In 1998, at a press conference after Premier Zhu Rongji took office, 600 domestic and foreign journalists came to the Great Hall of the People to understand China's development direction and plans for Hong Kong's return to the motherland through the information revealed by the new premier.
Premier Zhu Rongji spoke in a sonorous and forceful manner, was simple and clear- and clear-cut, and had a momentum of not being angry and arrogant, and the atmosphere of the press conference was relatively serious.
However, when it was a female reporter's turn to ask a question, Premier Zhu Rongji changed his sonorous and forceful wording, smiled, and said: "You should pay attention to how well Miss Wu Xiaoli of Phoenix Satellite TV is good, give her a chance, I like to watch her program." ”
After Premier Zhu Rongji finished speaking, the eyes of the reporters in the room instantly turned to "Wu Xiaoli."
Why did this woman, who did not look outstanding in the crowd, get the favor of Premier Zhu Rongji, and on such an important occasion, how could the premier specifically mention Wu Xiaoli?
(Wu Xiaoli front photo)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="13" >, a journalist who walked out of the farm</h1>
Wu Xiaoli's success does not have a trace of innate advantages. She was born in Taiwan Province in 1967 to a Zhejiang native who joined the army and later retired from the army due to stomach problems.
With no special skills, he had to open a commissary in the village and support his family with a limited income. They have 6 children living on a small commissary, and their lives are not only difficult, but also unstable.
When she was a child, Wu Xiaoli often went out with her mother and subsidized her family by knitting sweaters. Sometimes the deadline is too tight, and it takes a long time to stay up late to complete the task.
Wu Xiaoli stayed by her mother's side and fell asleep unconsciously. When she woke up in the middle of the night confused, she saw her mother with black circles under her eyes, and the work on her hands was not delayed at all.
It was this experience that subtly cultivated her professionalism, so much so that during the return of Hong Kong, she braced herself in front of the camera for 60 hours to witness this great moment with the world.
People who have had contact with Wu Xiaoli have an affinity for her first impression. Her unique way of chatting that makes people feel comfortable is also a gift from her living environment.
(Wu Xiaoli and Liu Xiaoqing old photo)
Because there are too many children in the family, parents will not always have a bowl of water, and small frictions between sisters are also indispensable. Wu Xiaoli has shown mature qualities since she was a child, she does not cry, but patiently observes others and tries to understand each other.
Slowly, she learned the skills of communicating with people, and everyone liked her at home and at school.
During primary school, Wu Xiaoli studied well, liked to read, and had a strong desire to express herself, enjoying the feeling of being noticed.
(Interviewed by Wu Xiaoli)
Once the school wanted to organize a speech contest, Wu Xiaoli immediately volunteered to participate. But she had no experience in speaking, and the speech was memorized well, but when she went on stage, she was nervous, her mind was blank, and she forgot all the content.
When her mother saw her face full of grievances, she said, "When you speak, treat everyone in the audience as wood and watermelon." ”
In the next few speech competitions, Wu Xiaoli used this method to reduce pressure, and only little by little did she find the state. She practiced repeatedly, giving full play to her presentation skills when facing the audience.
Later, she became more and more confident, and no longer needed to silently repeat her mother's words for psychological cues. Wu Xiaoli suddenly realized that her oratory talent may be able to further develop.
(Wu Xiaoli work photo)
Some people say that high school is a sexual cage, but Wu Xiaoli does not think so. She entered Zhongshan Girls' High School and found that she had a lot of free time at her disposal.
So she joined the choir and often sang to others. Later, he felt that he was not happy singing, and began to learn musical instruments again. In the literary evening, Wu Xiaoli is a performer and a host. She is in a state of ease on stage and has the style of a professional host.
It was her high school experience that made her firm in her goal of being a journalist. "I think it's great to be able to sit there and tell people what's going on in the world," she said. This original intention has run through her entire career, and even though she later became one of the heads of the TV station, she still insisted on being on the front line to interpret the major events happening in the world for everyone.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="28" >2. Century Report on the Return of Hong Kong: 60 hours non-stop</h1>
(Wu Xiaoli)
After graduating from university, Wu Xiaoli entered China Television as she wished and became a journalist. Huashi is a veteran television station in Taiwan, which has high requirements for employees and has additional assessment standards for the completion of work.
Wu Xiaoli, who first entered the workplace, started from scratch completely, could only stay up late to study frequently, lived under high pressure for a long time, and trembled at work.
Seeing that her body was getting thinner and thinner, Wu Xiaoli could only work hard to adjust and silently adapt to the environment.
Although the changes in the environment made her physically and mentally exhausted, she also exercised her super ability to resist pressure.
In the first few months of entering the workplace, Wu Xiaoli always carried a burst of energy, and the tasks that others did in 3 years could be completed in three months. The leaders of the station looked at her with amazement and gave the position of news anchor to the newcomer.
(Interview photo with Wu Xiaoli)
The director asked her: "Nervous? ”
Wu Xiaoli smiled and replied: "I sat up before I was nervous, and I was in a state of excitement, and when I was about to start nervous, I was ready to come down." At that time, Wu Xiaoli's heart was full of a sense of accomplishment, she always challenged her limits, and even some dangerous shots, she was willing to try.
In the four years of working at China Television, Wu Xiaoli did a special special program on air disasters, and after getting off the plane, one second she vomited wildly, and the next second she broadcast passionately to the camera.
She became more and more familiar with her work, and slowly became unwilling to just report the news of Taiwan Province. After coming to the mainland, she couldn't help but sigh: "From the coast to the inland, it belongs to the territory of the Chinese, so big." So in 1993, Wu Xiaoli quit her job and went to Hong Kong alone to explore the wider world.
After Wu Xiaoli came to Hong Kong, she experienced two far-reaching events: the return of Hong Kong to the motherland and Premier Zhu Rongji's first press conference.
(Wu Xiaoli hosted the show)
After the return of Hong Kong in 1997, Wu Xiaoli felt the tide of the times rolling in, and expected that this event would be recorded in history.
As a journalist, she must tell everyone what is happening in Hong Kong, which has returned to the motherland. So she and her colleagues planned a program "Hong Kong's Return to the Century Report - 60 Hours Non-stop".
This is a crazy plan, 60 hours is of great significance, but for ordinary people, 60 hours without sleep is already an ordeal, and working continuously for 60 hours is an unprecedented challenge for people and even machines.
Wu Xiaoli's Phoenix Station has only been established for 15 months, with only basic broadcast tools, not even a larger studio, and it is very difficult to hold a huge and significant performance.
(Wu Xiaoli and Dou Wentao)
Ten days before the return of Hong Kong, Phoenix Satellite TV held a mobilization meeting, the boss wanted to let the world know that Phoenix Satellite TV is the "largest and most influential Chinese satellite TV station", and in addition to Phoenix Satellite TV, nearly 8,000 journalists from all over the world also came to Hong Kong, only to wait for July 1 to arrive.
On June 29, Wu Xiaoli conducted her last rehearsal. Facing the camera, she showed her usual enthusiasm and confidence, and when the camera reflected her face, exhaustion flashed by, and she was immediately overwhelmed by greater enthusiasm.
The CEO of Phoenix TV continues to cheer her up, and the central studio she is responsible for is an extremely important part of the entire live broadcast environment, no matter how many people are arranged in the field and how many cuts are prepared, she is ultimately needed to connect.
And the main live broadcast scene is also the central studio.
At 12:00 noon on June 30, the special report officially began, and Wu Xiaoli and Dou Wentao sat in the starring hall and began a long live broadcast. With the central studio as the link, 10 venues outside the venue have been switched one after another.
(Group photo of Phoenix SATELLITE TV anchors in 1997)
Wu Xiaoli has always been excited, and she can talk about it in the first few hours, but later she can't hold on a bit and can only force herself to stay in shape.
Many people saw Wu Xiaoli's program at the beginning of the broadcast, slept at night, and saw that she was still broadcasting the next day. Her mother was worried after seeing it, and called afterwards to inquire, and was distressed by her daughter.
The continuous live broadcast made Wu Xiaoli physically and mentally exhausted, and she wore makeup live for a long time, which made her face have serious allergies. None of this shook her goal.
After the live broadcast, the parents sighed and could finally go home to rest, and at this time, Wu Xiaoli looked at the camera blankly, and there was a sense of loss in her heart.
(Old photo of Hong Kong's return to the motherland)
"Hong Kong's Return to the Century Report - 60 Hours Non-Stop" is the second longest live broadcast report besides CCTV. Phoenix Station successfully took advantage of the momentum of development, rushed forward, and grew rapidly from a small radio station that was only established for 15 months, and made a qualitative leap in fame and scale. The names of Wu Xiaoli and Dou Wentao are also well known to more people.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="48" > third, the preference at the press conference</h1>
(Premier Zhu Rongji and Wu Xiaoli)
In 1998, Premier Zhu Rongji officially took office, and immediately held his first post-office press conference in the Great Hall of the People. Wu Xiaoli, who had just finished covering the two sessions, did not return to Hong Kong immediately, and she had to wait in Beijing for an opportunity to cover the two sessions.
Press conferences are different from one-on-one interviews, all journalists' questions cannot be repeated, and cookie-cutter questions such as domestic economic development or views on foreign situations are basically asked before she raises them.
Before interviewing Premier Zhu Rongji, Wu Xiaoli consulted a large amount of materials to try to understand Premier Zhu Rongji's style of conduct and work attitude.
In the face of the upcoming press conference, Wu Xiaoli was both nervous and excited.
(Premier Zhu Rongji)
The meeting was fraught with uncertainty, and the interviewer might choose a more secure question because of various scruples. But Premier Zhu Rongji has always spoken bluntly, and Wu Xiaoli has only asked bold questions. What happens when a straightforward person encounters a bold problem?
Wu Xiaoli entered the venue very early and chose a good position to wait for the reception to begin. At that time, more than 600 domestic and foreign journalists gathered at the scene, and the question-and-answer session could only selectively pick some reporters' questions.
Wu Xiaoli sat in a conspicuous position in the front row and watched premier Zhu Rongji walk up to the stage at close range, his eyes glancing at the reporters under the stage one by one, and when he spoke in a sonorous and powerful voice, there was no trace of emotional fluctuations on his face.
As soon as Wu Xiaoli saw Premier Zhu Rongji, she knew that she would get good feedback on the questions she had prepared.
(Photo of Premier Zhu Rongji's meeting)
During the reporter's question-and-answer session, Wu Xiaoli in the front row raised her hand and looked at the prime minister while imagining what kind of wording to ask questions next.
Time passed minute by minute, and the reporters in the middle row and the back row were named one after another, and she sat in the front row without being seen by the host, which inevitably made her anxious.
Seeing that the press conference has passed 2/3, Wu Xiaoli's chances of being named are getting less and less, and the host does not seem to have the intention of looking at her side.
At this time, Premier Zhu Rongji suddenly said: "You should pay attention to whether Miss Wu Xiaoli of Phoenix Satellite TV is good or not, give her a chance, I like to watch her program very much." ”
Wu Xiaoli saw the premier smiling and looking at her, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and finally reached her to ask questions. Wu Xiaoli's mind flew around, and she first thanked Premier Zhu Rongji for her affirmation before throwing out the two questions together.
Immediately after Hong Kong's return to the motherland, it entered a period of economic adjustment, and the ups and downs were obvious. Under such circumstances, it is not enough to adjust on its own, and Wu Xiaoli wondered, "What kind of concrete measures will the central government take to support Hong Kong's economic difficulties and difficulties?" ”
The first question is actually an issue that everyone is concerned about; after Hong Kong's return to the motherland, there have been economic problems, and after the return of Macao to the motherland, there may also be some problems, and Premier Zhu Rongji's answer represents the attitude of the central authorities toward the two special administrative regions.
Generally like the national press conference, reporters will not be given the opportunity to speak for a second time, after asking the first question, Wu Xiaoli continued: "Some people in the outside world say that you are the 'iron-faced prime minister', or 'economic czar', I would like to ask you to talk about your mental journey in the process of reform, have you ever thought of being depressed?" Want to give up? ”
(Zhu Rongji)
Premier Zhu Rongji nodded at her, thought about it for a moment, and said: "As long as the administrative government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region makes a demand to the Central Government of China, the Central Government will safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability at all costs and protect its linked exchange rate system." As for myself, there is nothing to say, whether it is a minefield or an abyss ahead, I will go forward courageously, without hesitation, bow down, and die. ”
Wu Xiaoli's question is very clever, not only to let everyone understand the attitude of the central authorities, but also to dig deep into Premier Zhu Rongji's inner monologue from a "personal" perspective.
After the press conference, Wu Xiaoli changed her state of confidence and excitement and calmly left the venue. She didn't pay too much attention to herself, but focused on the news.
Sure enough, Wu Xiaoli's name quickly became popular all over the country, and even the Hong Kong stock market rose 340 points. Some people called her question "a question to move Beijing", while others said that she was "a woman who made the Hong Kong stock market rise by 300 points". More news was willing to say she was "an overnight hit."
In fact, no matter what everyone thinks of her, Wu Xiaoli's positioning for herself is still a journalist, even if she later rose to the management of Phoenix Station, she is still active in the front line.
In April of the same year, when Premier Zhu Rongji visited Europe, he saw Wu Xiaoli in the crowd and quipped with a smile: "You are really on fire now." Wu Xiaoli was flattered and wanted to ask a few questions, but this time the prime minister's itinerary was too tense, and he waved his hand at her and left. This one- or two-sentence interaction was not as wonderful as the press conference, but the prime minister showed a different kindness than in official occasions.
(Wu Xiaoli and Lei Jun)
Everyone is paying attention to her success, but Wu Xiaoli is more sober, she has not lost herself, and as usual, she has gone to the roadside stall with her colleagues to eat, and talked about her success. She clearly understands her role and does her duty unshakably.
From entering Huashi to the first sister of Phoenix Station, to the deputy director, Wu Xiaoli has constantly proved her value and never deviated from her original intention. Wu Xiaoli can be seen in the return of Macao, the Millennium New Year's Eve, the Olympic bid site, and the live broadcast of the Olympic Games. As her understanding of journalists grew deeper, so did her face.
Someone asked Why Wu Xiaoli encountered such a good opportunity, she did not feel that she had encountered an opportunity, but kept her heart, and things naturally developed in a good direction. "To be a journalist is to open your eyes, open your mouth, stretch your ears, know where your goals are, and then creatively achieve them, and move forward," she says. ”
(Wu Xiaoli at the scene of the two sessions)
Today, Wu Xiaoli is more than 50 years old, holding the position of deputy director of phoenix satellite TV information station, and could have retreated behind the scenes and done some easy work. But she still did interviews on the front line and worked hard for her original goal.
People may face many choices in their lives, some people are lost in choices, and some people choose to persevere. Some people are mediocre, and some people have become legends. Wu Xiaoli is not mediocre, nor is it legendary. She just likes to tell everyone what's going on in the world from a journalist's point of view.