Preface
Is she the most powerful host?
In the history of Chinese television, there is such a woman, she is the first TV announcer in China and a senior figure in the Chinese television industry.
She has an extraordinary life, a brilliant career, and ups and downs in love, which can be said to be a legend within a legend.
She is Shen Li.
The bright singing voice of the girl Shen Li
In 1933, Shen Li was born in a scholarly family in Jinan, Shandong.
She is a descendant of the Qing Dynasty Minister of Military Aircraft and has a prominent family background.
Therefore, Shen Li has received an excellent tutor since he was a child, and his manners, words and deeds have a class temperament.
However, Shen Li has a lively personality, and his biggest hobby is listening to radio programs coming out of the loudspeaker at home.
The voice on the air waves subtly affected her, and she gradually fell in love with the profession of broadcasting.
At the age of 16, the desire for self-expression burned in Shen Li's heart.
She couldn't suppress her love for performing arts, and finally mustered up the courage to secretly join the art troupe and become an opera singer.
At first, Shen Li's parents strongly opposed her involvement in the entertainment industry, but the lively Shen Li was not bound by conventional thinking.
In the art troupe, Shen Li quickly emerged with his natural voice and acting talent, and was appreciated by the leaders.
The art troupe traveled from south to north, and Shen Li accumulated valuable experience in performances everywhere.
This became the basis for her to shine in the TV industry in the future.
At that time, it was the period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and the situation was turbulent.
Shen Li's cultural work group also went south with the army to the front line to offer condolences.
In the art troupe, Shen Li met his first love Zhang Ruilin.
The two fell in love at first sight, full of youth, and wanted to get married after leaving the army.
However, the environment at that time forbade love, and they could only secretly confide their hearts.
Later, due to the needs of the war, the two were both transferred, and this youthful love ended without a problem.
Many years later, what kind of attitude Zhang Ruilin will return to Shen Li's life has become the biggest surprise in her life.
Became the first female announcer in China
Shen Li, who was in his early 20s, was on a train returning to perform when he bumped into her by chance, who was preparing to get married.
Due to his standard Mandarin and proficiency in many Chinese, Shen Li was selected by the leaders on the train and temporarily served as a train announcer.
Shen Li's voice is sweet and beautiful, and it is very popular with passengers.
This became an important turning point in her career as a broadcaster.
Two years later, 25-year-old Shen Li met and married her first husband, Wu Dianxun.
In 1958, with the birth of China's first television set in Beijing, China also entered the television age.
Shen Li was keenly aware that TV would become the mainstream in the future, and participated in CCTV's announcer interview for the first time.
With excellent language skills and rich performance experience, Shen Li successfully passed the assessments, and finally made his dream come true and became the first female TV announcer in Chinese history.
At that time, China's TV industry was still in its infancy, everything was groping, and Shen Li's work was extremely hard.
Not only does she have to take care of the broadcasting of all the programs, but she also has to memorize a large number of text manuscripts.
In addition, the conditions at that time were poor, and Shen Li had to wear many hats and carry equipment by hand.
In order to improve his business ability, Shen Li also consciously consulted senior announcers and was diligent in summarizing experience.
It can be said that the smooth broadcast of CCTV programs in the early days relied on Shen Li to provoke the beam.
No matter how busy she is, she has never compromised on the standards of broadcasting.
It is Shen Li's professionalism that has defended the dignity of China's television industry.
TV old-timers cultivate host seedlings
Three years later, the TV station hired more announcers, and Shen Li's work pressure was slightly reduced.
But as a CCTV old-timer, she has a heavier burden on her shoulders - that is, to train newcomers to the TV station.
The prosperity of an industry depends on the continuous infusion of fresh blood.
Shen Li knew this, so she spared no effort to guide the backwards.
Zhao Zhongxiang grew from a frizzy teenager to an excellent host under her careful guidance.
Shen Li not only taught Zhao Zhongxiang and them hosting skills, but also carefully corrected their dress and appearance.
She often called her juniors to her home, talked eloquently while cooking, and taught by word and deed.
Sometimes when she sees too fancy ornaments on the latecomers, Shen Li will correct them in time, because she knows the law of television as a visual medium.
It is under the care of Shen Li, a motherly mentor, that countless host talents have grown.
Many popular hosts, such as Jing Yidan , Zhu Jun, etc., are from her disciples.
To this day, they still respect Shen Li as their teacher.
In addition, in 1958, Shen Li also hosted China's first TV special program "At Your Service".
This is a public welfare program that interacts with the audience.
Industry seniors pointed out Shen Li, as a woman, public welfare programs can best exert her maternal aura.
Sure enough, the warm and affectionate Shen Li won the love of countless viewers through the TV screen.
In order to do a good job in this program, Shen Li worked tirelessly and visited experts and scholars all over the world, just to give the audience a satisfactory answer.
She took every question from the audience seriously, as if she was answering her own child's question.
In the end, this half-hour short program received 20,000 letters from the audience per episode, all of which spoke highly of Shen Li's hosting.
This became the pinnacle of Shen Li's career.
Sunset is still the predecessor of the hosting industry
Time flies, and 55-year-old Shen Li retired from active service.
I thought I could enjoy retirement, but my husband was suddenly diagnosed with lung cancer and his health deteriorated.
Shen Li couldn't bear to see his lover suffering in illness, so he resolutely decided to take care of the housework and devote himself to her husband's care.
Even if he lives a poor life, Shen Li has never complained, and just wants to spend the rest of his life with his wife.
At this moment, CCTV once again threw an olive branch to Shen Li and sincerely invited her to host China's first program for the elderly "Sunset Red".
At first, Shen Li hesitated about her husband's condition, but decided to decline.
After all, her husband's health is her most important job at this time.
But her husband couldn't stand Shen Li's appearance of abandoning her dreams and forbearance, so she persuaded her to come out again.
He understood that Shen Li loved hosting this career in his bones.
In order for his beloved wife to realize his dream, the husband did not hesitate to do everything well, so that Shen Li could leave home to host the show with confidence.
In the end, Shen Li accepted CCTV's commission.
Unexpectedly, at the age of 63, she still maintains a superb hosting standard in the show.
Maybe that's the profession.
Shen Li's warm and kind smile through the screen, infecting every silver-haired audience, she intimately guided everyone to discuss the topic, and made this show one of the top ten excellent columns of CCTV.
Finally, Shen Li had the opportunity to speak for the elderly, and she listened to their voices and solved their problems.
Five years later, Shen Li retired from "Sunset Red" again.
In 1997, Shen Li's husband still failed to overcome the disease and finally passed away due to cancer.
The departure of her husband plunged Shen Li, who had just retired, into an unprecedented trough and loneliness.
Relatives and friends persuaded her to get together more and leave less, and introduced her to a partner, hoping that she could get out of the grief of widowhood as soon as possible.
However, Shen Li always refused everyone's introduction on the grounds that he was not ready physically or emotionally.
She began to live a life of seclusion.
Until one day, a miracle happened.
Fate played a big joke with Shen Li - she met her first love when she was young, Zhang Ruilin! More than 50 years ago, they had a youthful heartfelt relationship; More than fifty years later, they reunited in the vicissitudes of time.
Zhang Ruilin is also a widowed old man, and as soon as he heard about Shen Li's situation, he began to secretly inquire about her contact information.
Finally, with the help of an old comrade-in-arms, Zhang Ruilin mustered up the courage to confess his heart to Shen Li.
Shen Li was surprised and moved.
The two old people who lost their beloved, held hands tightly again under the tolerance of the years, and decided to support each other for the rest of their lives.
Zhang Ruilin took care of his daily life, making Shen Li regain his happy smile.
They begin to travel together and relive the romantic memories of those years.
In 2012, Shen Li, who is nearly 80 years old, was invited to attend the 9th TV Golden Eagle Festival and stood on the same stage with many popular stars.
The audience witnessed that the old-timers were still in style and hosted, and applauded her wildly.
At that moment, both on and off the stage were Shen Li's world.
epilogue
Shen Li has spent his life interpreting what a professional host is.
In 2020, this bright pearl of the Chinese TV circle passed away at the age of 87.
All the younger generations of the hosting industry cherish the memory of this mentor who influenced their lives.
At the scene of the program, Jing Yidan, a student who had been taught, couldn't cry.
On behalf of the TV station, the director of CCTV bowed to Shen Li and thanked her for her great contribution to China's television industry.
Is she the most powerful host?