In 1990, there was a TV series in the Chinese film and television industry that had to be mentioned, the family emotional TV series "Longing" starring Zhang Kaili and Li Xuejian, was launched, and the rating was as high as 98%.
This locally produced 50-episode TV series brought China's first generation of TV stars to the forefront and became the deepest memory at the beginning of the 90s.
The directors of this drama are Lu Xiaowei and Zhao Baogang, but Lu Xiaowei is mainly responsible for the script, and Zhao Baogang, who was still an assistant director at the time, became the executive director, and finally signed the "director" in the finished film broadcast.
He was 35 years old and was directing a TV series for the first time.
With this drama, he won the Special Award for Long-form TV Series at the China TV Drama Feitian Awards, becoming the first person to Chinese mainland television.
So how popular was "Longing" at the time?
It is said that when the drama was released, the ratings were even higher than "Journey to the West" and "The Legend of the New White Lady", and it ranked second in the history of Chinese television, only after "Eighteen Years of Enemy Camp".
At that time, people went home to watch this drama after work, and even the national crime rate dropped, so the Ministry of Public Security also invited the "Desire" crew to dinner to thank them for their contribution.
In fact, the preparation of this drama at the beginning was very accidental, because when Beijing Satellite TV rehearsed the next year's program, it found that there was no program for a period of time, so it needed a fifty-episode TV series.
However, the production level at that time was average, and it took a long time to shoot a drama. Therefore, the production team discussed shooting a period drama, focusing on family themes and telling the most real life of ordinary people.
The filmed "Longing" is like this, focusing on the choices of the heroine Liu Huifang in the face of emotions and life, expressing the truest thoughts in people's hearts at that time.
In the blink of an eye, more than thirty years later, this drama is still a classic, but the main actors in the play have long changed.
1. Zhang Kaili (as Liu Huifang)
Liu Huifang, the heroine of the play who is beautiful and kind, is played by actor Zhang Kaili.
Before her debut, Zhang Kaili was born in drama, and only participated in her first film "Eight Girls Throwing River" in 1987.
At that time, when director Lu Xiaowei was looking for the heroine, the actor Zuo Ling was predetermined, but her schedule was too full and there was no time at all.
After that, Lu Xiaowei went to find the actor Yang Qing, but who knew that nine times he visited the house, he could not see her.
Lu Xiaowei, who had no chance, ran to the coal mine literary troupe with the attitude of trying it out, and coincidentally, he met Zhang Kaili.
But at that time, Zhang Kaili also had a drama to perform, so she frankly rejected Lu Xiaowei, coincidentally, the conversation that day was just noon, Zhang Kaili said to Lu Xiaowei, "Director, you can eat here casually, nothing good, it is noodles." ”
Such a simple Zhang Kaili instantly made Lu Xiaowei decide: the heroine is her.
In this way, "Longing" became Zhang Kaili's first TV series, and also won a number of awards, moving towards the first peak of her life.
Zhang Kaili, who became famous overnight, basically everyone on the street knew her, and no matter what she bought when she went out, no one would ask her for money or give her a discount.
At that time, she received a sack of letters of help every day, and she became a "good person" in the eyes of everyone.
However, after the peak of this drama, her acting career returned to flat, and for many years since then, it has basically revolved around supporting roles in dramas and film and television dramas.
Until 2013, with Xue Sumei in "Let's Get Married", she became popular again and became a "national mother-in-law".
In 2021, she took the stage of the Spring Festival Gala and co-starred in the sketch "Every Festive Season is Urged to Marry" with Wan Qian and others, which resonated with many audiences.
Now nearly 60 years old, Zhang Kaili has a very good life, her husband is the boss of the company, her daughter has entered the circle, and she is becoming more and more fashionable.
2. Li Xuejian (as Song Dacheng)
Song Dacheng, who is honest and generous in the play, is played by Li Xuejian.
Before starring in this drama, Li Xuejian already had a highlight moment.
In 1990, he starred in the movie "Jiao Yulu", which was highly acclaimed, winning two awards for Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers, and at the age of 36, he was the film emperor.
When starring in "Longing", he was the biggest coffee in the show.
However, he did not feel any difference between himself and the other staff.
At the same time, he also contributed his absolute acting skills in the play.
Of course, for many viewers, his most famous role is Song Jiang in "Water Margin".
In 2000, he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer and had to suspend his acting career, and two years later, he made a comeback and starred in many wonderful works, such as Feng Jingyao in "New on the Beach", Zhang Zuolin in "Young Marshal", Li Yuan in "The World Chang'an" and so on.
Teacher Li Xuejian is a person who acts steadily in the circle, and can be called a virtuous and artistic double xin.
In recent years, Teacher Li Xuejian's physical condition is not very good, and his works are naturally much less.
On his most recent appearance, I could see that he was obviously struggling to speak and his body was also very thin.
I hope that Teacher Li Xuejian can take care of his body!
3. Sun Song (as Wang Husheng)
The actor who plays Wang Husheng is called Sun Song.
"Longing" is also his personal screen debut, and his treatment can be far worse than Zhang Kelly - because of his excellent performance in the play, he has become a "bad person" in people's hearts, and in reality, he almost dares not go out.
In fact, the director initially wanted Pu Cunxin to play Wang Husheng, and felt that Sun Song was not the person he wanted to find.
But Sun Song has a lot of perseverance, even if the director deliberately delays the meeting time, Sun Song still braves the rain to wait, which makes director Lu Xiaowei very touched, through understanding, he decided to hire Sun Song.
However, Sun Song is also a typical representative of the debut that is the peak.
After this drama, although he also participated in other works, such as "Jedi Gun King", "Young Liu Bocheng" and so on, the response was flat.
In recent years, he has also slowly disappeared into the show business circle, with few works.
Compared with his career, his emotions are still quite complete, and after meeting his wife Hou Jilin, he soon got married, and the two have come together to this day, and their feelings have been stable.
And both are of the "Dink" clan and have not yet had children. 、
Of course, everyone chooses a different way of life, which is understandable, as long as they are happy.
4. Blue Sky Wild (as Wang Husheng's father)
The father who plays Wang Husheng in the play is the old drama bone Blue Sky Wild.
Recently, the 94-year-old Blue Sky Wild Old Master became the only person in the acting industry to receive the July 1st Medal.
His award speech reads: Dedicate his life to the people's literary and artistic cause, and make a major contribution to the prosperity and development of Chinese drama art.
This should be the highest praise for artists!
After the founding of New China, the old man engaged in drama performance and his beloved art career.
In 1990, he starred in two dramas, one was the gentle old father in "Longing", and the other was Jiang Ziya in "List of Fengshen Gods".
Especially the latter, almost no one has surpassed.
Now 94 years old, he is still directing and acting in the theater, which is a real artist and deserves our respect.
5. Wu Yuhua (as Xiao Zhuxin)
In the play, Wu Yuhua plays Wang Husheng's girlfriend during college, Xiao Zhuxin.
To be reasonable, Wu Yuhua when she was young was really a goddess.
After graduating from the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts, she had her debut film "Backlight".
After that, she also starred in films such as "Fifth Machine Officer", "Prosecution", "Babel Tower" and so on.
In 1989, she co-starred with Tian Chengren in the country drama "Fence Woman and Dog", in which she played a deep impression of jujube flowers.
The following year, she starred in Xiao Zhuxin in "Longing", and in the following two years, she starred in "Reel and The Well" and "Ancient Ship And The Net".
In 1992, Wu Yuhua won the 3rd China Top Ten Film and Television Actor Award.
After that, Wu Yuhua's works were much less, but he focused on the family, and the most recent appearance was in "Double World Pet Princess".
Wu Yuhua had two marriages, and her ex-husband was a college classmate Wang Jun, who was later the director of "Ruyi Zhuan".
After seven or eight years of marriage, the two divorced due to personality incompatibility.
After that, she met her current husband Mo Dafeng.
After marriage, she and her husband opened a company, invested in the filming of TV dramas, became a billionaire wife, and now life is quite prosperous, and she also has a son and a daughter.
Today, Wu Yuhua often shares her happiness on her social platforms.
6. Yang Qing (as Xu Yuejuan)
The person who plays Xu Yuejuan in the play is Yang Qing.
As mentioned earlier, at that time, Lu Xiaowei wanted to find Yang Qing as the heroine, but Yang Qing was too busy and did not see her several times.
In the end, the director left a note for her, asking her to contact him when she saw it, and by the time Yang Qing came to find her, the choice of the heroine had already been determined.
However, under the persuasion of the director, Yang Qing still stayed behind as the second female in the play.
After graduating from Chinese opera, Yang Qing entered the National Drama Theatre and became a drama actor.
Her acting ability is very strong, almost three awards in the drama industry Plum Blossom Award, Wenhua Award, Golden Lion Award, she has won over and over again.
This was the reason why Lu Xiaowei had looked for Yang Qing nine times.
Of course, this drama has also greatly improved Yang Qing's popularity, but she did not work hard, but did not appear in any TV series in the following ten years.
Because she still likes the plasticity of the drama stage characters.
It wasn't until after 2002 that she slowly returned to the TV series and appeared as a "mother".
For example, the mother of the heroine in "Little Daddy", qin Lan's mother in "Let's Fall in Love", and Liu Yan's mother in "Let's Get Married".
7. Huang Meiying (as Wang Yaru)
Actress Huang Meiying plays Wang Yaru in the play.
The name Huang Meiying is definitely not unfamiliar to some older audiences.
She loved acting since she was a child, joined the dance team when she went to school, and entered the literary troupe when she grew up.
In 1977, he starred in his first film "A Thousand Mountains and Thousands of Waters".
The following year, he played Zhang Qi in "We Are the Eighth Route Army".
Since then, she has been active in show business and has starred in several films.
In 1990, she was invited to participate in "Longing", in which she played Wang Husheng's sister, the surgeon Wang Yaru. Her intellectual, gentle appearance has made her gain a lot of popularity.
After filming this drama, Huang Meiying also ushered in many film contracts, and basically every year there are works to meet with the audience.
Outside of her career, Huang Meiying's personal life is also very happy, and she met actor Jin Xin when filming "The Long Road".
Jin Xin is also an actor, two years younger than Huang Meiying, who has starred in many film and television works such as "The Great Undertaking of the Founding of the People's Republic" and is also a powerful actor.
Since their marriage, the two have been very low-key and happy.
Huang Meiying, who is 71 years old this year, has rarely appeared in the audience's sight, and the most recent was the reunion of the "Longing" crew.
8. Zheng Qianlong (as Luo Gang)
The Luogang actor played in the play is Zheng Qianlong.
Zheng Qianlong came from a family of pear gardens, and his father was the famous Kunqu opera performer Zheng Chuanjian.
Zheng Qianlong, who was educated since childhood, was admitted to the Department of Drama Performance in 1960, and became famous for his performance during school.
After graduation, he was active on the drama stage, and began to enter the show business circle in 1978, bringing many classic works, such as "We Are the Eighth Route Army", "People to Middle Age", "Dream of the Red Chamber" and so on.
In 1990, he became a household name for starring luo Gang in "Longing".
Since then, his work has been much less, from 1990 to 2001, there were only five works.
In 2004, Zheng Qianlong fell seriously ill, and although he fought tenaciously with the disease for three years, he died in 2007 at the age of 65.
I have to say that his departure is also a loss for the show business.
Just like Mao Amin sang in the ending song of "Longing": the longing in the heart, the sincere life; the companionship of the world, the lights of thousands of families.
This should be the biggest truth of this drama, behind the short trivia in these parents is actually the simple and kind spirit that people show on the road of pursuing desire!
Looking back today, it is still a milestone in the history of Chinese television.
(Rotten Tomatoes Movie Editorial Department: Liangchen)