◎Li Yu
After the period drama “The Sea in the Dream” starring Xiao Zhan was broadcast, the audience fully experienced the power of top-notch, and the series sparked extensive discussions on the Internet.
In fact, “The Sea in the Dream” represents the creative tendency of “idolization” of period dramas. Value concepts such as “family and country are the same structure” reach more young audiences. However, “idolization” may also make period dramas become “fan dramas”, and it is difficult to radiate to a wider audience like “The World“.
Can the “idolization” path of period dramas bring new changes to period dramas? “The Sea in the Dream” became a good opportunity for observation.
“Family and country isomorphic”: the value concept of period dramas
Generally speaking, period dramas refer to dramas that present the fate of individuals and families within a certain historical period. This contains two key pieces of information: the first one is “within a certain historical time period”, that is, the story takes place not only in one year or a few years, but at least ten years, often decades ; The second key message is that “family and country are of the same structure”.
In the specific creation practice, there are mainly two situations in the “certain historical time period” of period dramas. The first type focuses on the story from the Opium War in 1840 to the founding of New China in 1949. For example, the well-known “Great Mansion Gate” describes the ups and downs of the hundred-year-old drug store “Baicao Hall”, and the audience can clearly see the evolution of history: the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces, the demise of the feudal dynasty, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the breakdown of the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and the founding of New China; another example “The Right Way in the World is the Vicissitudes of Life”, through the different life contexts of the Yang brothers and sisters from 1925 to 1949, concentratedly shows the political and historical picture scroll of the historical period from the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the Huangpu period to the Communist Party’s victory over the Kuomintang and the Kuomintang’s retreat to Taiwan.
Another situation in “a certain historical period” focuses on the changes in contemporary Chinese society in the past few decades since the founding of New China and the reform and opening up. For example, last year’s hit drama “Human World“, based on the stories of the three brothers and sisters of the Zhou family, Zhou Bingyi, Zhou Rong, and Zhou Bingkun, in the “photographic film” of the common people’s community in Jichun, Northeast China, covered major historical events in the past half a century, such as going to the mountains and going to the countryside, Reform and opening up, the resumption of the college entrance examination, the reform of state-owned enterprises, the tide, the renovation of shantytowns, and so on. This time, “The Sea in Dreams” started in 1975, starting with the growth of youths in Beijing in the 1970s. The protagonist and his good brothers went through the stages of development, such as college entrance examination, entering the sea, starting a business, going abroad, and entering politics. The most representative thirty years of vicissitudes in the development of Chinese society.
As for “family and country isomorphism”, it means that period dramas generally use the family as the main carrier of the narrative, take the rise and fall of the family and the emotional entanglement between characters as the main narrative line, and combine the fate of the individual and the family with the fate of the entire nation. Intertwined together, from the sublimation of the individual “small self” to the “big self” of the times, reflecting the situation of the times with the fate of the family, conveying that “the family is the smallest country, and the country is tens of thousands of families”, “there is a country to have a family”, “Cathay Pacific The concept of collectivism and patriotism, such as “Only the people can be safe and secure”, eulogizes the spiritual character of being brave to undertake, daring to sacrifice, persevering, and advancing and retreating with the country.
Therefore, in period dramas involving the anti-Japanese background, such as “The Mansion Gate”, “Crossing the Guandong” and “Old Tavern”, the protagonist “would rather be broken than broken”, and fought desperately with the invaders, even in the end. ended in its destruction. In those period dramas involving the turmoil of the times, from “Parents’ Love” to “The World“, we see the protagonist’s self-reliance, kindness, integrity, optimism and magnanimity in the torrent of the times. Fallen hope.
More often, the “family and country isomorphism” of period dramas directly assumes the role of “education” of the main theme. In a broad sense, all works about truth, goodness and beauty, and promoting the mainstream values of the country and society are the main theme; in a narrow sense, the main theme refers more specifically to those works that promote values such as patriotism, collectivism, and socialism. For example, in the period drama “Hutong” – the director is Fu Ning of “The Sea in the Dream”. For more than 70 years, it has passed on the torch of three generations of female neighborhood committee directors and has been passed down endlessly, demonstrating the unchanging loyalty of grassroots party members to the party and highlighting the concept of putting the people at the center and serving the people.
Because of its influence, cohesion, and appeal, the main theme works have become an integral part of the national governance system, and have always been valued by cultural authorities. Many period dramas on the market are essentially the main theme, and behind the “family and country isomorphism” is to “make virtue and make contributions” for the times. These works eulogize the noble character and sentiment, which is called “making morality”; reflecting the great historical changes of the times and refining the spirit of the times, this is called “making meritorious service”; “.
There is more than enough legends: the shortage of period dramas in the Republic of China
For the audience, they don’t like a period drama because it is the main theme, so the audience is in awe and has the consciousness of “being educated”. On the contrary, many works with the main theme have fallen into the misunderstanding of creation before: the works often express the truth, goodness and beauty, and the mainstream values of the country through preaching. “It’s not good-looking”, and the audience doesn’t like to watch it either. The audience is gone, so how can we talk about education? Therefore, if the main theme wants to give full play to the role of cohesion, it must enter the market, influence the audience, and become a real “mainstream drama”. In layman’s terms, it has to become a hit drama, a blockbuster drama.
There are not a few period dramas that have become “mainstream dramas”. They mainly fall into two categories: the first one is represented by works such as “The Mansion Gate”, “Crossing the Guandong” and “Qiao Family Courtyard”. The turbulence and ups and downs in the waves have a strong “legendary” flavor. One of the core features of ancient Chinese popular literature is legendary. Li Yu, a dramatist in the Qing Dynasty, advocated that “if it is strange, it should not be passed on”, emphasizing that “if it is not strange, it will not be passed on, and if the words are not policed, it will not be passed on.” The common people also love those strange people, strange things, adventures, and strange feelings. Vivid twists and turns, exciting story.
From the perspective of theatrical characteristics, these “legendary” period dramas of the Republic of China have some things in common. For example, the plot is turbulent, ups and downs, and unexpected; another example is that “Legend” takes the responsibility of arousing the audience’s emotions. Only then did the real comeback come. Therefore, “a good man suffers” and “a lover is hard to marry” are the core plots of many period dramas of the Republic of China. Just like chasing “The Mansion Gate” in the past, many viewers were attracted by Bai Jingqi’s ups and downs in four relationships. Who does Bai Jingqi love the most? Different audiences have different answers.
These period dramas of the Republic of China with “legendary” genes are “not only out of the ordinary audio-visual, but also in the physics of human emotions, which is unique to this”-not only has a variety of high-energy plots, but also has a certain logic foreshadowing, and In the end, there is an elevation in values. For example, in “The Mansion Gate”, the century-old brand “Baicao Hall” was also involved in the vigorous anti-Japanese wave, straightening the backbone of the nation.
The “legendary” period drama has now entered a trough of creation. On the one hand, the strong sense of fantasy often makes the period dramas of the Republic of China appear more than popular and not serious enough to bear the heavy responsibility of the main theme. After all, the exaggeration of “house fighting” is now a taboo in creation. On the other hand, under the impact of various types of works, this kind of period dramas of the Republic of China seem far away from young audiences. Instead, floating romance dramas with the background of the Republic of China have become the new favorites of young people.
Cracks in the Times: The Scale of New Age Dramas
In this context, another type of period drama has been heavily relied on, and its creative mode was opened by “Parents’ Love” and further consolidated in “The World“. This kind of “mainstream drama” focuses on the social changes since the founding of New China, writing the epic of civilian life.
“Parents Love” reproduces a love story spanning more than half a century. An Jie, a capitalist lady, and Jiang Defu, a naval officer, met and knew each other in the 1950s, fell in love with each other and had children in the 1960s, stayed on the island in the 1970s and shared weal and woe, retired and returned to the city in the 1980s, and became gray on the sideburns in the 90s. life companion. “Human World” focuses on the stories of the three brothers of the Zhou family, covering major historical events in the past half a century since the 1970s, showing the great changes in Chinese society and the fate of many common people’s children. It can be called “a contemporary epic of the Chinese people”. “.
Period dramas in the style of “civilian epic” show more of the brilliance of human nature that has not faded through the years. For example, “The World” highlights a kind of “good man culture”. “Good people culture” is the self-esteem, self-love, self-reliance and self-improvement under the pressure of life, the tenacity and tenacity against fate, the mutual help and mutual assistance among small people, and the empathy and righteousness. magnanimous……
However, “civilian epic” period dramas often do not shy away from revealing “age cracks”, and it inevitably presents the encounters of “good guys” in the great era. The pains brought about by the turning point of history may easily change the fate of little people. A grain of sand in the era may be like a mountain to an individual, and “good people” will inevitably suffer hardships. few.
“The World” can be called Zhou Bingkun’s “History of Good People’s Suffering”: his brother and sister were admitted to college to change their lives, but Zhou Bingkun has been struggling at the bottom of society; Go to the two dilapidated houses in the shanty town; Zhou Bingkun worked hard to raise Zheng Juan’s child Zhou Nan who was raped by Luo Shibin. Zhou Nan was admitted to Tsinghua University, went to study in the United States, and was shot dead in the United States; He has been imprisoned for many years for crimes… In addition, there are also some ordinary people who have suffered in the great era: some people were wronged and criticized during the turbulent years, and their fate was completely rewritten; A laid-off worker with uremia commits suicide by lying on the track…
The “age rift” also exists in “Parents Love”. Although An Jie followed Jiang Defu to Songshan Island, which was separated from the mainland, which allowed them to largely avoid the political impact at that time, but this small island was not a “Xanadu”, and the shadow of factional struggle still shrouded the small island. The ups and downs of intellectuals represented by An Jie’s brother-in-law Ouyang Yi also let everything go unspoken.
Of course, the “civilian epic” period drama is very cautious in grasping the scale. “Parents’ Love” dilutes the “cracks of the times” with the love of parents. The smooth broadcast of “The World” has also made many observers in the industry feel that it is not easy. Therefore, there are so many period dramas, “Parents’ Love” and “The World” are still exceptions. This also reveals a major dilemma that period dramas face: if they are purely to become the main theme, it is difficult for period dramas to truly become popular among the people, and it is difficult to become a “mainstream drama”; The encounters in the film, while praising the tenacity and kindness of the Chinese people, and the ups and downs of the times, it is inevitable that they will touch the “crack of the times” or have an impact on the expression of the main theme.
This makes the creation of period dramas overwhelmed. “The World” became popular, but not every similar creation can be so smooth. Creators turned to a safer path—to avoid the “age crack” as much as possible. However, can such period dramas still become “mainstream dramas”?
Idolization of period dramas: it can become a fan drama, but not necessarily a national drama
Some period dramas have instead adopted the strategy of “idolizing” the main theme of film and television dramas. Period dramas boldly use young actors with traffic effects in the market, which can achieve twice the result with half the effort in publicity; through the huge influence of young idols, it can also drive a group of young people to follow the drama and expand the dissemination circle of mainstream values .
For example, “Hutong” tells the story of three generations of women taking over the baton of neighborhood committee directors and taking root in the grassroots. The three generations of female neighborhood committee directors are starring Zhao Lusi, Cai Wenjing and Guan Xiaotong. They are all young actors with certain appeal in the market. “The Sea of Dreams” is played by Xiao Zhan. Whether you like Xiao Zhan or not, you may not be able to deny that Xiao Zhan is indeed the top of the top stream, and he has a large number of young fans. The data also speaks for itself: on the night of the broadcast of “The Sea in Dreams”, Kuyun malfunctioned due to a surge in visits;
The participation of young idols has indeed allowed period dramas to gain more young audiences. However, whether it can be promoted to a “mainstream drama” ultimately depends on whether the period drama has real “new changes”. How is the performance of “The Sea in the Dream”?
“The Sea in the Dream” was told in 1975. The protagonists of the story are a group of children from the big courtyard. Although Xiao Chunsheng was a child of the courtyard, but because his father’s identity had not been rehabilitated at that time, his family’s status in the courtyard was already lonely. Xiao Chunsheng wanted to be a soldier, but he couldn’t pass the political trial because of his father.
But if compared with other young people of the same age, it is hard to say that Xiao Chunsheng has suffered a lot. As a child of the big courtyard, Xiao Chunsheng himself has enjoyed the rights and benefits that many ordinary people outside cannot enjoy. He is called brothers and brothers with a group of children from the big courtyard with good backgrounds. Everyone helps each other. He can find a job even if he wants to. Entering the supply and marketing cooperatives that were in short supply at that time…
It can be said that from the choice of the protagonist of the story, “The Sea in the Dream” tells more than just “civilian” stories. In the turbulent years, the children of the big courtyard were much less impacted by the times, and they were luckier than most of their peers. The “age crack” has been seriously weakened.
The series also portrays the lives of some young people in Hutongs, and the times have left obvious scars on them. Just like Hutong gangster Qi Tian, he had a tragic life experience: his father committed suicide when he was eight months old, and his mother also passed away. He was brought up by his grandmother. Qi Tian also mentioned that there are many relatives on his father’s side, but they are all in the United States and Taiwan, and his father stayed here alone. Qi Tian didn’t understand why his father didn’t leave back then.
From Qitian’s life experience, some experienced audiences can feel that “the times make people”. However, it may be difficult for younger viewers to pick up these implicit messages. Judging from Qi Tian’s situation in the play, he doesn’t live in a bad way, nor does he live in a bad way. Although he was once imprisoned for speculation, under the wave of reform and opening up, he quickly seized the opportunity of the times and realized “changing fate against the sky”. In other words, although “the rift of the times” is involved, “The Sea in the Dream” has been swept gently, and it is better than nothing.
“The Sea in the Dream” is essentially a work with the main theme in the cloak of a period drama, “telling the story of young people’s selfless dedication to the people and the country in the process of self-fulfillment”. There is no problem with such a creative starting point, and the path and method of creation is also a free choice. However, the main creator also has to bear the consequences of the choice-when “The Sea in the Dream” broke away from the experience of civilians and tried to cover up the “age cracks” as much as possible, it also made it difficult for it to cause an explosion similar to “The World“. It resonates with the whole people; having a top-notch seat can allow more young audiences to understand that era and accept the values that the drama wants to convey, but the communication effect of the drama does not go beyond the category of “fan drama”.
From this point of view, only relying on the path of idolization, youthfulness, and traffic is not a “new change” in period dramas. Idolization or just making period dramas become “fan dramas” that attract young people, it is impossible to realize the transformation from period dramas to “mainstream dramas”. The creation of period dramas should allow the existence of “time cracks”. This is not only a respect for history, but also a manifestation of following the creation rules-after all, the sun is extraordinarily warm and the story is extraordinarily moving when the “rift” is penetrated.