Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China Net: There is no smooth way to explore the cultural journey, and only by forging ahead can we keep right and innovate

Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China Net, courtesy of China Net

On January 25, 2022, the second season of the large-scale live-action cultural interview record program "It Seems to Be the Past" produced by China.com ushered in a perfect conclusion. The program takes social and cultural phenomena and hot cultural issues as the starting point, leads the audience into the world of Chinese culture, sorts out the spiritual context of Chinese culture, analyzes the connotation of Chinese culture, interprets the potential of Chinese culture, and appreciates the profundity of Chinese culture.

Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.com, appeared in front of the camera as the initiator and host of the program, leading the audience to start a journey of exploration of traditional Chinese culture.

Based on the core of Chinese culture, it is told with a reverential heart

"Culture is like a mountain, standing tall; culture is like water, flowing endlessly." When talking about the origin of the name of the program, Wang Xiaohui said that culture is like a fertile land that nourishes generations of people, like maternal love and air. Perhaps because it is too familiar and "natural", the lines and richness of traditional culture appear a little hazy and dim. However, when we sink our hearts into these cultural fields and truly enter the traditional culture, there will be a warm current in our hearts, and we can deeply feel that this is the "spiritual homeland" that belongs to the Chinese nation. "Most of the celebrities in the interview are all acquaintances for the first time, but when we talk about Chinese culture together, the sense of distance disappears instantly, and we talk like the old people, which is the origin of the name of the show."

For such a heavy topic as culture, how to present the program in the best way? Wang Xiaohui led the entire team to go through thousands of hammers and hammers. Using the pen as a book and letter as the medium, the narrative of each episode of the story is unfolded, extending to the interview process of the interspersed discussion until the summary sublimation at the end of each episode, which is the respect for the interviewees and the reverence for traditional Chinese culture. "Whoever seeks the elders of the wood will strengthen its roots, and he who desires to flow far will dredge his springs." Only by not forgetting the fundamentals can we win the future. "The famous teachers interviewed are closely connected with traditional Chinese culture with storytelling, and the great potential to stimulate traditional Chinese culture with contributions, which is also the source of motivation and self-confidence for Chinese traditional culture to move forward calmly in the forest of world culture." I have the privilege of re-encountering him, and I am overjoyed to see the deceased. ”

Focus on telling Chinese stories well, talk with the will of love

As the editor-in-chief of the central key news website and the host of the "cross-border" challenge program, this cultural journey is destined not to be smooth. Wang Xiaohui introduced that behind a 30-minute finished film is often several consecutive days of material shooting, countless script discussions and detail communication, behind the flow of clouds in front of the camera is the infinite love of traditional culture. "Mr. Guo Xiangying, the guardian of Dazu stone carvings, has spent 50 years guarding the magnificent and brilliant treasures in the history of Chinese grotto art. In that year, in order to establish an image data archive for the Dazu rock carvings, in the absence of cameras and surveying and mapping instruments, Guo Lao and his colleagues painted one by one, using the traditional way of hand painting, and spent more than three years to draw a 23.15-meter long scroll for the Dazu rock carvings. "In Wang Xiaohui's understanding, empathy with the interviewed guests can better enter traditional Chinese culture, and this empathy is the common love of things themselves, because of love, through the accumulation of years and years of fine water." In the conversation, the old man always revealed his deep affection for the Dazu stone carvings. In 1999, at the critical moment of the application for the heritage, Guo Lao used this hand-painted scroll to conquer the experts of various countries on the site, and finally, the Dazu rock carvings were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. ”

As the host of the show, the ability to control the field is a necessary basic skill. In the program, Wang Xiaohui's relaxed and just right hosting style is also an indispensable "traffic password" for the program. The basis of smooth communication is respect and understanding of the interviewee's knowledge field, "During the interview with Mr. Huang Dekuan, director of the Chinese Character Museum, I taught myself the paleography course of Wuhan University online, and I listened to the 12-hour course twice." Wang Xiaohui said that being an "insider" in the "layman" is a basic requirement for himself, and only understanding and immersive experience can stimulate the love of traditional culture, and can he get closer to the master to a certain extent, so that the interview process can gradually enter a better situation. The love of the world's affairs is not broken, and this is the secret of success.

Interpret the potential of Chinese culture with diligence and innovation

"You run, and the wind is in your ears. If you lie flat, your mind will be full of distractions. For his full schedule, Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief, commented, "If you want to do one thing, you must move and do it." The full use of fragmented time is Wang Xiaohui's time management code, "The rush time on high-speed rail and airplanes should never lie flat, it can be fully utilized." ”

When recalling the experience of interviewing Mr. Fan Zeng, Wang Xiaohui mentioned that in order to narrow the distance with Mr. Fan, he told a "same frame" with Fan Lao thirty years ago. When Wang Xiaohui, who was a nankai student at the time, was passing by the playground, he happened to encounter Elder Fan telling the story of his teacher to the students of the History Department and the Art Department, and he sat on the playground to listen to the lesson and silently wrote down the content in his heart. The past mentioned in the interview instantly narrowed the distance between the two and smoothly advanced the interview. Diligence is not an overnight thing, and it takes years of accumulation to accumulate and seize opportunities.

Now, "As if the Old Man Came" has gone through two seasons, and the honor and applause have also brought greater challenges. For the future planning of the program, Wang Xiaohui pointed out the direction with "shouzheng innovation". "The road should be wider and wider, this is the goal of our program", the future program may be more "grounded", the famous teachers are a perspective, the daily life of the people is another perspective, the "ordinary people" around us are also the inheritors and disseminators of Chinese culture, such as the old people who cultivate the field for the season of sowing, the amount of water irrigated as many family treasures, which has both science and culture, and local culture is also a part of the inclusive Chinese culture. Wang Xiaohui said that in the future, we will continue to adjust and improve the existing program structure, constantly try to innovate, and the journey of cultural exploration is destined not to be a smooth road, and we will always forge ahead.