In the spring of 1918, when the 25-year-old Mao Zedong bid farewell to his best friend Luo Zhanglong in Changsha, he wrote the poem "Jun Xingwu is a great song, and Kunpeng hits the waves from the beginning".
At the end of 2023, on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong's birth, the TV series "Kunpeng Hitting the Waves" starring Ma Jihong as the chief screenwriter, directed by Liu Biao, and starring Liu Chenglin and Mi Zhuoqing will be on the air. The plot focuses on the period from 1918 to 1921, Mao Zedong, who had just graduated from Hunan No. 1 Normal School, faced the current situation of internal and external troubles, ignited the fire of youth, hit the great waves of the times, held the ideal of saving the country and the people, taught, ran newspapers, fought warlords, and grew from a hot-blooded scholar to a Marxist revolutionary.
The youthful perspective enhances the aesthetic poetry
The charm of revolutionary dramas has never been about everything, but through the light and shadow of the years, to capture and present those little-known details, so that the audience's mood can travel through time and space, breathe the air at that time, and empathize with the fate of the characters.
Mao Zedong's great life has been put on the screen many times, "Kunpeng Hitting the Waves" is better than the ingenious concept, the pen is vivid, does not deliberately pursue a grand narrative, but starts from the details, with the perspective of youth as the starting point, emerging the tip of the iceberg of the revolutionary past.
In the play, in order to bring down Zhang Jingyao, a young man who suppressed the students by force, led the "Zhang Driving Regiment" to Beijing, but he ran into walls everywhere but never compromised, and still actively ran and appealed, shouting on the street, "Don't drive Zhang thief, swear not to return to Hunan Province", his face was full of youthful eagerness and perseverance; he had a dialogue with his mentor Yang Changji, wanting to show his love for Yang Kaihui, but he didn't find a chance to speak, annoying the "parties" who eavesdropped outside the door.
There is also the scene of him and Yang Kaihui eating wontons at a roadside stall, the cold wind is bleak, and the lamp is lonely and sad, but the hearts of those who love each other are hot. When the steaming wontons are delivered to each other's mouths, the romantic atmosphere overflows the screen. It is through such a warm and poetic scene that the drama shows the personal situation and spiritual world of the young Mao Zedong, and achieves the seamless connection between historical texts and film and television language, serious themes and popular narratives, and makes a successful poetic attempt to revolutionary-themed dramas.
The quality of life promotes the diversification of the plot
Youth, growth, ideals, love, "Kunpeng Hitting the Waves", as a major revolutionary drama, has such a heavy theme, it can accommodate such a rich and diverse plot element, so that young audiences can enjoy it, and through a solid and concise and aura narrative technique, it shows a vibrant growth picture.
The basis for realizing the diversification of the plot is the solid and concise quality of life. Netizens who have been chasing "Kunpeng Hitting the Waves" have the same feeling, that is, every scene is very real. In Beijing's Sanyanjing Hutong, the students did not adapt to the north at the beginning, and they could not do laundry and cooking well, but later they could not only be self-sufficient, but also set up a night school for workers. The plot and picture full of fireworks made the audience and the workers in the play blend into it together, and fell in love with the tall, handsome and easy-going Mr. Mao.
There are countless scenes like this rich in the texture of life in the play, Mao's father, dressed as an authentic peasant, joked with his son before leaving, and the sentence "Send my father a thousand miles, and there will be a farewell in the end", interpreting the simplicity, view, and humor of Hunan farmers to the letter; Zhang Jingyao, played by Dong Yong, saw the information of "driving Zhang Tuan" in the newspaper, and was so anxious that he jumped to his feet, for fear that Sun Monkey would make trouble in the heavenly palace, and did not hesitate to spend money to organize the "Baozhang Tuan", and the warlord's sophistication, greed, and arrogance were overflowing. These vivid language and plots, combined with the excellent costumes, make the drama exude a strong life atmosphere, and produce a real and credible dramatic effect.
Novel narratives make audiences younger
"Kunpeng Hitting the Waves" accompanied the audience to bid farewell to 2023 and usher in 2024, as the plot continues to unfold, not only the ratings remain high, but the reputation also continues to be strong, not only has it been loved by many history fans and drama fans, but more and more young audiences have also joined the ranks of chasing dramas, gnashing their teeth for the internal and external troubles of the old era, excited by Mao Zedong's struggle against the current, and moved by his romantic love with Yang Kaihui.
Young people can like this drama for no more than two reasons, one is that the protagonists in the play are full of youth, Xiangjiang Sanyou, Yang Kaihui, Luo Zhanglong, Deng Zhongxia, Xiang Jingyu, Tao Siyong, in fact, they are everyone's peers a century ago, with the same personality and hobbies, all yearning for beauty and ideals, but they are given a more arduous mission by the times, through their growth, young audiences can absorb a lot of spiritual nutrition that is still applicable at the moment. Honest beliefs, ideals and love, growth and responsibility, are all in it. Another reason is that the drama is extremely novel from the actors' performances to the script narrative, Zhang Chi is moderate, concise and bright, especially Mao Zedong played by newcomer Liu Chenglin, who has both poetry and spirituality, as well as the unique perseverance and tenacity of revolutionaries, so it is refreshing as soon as he appears.
Now that the broadcast of "Kunpeng Hitting the Waves" is nearing the end, Mao Zedong has gradually found the direction of struggle and moved towards the road of communism from a high-spirited scholar, and will inevitably face more cruel and thrilling tests, igniting all the pride and enthusiasm of youth. I believe that the follow-up plot will be more exciting and inspiring, and I also believe that the attempts and explorations made by this drama in terms of creation will leave valuable experience for the creation of major revolutionary TV dramas.