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Memories and regrets
In February 2022, the Beijing Winter Olympics was grandly opened, and Zhang Yimou once again served as the chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies. As he wore a red robe and brandished a baton to direct the visual feast, the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics 14 years ago came to mind.
The opening ceremony, which attracted global attention, was certainly magnificent, but for Zhang Yimou, it also brought two regrets and painful memories that he could not let go.
One is that dancer Liu Yan was accidentally injured at the opening ceremony and has been in a wheelchair ever since; The other is Lin Miaoke, a little girl assigned to sing, who was exposed to "fake singing" at the opening ceremony.
Whenever he recalled the tragic situation of Liu Yan falling on the stage, Zhang Yimou's brows couldn't help but lock. He clearly remembered the frightened screams of the on-site staff when Liu Yan was hit by a fast-moving float and fell straight to the ground.
And Lin Miaoke's immature face that was bombarded by Internet violence after being accused of "lip-syncing" often appears in his mind.
These two decisions are like a sharp knife, leaving scars in Zhang Yimou's heart that will never heal. Every time he thinks of the great pain that Liu Yan and Lin Miaoke endured after that glorious opening ceremony, he will be filled with endless guilt and self-blame.
As the chief director, he did not protect the actors around him well, but gave them the greatest damage in their lives with his own hands, which is undoubtedly the biggest stain and regret in his directorial career.
Misfortune
Liu Yan used to be an excellent dancer, dancing gracefully and agile like an elf. She was one of the performers at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which was the biggest stage of her life for her who has always pursued her dream of stage.
However, during the last full practice before the opening ceremony, a sudden accident completely shattered her dream. Due to a mistake by the backstage staff, the float started one second early.
At this critical moment, Liu Yan was about to step on the stage of the float, his front foot had just touched the ground, but his back foot had already stepped into the air.
I saw the float galloping like a bulldozer and violently knocking Liu Yan out. After a loud "bang", Liu Yan's body fell straight on the running track, and the whole person lost consciousness instantly.
When Liu Yan opened his eyes again, it was already the early morning of the next day. Waiting in front of the hospital bed are parents with red and swollen eyes.
Hearing their daughter's innocent question, the two old men burst into tears. Liu Yan didn't realize that this accident had taken away the stage of her youth forever. When the doctor reluctantly revealed the cruel truth to her, Liu Yan was shocked, she once had a bright ballet dream, but in the blink of an eye, she could only be accompanied by a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
Director Zhang Yimou was haunted by Liu Yan's misfortune, and four years later, during the London Olympics, he went to visit Liu Yan. Looking at the once energetic dancer who is now confined to a wheelchair, Zhang Yimou sincerely tells the glory of the Olympic ceremony, hoping to give her some comfort.
Although fateful, Liu Yan did not give up on life. After years of rehabilitation, she bravely embarked on a new path in life and obtained a doctorate degree in dance from the Chinese Academy of Arts.
With courage and tenacity, Liu Yan re-realized his life value.
"Lip-synching"
In addition to Liu Yan's misfortune, director Zhang Yimou made another decision he regretted at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, which was to assign Lin Miaoke, who was only 9 years old at the time, to "fake sing" at the opening ceremony.
Lin Miaoke is an innocent little girl, wearing a red dress and two cute pigtails, and sang the passionate and generous "Singing the Motherland" at the opening ceremony with a classical and elegant image.
Her crisp voice and lively and cute appearance instantly earned her reputation as the "Olympic Girl" in the hearts of billions of viewers around the world.
Who would have thought that just 3 days after the opening ceremony ended, an astonishing news pushed Lin Miaoke to the forefront - she was indeed "fake singing" at the opening ceremony! The real singer was another little girl named Yang Peiyi, and Lin Miaoke was only selected as a "vase" because of her outstanding appearance.
As soon as this cruel fact was exposed, Lin Miaoke instantly transformed from an "Olympic girl" to a "fake singing girl", and she was subjected to huge public opinion abuse and personal attacks.
On campus, whenever Lin Miaoke performs on stage, there will always be cheers and ridicule from the audience, and she is even bullied and bullied by her classmates.
The bane of all this started with a decision made by director Zhang Yimou at that time. For the "perfect" picture of the opening ceremony, he chose to let Yang Peiyi's voice replace Lin Miaoke.
Zhang Yimou made this annoying decision out of the blind pursuit of "perfection" at that time, but it brought more than ten years of public opinion abuse to this innocent little girl, which became the biggest shadow in her life.
It wasn't until 10 years later, in 2018, that Zhang Yimou responded positively to this decision for the first time on the show, sincerely expressing his "regrets". For Lin Miaoke, in the past 10 years, she has had to reshape her self-image again and again in the storm of public opinion, and even her dream of entering the Beijing Film Academy cannot be realized.
But Lin Miaoke was not crushed by this incident, she always treated life with a positive and optimistic attitude, and finally entered Nanjing University of the Arts, writing her own chapter of life with courage and tenacity.
In 2020, Lin Miaoke said frankly when talking about the "lip-syncing turmoil": "Not everyone can understand you, but you have to face it bravely, because time will eventually change people's concepts."
"Lin Miaoke's tenacity in dealing with setbacks and difficulties is admirable.
Deep regret
In the following ten years, whenever Zhang Yimou recalled the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, his heart would be filled with deep regret and self-blame.
For what happened to Liu Yan, Zhang Yimou felt very sorry. If the details of the opening ceremony had not been so strict, perhaps such an accident would not have happened, and a young and promising life would not have ruined his dream.
Every time I think of the tragic situation of Liu Yan falling to the ground, Zhang Yimou's heart seems to be tightly grasped by an invisible giant hand.
And Lin Miaoke's "fake singing door" made Zhang Yimou feel extremely remorseful. He vividly remembers that it was the obnoxious pursuit of "perfect" visuals that led to that annoying decision.
But who would have thought that this innocent little girl has suffered from online violence and personal attacks for more than ten years, becoming the biggest shadow in her life.
Every time he recalls Lin Miaoke's immature face when he was bombarded indiscriminately, Zhang Yimou's heart will be like a knife. As the chief director, he should have strictly controlled every detail, instead of personally inflicting the greatest damage on the actor's life.
This is undoubtedly the biggest stain on his directorial career, and it will also become an indelible pain in his life.
Sometimes Zhang Yimou thinks that if he could have insisted on using Lin Miaoke's original sound, the difference in the live effect might not be too big. But more importantly, this innocent and cute little girl will not have to endure years of criticism and hurt, and she may be able to thrive in a more sunny and healthy environment.
Unfortunately, time cannot be turned back, everything is a thing of the past. Even if Zhang Yimou is very sad, these two decisions are destined to become the biggest regrets in his life.
A New Hope
14 years have passed, and when Zhang Yimou once again served as the chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he was full of new expectations and determination.
This time, he was determined to learn the lessons of the 2008 opening ceremony and not repeat the mistakes of the past. He takes extra care to ensure that every detail is carefully prepared and checked repeatedly to avoid regrets and stains from happening again.
Zhang Yimou knows that as the chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies, he not only shoulders the expectations of hundreds of millions of audiences, but also needs to take unlimited responsibility and protection for every actor.
This time, he will never allow even one actor to be hurt on stage, and he will never make another decision to hurt an actor.
In the process of preparation, Zhang Yimou not only personally checked every detail of the arrangement, but also worked hard for the safety of the actors. From the selection of actors, the assignment of roles to the meticulous rehearsals, he has taken care of everything to make sure that nothing goes wrong.
At the same time, Zhang Yimou also knows that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics show not only a visual grand occasion, but also the spiritual core of Chinese culture. Therefore, he will devote all his efforts to show the breadth and profundity of Chinese traditional culture with unique artistic techniques and ingenuity, and integrate the spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation into every aspect of the opening and closing ceremonies.
When the sacred moment of the Winter Olympics comes, when the thousands of gongs and drums and gorgeous chapters are stirring over the Bird's Nest, Zhang Yimou hopes that this will not only be a visual feast, but also reflect the integrity of the Chinese nation's unremitting self-improvement and become a spiritual force that increases the pride of the Chinese people.