1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 450 Crush
At 7 o'clock in the evening, the red Chinese lanterns in the shape of palace lanterns and the traditional white Japanese lanterns of the island country set off the Kita-no-Maru Park like a starry sky;
Following brief speeches by representatives from both China and Japan and a half-hour long super-large fireworks show, this much-anticipated large-scale China-Japan cultural performance finally began amid the anticipation of countless audiences and media.

………………

Seven forty.

As the host, the island country naturally contributed the first opening show.

Perhaps to fit the theme of "Sino-Japanese cultural exchange", the first opening program was "Autumn Wind Song" played by two Japanese koto and shamisen. The performer is said to be a very famous music star in the island country.

This is a traditional island song based on the Chinese poem "Song of Everlasting Sorrow". The humming accompaniment has retained the original style of the 17th century Ikuta school (founded by Kensho Ikuta).

It has to be said that the island nation put a lot of effort into opening the show with this traditional piece of music that has a strong background of "Chinese and Japanese cultural integration".

………………

It's exactly eight o'clock.

After receiving polite and solemn applause from more than 1,900 people on the stage, several island music celebrities dressed in traditional costumes bowed to express their gratitude and then left the stage.

Somewhat surprisingly, the host did not interrupt to announce this segment.

In the suddenly dimmed lights, the Japanese koto on the stage was just carried off the stage by a trotting staff member, and as the second curtain was lifted...

"Woo~"

"Woo~"

A loud and distant sound, as if coming from the ancient times, rang out like a Tongqin (a wind instrument among the Tibetans).

The lights suddenly came on.

When the tongqin is played, a drum breaks the beat; when it is played again, another drum breaks the beat, and then the timbre cylinder drum helps.

In just three rounds, the profoundness of ancient times and the solemnity before the war were vividly brought out.

Just as everyone's hearts unconsciously rose to their throats with the increasingly intense drum beats, the sound of strumming the pipa, full of murderous intent, rang out.

Ok……

That's right, since the purpose of coming here this time is to start the prelude of cultural PUA, Yang Mo will naturally not hesitate to throw out the trump card as soon as he comes on stage;
Therefore, what China is playing is "The March of the Elephant King" which was composed by Mr. Guan Dazhou in later generations and then restored according to someone's memory!
Those who have heard the live version of this song on the National Treasure show should have witnessed the passion and artistic level of this song.

Therefore, as the pipa, flute, erhu and guzheng took turns to appear, like real people, using their unique timbre to express their emotions to the audience like singing;

All those who heard this piece of instrumental music for the first time were completely stunned. They had never thought that a piece of music with such a grand and high-pitched tone could express such rich emotions in such a three-dimensional way, and the transition between them was so seamless.

The climax of the ensemble at the end makes people feel excited and creepy at the same time.

When the last note ended cleanly, the venue was silent. It was not until a full minute later that thunderous applause broke out one after another.

MD, this is called oriental music, this is called oriental concerto!
Those old guys before were half-dead, babbling and feeling sorry for themselves for a long time, what the hell!
The gap in music patterns and cultural heritage between big countries and small countries was vividly displayed at this moment.

Countless audience members, while trying hard to suppress the excitement in their blood, could not help but look at each other in bewilderment.

Damn, I was crushed into the dirt right at the beginning, how can I continue the show?
………………

Eight twenty.

According to the convention of taking turns to perform on stage, the performers were replaced by the island country.

The performances this time were finally not the "traditional elegant music" that most contemporary Japanese people could not understand at all, but were replaced by pop music.

So the person who appeared on the stage was a certain aunt who was later called the "national treasure of the island country" and who supported half of the Hong Kong and Taiwan music scene with her own efforts.

However, although Aunt Nakajima did not have the title of "National Treasure" at this time, her status in the island country's music scene was still extremely significant. Therefore, this usually low-key aunt was invited out and arranged for the second round of performances. This shows the high standards of this Sino-Japanese Cultural Festival.

Perhaps because this Sino-Japanese cultural exchange was somewhat sudden and there was insufficient time for preparation, Aunt Nakajima, who has always been multi-talented, did not compose a song specifically for it. Instead, she went on stage to sing "Hitori Ueter (Japanese version of Strolling on the Road of Life)".

It is obvious that Aunt Nakajima has not yet fully entered her heyday. Many of the hits "borrowed" by Hong Kong and Taiwan have not yet appeared. The styles and lyrics of the songs that sold well in the island country last year and the year before are not very suitable for today's Sino-Japanese Cultural Festival. Therefore, the organizers can only bring out this hit song that was created ten years ago and has a high degree of popularity and singing in China.

Ok……

Although it must be admitted that the Japanese version of Strolling Down the Road of Life always sounds like a classic at any time, Aunt Nakajima's heroic interpretation adds a lot of unique charm to this golden song.

But you have to know that, whether you are willing to admit it or not, music has different patterns.

A song called "The March of the Elephant King" with lofty ideas, magnificent momentum and full of the meaning of war and iron horses is still ringing in my ears, and it suddenly switches to a sad love song about being abandoned by a lover... Even though Aunt Nakajima interprets that kind of carefree and open-minded attitude to the core, it is still too petty after all.

Therefore, when polite applause broke out from the audience, not only the audience, but even Aunt Nakajima herself, who was taking her bow, gave an apologetic smile.

………………

Eight twenty-five.

With the accompaniment of a human voice of "Na ye ye~Ai ye yo",

Lv Yingying, wearing an apricot-white dress, appeared on the stage and began her exclusive performance.

"When the snow is about to come, I heat up a pot of wine and let the loneliness flow into my mouth;"

"On a cold night, over the mountain, red clouds appeared; beside the small stove, the ballad was inadvertently written;"

"Before the White Dew, the wheat is not yet ripe, it is the beginning of autumn; I knock on the wooden door before leaving;"

……

"You were still young, let's pick wild vegetables together;"

"The wind is about to warm up; the buds are just beginning to bloom;"

"Ask the departed, how many years have passed in the mountains through the four seasons?"

"When you first got married, you picked wild vegetables alone;"

"The dew is still thin, but the leaves are already green;"

"Ask the soldiers, where can I look back to my hometown, both withered and lush~"

……

"When I went there, the willow trees were drooping;"

"Today I come, snow is falling"

"Ask the old friend, can you remember singing the song of picking wild vegetables?"

It must be said that the Chinese side got a great advantage by performing at the back;
If this song, which was copied from later generations, "Gathering Wild Wheat", was performed right after "The Elephant King", it would also be shattered in seconds. However, it is completely different if there is a Japanese version of "Wandering on the Road of Life" in front to provide buffer and support.
Moreover, unlike "Hitori Ueter", which is a song about pretending to be strong after being dumped, this song "Cai Wei", with the accompaniment of vocals, not only has a strong pre-Qin simplicity in style, but also gives people a feeling of sadness but not sorrow as a whole. Not only can the level of its style be judged immediately, but it is also more in line with Eastern philosophical values ​​and the aesthetic views of the island people.

Therefore,
Accompanied by waves of "Na Yi Ya ~ Ai Yi Yo" vocals, Lv Yingying raised her hands above her eyebrows, bowed deeply, performed the standard etiquette for women in the Han Dynasty, then retreated neither fast nor slow, and finally disappeared behind the second curtain.

There was warm applause at the scene. If the occasion had not been too serious, the audience, who had only begun to appreciate the charm of the song halfway through and were gradually becoming unable to extricate themselves, would probably have clamored for Tugou to return to the stage.

In the second round, China won!

………………

Eight thirty-five.

The host, who had had little presence in the middle, finally got his precious five minutes. He came on stage and talked a lot of nonsense about the origins of Chinese and Japanese culture and the friendship between China and Japan.

After finally adjusting the atmosphere and letting the audience break away from the previous rhythm, as the host announced, a very famous old artist from an island country appeared on the stage, and then performed a signature song of China-Japan cultural exchange, "Spring in the North" with his powerful voice.

Although the piece itself has nothing new to say, when the performer's interpretation skills reach a certain level, they can make up for the lack of creativity to a large extent through skills.

So as expected, when the old artist took his bow, there was warm applause from the audience.

………………

Eight forty.

As the curtain opened, a series of trumpets sounded, followed by a few heavy pluckings of the guqin, and the equally deep singing voice of a well-known Chinese male artist rang out.

"The Yangtze River flows eastwards~"

"The waves wash away the heroes~"

"Success or failure~ nothingness~"

With the song "The East Flows the Mighty Yangtze River" which appeared four years earlier, all the audiences once again felt the cultural crush from an ancient country.

You have to know that the 94 version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was requested to be rebroadcasted many times by countless Japanese audiences, which shows the Japanese's crazy pursuit of the Three Kingdoms theme; and this song "The East Flows the Rolling Yangtze River" which was re-composed for Linjiangxian caused a huge sensation in the Japanese music industry and among the people as soon as it was broadcast.

In a later interview program of Phoenix TV, a musician who was very famous in the island country at that time admitted that when he first heard this magnificent song, he was completely stunned. Not only him, but also his musician friends were stunned... They had never thought that in addition to pure music, a song with lyrics could be performed so majestically and heavily. They had never thought that the history and cultural pattern of a country could be so clearly condensed in just a dozen or so lines of lyrics, making people feel so intuitively the insignificance of individuals in the long river of history.

Therefore, as expected, when the Chinese artist ended with a powerful and high-pitched transition, the audience burst into applause far more enthusiastic than before, and many people even stood up and applauded spontaneously...

………………

Eight fifty.

After the host briefly talked nonsense, several Japanese female performers with their faces painted like putty walls came on stage and performed "The Old Man Picking Mulberries" with slight swaying body movements to the monotonous and sad music of a variety of instruments.

This is one of the "Gagaku" that has survived to this day in the island country, and it is the "Tang music" that belongs to the left part of Gagaku (the island country's Gagaku is divided into two parts, the left part is the respected one, called Tang music, and the right part is Goryeo music and dance).
Just like the "Autumn Wind Song" performed at the opening ceremony, the original intention was to demonstrate the organizer's friendship towards China. Originally, this arrangement had some "downward compatibility" implications. After all, based on past experience, at this time in China's cultural exchange performances, apart from the three tricks of Jasmine Flower, Liang Zhu, and traditional opera, there was nothing new and refreshing.

But it is obvious that the actual situation today far exceeded the organizers' expectations. Many people even regretted that if they had known that the Chinese cultural exchange group would be so vigorous this time, they should have replaced the Gagaku performance with a "Kagura" performance... Although Kagura, which is more about worshipping gods, looks a bit like a shaman dance, at least from a cultural point of view, it would not be so badly suppressed. ………………

Ten past nine.

As if to correspond to the previous Tang music, the performances by the Chinese side were also in the style of the Tang Dynasty.

The only difference from the island country is that the performances by the Chinese side are not the "island-style court dance" that has been modified to be restrictive in the name of "etiquette", but the passionate and bold flying dance.

Orchid finger,

Little three fingers,
Musicians,
Double Buddha's hands,
Put your hands together,
flute player;

Leg lift

Auspicious cloud floating style

Kneeling and sitting with bow and bounce;
Moon-gazing prayer dance;
Five-turn flute style;
Naxiao sitting posture,
Rebound Pipa Pose;
Reflexive drumming;
The celestial being scatters flowers...

In short, when the 36 postures of the Jiyuetian dance were performed, the flying dance that was full of exotic charm, powerful in its tenderness, bewitching yet solemn, made everyone intoxicated. Even those who had no artistic talent had to admit that this was probably the most gorgeous and solemn dance in the world.

If it was just about the graceful dancing moves, the islanders could still accept the gap. After all, the islanders have always respected the Tang Dynasty, and it is only natural that they are overshadowed by the Feitian Dance, which was also inherited from the Tang Empire.

But if this flying dance, which can definitely be called a visual feast, is accompanied by "A Thousand Years of Prayer", an incomparable piece of pure music with a strong sacrificial style and yet graceful and solemn, the actual effect of 1+1 is far greater than two, and the island audience on the scene not only feels the shudder from the soul, but also really begins to develop a strong sense of inferiority.

There is no other way. Even in later generations, there will never be any music and dance that are more compatible and more shocking than these two things. Under someone's cheating method, this kind of crushing victory by dimensionality reduction is unsolvable.

………………

Nine thirty.

After the host deliberately delayed on stage for three more minutes, another popular singer from the island country came on stage and performed a pop song that was very popular in the island country this year.

However, the consequences of the three consecutive performances of Chinese culture have already appeared. The audience, who have already tasted several delicious feasts, find it boring to listen to these pop songs that only understand love. Even when this popular singer took his bow, the perfunctory applause was sparse.

………………

Nine thirty-five.

Student Tugou, wearing a new outfit, came on stage again.

"After getting drunk on the wind and drinking tea, I look for a tavern at the corner of an ordinary alley;"

"Everyone here is an old friend, the bottom of the bowl is the end of the world~"

"Home is everywhere in the world, and my humble home is like a mansion;"

"It doesn't matter how many or how few you have, as long as you have three points, you can call yourself a hero~"

……

"I have been drinking water in the north of the Yangtze River. I am as ruthless as the west wind and the yellow sand as I am facing the sword and cutting the peach blossoms;"

"I am grateful to the green mountains for turning my hair white, and the generous frost and snow for giving me a scar on the tip of my eyebrow~"

"When life and death in this world are nothing more than idle talk, let's exchange it for a drunken night to live up to our natural talent;"

"The romantic life never gets old~ I am in my prime of playing the sword and singing. I am free to be a madman, not a hero!"

I have to say that this song "Buwei Xia" is very much in line with Tugou's personality, so her interpretation of it is also very heroic and lively. Coupled with her carefree and arrogant expression after she was immersed in the lyrics, she really interprets the unique Chinese martial arts spirit to the fullest.

Compared to the sheer crushing of the previous few instrumental songs, the audience present could actually appreciate the beauty and fun of this song better.

You have to know that the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s were the era when Hong Kong films and TV series swept across Asia, and the island country was naturally among them. Even at that time, many celebrities from the island country were directly fanatical fans of the Hong Kong superstars.

As one of the main themes of Hong Kong movies, the Japanese who have watched many costume and martial arts movies are naturally more familiar with this type of songs and have a higher acceptance rate.

Originally, in their opinion, thanks to the efforts of countless talented songwriters, songs of this type in Hong Kong had already reached an insurmountable peak, but they never expected that mainland China was not inferior in this regard.

No, not only is it not inferior, judging from the lyrics, the open-minded and free-spirited feeling in "Bu Wei Xia" after being freed from worldly desires is more desirable than the traditional sense of revenge and helplessness, and the intention is also half a step higher.

Of course, that vague feeling of loss also touched the hearts of the islanders at this time.

If things go as expected, after the cultural festival is over, the popularity and exposure of this song in the island country may be higher than those instrumental songs.

………………

Ten twenty.

After several rounds of cross-performances, Tugou, who changed back to Qu Ju, stood on the stage again with a group of Chinese artists.

Look at the time, it should be time for the finale performance.

Just as everyone was looking at the stage full of Chinese musical instruments, thinking that the Chinese side was finally going to perform the "Forbidden Garden" that countless people had been looking forward to...

As the lights dimmed, a musical instrument like chimes sounded,

Different from the previous Chinese pure music, this song is a king bomb right from the start.

The piano, guqin (not in the original version, but the effect is better when added), electronic keyboard, ancient drum and other instruments mixed in the sound of "chimes" instantly created a vast and tragic palace feeling.

All the audience present were captivated and once again fell into a deep tremor from the soul.

Ok……

That’s right, the last song performed by the Chinese side was actually “Memories of the Forbidden City” which appeared six years earlier. This song has been repeated countless times in various occasions in later generations. No matter how many times you listen to it, you will be instantly captivated by it.

This is true even for those in later generations who have become more or less immune to it, let alone the audience who hear this song for the first time?

So it was no surprise that as the NHK TV camera swept across the audience, all the Japanese audience members were stunned, their mouths wide open, looking absent-minded.

In fact, if it weren’t for the reminders from their colleagues nearby, even the NHK camera crew would have almost forgotten that they still had important work to do.

Looking at the people around him who were struggling to breathe like live fish thrown ashore, a deputy leader of the Chinese delegation couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Glancing at the audience's expressions that gradually became lost and sad as the music played, the deputy leader in his forties hesitated for a moment, and finally leaned closer to Yang Mo and whispered, "Boss Yang, you insisted on putting this song in the finale of today's performance... Aren't you worried about people gossiping about you when you go back?"

As he spoke, the deputy leader, whose actual rank was actually two levels higher than Yang Mo, gritted his teeth and said, "How about this, Mr. Yang, while the Japanese side has a performance later, I will go and coordinate with the organizers and we can add a temporary program. They shouldn't object... In this way, as long as this song "Memories of the Forbidden City" is not the last one performed, even if someone wants to make a fuss after returning home, it won't be too big."

Yang Mo, who was concentrating on watching the performance of Tugou on the stage, turned around with some surprise when he heard the words and looked at the deputy leader who was assigned by the officials to accompany him and had always been friendly but not close to him.

He naturally knew what the other party was reminding him of.

The song "Memories of the Forbidden City" is definitely among the top three Chinese music songs in terms of its stunningness, even in later generations.

But there is one thing wrong with this song... It has a standard melody structure that starts high, ends low, and then rises to a higher level in the end.

In the middle part of the song, there is a rather long, low and depressing interlude. Therefore, when you listen to the whole song, the regret and tragedy of “all that is past” are so strong.

If this piece of music was created/referenced and performed by the island country's music group Shensizer as it originally happened in history, then there would naturally be no problem; but today is the China-Japan Cultural Festival, and the leader is Yang Mo, a cadre from a central enterprise, so putting this piece of music at the end could easily be used to make a fuss.

Just like what the deputy leader said, once they return home, someone might slam their head on the table and ask, "What do you want to imply by playing such a fading piece at the end?!"

You know, for this Sino-Japanese cultural exchange, the programs prepared by the Chinese delegation are definitely not limited to the few programs for tonight, not to mention the traditional operas, songs and other alternatives. Even the "original" pure music from Dahua Company is not limited to "The Elephant King", "A Thousand Years of Prayer" and "Memories of the Forbidden City"... A shameless plagiarist already moved all the classic works of Mr. Jannik Guan Dazhou here early on.

Therefore, it was really difficult for the deputy team leader to understand why Yang Mo made such arrangements. Although he had not listened to the other few instrumental music that were temporarily crossed out from the program list, from today's on-site experience, he would never believe that the instrumental music that Dahua Company did not finally make the list was much worse than "Memories of the Forbidden City".

To be honest, he was shocked today by the music that was so stunning that it could be passed down through the ages. Otherwise, he would never have been so kind as to remind the guy next to him who had robbed him of his job and honor as a state-owned enterprise cadre, and he would not have taken the initiative to step forward and coordinate with the organizer to add additional programs.

Unexpectedly, Yang Mo just smiled and said, "No need."

The deputy team leader suddenly became anxious: "Chief Yang... do you want to think about it seriously again?"

In a hurry, he even changed his address from Mr. Yang to Section Chief Yang.

Yang Mo shook his head slowly: "My work in the island country this time is not just about the cultural exchange between China and Japan today. Therefore, the reason why I deliberately arranged "Memories of the Forbidden City" as the finale is to give the island people a strong psychological hint and reduce their resistance... The logic here is a bit mysterious and it will take a while to explain... Anyway, you don't have to worry about it."

The island nations have always had complicated feelings towards China: admiration mixed with hostility; awe mixed with contempt; closeness mixed with vigilance... and so on.

The current China is not the country of later times that was so powerful that it could say "There are only two countries in the world... one is called China, and the other is called foreign countries";

It is still struggling and needs to borrow nutrients from the market and economy of the island countries to quickly recover.
Therefore, it becomes very important for the PUA island nation to achieve its own goals while preventing these little monkeys with contradictory personalities from having stress reactions due to their fantasies at the level of group consciousness.

So, what could make them feel more at ease and completely let down their guard, acknowledging their past greatness with a yearning and sighing, than having a neighbor who seems to have been once glorious but no longer poses any threat?

………………

As expected, the art performance on the first night of the China-Japan Cultural Festival caused a sensation like a hurricane as soon as it was broadcast.

Even those who had no musical talent were fascinated by the Chinese music broadcast by NHK TV station. They called NHK and asked when they could buy albums of these music on the market (NHK has obtained the commercial authorization for these songs, and they also have their own record distribution department).

The merchants on the island were not stupid either. After being greatly shocked, they paid copyright fees to NHK, set up video recorders in front of their own stores, and then used the recorded live broadcast images and music to attract customers.

In just two days, the China-Japan Cultural Festival has not officially ended yet (it was planned to be held for three days), but the streets and alleys of island cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto are all filled with the sound of Chinese music. The effect of bombing the streets is even more exaggerated than that of China when it was first exposed to the Korean wave at the beginning of the millennium.

However, the media of the island nation did not criticize this phenomenon. Instead, it was full of praise for Chinese culture. Many media even exclaimed in the newspapers: "The huge gap in historical heritage cannot be made up by acquired efforts... After a thousand years, the island nation is once again bathed in the divine light of Chinese culture!"

Seeing this eye-catching headline that attracted half a million eyeballs, Yang Mo, who was resting in the hot spring hotel, could not bear to look directly at the "reflection" content that could almost be described as licking his boots. He gently put down the newspaper, and then smiled at Miss Mu beside him: "Comrade Yaer, it's almost time, you can start your plan."

Mu Liya raised her head from the thick pile of documents on the low table and responded with a smile: "Hmm..."

(End of this chapter)