Written by Wang Zhili and directed and acted by Yu Zhen, the reality drama "Outside the Drum Tower", which tells the inheritance of carpenters and apprentices in Beijing and the reconciliation of brothers' grievances, is being broadcast on Beijing Satellite TV. The drama is considered to be another authentic Beijing-style drama after "Love Man Courtyard" and "Under the Gate of Zhengyang", with the original Beijing style and the craftsman spirit of "art is greater than the sky", which is especially popular with the audience. Many viewers praised "Outside the Drum Tower" for its strong ingenuity and beijing flavor, and the warm life avenue flowed in the grounded master-apprentice story.
Why self-directed and self-acting "Outside the Drum Tower"? From the hated "Luo Shibin" in "The World of Man" to the Beijing carpenter Yu Zhong, what kind of transformation has Yu Zhen undergone?
Yu Zhen was interviewed by the media a few days ago, he admitted that in the role, compared with "Luo Shibin", "Yu Zhong" When interests and the bottom line conflict, interests must give way to the bottom line's adherence, which is the latter's greatest personality charm; for himself, he worked hard for this work and completed his wishes, but the experience of self-directing and self-acting is enough, and the constant conversion between rationality and sensibility is a difficult challenge, and he will still concentrate on one industry at a time, and be perfect enough.
"Outside the Drum Tower" is a true reflection of the lives of Beijingers today
Beiqing Daily: You are an actor, what kind of opportunities and reasons allowed you to direct and shoot "Outside the Drum Tower" as a director this time?
Yu Zhen: Yes, I acted in a play called "My Second Brother and Second Sister-in-Law" before, and then I met the famous screenwriter Wang Zhili. When we were filming this scene, we talked a lot. Because of Teacher Wang Zhili, Jingwei opera is very well written, and he has created many excellent Beijing flavor dramas such as "Love Full Courtyard", "Under zhengyang gate", "Little woman under zhengyang gate" and so on. I made an appointment with him to help me write a Beijing opera as well. During the chat, I said that I was a Beijing actor who grew up in the Drum Tower area. Teacher Wang Zhili decided to write the story of "Outside the Drum Tower". During the writing of the script, I also became a director for the first time and directed a play called "The Impossible Task". After Teacher Wang's script "Outside the Drum Tower" was written, I also had some directing experience, originally I was just acting in this play, and wanted to invite other directors to direct this play, but because of the schedule problem, I could not make the trip. Later, I talked to the producer Liu Guohua and the screenwriter Wang Zhili, and they also recognized me and let me try to direct myself. It just so happens that "Outside the Drum Tower" is written about the Drum Tower, the Drum Tower is on the central axis of Beijing, I grew up in the Drum Tower since I was a child, and I am very familiar with that piece of life, so I directed and acted myself and filmed this play.
Beiqing Daily: "Outside the Drum Tower" has a distinct Beijing cultural heritage. What is the biggest difference between your directing of this play and your previous work?
Yu Zhen: The drama "Outside the Drum Tower" I think is a reflection of the real life of Beijingers like me who grew up in the hutongs on the central axis of Beijing.
I was so familiar with the life of the Drum Tower that I grew up in a large courtyard, where 32 families lived, just like a family. There is something going on in the alley, everyone is word of mouth, and the human touch is particularly strong. In addition, in the past few decades, our motherland has changed a lot, and we have watched the rapid development of the country and the city. Therefore, in addition to the development and changes of our motherland and Our Beijing, we can also see the growth and changes of people. Teacher Wang Zhili's script is very well written, writing that no matter how far you do your career and do business, whether you do it well or not, you can't forget this, you can't forget your original intention. "Outside the Drum Tower" has a close relationship with traditional Chinese culture, saying that four apprentices made traditional Chinese furniture, they later did other industries, and then finally did not forget the original intention, and returned to the authenticity in a down-to-earth manner, which is such a theme story.
Yu Zhongsheng is a carpenter-turned-craftsman, and sticking to the bottom line is his root
Beiqing Daily: In addition to being a director, you also starred in "Outside the Drum Tower" as master brother Yu Zhongsheng. In your opinion, what kind of person is Yu Zhongsheng?
Yu Zhen: Yu Zhongsheng is a carpenter-turned-craftsman who lives outside the drum tower and has loved ancient furniture since he was a child. He is a more stuffy person, more recognized by death, and does things one by one. Later, with the development and change of society, his fate also changed, he did a lot of industries, such as roadside pancakes, and then sold eggs, raised ostriches, made a green family industry chain, and then cooperated with others to become a listed company, and the cause was getting bigger and bigger. But when the career is done very big, he instead finds that everything is gone, love is gone, brotherhood is gone, including family affection is gone, he suddenly found that the most important thing in life is emotion, not to see how big your career is, how high your status is. Teacher Wang Zhili wrote this play very well, the characters are written very solidly, and such a character story is quite touching to me.
Beiqing Daily: Compared with luo Shibin, who you played in "The World of People", what is the most attractive charm of the character of Yu Zhongsheng?
Yu Zhen: Nails are nails, rivets are rivets, meticulous, no matter what you do, you must do it steadily. When interests conflict with the bottom line they hold, interests must make way for the bottom line. This is the root of the character of Yu Zhongsheng, no matter what industry he does, what he does, this is what he insists on. This kind of spirit is quite rare in the present.
Beiqing Daily: "Outside the Drum Tower" involves a lot of traditional carpentry craftsmanship, and Yu Zhongsheng is also a carpenter, so did you also make a lot of preparations for filming this scene?
Yu Zhen: Playing with tools is my biggest hobby. After graduating from Chinese opera, I entered the Beijing Renyi drama, and later had the privilege of meeting the great screenwriter Zou Jingzhi, who likes traditional Chinese culture, including old furniture, he also wrote a lot of plays, and then through him, I met Teacher Wang Gang. Therefore, I played with them very early on, which is called "play" in Beijing, and they taught me hand in hand, so that I had some understanding of my hometown. In addition, almost all of my spare time is spent in the furniture city or the carpentry workshop with Teacher Zou Jingzhi. Start by looking at wood, what kind of wood, what time, what material, and then how to do it? What are the characteristics of Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, and what are the characteristics of the Republic of China? Really fun. I've been sticking to this hobby for so many years, so it's a little accumulation in my usual life.
Beiqing Daily: This time you are both a director and a star, what do you think is the biggest difficulty and challenge?
Yu Zhen: Actors are emotional, and actors live in roles. The director is rational, and the director is living in the play. As for me, I will live in this drama and live in the role of an actor, which is too difficult a challenge. Because you are a director, you have to direct the costumes, makeup, props, photography, art, recording and other departments of the crew, and you must be rationally saying how you should prepare. And the actor doesn't have to care about these things, you just play your role well. So I jumped in and out, and this show really tested me. After filming this play, I will no longer direct myself, because I think there are deficiencies in every aspect, and I am still a person who pursues perfection, or I direct a play steadily, or I will act in a play steadily, which are two professions. But this experience was an important creative experience in my life, and I also gained a lot of valuable experience. Although it is hard work, now that I see this work successfully broadcast, my heart is still very sweet.
Carry forward the traditional culture and the spirit of craftsmen, and help Beijing to apply for heritage on the central axis through "Outside the Drum Tower"
Beiqing Daily: There are many golden sentences rich in life philosophy in "Outside the Drum Tower", which arouse people's deep thinking, such as Master Yi Dachuan's saying that "if you fight for a small thing, you will lose the road", how do you see this kind of life charm contained in the play?
Yu Zhen: If you fight for a small thing, you will lose the avenue, this sentence is really too good, which means that if you are preoccupied with some small things and chase the immediate interests too much, you will lose bigger things, lose the avenue, and even trap yourself in it. Nowadays, people are easily confused by what is in front of them and do not know what the root of life is. For example, Yu Zhongsheng is a carpenter, and his original intention is to do a good job in every carpentry work on his hand, and to do his job well and calmly. If you concentrate on doing this well, you will definitely get what you want, instead of doing this and doing that. There is also an old saying - "it is not advisable to solve the knot of the wrongdoer", which has been said for many years, but it is too difficult to really do it. In the play, Yin Dongyi, the second disciple played by Hai Day and me, has been fighting and fighting with each other because of hatred, and finally the fight is both defeated and injured, and it ends up empty. Brotherly fighting is a constant occurrence in the present, fighting around, what is gained, what is lost? This is still instructive for us.
Beiqing Daily: "Outside the Drum Tower" carries forward the spirit of craftsmen and passes on traditional Chinese culture through carpenter craftsmanship and furniture. What do you think of the value and practical significance of traditional Chinese culture?
Yu Zhen: There are many traditional Chinese cultures and traditional crafts, which contain exquisite skills and revered craftsman spirit. For example, furniture, porcelain, purple sand, these things are our traditional Chinese craftsmanship, exquisite workmanship, are the world's sought after luxury goods. At present, many large museums abroad have Chinese Ming and Qing dynasty furniture museums. Choose one thing, for the rest of your life. Through "Outside the Drum Tower", we can see what is the spirit of craftsmanship, and then it may inspire the audience: Am I also so serious about the profession I have done and done a good job with my heart? Even if we shoot scenes, we must also be meticulous and down-to-earth to get every shot, every prop, and costume to the best. For example, "Outside the Drum Tower" needs a lot of rosewood furniture and huanghuali furniture to appear in the camera, and these precious furniture are the real products borrowed by the crew. When returning, we will carefully wrap it in a quilt and then transport it to avoid bumps. This is also a manifestation of the spirit of craftsmanship.
Beiqing Daily: 2022 is a key year for Beijing's central axis to apply for heritage, and the Bell and Drum Tower is an important scene of this drama. Is the broadcast of "Outside the Drum Tower" at this time also a kind of help for beijing's central axis to apply for heritage?
Yu Zhen: When it comes to the Bell and Drum Tower, everyone in Beijing knows it, but what is the central axis of Beijing, and what places does the central axis cover? Not everyone knows. So the drama "Outside the Drum Tower" reflects well what is the central axis, what is the Bell and Drum Tower, and how beautiful is the central axis of Beijing? This drama will play a propaganda role in the central axis of Beijing, and the national audience will know through "Outside the Drum Tower" that the central axis of Beijing was originally like this.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Yang Wenjie
Editor/Ying Qiao