In "Flowers", the uncle played by You Benchang has become the focus of the audience's attention, and his character setting and complex experience inject a strong dramatic tension into the plot. Uncle is not only the think tank of Mr. Bao played by Hu Ge, but also the guide on the road of business. From the initial guidance of Mr. Bao's entrepreneurship to the later rear of Mr. Bao's business, Uncle Bao has played multiple roles, which is difficult to ignore. Although Mr. Bao's parents are not detailed in the play, through the depiction of his uncle's family, we learn that he had two twin wives, but due to the principle of policy and fairness, he divorced both wives after liberation. This plot is vividly presented through the uncle's wife and niece, Chief Jin, revealing the complexity of the uncle's family.
Uncle plays a role similar to that of Mr. Bao's father in the play, both as a master and apprentice and as a seemingly father-son relationship. His shrewdness and prudence played a crucial role in Mr. Bao's business. When the chef of the Zhizhenyuan Hotel resigned, it was Uncle Wei Bao who found a wealthy friend in Hong Kong and introduced a top chef through his friend, which added a lot of color to the plot. This rich friend is the chef of Zhong Zhentao's cameo, and there are more stories hidden behind his identity. In the plot of Mr. Bao's trip to Hong Kong to discuss business, Uncle Bao clarified the identity of this friend, who is one of the four major real estate developers in Hong Kong, mainly engaged in commercial real estate. Through this plot, we also indirectly got a glimpse of my uncle's former social circle and network.
In terms of the matching of the background of the era and the experience of the characters, Uncle Bao has similarities with Hong Kong real estate developer Bao Yugang. Both of them are likely to work in the banking industry, and in the life trajectory of the uncle, he was engaged in the financial business before and after the liberation. Through the introduction of Bao Yugang's life, we found that he was a wealthy businessman who studied in Shanghai, and was the same age as his uncle. Although the two may have had a friendship in Chinese mainland, their later fates were very different, one became a huge rich, and the other was in prison. This huge difference in identity is presented in the play, especially when the uncle politely declines the invitation of the rich daughter. This plot depicts the multiple dimensions of friendship, the passage of time, and life choices for the audience, and also deeply reflects the impermanence that follows prosperity.
Through the character setting and experience of the uncle, the plot shows the helplessness and choices of an older generation of characters in the changing times. Uncle chose to dedicate himself silently behind the scenes and became the guide and reliable partner of Mr. Bao's career. Although he failed to realize his dream of becoming a business tycoon, he tried to make Mr. Bao succeed in the way of a mentor-apprentice relationship. In this process, the audience felt the helplessness of the uncle and his understanding of the changes of the times. This kind of emotional projection and character creation makes "Flowers" present more profound thoughts about human nature and life within the framework of entertainment dramas. After the prosperity, what is left may not only be dazzling flowers, but also the precipitation of a life.
This dramatic turn allows the audience to experience the impermanence of life and the drama of fate in the plot. Uncle chose to help Mr. Bao in his 70s, seemingly in order to make Mr. Bao the successor of his unfinished career blueprint. The profound connotation of this master-apprentice relationship not only has a commercial inheritance, but also implies the uncle's re-recognition of the value of life. When he was young, his uncle may not have had the opportunity to become a business tycoon, but in the end, he chose to dedicate himself silently behind the scenes when he was old to escort Bao's career.
What's even more thought-provoking is that through the dialogue between the uncle and the wealthy friends in Hong Kong, the audience witnessed the changes in the old relationship and the huge impact of time. Although the two former friends once conspired with each other's dreams, they are now disparate in their identities, and their former friendship is also facing an insurmountable gap in the huge social changes. This plot shows the conflict between friendship and reality, echoing the theme of the whole plot: after the prosperity, everything is different. People may look forward to the good times in the prosperous moments, but as the years go by, those dreams and friendships have gradually disappeared in the torrent of the times.
Through the experience of the uncle, the audience seems to see the past of an era and the persistence of an older generation of characters. The era when he chose to give off in his career was buried deep in history, however, he did not choose to be reduced to the past, but participated in the business stage of the new era in an unusual way in his old age. This makes "Flowers" not only an entertainment drama, but also a miniature lens that reflects the various social conditions and human predicaments through the shaping of characters. In the life after the prosperity, we may be able to find deeper thinking and resonance.