Guangming Daily reporter Li Xiaomeng
"Forward, forward, the responsibility of the warrior is heavy, the women's grievances are deep..." In the more than half a century since its birth in 1964, whenever the military trumpet in the ballet "Red Detachment of Women" is blown, the sonorous and powerful music still makes many viewers feel excited.
"A big river has wide waves, and the wind blows rice and flowers on both sides of the river..." No matter when and where, the melody of the theme song of the movie "Shangganling" "My Motherland" floats out, immediately evoking the feelings of home and country of countless people, making people tearful.
People's writer Liu Qing's famous book "History of Entrepreneurship" not only fully shows the historical style of China's agricultural co-operation and the great changes in the spiritual world of the peasant masses, but also influences the creative direction of contemporary realist literature.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that there is no shortage of epic practice in China, and the key is to have the ambition to create epics. In the magnificent journey of the Communist Party of China in the past century, there are countless red literary and artistic classics that have left people with indelible memories. These works have ignited the fire of the national spirit in various forms of expression, such as novels, radio, drama, film and television, paintings, and music. They are rooted in the reality of China's revolution, construction and reform, and not only give China's traditional literary and artistic forms a distinct character of the times, but also add a bright oriental color to world literature and art with a broad mind.
What are the characteristics of these red classics? Why can they endure and reverberate in the grind of time? What are the enlightenments for the current creation of realistic themes around the needs of the people and the theme of the times? A few days ago, at the seminar on "Red Literary and Art Classics in the Centenary of the Founding of the Party" sponsored by the China Literary and Art Critics Association, the artistic charm of red classics became a topic of heated discussion among the participating experts. Looking back at the brilliant achievements and valuable experience of red literary and artistic creation, the aesthetic value and epoch value of these classic works still have far-reaching significance for the great development and prosperity of the current socialist literary and artistic undertakings.
It is both a classic of the years and a popular trend of the times
A classic is a history and a memory. Red literature and art are closely linked to the development process of the Communist Party of China and the fate of the Chinese people, and have always had strong vitality and influence.
In the fall of 1952, during the intercessional period of the Panmunjom negotiations, the U.S. military mobilized more than 60,000 troops to launch a large-scale offensive near the 38th Parallel. Chinese Volunteer Army relied on the tunnel to repeatedly compete with the enemy for 43 days on the 3.7 square kilometers of high land in Shangganling, annihilating more than 25,000 enemy troops, forcing the US military to sit at the negotiating table again. The movie "Shangganling" tells this thrilling story. The creative team went to Shangganling many times to experience the field, interviewed more than 100 volunteer officers and men who participated in the battle, and restored the cruelty and grandeur of the battle with a tunnel and a company story. In 1956, "Shangganling" was released. In the film, the song "My Motherland" gently sung by the female hygienist for the exhausted soldiers in the dark tunnel is also haunted by the memories of the Chinese people.
"Films such as 'Shangganling', 'Reconnaissance of Crossing the River', 'Dong Cunrui', and 'Railway Guerrilla' were the most popular films of that era, with hundreds of millions of viewers." In the view of Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, these red films are not only called classics by people today, but also continue to stir and reverberate in the repeated tempering of the times, and have always been popular.
"These films pay attention to the inheritance of national literary traditions and narrative traditions, pay attention to the legendary nature of the plot of the works, find a narrative method and strategy to the public, and are also pure in art, becoming people's unforgettable image memories." Rao Shuguang said.
"If a drama is performed twice, it will be finished, no one wants to watch it again, and people in later generations will not be able to rehearse and repeat it, which is definitely not a good work." Looking back at these red literary classics, which one does not have an enduring artistic charm? Song Baozhen, director of the Drama Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts, believes that if a work wants to become a classic, it must not be a collection of words for the pedantic book bag, nor can it be an object for a small number of people to entertain, but has the broadest audience, elegant and popular appreciation, and artistic masterpieces suitable for all ages.
"Whether on the arduous long march road, in the land of north China trampled by the iron hooves of the Japanese and Kosovars, or during the period of the Liberation War and socialist construction, literary and art workers were all fresh forces that followed the party's banner and forged ahead courageously." From the drama "The Snow of Lushan Mountain", which is a military exercise and a general, to the drama "Ten Thousand Waters and Thousand Mountains", which reproduces the epic of the Long March, to the Yu opera "Jiao Yulu" and the ballet "Eight Women Throwing the River", "it is precisely because they walk with the times, work with the people, and create together with the audience, and are loved by many audiences." Song Baozhen said.
What makes the red literary classics have the power to travel through time and space and gripping? Fan Yugang, a professor in the Department of Literature and History of the Central Party School, said: "The red cultural spirit formed by the Communist Party of China in leading the Chinese nation to achieve great rejuvenation has penetrated deep into the blood of the Chinese nation, which is the soil and important resources for the generation of red classics, and it is also its historical background. ”
Excellent red literary and artistic creation is open, inclusive and eclectic
In the history of contemporary Chinese dance, it can be said that no work can be as deeply rooted in the hearts of the people as the ballet "Red Detachment of Women", which has achieved the world miracle of the perfect integration of Chinese and Western cultures in the field of ballet art, and from the beginning of its birth, it has gone abroad to ascend to the temple of world art. Cuban ballet artist Alicia Alonso praised it: For the first time in the history of ballet, there was a toe dance with a knife and a gun, and you are so remarkable.
At that time, the legs of the ballet, the body of the classical dance, and the image of the warrior in "The Red Detachment of Women" caused heated discussion. As one of the choreographers, Jiang Zuhui believes that the use of dance vocabulary does not have to be self-limited. She believes that Qionghua's movements should be explosive, and the movements of traditional ballet are too soft, so she added some Chinese dance styles to the movement design to enhance the strength.
For example, in the first double dance between Qionghua and Lao Si, a large number of Chinese classical dance movements such as oolong horn pillars, sweeping legs, and stringing over appeared, and the fierce scene of Qionghua and Lao Si's fighting was vividly displayed through the use of the form of confrontation in Peking Opera, highlighting the image of Qionghua's revolutionary who swore to die and resisted.
Mao Hui, vice chairman of the China Literary and Art Critics Association and researcher of the Dance Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts, believes that it is precisely because of the perfect integration with the heroic figures Wu Qionghua and Hong Changqing that these dance styles, which were once called "earth ballet", have precipitated into a ballet image that can represent the spirit of the Chinese nation in the great waves of the times.
Looking back on the development of red literature and art, Dong Yaopeng, member of the party group and secretary of the Secretariat of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said: "These classic works often have a broad vision and a grand mind in creation, and the works widely absorb and utilize various art forms, which can integrate Chinese and Western and inclusive. ”
"The north wind blows, the snowflakes flutter, the snowflakes flutter in the year..." In April 1945, a song "North Wind Blowing" opened the prelude to the first performance of the opera "White Haired Girl" in Yan'an, and the performance ended, and the creative team and actors received thunderous applause. As a new national opera that integrates poetry, song and dance, "The White Haired Girl" uses the tragic encounters of yang Bailao and Xi'er's father and daughter to express the theme of "the old society forced people into 'ghosts', and the new society turned 'ghosts' into people", issuing a Roar like the Yellow River. (Scroll down)
At that time, Zhang Geng, then the head of the Luyi Drama Department, as the general manager of the creation of the opera "The White Haired Girl", once told several composers who were unfamiliar with Western opera, "You don't have to think about anything else, you just want the Chinese people to love to listen, sing and watch." In the end, the music in the play blends northern folk songs and traditional operas, while absorbing the expression methods of Western opera music, presenting a unique national flavor.
"In national operas with revolutionary themes, such as 'The White-Haired Girl', 'Little Two Blacks Married', "Honghu Red Guards," "Sister Jiang," and "Daughter of the Party," there is no shortage of opera singing sections, and an important reason why these works can become red classics is that Chinese opera gives them profound cultural support." Li Shiyuan, senior researcher of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music He Luting and director of the China Red Music Culture Research and Development Center, said. He said, "At present, opera creation must not only inherit and carry forward the revolutionary cultural tradition of attaching importance to revolutionary historical themes, but also draw on the experience of national opera creation with revolutionary historical themes and choose forms of expression that the people like to hear, so that they can truly be liked and accepted by the people."
Heroism that shines with the light of humanity
In recent years, many red literary and artistic works have also made people see the potential to become classics. The historical revolutionary drama "The Age of Awakening", which has just been broadcast, has made many viewers sigh: the images of Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao and other characters have "come alive" from the history textbooks.
"The portrayal of Chen Duxiu's personality and other aspects in the play, especially the excavation of his inner world, makes the audience see the charm of grounding and popularity." Rao Shuguang calls this element that can make historical figures "come alive" as "the raw edge of life", "The creation of red film and television dramas should do its best to create details with the texture of life and the texture of history, and give play to the unique ability of film and television art to restore and express life itself." He believes that the efforts to deepen the characters and the exploration of the connotation of human nature have become an important reason why this drama can transcend the age circle and impress many audiences.
"Since the 1990s, some films, televisions and dramas reflecting revolutionary leaders have paid more attention to excavating the daily lives, emotions and psychology of great people, and a number of acclaimed and acclaimed works such as "The Story of Mao Zedong", "The Boy of Classmate Qia", and "Li Dazhao" have appeared." Li Honghua, vice chairman of the Jiangxi Literary and Art Critics Association, believes that some artistic creations that have identified small incisions that are connected to the grand narrative are deeply impressive.
In fact, looking back at many red literary and artistic classics, some ordinary people who are full of contradictions in their personalities but can make correct choices in the long river of history always shine with the light of humanity, and can often leave a profound mark in the minds of readers and audiences.
"Liu Qing's 'History of Entrepreneurship' portrayal of the 'middle character' Liang Sanlaohan has also been praised by many critics, because the reason is that relying on the words and deeds of the characters to reflect his psychological state, outlining the soul of the characters, making the footprints of Liang Sanlaohan's transformation and regeneration particularly moving." Wang Yichuan, vice chairman of the China Literary and Art Critics Association and director of the Literature and Art Research Center of Beijing Normal University, mentioned that in addition to Liang Sanlaohan, the stories of young or weak protagonists such as Wu Qionghua in "The Red Detachment of Women" and Lin Daojing in "Song of Youth" who have been baptized and reborn in the tide of history have all successfully combined personal behavior and personal survival experience, and have well realized the organic unity of individuals and history, personality and destiny.
"It is precisely these living artistic images that truly and vividly show the inevitable development law of the modern Chinese revolution from decay to rebirth, from low to high, from backward to advanced, and has produced the aesthetic effect of interpreting history with art, clarifying reason with art, and increasing trust with art." Wang Yichuan analyzed the aesthetic value of red literary classics.
From the past to the present, what kind of works can be called red classics? Fan Yugang proposed that it should be noted that only those who respect revolutionary ideals and passions while returning to common sense, common sense, and common sense integrate more humanistic feelings, as well as the persistent pursuit of ideals and beliefs, can stand the test of time.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The red literary and art classics are like profound historical rings, recording the great leap from standing up and getting rich to becoming strong under the leadership of Chinese the Communist Party of China; it is more like a magnificent heroic epic, chanting the glory years of the century-old party and inscribing the hardships and glory that the Communist Party of China has led the people through. The revolutionary spirit and heroic feelings contained in these classics have lasted for a long time, shining in the long river of history, and still touch people today, and will move people who will come after.
Guangming Daily ( 2021-04-26 01 edition)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily