【Introduction: Throughout the country and abroad, whether it is artistic creation, technological innovation, and industrial transformation, it is inseparable from the positive introduction of "people's nature". Looking back at the ups and downs of the auto industry, the wind and fire for decades, the tuition paid is enough to save the "world car crisis" several times, but so far we have not received the respect we deserve, nor have we seen a car product that can really implant our spiritual core. The root cause is still culture, how far can we go without the "people's nature" car? 】
Written by | Yan Guangming and edited by | Qian Lei
The success of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics has produced a huge communication effect, which has amazed the world. Some people say that this is the perfect fusion of traditional culture and metaverse, conveying a new image of China and the spiritual outlook of China. There is no doubt that this is a vivid interpretation of the Chinese towards cultural self-confidence, and the peace of national strength.
For the creativity of the entire opening ceremony, Zhang Yimou expounded his concept of "people's nature" and his understanding of the "Olympic family" in an interview with the media, and used snowflakes, olive branches, 24 solar terms, children's voices, youth, ink and other elements to outline the basis for "going to the future together". It should be said that this is a grand narrative that intelligently integrates culture and technology, specific and nuanced, at a glance, and its creativity is not only expressed in the meaning of breaking the ice and putting small flames into the main torch platform, but also reflects the "people's nature", based on the expression of human empathy, transcending national borders, and thus obtaining worldwide resonance.
The "people's nature" that came out of Zhang Yimou's mouth was strange and surprised. This is a "golden sentence" that transcends the professional category, and it is also the ideological sublimation of art, but it uses a simple and popular aesthetic expression that is easy to participate in, resulting in a pure and elegant and supreme realm, expressing the feelings of a big country. In this regard, it is natural to think of a micro-electric vehicle that has also used a similar concept, under the banner of "the people's scooter", which has created a performance of 10,000 units sold every month, and has been named "God Car". However, this did not resonate much, but was seen as an unsustainable flash of inspiration. Why? Because of the lack of empathy, unable to support the "people's nature", he quickly withdrew from the first-line market and was also interfered with by the policy.
It also reminds me of more than a decade ago, in 2007, when I went to Italy to attend the launch of the Fiat 500 at the venues of the Winter Olympics in Turin. The reason why I think about it is because When Marchionne appeared on the stage with several children in his hands, he released the car in a way that discussed how the future car would be, which resonated with the "people's nature" of the car. That evening, the whole of Turin was immersed in a festive atmosphere, and a grand celebration ceremony was held on the Po River for the resurrection of the new 500. The idea is the creative team from the opening ceremony of the original Turin Winter Olympics.
This is the first time I have seen the joy that the "people's nature" of the car brings to the city, and the participation and enthusiasm of the city inspired by the resonance generated by it have moved those of us who have come from afar (seeing the 500 models from different periods coming from all over the world, gathering on the banks of the Po River, showing the style of people and cars), which has touched the memories of this car from different classes, and its specifications and significance exceed the new car itself. This made me feel that car culture can have a soul. As the German scholar Bernhard Rigel put it in his Global History of the Beetle, "Commodities, once they have established a relationship with each other, appear as 'life-giving independents'". Fiat knows it, Marchionne said: "The 500 born half a century ago was a car that made all of Italy affordable, and today's 500 is a product of technology and the mind." It's a new choice, not for profit. Today's 500 have this hope, taking their dreams out of the drawer and putting them on the road to run. ”
This kind of romance, as well as the recognition of the car, is not as gorgeous and praiseworthy as tall, nor so sacred and solemn, but full of warmth and anticipation. In my opinion, this is a very ordinary new car launch but in Italy as a cultural event has received widespread attention and has gained unanimous empathy. Here, the so-called "people's nature" can be regarded as "national nature", which is related to the "people's car" that prevailed in Europe, that is, the "national car" that everyone later became familiar with. This is the reason why after the American Model T, it has been transformed into a paradigm of "car of life" after the American Model T, and it is not only a matter of transportation. Today, the reason why The European trolley is still so cute and classic, in the words of the current fashion, is described as "cultural empowerment", which is collected by the London Design Museum, similar to the Fiat 500 car is not a minority, and is named "the car that changes the world".
As a comparison, Japan and South Korea, which also set off the "family car movement" with the help of the Olympic Games, started in the 60s and 80s of the last century, played the banner of a car, and entered the thinking of "means of transportation", in the name of modernity, utilitarianism, aimed at getting rid of backwardness, even if the "export-oriented economy" for the purpose of "export orientation" later, there is still no bleaching of the economic attributes of cheap scooters. However, when it serves as an economic tool for outward expansion, it provides a demonstration for post-development countries, especially by experts and scholars in the early stage of China's automobile development, but it still does not reach the height of European cars in terms of brand style and culture. The same is the car, the difference is in style and cheapness. That is to say, mini (MINI) cars can be made into luxury car brands, but Corolla does not have this possibility. This gives us new thinking, why?
More than 20 years ago, Ai Feng once asked experts in the automotive industry curiously, why is China's car industry developing so slowly? The answer he got surprised him: "Chinese haven't figured out what a car is for a long time?" His understanding is: "Is it the Chinese-made car that enters the family, or the foreign-made car that enters the family?" Are family cars coming into the home, or are more buses for private use? "What's tangled up is self-esteem and corruption. Chinese cars have experienced several rounds of reshuffling and development, but they still returned to his old surprise, and still have not made it clear what a car is? Even foreigners can't understand what the Chinese car madness is for?
For a long time, we have always been dismissive of cheap cars, never respond to the exaltation of people's livelihood cars, and the national car is a slogan, and the fundamental reason, in addition to no cultural preparation, is mainly the lack of "people's nature", can not get the people's empathy, policy support. Research provided by Bernhard Rigel shows that the Beatle's success lies in winning culturally, and like Coca-Cola, it has become a global icon and even an idol respected by other countries. Why? In 1929, the German Volkswagen Company issued an appeal to the society to use domestic cheap cars to boycott the American cheap cars to occupy the market. Taking the lead in launching the Beetle, the move worked. In 1929, the Market share of American automobiles in Germany was 62%, and by 1932 it had fallen to 29%. In 2000, at the Hannover World Expo, I saw German people taking photos with the Beetle (as a cultural relic) at the German Pavilion, and I could not hide my sincere feelings for the "national car". I was impressed by this scene. A car can be integrated into the spiritual core of a country and a nation, and I can't imagine any other force that can drive it besides cultural charm.
Feng Jizhong once said, "All buildings are civic buildings. Especially in our time, civic architecture is the real architecture. If other buildings do not serve citizens and do not reflect the interests of citizens, they are not real buildings. He stressed that he has adhered to this concept for decades, and even a lifetime, has followed this concept. Because, "such a concept can make Chinese architecture go to the world's top level." This confirms Bernhard Rigel's analysis of the tentative and ever-changing transformative connection between the core of the car's sturdy materials and the softer, more malleable social meaning, thus providing a main theme for the Volkswagen Beetle's journey from an invisible dream to a global icon.
Comments
Returning to the distance between Zhang Yimou's "people's nature" and the "people's nature" of the current car, it is not difficult to see the difference between the gap between this concept and the gap in thinking. Looking at home and abroad, whether it is artistic creation, technological innovation, and industrial transformation, it seems that it is inseparable from the positive introduction of "people's nature". In particular, our car communication is difficult to win empathy and empathy at the root, not only the paleness of attitude and emotion, but also the lack of wisdom and sincerity. Looking back at the ups and downs of the auto industry, the wind and fire for decades, the tuition fee paid is enough to save the "world car crisis" several times, but so far we have not received the respect we deserve, nor have we seen a car product that can really implant our spiritual core. Is it a lack of innovation, or is the technology immature? I think, this is not fundamental, or culture, how far can we go without the "people's nature" car?
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