various expression methods for narrative, expression, and affection, delicately and profoundly portrays party history figures, and highly restores historical details. They summarized the mental journey of creation as "a natural progression after a deep understanding of the spirit of a hundred years".

Festive evenings need to get rid of the similar scene of "similar flowers every year" and find a refreshing and meaningful theme. As long as it can be used for the theme, no matter what kind of presentation methods and means, the main creators can take its essence, wrap Chinese aesthetics with multiple stages, and show cultural self-confidence. In recent years, many evening party creation teams have been constantly innovating in artistic presentation, trying outdoor live parties, stage drama evenings, big movie evenings and other forms, so that traditional culture can release young vitality through new means and new ways, and tell the world about China's beauty.

What is rare is that more and more young creators of the party pay attention to focusing on the vivid individuals under the great era, telling the stories of ordinary people, talking with individuals, and letting the audience feel the pulse of the times. As a result, in today's various evening parties, we see foreign friends who love Chinese culture, see the warmth of distant thoughts between ordinary people, and even see the moving story of children who were deeply traumatized by disasters such as earthquakes many years ago and now grow into pillars of the country. One by one, the touchable details, with the taste of culture, the taste of the times, and the flavor of youth, through various kinds of evening stages, spread to all corners of the world, outlining a great and lovely image of a country, which is the gift that the young creators of the party dedicated to this era and to their own years of struggle.

Cultural people can unite people's hearts more, and it is easier to communicate with the world with art. It is hoped that the young creators of the party will cherish this test field, take a unique path, be eclectic, and work hard to shape China's image and spread China's voice. I believe that adhering to the correct value orientation, intensively cultivating the content, and paying attention to the high unity of innovation, artistry and ideology, the small stage of the party will surely open up a broader world.

(Author: Yang Ziyang, post-80s film and television director, producer of Hunan Satellite TV.) He has long been committed to the research of stage art and evening party creation, and has served as the general director of large-scale evening parties such as "Chinese Bridge" World College Students Chinese Competition" and ""Four Seas and One Spring" Global Overseas Chinese Spring Festival Gala". ）