Chinese entertainment, from radio love songs to superstars

In the entertainment industry at the beginning of 2005, the ambiguous silhouettes of the "Da Zai Love", the sweet rumors of the "Zhou Hou Love", or the unexpected episode of "Zhi Ling Being Injured" were like fleeting fireflies in the night sky. Although they could briefly attract the public's attention, they were ultimately just entertainment bubbles that could not create ripples.

This year, the shock faced by the Chinese entertainment industry was like a huge rock thrown into a deep pool. Just as the "96 Golden Generation" of American basketball reshaped the landscape, and the "96 Star Class" of Beijing Film Academy rewrote the entertainment landscape, many events had a profound impact on the direction of the entire entertainment industry with thundering force.

At the beginning of February, eight days before the Spring Festival, the first season of "Home with Kids" premiered like a spring thunder.

This urban family sitcom, which has been praised as the "Chinese version of Growing Pains," quickly swept across major satellite TV screens with its light-hearted and humorous narrative style.

Whenever the melody of "Your childhood and my childhood seem to be the same" sounds on the way home from school, the children trot home to the notes, looking forward to what kind of sparks Liu Xing's mischief, Xia Xue's intelligence, and Xia Yu's innocence will collide in the new episode.

The three young actors, Yang Zi, Zhang Yishan and You Haoran, interpret the complex and delicate emotions vividly with their immature but highly infectious performances.

The play's vivid portrayal of the daily necessities of an ordinary family, as well as the power of family affection highlighted in difficult situations, allows the audience to feel the warmth and healing of home while laughing.

The high ratings of "Home with Kids" upon its first broadcast officially kicked off the fierce competition in the television industry in the new year.

Time passed to New Year's Eve, and the curtain of CCTV's Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Rooster slowly opened.

Liu Yifei and Shu Chang performed "Chinese Language" together, showing the rhythmic beauty of Chinese to the fullest with their smart rhythm and clear harmony; Na Ying expressed the warmth of human love in "Sunshine of Love" with her mellow and gentle voice; the most surprising thing was that Yang Chengang, the singer of the Internet hit song "Mouse Loves Rice", appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, and with his catchy melody and super high national popularity, he became the talk of the town and even overshadowed many veteran artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The crosstalk "Inquiry Hotline" by Li Weijian and Wu Bing was humorous and pointed out current problems; the skit "Decoration" by Huang Hong, Gong Hanlin and Lin Yongjian made the audience laugh with its close-to-life themes and exaggerated performances; the skit "Kung Fu" by Zhao Benshan, Fan Wei and others became a highlight of the night with its unique performance style and profound irony...

The performance of "Thousand-Armed Guanyin" performed by the Disabled People's Art Troupe can be regarded as an immortal chapter in the history of the Spring Festival Gala. 21 deaf-mute actors used silent body language to interpret the solemnity and beauty of Buddhist art in a shocking way. Their uniform movements and smooth dancing looked like golden Buddha's light shining under the stage lights, and won long-lasting applause from audiences across the country.

As the clock struck midnight, the eyes of audiences across the country were focused on the TV screens. Shen Lang was about to appear on stage.

In a star-studded singing program, Shen Lang's performance is always the most anticipated. People don't know what kind of surprises he will bring or what kind of music he will use to ignite the climax of this New Year's Eve.

At this moment, thousands of viewers lost all sleepiness and waited with bated breath.

It is worth mentioning that, driven by the wave of science and technology, this year's Spring Festival Gala's stage design has achieved a major breakthrough compared with previous years - advanced Led screen technology has been strongly introduced, injecting new vitality into the stage performance.

As a singer who was bold and the first to use technology extensively on the Spring Festival Gala stage, Shen Lang became the focus of everyone's attention.

When he was about to go on stage, the first thing that attracted the attention of both the live audience and the TV viewers in front of the screen was not him, but the big screen behind him that lit up after the lights dimmed.

On the big screen, there seemed to be a layer of fine and soft yellow sand. In the haze, a pair of slender and dexterous hands danced quickly on the sand, starting a magical creation.

Sand painting is a unique art form. A pair of skillful hands can instantly create various lifelike patterns.

It is said that this handicraft was created by Mr. Zhang Yuxian, an old folk artist from Yanjing, who drew the essence from an ancient Chinese art called "Cloisonné". After years of research and repeated experiments, he created it. It is a folk handicraft art work that has emerged in recent years.

In the past, the songs that Shen Lang chose for the Spring Festival Gala stage were mostly love songs. It was rare for him to sing songs like "Gong Xi Fa Cai" that required the participation of many people and created a lively atmosphere. Therefore, during the performance, he was basically the only one on the stage singing affectionately.

This year, with the clever combination of sand painting, it is bound to add a different flavor to the performance.

Of course, considering the extremely high performance requirements of the Spring Festival Gala, in order to prevent possible mistakes made by sand painters during live performances, the sand painting works have been carefully recorded in advance and will be played on the big screen on site, perfectly matching Shen Lang's singing.

When seeing this scene, everyone felt it was quite fresh and even forgot Shen Lang’s nickname “The Tear-Jerking King”.

Even though they would cry when they remembered listening to his songs on the Spring Festival Gala, the remote control would always lie quietly beside them.

Firstly, at this point, 90% of TV stations are broadcasting the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

Secondly, the vast majority of the audience were waiting for Shen Lang.

On the stage, Shen Lang completely immersed himself in the melody. His fingertips danced up and down on the piano keys, and the black and white keys vibrated out moving notes.

On the big screen, the sand painting and the piano music echoed each other in perfect harmony, and the invisible hands seemed to be given life by the music.

On the big screen on the stage, the first sand painting was like a slowly unfolding pastoral scroll, with endless rice fields and farmers wearing straw hats bending over and inserting seedlings into the moist soil.

In a flash, with a light touch of the nimble fingertips, the picture changed instantly. Among the towering high-rise buildings, a building under construction rose from the ground, and the workers tied safety ropes and shuttled back and forth on the steel frame.

Then, the third painting came into view. The children were sitting upright in the classroom, and the teacher was standing in front of a three-foot podium, holding a book and talking.

The picture was erased again, and in a flash, raging flames shot up into the sky. The firefighters rushed into the sea of ​​fire without hesitation. Their determined backs formed a sharp contrast with the raging flames.

The four sand paintings are like four silent movies, stirring up waves in the hearts of the audience.

"I am the nameless person on this road

I have no news and no one comments
I have to try my best to get an ordinary script
There are so many twists and turns that I can’t make a living..."

At this moment, Shen Lang's singing voice broke through the air.

His deep and penetrating voice, like thunder in spring, instantly penetrates everyone's defenses and reaches the depths of their souls.

The sand painting changes with the singing, with different identities, the same experiences, leaving their hometowns, and seeking survival and dreams alone in the big city.

"You come from a village in the south, from rough hands

You stood in the gap between the buildings but you didn't back down

I come from the spring in the north, from looking back at every step
Behind us is a farewell intersection that warms every sunset..."

He sang the simple lyrics slowly, without fancy words or grand artistic conception, but every word seemed to be warm and touched the softest corner of the listeners' hearts. On the stage of life, there is always such a group of people, who are like air, often ignored by people, and quietly shuttle through the streets and alleys of the city. They may be sanitation workers who clean the streets in the early morning, takeaway boys who run in the wind and rain, or workers who work day and night in factories...

Although they are in ordinary positions, they are like tough stones. They stick to their duties regardless of wind and rain. Their firm belief in life is like a bright light in the darkness, illuminating the way forward.

"When winter comes to my hometown, the train arrives at the station

The wind from childhood blows again
Reminiscing about pure happiness
on a familiar street
Someone will shout out with all the tenderness
Your name..."

As the song progresses, a train slowly pulling into the station appears in the sand painting. The travelers get off the train dragging their heavy suitcases, their eyes filled with longing for their hometown.

The scenes of childhood gradually emerged, the familiar streets, the gentle call, made every wanderer's eyes red, and evoked the most beautiful memories in their hearts.

At this time, in a bungalow far away in western Shanxi.

"Dad, why are you crying?" Qian Yufei turned her head inadvertently and happened to see her father wiping his tears.

"There's sand in my eyes." Qian Guosheng made up an excuse.

"You are still young and don't understand the meaning of this song." Fang Wanhua explained the reason with red eyes.

"I understand..." Qian Yufei blinked and pursed her lips and said, "Because Brother Lang is the king of tears!"

At this time, in the far west of Shanxi, in a quiet bungalow, warm lights softly sprinkled on the ground.

Qian Yufei turned her head inadvertently and suddenly found that her father Qian Guosheng was quietly raising his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes. She was slightly startled and blurted out: "Dad, why are you crying?"

Qian Guosheng dodged his gaze for a moment, and subconsciously made an excuse to cover it up: "There's sand in my eyes."

Fang Wanhua sighed softly, her eyes slightly reddened, and she spoke out the real reason: "You are still young and don't understand the meaning of this song."

Qian Yufei blinked unconvincedly, pursed her lips, and said seriously: "I understand... because Brother Lang is the king of tears!"

Qian Guosheng and Fang Wanhua looked at each other, a hint of helplessness flashed in their eyes, then they shook their heads and smiled.

Indeed, there is such a relationship.

But more importantly, this song was written and sung into their hearts.

Because they also started from obscurity, and have worked their way up step by step and experienced countless hardships to get to where they are today. They deeply resonate with the emotions expressed in "The Nameless Man", which is about striving for life and persevering in difficult situations.

"I offer you a glass of wine, you who have left home
To your silence and every roar
I wish you to bend your waist and go up the mountain to reach higher places.

Live hard with the sky above your head..."

On the stage, Shen Lang was singing and thinking.

My past self, my past experiences, everything flashed quickly before my eyes.

If he weren't the same person he used to be, he would have burst into tears now.

At the same time, on the big screen, several heart-wrenching scenes conveyed strong emotions through sand paintings.

In a sand painting, a worn work badge and a faded degree certificate are cleverly framed together. The blurred handwriting on the work badge bears witness to countless days and nights of hard work, while the faded degree certificate carries past dreams and glory. The collision of the two seems to be telling the gap between reality and ideals, and the interweaving of effort and frustration.

Another sand painting shows the clothes fluttering in the wind on the clothesline in the narrow urban village, as if they are the trajectory of dreams. They sway in the simple environment, yet are full of the breath of life, engraved with the traces of countless people growing up, struggling, and carrying hopes here.

There is also a sand painting, showing a bicycle struggling forward in a rainstorm, with water splashing everywhere from the wheels. Not far away, the glass curtain wall of the CBD is flashing a cold light in the rain. The two are intertwined, creating a strong sense of oppression.

These are not only stories about unknown people, but also about the helplessness and tenacity of this era.

"Nameless person, the car is coming

Don't look back if you care too much

Unknown person, the car is starting

Go forward with your dream!"

When the song was over, Qian Guosheng reached out his hand, took out a tissue from the tissue box, and gently wiped away the tears that were about to burst out again. He said with emotion: "This Xiao Shen always touches my heart so easily and makes me cry."

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the past. It was Shen Lang's "Prose Poem Written by My Father" that struck the softest corner of his heart like an invisible yet powerful force, making him burst into tears. It was also because he went to Yanjing to buy the song that this special friendship came into being between them.

Fang Wanhua also gently wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes, her eyes full of tenderness and appreciation, and she slowly said with emotion: "In this world, everyone's experience is like a unique pearl, silently emitting light in the long river of time, and Xiao Shen's songs are like a magical key that can accurately open the tightly closed emotional box in people's hearts, allowing those dusty memories and emotions to surge out like a tide."

Although Qian Yufei did not have the profound life experience and feelings of her parents, she was also deeply attracted to this song purely from a musical perspective. Her tone was full of admiration for Shen Lang, and she said: "Yes, that's why so many people like Brother Lang. His songs have a magical power that makes people unforgettable once they hear them."

The song "The Nameless Person" gave different insights and touches to the family of three in this small house in western Shanxi.

Outside the TV, countless viewers sat in front of the screen. As Shen Lang sang, some shed tears silently, some fell into deep thought, and some sighed repeatedly.

It is the ordinary that is most touching. This simple song can stir up thousands of waves in the hearts of thousands of people. Everyone finds his or her own touch and resonance in this melody and lyrics.

Shen Lang, still the same Shen Lang! (End of this chapter)