The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 882 Finding a True Friend is Hard to Find, "Appreciated by Both the Refined and the Popular" (Part 1)
"You're not me, how would you know how happy I really am (Zhou Yi laughs.jpg)."

"Damn it! That bastard had his fun outside!"

"People who are unhappy generally can't laugh as heartily as him, so you can imagine that he is really happy."

"Nonsense, didn't you see the Japanese newspapers saying he's been spending the past week with that Masami Nagasawa? He's probably had his fill of that long-legged goddess of the Japanese entertainment industry in a week. I'm so jealous, fucking jealous."

"Do you have the original video? Did Zhou Yi really say that?"

"Go check on Tudou, maybe someone uploaded a video recorded with a DV camera."

"What's the point of looking? The Japanese media have already reported it. Just look at the news reprints on domestic portal websites."

"So this guy actually knows he has to come back to work on a new album, huh? It's already November, is he just going to rush out the new album? Is there really enough time?"

"To be fair, someone like Zhou Yi, who writes his own songs and builds his own brand, shouldn't be so likely to ruin his own reputation. However, considering the time frame, it does seem a bit like pushing the limits."

"No, let's postpone it."

"Postponed my ass! What am I supposed to listen to if it's postponed? Did Zhou Yi take me with him when he was having a good time outside? Now you expect me to understand him?"

"I'm afraid I'll die from overwork when studying the I Ching..."

"You've gone too far! You have absolutely no respect for the legendary Book of Changes!"

"..."

The Zhouyi's theory of happiness not only attracted a large audience in Japan, but also caused quite a stir on the Chinese internet after numerous reports from Japanese media were reprinted back to China.

The reason is simple: the expression on his face when he said that was just too irritating.

The Japanese view the I Ching through a lens of foreign perspective, distance, and legend, a lens that is not present in the eyes of many Chinese netizens who have followed its rise to fame. While they may praise it, they also criticize it just as readily.

Moreover, they would find it difficult to regard Zhou Yi, who habitually jokes and curses in front of the camera and even holds press conferences to scold people, as a legend.

It's too abstract.

It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the legends in the traditional Chinese culture at all.

Although everyone knows that the Book of Changes is now an insurmountable milestone in the history of Chinese pop music.

"If Zhou Yi had been shot and killed on the spot or pronounced dead after failing to be saved when he was shot in the United States, then I might actually have developed the same legendary filter for him as foreigners."

"I also want to regard him as a legend, but this guy just won't give me the chance. Every time I think he's so handsome when he's serious, this guy always does something that will blow my mind. Thanks to Zhou Yi, I can't help but laugh whenever I think about giving a PowerPoint presentation."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Zhou Yi should take a break from the music scene for a while and let me build up his legendary image in my mind first."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I completely agree with Luo Dayou's description of him as a legend, precisely because he lives a secluded life, which embodies the image of a reclusive master in our traditional culture..."

"It's not that Luo Dayou is living in seclusion; it's that he's appeared in our newspapers too infrequently, his exposure is low, and he's past his prime..."

"Just a bunch of people who like to make money by playing the patriotism card..."

"Can you get out of here, you rotten orange?"

"Rotten Orange hates Zhou Yi to the core; he wishes he could stab his lungs out..."

"What the hell..."

The saying "A rotten orange is always a rotten orange" from the Book of Changes directly labeled this fruit as a symbol of anti-China sentiment among public intellectuals and traitors, and it circulated widely on the internet.

Over time, "rotten orange" has become a synonym for all sorts of negative connotations, carrying a strong sense of sarcasm and mockery.

In this era where parental genealogies don't need censorship, Zhou Yi's parents, as the instigators, have long been cursed out—it's just that the old couple don't know how to use the internet, and no journalism scholar dares to lead the online bullying.

This is also a point that many people don't yet understand—

Why does it seem like the more the I Ching is praised in its own country, the more it is criticized?

This may sound strange, but that's how it is: the higher you praise someone, the harsher you criticize them → the harsher you criticize them, the higher you praise them.

The left and right hemispheres of the brain are fighting each other.

"I feel like I'm stuck in a vicious cycle?"

Qian Jiang, who had returned to China ahead of schedule to help Zhou Yi prepare for his new album, felt utterly helpless when talking about the situation with Zhou Yi, who had just returned from Japan.

He had never experienced this situation before.

After the shooting, he thought that the reputation of the I Ching in China would rise to a divine status, but when he came back, he found that it was still in the same sorry state.

Traditional print media is one thing, but netizens are not all in agreement either, and there are even a large number of believers in so-called conspiracy theories.

He's clearly going all out with marketing and promotion.

"Why do you care about these things? Unless I die right now, it's impossible for me to be considered a god in the domestic internet environment." Zhou Yi didn't blame Qian Jiang for his self-reproach at all. After glancing at the data, he threw it into the trash can.

It's perfectly normal that 80% of normal people have less online presence than 20% of the most frequent trolls and online trolls. Moreover, many of these 80% lack the ability to discern and filter information, easily swayed by the rhetoric of trolls and online trolls and losing all sense of direction.

Having come this far in the mobile internet era, the I Ching no longer cares about such things.

The tradition of deifying figures in the Chinese entertainment industry basically boils down to one thing: respect for the dead.

"I just feel it's a real shame, such a great opportunity..."

The Book of Changes is about open-mindedness, but Qian Jiang, who has never had such an experience, still feels it's a pity.

Cheng Hao also felt it was a pity.

When she returned, she planned to immediately have Wang Xiaoyu lead the team to start creating gods, but Zhou Yi stopped her and told her that it was unnecessary.

"Chinese people like to create gods and also love to destroy gods. The internet has amplified the space and voice of such extreme dichotomies."

After getting off the plane and heading straight to the Warner building, Zhou Yi, after receiving Qian Jiang's report, comfortably got up from his chair and stretched: "It's good to maintain the current reputation. When my new album is released, netizens who can understand it will naturally understand."

"As for those who pretend to know what they don't and continue to criticize, or those who pretend to be ignorant and continue to criticize, why should I care about them?"

With a population of 13 billion, do you think there wouldn't be any idiots? Do they really think they're living in paradise?

"Okay, then I'll go prepare."

After Qian Jiang nodded and left, Zhou Yi, who had refilled his water glass, returned to his seat, glanced at the book on his desk that was titled "Appreciated by Both the Refined and the Popular," pursed his lips, blew on the hot water in his thermos, and took a sip.

"Appreciated by Both the Refined and the Popular," his sixth major in Chinese literature.

Over the past five years, some have criticized the songs as vulgar, some as vulgar in style, and others as being too highbrow and inaccessible. This trend has intensified with the rise of ringtone songs in the current market.

Therefore, as the name suggests, this is an album written in response to the controversies he has faced over the past five years.

The first song on side A is "Full Power," one of Wang Lihong's few representative songs with widespread popularity in his later years, which even experienced a resurgence in popularity during the mobile internet era.

Over the past five years, especially after the completion of the "I Ching Trilogy," public intellectuals, along with their followers, have relentlessly criticized him, their lungs already punctured. Therefore, this song, placed first on side A, is a counterattack against those public intellectuals and netizens who criticize him. "Down with imperialism, unwilling to be slaves any longer."

You say the US and Europe are powerful, but I say we don't need to be afraid of them, much less kowtow to them.

Since the original song was written after Lady Gaga became a global sensation, Wang Lihong naturally used her as a point of comparison in the lyrics. Zhou Yi, on the other hand, didn't need to do this and simply changed the names to "American and European."

He publicly mentioned the English part of "Full Power" at a press conference in the United States back then, so for those who can hear this song now, what is sung and written is Zhou Yi's own personal experience.

Starting with this song is precisely to establish the tone of "real experience".

Since the theme is "real-life experience," the following songs naturally draw inspiration from Zhou Yi's own experiences.

The second song on side A is "Emperor," a representative work from Hu Yanbing's most spirited period.

The meaning of this song is self-evident; the title alone makes it clear.

For Zhou Yi, his most well-known nicknames in China are "Emperor of Music" and "King of Dharma"—the former being an affectionate nickname and the latter a derogatory one.

Zhou Yi simply stepped in and claimed the nickname directly, whether it was a term of endearment or a derogatory one.

"I hear the words 'Long live the King! Long ...' How many tears have been shed amidst the laughter of spring and autumn?"

"I heard 'Long live the Dharma King! Long ...

A song in response to fans and haters —

Fans like me to call me the Music Emperor, and I can beat as many people as I want to cry for their parents, no problem;
Haters like to call me the Dharma King, fine, I'll just take it as you shouting "Long live the Dharma King!" and I won't accept any rebuttals—because even if I misheard, I'll pretend I heard it right.

That's how the media reports about me anyway, I don't care.

Here comes the third song on side A: "Chinese Girl," a retro funk track by Tao Zhe.

To the general public, this song is simply Zhou Yi's own personal experience.

"I've traveled all over the world, observing beautiful women everywhere, and I want to share some of my thoughts with you."

"I'm not an expert or a player, but you can listen to what I have to say."

Girls from all over the country, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, are all included under the concept of "Chinese girls," hence the songs are jokingly referred to as patriotic songs or songs for united front work.

Given Zhou Yi's past experiences, singing this song is even more appropriate. Just the opening line, "traveling all over the world to investigate beautiful women," is enough to make anyone who has been following his news laugh out loud.

To outsiders, this is undoubtedly Zhou Yi's autobiographical song.

Therefore, for the first three songs in the A-side series, Zhou Yi chose to directly confront the biggest controversy he has gained in the past five years—at the same time, all three songs are very popular.

Yes, it's very cliché.

The album "Full Power" uses his innovative Auto-Tune technology, which was criticized by the American music scene as vulgar and dared not be used in Chinese albums.
"The Emperor" and "Chinese Girl" are respectively vulgar in their lyrics.

At the same time, these three songs were also the points that media professionals and even netizens used to criticize him for—

Countless people pointed fingers at him, saying he was wrong here and wrong there, that he should listen to so-and-so, that he should change this way and that way.

Therefore, starting from the fourth song, it was Zhou Yi's own response.

The fourth song on side A is "Highway," by Super Band.

"If you have any expectations of me, I'm sorry, I will disappoint you."

If the first three songs were about Zhou Yi's past when he was criticized, then this song "Highway" expresses the confusion about the future that Zhou Yi felt in that environment of constant criticism.

Until Zhou Yi himself figured it out—

Everyone's life is unique, and there's no standard to define good or bad. No one is born with knowledge; we all have to stumble and fall to find the final answer.

Thus, the fifth song on side A was born: Tao Zhe's "Whose Oscar".

"Many kind strangers have walked by, and everyone has ideas about my script."

"Tell me how to make a film that will win an Oscar. I really appreciate your participation in my life story."

The lyrics speak frankly: You're meddling too much.

Those who want to interfere in my life and tell me how I should live act as if my life is an Oscar-winning script they wrote at will.

You say, "It's all for your own good."

You said, "You should give us more pride."

But I said, "I am not the perfect support you envision."

You said again, "You are, you are."

But I'm tired, I don't want to explain anymore, so I said, "I don't want to explain anything anymore, I don't want to change anything."

I live my own life, and even if I take detours or hit a wall, that's my own problem.

Whether it's elegant or vulgar, I decide for myself.

The sixth song on side A: "Handshake," a rare hard rock masterpiece from Luo Dayou's era as a leading figure in the music industry.

If the first five songs can be described as vulgar in terms of lyrics, arrangement, melody, instrumentation, and expression, then this song is elegant in every aspect, from melody and arrangement to its enigmatic lyrics—it's even too elegant, the kind of elegance that's completely out of touch with reality.

Furthermore, because Luo Dayou's lyrics were too suggestive, the song was misinterpreted as a pornographic song in the mobile internet era.

The song conveys the message that in a society where the internet is becoming increasingly developed, people seem to have forgotten what human relationships should really be like.

A handshake was an essential gesture for people to express friendliness in the pre-internet era.
But now, even through the internet, no one can tell if you're a human or a ghost.

The debate between the refined and the popular, which has escalated to the point of exhaustion, is precisely because neither side knows the other through the internet.
If it were offline, the two sides would never argue to the point of getting red in the face; they would probably just shake hands and say they're brothers.

The I Ching also states that it has no solution to the current chaos on the internet.

Therefore, he chooses to only communicate with people who understand him or are reasonable.

Thus, the seventh and final song on side A was born: Wang Lihong's "Bo Ya's Broken String".

The story of Bo Ya and Zi Qi, who were bosom friends, has been passed down for generations, and the tale of "finding a soulmate amidst high mountains and flowing water" is a beautiful one.

Choosing this song to conclude Side A is also Zhou Yi's summary of his entire Side A project and a bridge between the past and the future.

A kindred spirit seeks a kindred spirit amidst towering mountains and flowing waters.

Whether it's the five songs on side A, each with its own cheesy charm, or the elegant sixth song, or even the seven songs on side B, what I hope for is the resonance that kindred spirits will find in them...

(End of this chapter)