In 2008, the Beijing Olympics were approaching, and Zhang Yimou, as the chief director, shouldered an extremely heavy responsibility. The performance of the opening ceremony was even more high-profile and had to be presented at its best.
However, when it came to choosing performers, Zhang Yimou encountered a problem.
The two little girls, Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi, stood out, and the competition in the end was very fierce. Lin Miaoke has a baby face, which is very cute and moving; Yang Peiyi's voice is very good, and her singing voice is like a nightingale.
Zhang Yimou fell into a fierce ideological struggle, these two children have their own strengths, but they can only choose one.
After comparing from multiple angles, Zhang Yimou still thinks that Lin Miaoke's appearance is more in line with the role positioning, which can bring out a strong childlike temperament. However, her voice is a little jerky and childish compared to Yang Peiyi's.
Yang Peiyi's singing voice is impeccable, but her teeth are not very straight, and she will be flawed when she closes up on the big screen.
A thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Yimou's mind: Can we learn from both? After careful consideration, Zhang Yimou finally made a bold decision. He decided to let Lin Miaoke perform on stage, but used Yang Peiyi's singing voice to record, which can not only present the best visual effects, but also achieve perfect sound quality.
For Zhang Yimou, the stage effect is above all else, and this is what he focuses on as an artist.
On the night of the opening ceremony, Lin Miaoke's sweet and moving image and singing voice that integrated Yang Peiyi's sound quality really achieved a full house. The audience at the scene and in front of the TV cheered for this little girl, and praised it as the most beautiful children's voice.
It turned out that the singing voice that everyone talked about actually came from the prior recording of another girl, Yang Peiyi. The audience felt deceived and strongly condemned it, and the public's anger reached a boiling point for a while.
Lin Miaoke became the target of public criticism, and was scolded as a little liar and a disgusting villain.
In the tide of hatred, Zhang Yimou bravely stood up and publicly explained the original decision process to the media. He said that it was very difficult at the time, but out of the pursuit of stage effect, he had to make such an arrangement.
He defended Lin Miaoke, saying that Lin Miaoke had indeed sung live, but his voice had not been collected and played.
Lin Miaoke also cried in front of the camera to complain about her grievances, she insisted that she was also a victim and didn't know that her voice was cut off. Under the apologies and explanations of Zhang Yimou and Lin Miaoke, the public's mood gradually calmed down.
But the perception of Lin Miaoke has fundamentally changed, and this "lip-synching turmoil" has become a stain on her acting career.
In this turmoil, another party, Yang Peiyi, also suffered a lot of damage. She thought she could sing in front of everyone in person, but all the applause and praise fell on Lin Miaoke's head alone, and Yang Peiyi felt lost and aggrieved.
However, under the care of her father, Yang Peiyi gradually walked out of this shadow. Father Yang does not treat his children as a financial tool like Lin Miaoke's mother, but sincerely hopes that his daughter will grow up healthy and happy.
He tried his best to protect Yang Peiyi from the controversy and strife in the entertainment industry, and gave her a stable environment for learning Xi and development.
With the support of her father, Yang Peiyi was able to develop her interests and pursuits normally. She concentrates on her studies and excels in her grades; In his spare time, he learns various musical instruments, and is full of passion on and off stage.
Gradually, she formed her own band and not only learned to sing, but also became willing to share the joy.
Yang Peiyi has grown into a cheerful, optimistic and progressive girl. Maybe she was born with a glowing stage charisma, but luckily for her, her father didn't turn that talent into plunder, but let it grow naturally.
Yang Peiyi's life is rich and colorful, and she has also learned Xi the power of getting along with people.
Unlike Yang Peiyi's situation, Lin Miaoke's life has opened a completely opposite chapter. Her mother, Liu Zheping, only wants to make money from her daughter, which is a terrible existence for Lin Miaoke.
After the "lip-syncing turmoil", Liu Zheping saw his daughter become popular overnight, and immediately became Lin Miaoke's agent. She was busy approaching commercial performances everywhere, ignoring the fact that Lin Miaoke was only a primary school student.
Liu Zheping did anything for money, dressed Lin Miaoke like a little adult, and accepted invitations to various business activities.
In order to become famous and make money, Liu Zheping didn't even let Lin Miaoke go to school normally, and forcibly occupied her school Xi time to socialize. Lin Miaoke's life and Xi were all disrupted by her mother's decision, but she was still too young to resist her family's arrangement.
Under her mother's packaging and marketing, Lin Miaoke's reputation was overshadowed by a strong commercial flavor and a notoriety for quick success. She failed in the exams for Nortel and Chinese opera, and the ordinary student life she could have had was also taken away by her mother.
Liu Zheping's actions ruined her daughter's reputation and future, and made her bear the polish of Vanity Fair since she was a child. I believe that Lin Miaoke's heart must be full of confusion and unwillingness, but in the face of her mother's arrangement, there is very little she can do.
The little girl's life was forever changed by her mother's decision.
Time flies, and one day many years later, fate makes the two girls meet again. When they shared the stage again, the audience was amazed – the contrast between them was almost incredible.
Yang Peiyi is still a sunny and cheerful girl, her hard work in Xi has not been in vain, and now she is a college student full of dreams. On weekdays, she performs with her own band and lives a simple but colorful life.
The stage is a warm holy place for her to show herself, not a place for money and fame to be traded.
And Lin Miaoke, the "most beautiful children's voice" who once caused a sensation, is now no one in the entertainment industry at all. Her career as an artist had long since dimmed in her mother's eagerness for quick success.
Lin Miaoke's eyes were gloomy, and it was difficult to see the innocence at the beginning. She still spreads negative news from time to time, repeatedly falls into the whirlpool of public opinion, and her future is uncertain.
Zhang Yimou's decision turned out to be a girl's life and changed the fate of another girl. Now the lives of the two are very different, which is the direct consequence of that turmoil.
If time could be turned back, would Lin Miaoke choose another path? How many memories and regrets should she have in her heart. But we also want to give her hope that as long as she has dreams, she can still control her future.
Recalling this turmoil, we can't help but reflect on Zhang Yimou's original choice.
As an artist, Zhang Yimou has an infinite pursuit of perfection in his heart. This also led him to use the means of "lip-syncing" for the sake of stage effect when producing the opening ceremony.
But his decision inadvertently changed the trajectory of the fate of the two families.
We are often faced with such a choice in our creation and life. In order to achieve the best results, do we neglect our personal feelings and privacy? Do we overconfident that our decisions are the right ones? The pursuit of excellence is very important, but at the same time, we need to be cautious and rational, and fully consider the impact that our decisions may have on others.
On the other hand, behind the stage of victory, there are often hidden invisible sacrifices and sufferings. Every trophy we hold up means that someone has failed to reach the top; The losers in our eyes may also have made great efforts.
This turmoil has made us understand that the stage belongs to every light chaser, and every decision we make may alarm a soul. When we have the strength to change our fate, we should be more prudent and merciful.
Lin Miaoke's experience is embarrassing, her life was rewritten by the decision of the director and her mother, and the dam of fate cannot be restored. However, the tide of life continues, and as long as she has a dream, she can still steer to the bright sea.
We should not judge a child for past mistakes, but give her hope. All children deserve to be treated justly and warmly. Regardless of their origins, the stage in front of them is the same.
This turmoil also reminds us not to change the trajectory of others lightly, and not to rush to judge a child's talents. Growth is a process that takes time and patience, and the purpose of education is to guide each child to grow up healthily, not to be used or turned into a tool.
Life is full of unknowns, and we are all still growing. And let us see the subtleties, remember the lessons, and leave an expectation for others, because hope exists every morning, and every heart deserves to be warmed.