On the 5th of July, "Xu Xiake's Travels" of "China in the Classics" was broadcast on the CCTV Comprehensive Channel of the General Station, leading the audience to feel the ideal of life of this ancient and strange person "towards the blue sea and twilight" in the "Xiake Line" of the intestines, and the scientific spirit of tracing back to the roots and exploring the truth. The program triggered a huge response, on the night of broadcast, the number of central video live viewers exceeded 260,000, the number of video playback increased by more than 2 million, and the number of video albums played was nearly 19 million; the total number of views on various platforms was nearly 5 million, and the number of related videos played on the whole platform was nearly 40 million. At the same time, weibo derivative topic #300 years ago Xu Xiake travel how hardcore # rushed to the top three hot searches, a single period of Weibo related topics read more than 400 million, the cumulative coverage of network users nearly 700 million person-times.
- Editor
In late July this year, at the invitation of the CCTV "China in classics" program group, I participated in the recording of the filming of "Xu Xiake's Travels", in which I played Xu Xiake's mother, Wang Ruren. This creative experience is to truly let the art shine into reality. Xu Xiake's long affection with her mother made me have a deeper understanding of the role of "mother". During the filming process, new creative forms such as "crossing drama" also inspired me to think deeper about how traditional culture can be rejuvenated through modern art.
Characters shine into life
Many viewers may already be familiar with the story of Xu Xiake's ambitions in all directions and travel around the world, but they know very little about the greatness of her mother. That's why I decided to participate in this role. Historically, Xu Xiake's ability to aim high is inseparable from the profound influence his mother had on him.
The mother I have portrayed is not a good wife and mother in the ordinary sense of ancient times. After the death of her husband, she independently shouldered the responsibility of raising her children with her exquisite family weaving skills, and taught Xu Xiake to set up lofty ideals in life. In the program, there is a scene that impressed me deeply: my mother told Xu Xiake as a child that the source of the Yangtze River was in the MinJiang River, and Xiao Xiake asked curiously: How did my mother know? His mother told him that it was written in the book. This scene means that under the infiltration of traditional culture, Xu Mu not only knows the book, but also arouses Xu Xiake's curiosity and yearning for exploring the source of the Yangtze River with her love for nature, forming the original intention of his lifelong travel cause.
It is particularly worth mentioning that the script of the show also designed a specific scene for the role of Xu Mu. The story's narrative thread runs through Xu Xiake's exploration of the source of the "Mother River" Yangtze River. "Mother" and "Mother River" symbolize each other, which not only makes the meaning of "mother" have a broader connection and deeper excavation, but also deepens the cultural significance and spiritual height of "Xu Xia's Travels".
For me personally, shaping this image also gave me a deeper understanding of the role of mother. The mother is the first teacher in the child's life, and her pattern determines the starting point of the child's life. Her demeanor, words and deeds can subtly affect the child's life, and also establish enlightenment for the child's connection with the world. It can be said that this role deeply infected me. On the stage, the fused blood relationship between Xia Ke and her mother blessed the artistic appeal. Off-screen, this character also illuminated my life and resonated deeply with me.
Modern literature and art have made traditional culture bloom new buds
In the program, Xu Xiake's process of exploring the source of the Yangtze River represents the tracing of the roots of all Chinese sons and daughters. Off the screen, I also feel that the study and study of traditional culture is also the source of our modern people's search.
But how can the profound and profound traditional culture be more "light" to the public in the fast-paced social life? This deductive experience gave me some answers. Perhaps unique forms of creation such as "crossing drama" are very good artistic expressions of traditional culture, and can also make the "old tree" of traditional culture blossom "new flowers".
During the actual shooting, our studio was divided into two layers of shooting, supporting several scenes to be presented at the same time. In one scene, Xu's mother toiled hard in the layers of cloth, and the teenager Xu Xiake ran through the middle of the cloth, singing nursery rhymes. In another scene, Xu Xia's servants trekked on the Yellow Mountain, exploring the unknown wonders ahead. The camera switches to the third scene, and the host gathers experts and scholars to make comments, and the audience is also deeply intoxicated by the actor's performance.
It can be said that in such a studio, tradition and fashion meet, and ancient and youthful go hand in hand. Classical and modern scenes reflect each other and take turns to present, and also create a kaleidoscope of traditional culture and modern civilization collision and co-prosperity.
I usually enjoy interacting with young actors on their performances. In this show, Xu Xiake is played by actor Jia Yiping. He is very good, has a very good grasp of the character of the character, and the performance is full of emotions and properly grasped. We have worked together many times before, so in this show, we also have a natural tacit understanding in the performance, and the cooperation is very pleasant.
In the process of such exchanges, I firmly believe that the sincere expression of the actors is also the key to enabling traditional culture to quickly reach the depths of the audience's hearts through cultural programs. We should always uphold the original intention, maintain a sincere and respectful attitude towards performance, and at the same time take traditional culture as an anchor and pay attention to the improvement of our own artistic ethics. I believe that this will certainly play a role in art creation, image shaping, and emotional transmission.
At the same time, literary and artistic creation cannot be separated from the masses. After decades of acting career, I have deeply felt that our audience is becoming more and more professional and the taste is constantly improving. Nowadays, their demand for culture is not just leisure and entertainment, but also attaches more importance to the cultural heritage of the program, looks forward to the sincere feelings of the creators, and longs to achieve a high spiritual resonance with the work itself. For example, after the program was broadcast, I observed that there were many evaluations on the Internet around the plot of the work and the acting skills of the actors, "This is the interpretation of talent and art, so that entertainment can return to art", "This is the best of China's TV programs, spreading positive energy, spreading culture with depth and connotation" and so on.
Looking at such a general environment, it can be said that the spread of our traditional culture has also encountered high-quality soil. A new form of artistic expression, so that the traditional culture "good wind with strength", shining a new luster of life.
In the cross-current of time, the classics are lonely and lonely, and even appear boring. However, under the interpretation of modern technology and modern art, traditional culture can go out of the deep palace hall and move towards a vibrant civil society, close to the audience, and meet their high level of appreciation. As a creator, I am proud, and at the same time, I am also full of expectations for the future of performing arts and traditional culture to continue to collide and blend, and to create a new spark.
Author:Xi Meijuan (famous actor)
Editor: Zhou Minxian
Editor-in-Charge: Xiaofang Xing
*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.