Exciting 1979!

Chapter 367 I really want to see Mr. Why; Gong Xue is my dream man, whatever.
French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre was born into a musical family. His father, Maurice Jarre, won the Academy Award for Best Original Score twice, for "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago".

And this is not his limit. He also composed the scores for films such as "The Tin Drum," "Ghost," and "Dead Poets Society." He can be said to be the most well-known French film score composer in Hollywood.

With such a father, and being tall and handsome himself, plus strong professional skills, Jean-Michel Jarre's album "Oxygen" five years ago was a huge hit, becoming the most successful album in French music history, selling over ten million copies. He was simply a darling of the heavens.

So, at the age of 33, when many musicians were still struggling to make ends meet, he began this global tour, which even included mainland China, a place that European and American musicians had never been to before. He wanted to bring electronic music to China.

Throughout this process, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated with the Chinese side, and it took a long time to reach an agreement. There will be a total of five performances in China: two in Beijing and three in Shanghai.

He sets up a stage early in front of the Forbidden City. His concerts are mostly large-scale outdoor performances that utilize various light and shadow effects.

Therefore, he holds many Guinness World Records for the number of audience members at concerts.

For this performance, he specially chartered a plane to transport all the equipment needed for the concert to China.

Even many of the staff who set up the stage were French, because many of the electronic music devices were unfamiliar to Chinese people.

Jean-Michel Jarre viewed this trip to China as both a missionary journey and a travel experience, having long heard that China is a great cultural power with a rich history.

Since it was a vacation, he also brought his wife, British actress Charlotte Rampling.

However, the two may have to wait until tomorrow to travel, as Yar has been invited to teach at the Central Conservatory of Music in the morning.

Electronic music is a new phenomenon, and the young Jarre is a master in this field, so his classes are always packed.

Several graduating students from the 77 and 78 composition classes, including Tan Dun, Qu Xiaosong, Chen Qigang, Liu Suola, Guo Wenjing, and Ye Xiaogang, who would later become influential figures in the Chinese music or literature world, all came.

Liu Suola immediately remarked, "Hey, this master is so young and handsome!"

Her boyfriend, Qu Xiaosong, wasn't happy to hear that: "It's just so-so, not as good as me."

Liu Suola rolled her eyes, but still touched her boyfriend's big beard. Despite his thick beard, he was actually not even thirty years old.

She likes hairy men, but she's heard that white men are all hairy too.

Because Yale's courses contained a lot of technical vocabulary, he tried to teach in English as much as possible. He figured that people who study music should have some level of English proficiency, and there was also a translator available.

The curriculum at the music academy was relatively outdated. These first batch of music majors after the initial buzz had almost never heard of electronic music, and even those who had heard of it through overseas channels had never been exposed to it.

So Yar used his British-made EMS Synthi AKS synthesizer to give a lesson on electronic music to the students at the Central Conservatory of Music.

This was also the first electronic music lesson in China.

When the music starts, language is no longer an obstacle.

After the initial lukewarm response, Yar finally received the enthusiastic reaction he wanted, which filled him with confidence for tonight's performance. In high spirits, he even invited his classmates to come up and operate the equipment.

30-year-old Chen Qigang actively raised his hand and was eventually selected to go on stage and operate the machine.

This was incredibly novel for college students who had previously relied on traditional Chinese and Western musical instruments like the clarinet, piano, and erhu to produce sound. Through this machine, music seemed to have many more possibilities.

Watching Chen Qigang fiddling with the machine, Tan Dun and the other students in the audience were filled with regret, thinking they should have been more proactive.

As the class was about to end, Jarre invited all the students present to his concert and issued tickets on the spot. Although it was an outdoor concert, the area was fenced off, and only those with tickets could enter.

Finally, he asked, "What's the most popular music in China right now?"

Tan Dun seized the opportunity and handed Yar a cassette tape of the original soundtrack of "Mom, Love Me Again" that he was carrying with him, and told him in English, "This is what all of China is listening to now!"

The tape was entirely in Chinese, and there was also a Chinese woman on it. Jarre exclaimed, "Beautiful!"

His wife, Charlotte Rampling, craned her neck to take a look; she was indeed a typical Eastern beauty, petite and delicate.

Jean-Michel Jarre asked, "Did this woman sing these songs?"

"No, no, no, she is Gong Xue, China's most famous actress. These songs are from a recent movie she starred in. Both the movie and the songs are very moving," Tan Dun explained.

It's been a month since "Mom" was released, but its influence continues. In addition to the cassette tape of the same name selling more than two million copies and total sales exceeding ten million, even the dangers of gentamicin have been repeatedly reported in major newspapers.

Yar, looking like a know-it-all, exclaimed, "Oh, China's Isabella Adjani!"

By this time, he was already somewhat infatuated with Isabelle Adjani, the French Rose, and his British wife felt a little jealous upon hearing this French compliment.

Liu Suola then added in fairly fluent English, "Most of the works here were created by Wei Ming, but he is actually a writer, a very famous one."

When she spoke of "Wei Ming," she used Wei Ming's well-known English pen name, "Mr. Why."

Charlotte Rampling, who had recently read the Mr. Why article in The Times, immediately took the tape from her husband and looked at it. Unfortunately, she didn't understand Chinese and didn't know the Chinese characters for Mr. Why.

Although she hadn't seen films like "The Lion King" before, she had heard three songs written by Mr. Why. John Lennon and Princess Diana were both British celebrities whom she admired, so she naturally developed a liking for Mr. Why.

Later, through that article, she learned about Mr. Why's thoughts and vision, which made her even more curious about this Eastern writer, and she even admired him a little.

After leaving the music academy, the two listened to the cassette tape in the car. It did have its merits and a strong emotional impact, but the composition and arrangement style was relatively traditional, while electronic music was too avant-garde. They were not on the same page.

During the afternoon rehearsal, when the Chinese staff mentioned that many people from the music industry would be attending the concert, Jarre's wife, Charlotte Rampling, suddenly had a bright idea and asked, "Will Mr. Why be coming? I really want to meet him!"

This is the person in the Chinese music scene she knows best, and probably the person in the Chinese arts and culture circle that foreigners are most familiar with.

Hearing his wife still reminiscing about a Chinese man, Yar deliberately said, "If that's the case, then I'd like to ask if Gong Xue will be coming?"

He then took out the cassette tape, pointed to Gong Xue's face on the cover, and said, "That's her."

The couple exchanged a glance, and an electric current seemed to pass between them.

The staff member smiled awkwardly and said, "We'll contact them right away. Please wait a moment."

Finally, the call reached the Overseas Chinese Apartment, and Lao Wei answered, while Xu Shufen was busy making dumplings.

"Hello, looking for Teacher Wei?... Oh, my son went out... to a concert? A foreign one at that! They invited him as a VIP? But I can't find anyone. So, do you think I can go in his place? If I'm not enough, his mother can come along too..."

~
Wei Ming picked up Zhang Yimou and went to the concert together, while Gong Xue set off from Tuanjiehu with Biaozi and Yanzi. They were also the first to arrive.

Many of today's audience members are military personnel. Since Yale is not a well-known musician in China, and the pieces he played are not famous, the tickets were distributed to the military as a perk to avoid embarrassing the maestro, creating the impression that there were many people in the audience.

Wei Ming and Zhang Yimou crossed the sea of ​​green. When they saw Comrade Gong Xue, Old Zhang knew he was superfluous and quickly gave up his seat next to Wei Ming.

Biaozi chatted with Lao Zhang, who was quite satisfied with their wedding photos and would use them again next time.

Liu Zhenyun and his wife also came from Peking University. They were the first to leave, but the last to arrive.

The two men proudly walked through the crowd outside the venue with their tickets and sat down with Wei Mingbiao and his group.

This wasn't the first time Guo Jianmei had met Gong Xue in person, but the last time she saw her, Gong Xue wasn't as famous as she is now. She's so famous now that she needs to wear a mask to cover it up, but because they were sitting close together, she still recognized her at a glance.

Gong Xue knew she was Wei Ming's friend, someone he met on his first day in Beijing. He even pulled down his mask to greet her before putting it back on and starting to chat.

Guo Jianmei looked at her friends today. Gong Xue and Wei Ming were sitting together, and the phrase "a perfect match" became a reality at that moment.

Biaozi and Yanzi are somewhat like "jackals and tigers," and Huang Qiuyan is the image of the tigress in Guo Jianmei's mind.

As for Zhang Yimou, he is a living terracotta warrior.

However, after chatting for a while, Guo Jianmei discovered that Yanzi was just cheerful and had high fighting skills; she wasn't fierce at all, and she even exuded maternal warmth.

Of the three women, Guo Jianmei was the one Gong Xue and Huang Qiuyan envied the most. She was a top student from the Peking University Law Department, and after graduation, she would become a lawyer or judge. That's what a pillar of the nation should be.

Seeing all six of them in pairs, Zhang Yimou couldn't help but miss his wife in Xi'an.

But compared to these three, I felt that my wife was too ordinary and plain, and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

This feeling of resentment made him somewhat alert, and then he looked up and saw his Uncle Jiefang.

Just as Lao Zhang was about to tell Wei Ming, he saw Lao Wei shake his head at him, and then he and his wife disappeared into another corner of the audience. They were both very sensible parents.

Before the concert officially began, Wei Ming explained the electronic music to Liu Zhenyun and Biaozi in response to their questions.

"In short, it is a form of music that uses plugged-in musical instruments, machines, or even computers to produce sound, and it sounds a bit different from music played with musical instruments."

It was this trip to China by Yale that made mainland musicians realize the charm of electronic music, which led to Xu Jingqing's bold attempt in "Journey to the West".

"So which one do you like?" Zhang Yimou asked.

“I definitely prefer music played on conventional instruments,” Wei Ming said, “but if you ask me what kind of concerts I like to watch, I would probably prefer electronic music concerts.”

Zhang Yimou soon understood why, and also understood why Wei Ming had invited him to come and see, because this thing was not just something you could listen to, but more importantly, you could actually see it!

Similar to other concerts, the CCTV female host took the stage to introduce the achievements of French electronic music master Jean-Michel Jarre.

This time, there was no speech from any leader. Soon, Yar, dressed in a handsome suit, made a dazzling appearance amidst lights and smoke effects, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

This scene deeply impressed Zhang Yimou, who loves to play with light and shadow. It was the first time he had ever seen an outdoor performance done in such a way! This scene also amazed the ordinary audience members present. It was the first time they had ever seen a concert so dazzling and beautiful.

They were now watching a light show, something they'd never seen before.

Because the performance required a large amount of lighting, which was also the most important element of the performance, all residential buildings around the Forbidden City, including Wei Ming's Beichizi Courtyard, were shut down to ensure a stable power supply during the performance.

At this moment, Li Chengru, who lived in Nanchizi, was cursing at home when he found a candle.

At the concert, after making his appearance, Yar said "Hello everyone" in Chinese before heading to his work station, which was as complicated as a missile control panel.

After Yar began his operation, his team started playing accompaniment, and a musical style completely different from traditional instrumental music resounded across China for the first time.

To be honest, the people around Wei Ming just found it novel, but they didn't think it was better than "Erquan Yingyue," "Liang Zhu," or "Swan Lake." What they appreciated more was the dazzling light art and the concert atmosphere, which were things they had never experienced before.

When the laser lights projected the words "1981" and "Yanjing" in a rotating flashing pattern, it once again drew gasps of amazement from the audience members surrounding Wei Ming.

As for the soldiers behind them, they were disciplined and had no expression on their faces.

Jarr first performed his most famous piece, "Oxygen," which Wei Ming found quite enjoyable.

On the other side, sitting next to Lao Wei and Xu Shufen was Gu Jianfen. Because of Wei Ming, they were not unfamiliar with each other, so Lao Wei asked Teacher Gu for the ins and outs of this strange music.

Gu Jianfen's knowledge and understanding of different types of music surpasses that of Wei Ming, and her explanations are also very eloquent.

After performing several of his own pieces, Jarre collaborated with a Chinese music team on "Fisherman's Song at Dusk," a famous traditional Chinese song that, although not yet used in weather forecasts, is quite well-known and received excellent results after the performance.

Later, Yar even performed a Tai Chi routine and interacted with the audience.

It was during the interaction that he noticed Wei Ming. Although he didn't know what Mr. Why looked like, Wei Ming's clothes and temperament perfectly matched his imagination of Mr. Why.

This was a confidence and exuberance that he had rarely seen in other Chinese people before.

"May this gentleman stand up and say a few words?" Yar handed the microphone to Wei Ming.

Gong Xue quickly sat down to separate herself from Wei Ming, where there were camera lenses.

Wei Ming took the microphone and said, "This concert can be described as unique, breaking the stereotype that concerts are just for listening to. It is both pleasant to listen to and visually appealing. I also hope that a group of pioneers in electronic music will emerge in the Chinese music scene."

Wei Ming spoke in Chinese, which the translator immediately translated into English. Yar knew at once that this was no ordinary person.

So he asked directly, "Are you Mr. Why?"

Translation: "Excuse me, are you Wei Ming?"

Actually, the translator could answer that; he had seen quite a few of Wei Ming's interviews and reports.

Wei Ming: "It's me."

Yar happily said to the translator, and Wei Ming understood: Don't let him get away.

Later, after Jarre finished his final preparations and stepped down from the stage, the translator ran to Wei Ming and expressed the Jarre couple's admiration for him, hoping to have a chat with him.

So Wei Ming let Xue Jie, Biao Zi, and Yan Zi go first.

Wei Ming called Zhang Yimou backstage; they needed someone to take photos for them.

Backstage, Wei Ming saw Jarre and his wife Charlotte Rampling, whose names were the same as Melinda's mother's.

This British woman is 35 years old, very elegant, and her elegance remains outstanding even as she gets older.

The rest of the conversation didn't require a translator; Wei Ming spoke directly with them in English.

Yar's translator nudged Zhang Yimou: "Comrade, you're a translator too, right? Which unit are you from?"

"I...I'm not a translator."

Jarre first expressed his confusion and disappointment: "I feel that the audience is indifferent to my performance. It's not like this when I perform in other places."

Wei Mingdao said: "You can propose to the Chinese side that tickets be sold publicly so that audiences who really want to see the concert can come to the venue. The biggest problem today is that there are too few ordinary audience members."

Most of them are soldiers who are just there to fill positions; even if they like his performance, they can't express themselves as freely as ordinary audience members.

Yar agreed, "I think so too. I can see that you and your friends really like it. If no one buys tickets, I'll just go sell them on the street myself!"

Wei Ming then affirmed his collaboration with Chinese musicians on "Fisherman's Song at Dusk," stating that this familiar Chinese music is most likely to evoke the audience's enthusiasm.

Then Wei Ming introduced him to several representative traditional musical pieces, such as "Jasmine Flower" and "Butterfly Lovers".

Three days later, Jarre will also be holding a concert at Tiananmen Square, and he sincerely invites Wei Ming to come and see it again.

Wei Ming agreed.

Finally, Yar and his wife took a group photo with Wei Ming sandwiched between them. The Chinese man was even taller than the two foreigners.

After Lao Zhang finished taking the photos, Wei Ming said to Ya'er, "This is a friend of mine from the film academy, a future director. He really likes the use of lighting at the concert. Can we take a picture together?"

“Of course.” Yar readily agreed, but Old Zhang was confused. What did Teacher Wei say? Why did he ask me to take a photo with him? Is there some kind of explanation behind this?
“Mr. Why,” Charlotte Rampling called out to Wei Ming as they parted, asking somewhat nervously, “would you have time to show us around the sights of Yanjing?”

Yar quickly joined the ranks of those extending invitations.

They felt that the places arranged for them by the authorities were certainly the most beautiful, but not necessarily the most authentic, and that it would be better to have their colleagues from the arts and culture circle accompany them.

Since they had come from so far away, Wei Ming felt embarrassed to refuse. Moreover, the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed inclined to let him agree, considering it an exchange between the arts and culture circles of the three countries.

So Wei Ming nodded in agreement, preparing to spend the next day with them to fulfill his duty as a host. He decided to start the wonderful day by drinking soy milk.

To facilitate Wei Ming's "diplomatic" work, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a car, with the driver also serving as a translator. After picking up Wei Ming, they went to the Yanjing Hotel to pick up the foreign couple.

The douzhi challenge was clearly not going to work. I believe that with Rampling's return to China and the spread of douzhi, it will become a star to look up to for the Chinese people.

However, the two of them could accept fried liver, and they really liked the atmosphere of everyday life in the alley, with Charlotte Rampling taking pictures non-stop.

Wei Ming didn't want to take them to the Forbidden City anymore; that could be done by a professional guide. After they finished breakfast, Wei Ming led them to Peking University and had Ya'er distribute the tickets there.

Yesterday's concert has not yet been officially broadcast on radio and television, but since Liu Zhenyun has already seen it, most Peking University students know that the concert looks very exciting and is well worth seeing.

In addition, the ticket price was not high, so there was a lot of response. Even students from Tsinghua University next door came to ask for tickets. This made Ya'er feel that she had come to the right place and that the next performance would definitely be different.

"Teacher Wei, don't forget to sing our graduation song!" Liang Zuo popped up from the crowd and reminded him.

This group of students from the Class of '77 will officially graduate in early January, with about two months left. However, some students, like Cha Jianying, who went abroad to study, had already left before the start of the semester, and many classes couldn't even gather all the students.

Wei Ming smiled and said, "The song is already written, now who will sing it?"

Cen Xianqing, the female class monitor of the Chinese Department of Class of '77, stepped forward: "I'll do it."

Zhuang girls are known for their singing and dancing skills; Liu Sanjie was a Zhuang girl.

"Okay, I'll teach you when I'm done with this, and then you can teach everyone else."

After leaving Peking University, Yar learned about Wei Ming's promise to his classmates and asked Wei Ming what his musical plans were for the future.

Have you ever thought about incorporating electronic music into song creation?

Wei Ming shrugged: "I don't even have a piano at home, just a guitar. How am I supposed to play electronic music?"

So when Yar's second concert in Yanjing came to a successful close, he gave the two EMS Synthi AKS synthesizers he brought to the Central Conservatory of Music and Wei Ming respectively, and also gave Wei Ming an electric guitar as an extra gift.

Then Jarre's agent quickly made an international call to have some new equipment sent from France to Shanghai, as they would need it for the next concert.

Since Brother Yar was so generous, Wei Ming didn't hesitate to give him a piece of his own calligraphy, which read: "Have a safe journey."

On this day, the recording of Yar's first concert was finally broadcast on CCTV and radio stations.

When Chinese people saw this large-scale light and music show for the first time, tickets in Shanghai sold out completely.

At that moment, Zhu Lin was also in a hotel in Suzhou when she saw the end of the concert, and she also saw Wei Ming and Gong Xue who flashed by next to him.

Queen Lin felt even worse. My man, my woman, is probably in my house, in my bed right now!

She was wrong; Wei Ming was still at Peking University and hadn't gone home yet.

During the day, the students were all busy, but at night, Wei Ming would carry his guitar and start teaching Cen Xianqing to sing in the girls' dormitory.

Most of the female students from the Chinese Literature Department were there, and a few male students also took the opportunity to enter the girls' dormitory; they were so eager to study!
……

(Yesterday's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)