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The traces of youth on the vast earth
■Liu Yucen
Stills from the TV series “Ask the Cangmang”. Provided by the crew
Recently, the television series “Ask the Cangmang” with major revolutionary historical themes was broadcast on the CCTV Comprehensive Channel. The play tells the story of the difficult journey of the early Chinese communists, represented by the young Mao Zedong, as they explored the development path of the Chinese revolution from 1921 to 1927, when the Communist Party of China was founded.
The play connects a number of important historical events such as the Beijing-Hankou Railway workers’ strike, the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army, the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup, and the August 7 Conference. The focus is on the complex and diverse conspiracies of the young Mao Zedong, who founded a self-study university, organized the labor movement, and conducted research on the peasant movement. The play is full of details of the workers’ and peasants’ revolution led by the young Mao Zedong, allowing the audience to follow the plot and understand the hardships of the revolutionary path.
There are many historical figures in the piece and the creators used detailed descriptions to construct a rich and three-dimensional character of their different personalities. For example, Mao Zedong wrote “Congratulations on the Groom’s Farewell to Friends” for Yang Kaihui to express his feelings, gave many spontaneous speeches at meetings that shocked everyone, ate and lived with workers to fight for their rights, and chatted with his brothers and sisters about daily life and ideals, etc. Let the image of a great man full of warmth and emotion shine on the screen and touch deeply. Another example: In the play, Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen and Xiang Jingyu drink morning tea in a tea house in Guangzhou, and Li Dazhao and Mao Zedong drink hot pot and reminisce about their years in Beijing, etc., which adds emotional warmth and taste of life to the Play.
At the same time, since it deals with many important historical events and historical figures, the play uses rich visual devices such as animation, narration and text introduction to connect the plot, form the characters and sublimate the theme. For example, in Episode 6, the miner “Geng Wazi” from Mount Shuikou appears. Be it the first character introduction or the title during the conversation, he is always called “Geng Wazi”. But in the scene where “Geng Wazi” returns home with Mao Zedong, Jiang Xianyun and others, the character introduction of “Geng Wazi” appears again, that is: “Geng Wazi, whose original name was Geng Zaizhong, was later introduced in Geng Biao renamed.”…” This setting is consistent with the characters at that time. The situation adds warm and vivid emotions to the plot and also briefly and clearly introduces the character’s life to the audience. Another example is Episode 7, which uses animation and narration to introduce the situation of the Beijing-Hankow Railway workers’ strike.
The play uses metaphors many times to express profound meanings, and every sentence and scene is thought-provoking. For example, when Mao Zedong and He Minfan were climbing a mountain, He Minfan stopped halfway up the mountain and said, “The mountain is high and the road is steep. I can not go. You can go up alone.” It seems that he is talking about the mountain road, but in reality it implies that the road to revolution is like climbing an untraveled road. Steep mountains. Li Dazhao was about to be taken to the execution site. When he learned the date, he looked at the bars and said, “It is the second day of our Party’s Fifth National Congress.” Through simple and powerful language, Li Dazhao’s spirit and faith reached the hearts of the people.
Another example: In the play, dark clouds appear when the revolutionary cause suffers setbacks. At the end of the play, as Mao Zedong sets out to lead the Autumn Harvest Uprising on the Hunan-Jiangxi border, the clouds clear and the sun finally appears, signifying that insistence on revolutionary beliefs heralded the beginning of victory. In the same scene, in addition to his luggage, Mao Zedong also carried the maroon oiled paper umbrella that the workers gave him when he left Anyuan. This “umbrella” is a metaphor for the fact that Mao Zedong never forgot the great hopes that the workers had in the Communist Party and the workers’ movement under the leadership of the Communist Party. The resistance is long, but progress is coming.
The piece looks back on the turbulent years with images and builds a bridge of dialogue between youth and young people across a century. Mao Zedong traveled to Shanghai, Changsha, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other places. Along the way he seemed ambitious and passionate, but in reality it was very bumpy. However, Mao Zedong was always able to find solutions to problems in difficult situations. Without financial resources and insufficient manpower, he transformed Hunan Self-Study University from a blueprint to reality. After being accused of not understanding the current situation of workers, he conducted on-site inspections and united and led the Anyuan Road miners to free themselves from oppression; In response to the problems existing within and outside the party at that time, he wrote the “Inspection Report on the Peasant Movement in Hunan”, which was based on in-depth investigation and research that deepened his understanding of the peasant movement and responded to the doubts about the peasant movement both within as well as outside the party. The play allows the audience to see the personal charm of the young Mao Zedong, and also encourages contemporary young people to follow Mao Zedong as an example, utilize the youth, work hard, and live up to this great era.
“Move forward without looking back, turn your back on the darkness and face the light.” Youthful vitality holds the power to transform China. In the play, Li Dazhao died heroically, Zhou Enlai was both civil and military, Qu Qiubai was gentle and modest, Li Lisan was calm and unhurried, Chen Yannian shed blood in Shanghai, and Xia Minghan was willing to devote the rest of his life to this dedicate the revolution… At this time they were in their prime, in blood and fire. They grew up in hardship, only for doctrine in their hearts and faith in their hearts.
The piece also features the images of many female members of the Communist Party who are full of wisdom and strength. Yang Kaihui, who encouraged women with bound feet to throw off feudal shackles and go to school, and still participated in the strike movement even though she was pregnant with Liujia; Xiang Jingyu, who wrote the “Women’s Movement Resolution” for the party’s three major congresses and advocated the protection of women’s rights; dared to break Yang Zhihua, who is tied to the feudal family and seeks independence in marriage and love; Mao Zejian, the “Chrysanthemum Girl” who leads the Hengshan Workers’ and Peasants’ Guerrilla… They influence society and infect audiences with their tough, intelligent, warm-hearted and courageous woman power.
“Questioning the Vast” vividly reproduces historical events with the spirit of realism and romantic feeling, integrating great and lofty ideals and beliefs with delicate and moving emotions, and inspiring young people in the new era to continuously absorb the wisdom of pushing forward a new journey from centuries-old struggle of the party. and strength.
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