1. Discuss the controversy caused by the criticism of the jury by the high-profile artist Li Yugang, and review his complex relationship with the famous Peking Opera artist Mei Baojiu
In 2022, a hot pop singer Li Yugang appeared in Zhejiang Satellite TV's most popular variety show "Praise for the Song", showing his extraordinary skills and unique style through a song full of national charm "Around".
During the stage performance, his posture was chic and free, and his singing voice was melodious and beautiful, which won warm applause and cheers from the audience, however, just when everyone was expecting him to be highly praised by the judges, the judges mercilessly pointed out: "Lack of surprise, form is greater than content".
In the face of such direct and sharp criticism, Li Yugang did not show any anger or dissatisfaction, but responded with a humble and polite attitude: "I just hope that more people, especially the younger generation, can deeply understand and appreciate Chinese music, which is meaningful enough for me."
Although his words were full of confidence and calmness, he still couldn't hide the helplessness contained in them.
Indeed, Li Yugang never expected that he, a well-known figure with a good reputation in the field of national music, would be questioned for promoting the quintessence of the country? Recalling the grudge between him and the legendary Mei Baojiu in the Peking Opera industry many years ago, we can truly understand the reason.
The entanglement was so far-reaching that their relationship broke down, and they still haven't been able to untie the knot in their hearts.
2. Tracing Mei Baojiu's background and mission
Born in Beijing, Mei Baojiu is the ninth son of the world-famous Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, and the only surviving child of Mei Lanfang and his wife Fu Fangzhi.
As the youngest child in the family, he did not receive deliberate training in Peking Opera skills when he was young, and it was not until he was 10 years old that he officially studied the art of Peking Opera.
When he made his debut on stage at the age of 13, his friends jokingly called him "not soft enough at the waist" and accused him of not having a solid foundation enough. This sentence sharply reveals Mei Baojiu's lack of systematic basic training in Peking Opera since she was a child.
Originally, Mei Baojiu was not in the Mei family's inheritance plan, and they originally expected his brothers and sisters to take over the inheritance of the Mei School's art. However, fate played such a trick on people, and several of Mei Baojiu's brothers and sisters chose other life paths and left the Mei faction, and this heavy responsibility inevitably fell on his shoulders alone.
In 1961, the origin of a piece of paper brought the Peking Opera master Mr. Mei Lanfang to eternity, and shook the Chinese and even global opera circles. However, a more pressing question emerged: who would be able to carry on and carry forward the legacy of this great artist of the Mei School? Who should bravely shoulder this heavy responsibility? Seeing that the artistic treasures created by his father's life's work were about to dissipate into invisibility, the pain in Mei Baojiu's heart was indescribable, and he felt that he had to stand up and let the art of Mei Pai shine brightly.
As a result, Mei Baojiu began a long and arduous journey, he searched for Peking Opera masters everywhere, humbly sought advice, and constantly improved his skills; He stepped on various stages to interpret the essence of Mei Pai art, and tirelessly contributed to its inheritance and development.
Despite the bumpy road, his unwavering belief in carrying on his father's legacy never wavered.
3. Li Yugang's growth process and the road to fame through "anti-string".
Completely different from Mei Baojiu's fate of carrying on the responsibility of inheriting the family's art, Li Yugang's road to fame stems from the hard work and pursuit of the people at the bottom. His original name was Li Gang, and later changed his name to Li Yugang because of his yearning for a rich and happy life, but the poverty of his family did not improve, and the name change did not bring about substantial changes.
At the age of 19, Li Yugang was admitted to the Jilin Provincial Academy of Arts with a vision for the future, looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life. However, his family's financial situation made it impossible for him to afford his tuition fees, so he had no choice but to leave the campus and work outside the country to make ends meet.
In the years of wandering part-time work, Li Yugang has engaged in various physical and mental work, all of which are working hard to survive. He has worked in clothing stores, video stores, housekeeping companies, and as a waitress in a dance hall.
During that time, the difficulty of life reached a desperate level, and he even had thoughts of suicide for a time, but fortunately he was rescued by passers-by in time to save his life.
Just when Li Yugang fell into a low point in his life, fate played a huge joke on him. One day, the resident singer of the dance hall was late for some reason, and the anxious boss accidentally discovered that the voice of Li Yugang, the waiter who often sang softly in the background, was so touching.
In this way, Li Yugang stepped onto the stage of life for the first time and showed his extraordinary talent.
What's even more shocking is that due to the late arrival of the female singer, Li Yugang successfully completed the performance by himself in a way that converts male and female voices freely, winning warm applause and cheers from the audience.
He gradually discovered his innate artistic talent for "anti-stringing", and was deeply obsessed with it, and since then he has devoted himself to the in-depth study of "anti-string" performance skills.
Fourth, the dispute between Mei and Li stemmed from propaganda slogans, and the two sides openly broke up
Just as Li Yugang is famous for his unique "anti-string" performance skills and his career is booming, Mei Baojiu, a giant in the Peking Opera industry, is also making hard efforts for the inheritance of Mei School art.
Seeing Li Yugang, a rising star, Mei Baojiu had the intention of accepting apprentices in her heart, eager to teach him the essence of Mei School art and make this quintessential art shine again.
Unexpectedly, an unintentional propaganda slogan ruthlessly shattered the master-apprentice friendship between the two.
Furious, Mei Baojiu issued a public statement resolutely opposing the remarks of those who claimed to be the heirs of the Mei School, and pointed the finger directly at Li Yugang, accusing him of being too vulgar in his performances, satisfied with only pleasing the audience, and just a clown on stage.
In the face of the severe criticism of the Mei family's predecessors, Li Yugang's heart was full of helplessness and confusion, he felt both panicked and uneasy, and suppressed his grievances and grievances.
As a result, the fierce argument between the two burned like a fire. Soon after, CCTV invited the two to perform on the same stage, and the outside world expected them to resolve their grievances and work together.
However, who would have expected that after the performance, Li Yugang announced in public that he was the new generation inheritor of the Mei School of art, and as soon as this remark came out, Mei Baojiu, who was sitting in the audience, left the seat angrily, and the whole venue instantly fell into an embarrassing deadlock.
This scene made the rift between the two even more difficult to repair.
Since then, Mei Baojiu has a grudge against Li Yugang, and she has not been able to forgive his so-called "arrogance" until the last moment of her life. Although Li Yugang has expressed his apologies many times, due to the lack of opportunities to resolve them in time, this grievance has finally come to an end regrettably.
The two outstanding talents who could have worked together to revitalize the quintessence of art fell into a scarred break dilemma.
5. The root of the contradiction between the two: the philosophical difference between conservatism and innovation
The deep-seated reason for the fierce conflict between the two cultural giants, Mei Baojiu and Li Yugang, and the eventual rupture, is undoubtedly due to their completely different positions on the way they understand and explore traditional culture.
In fact, we should treat it fairly, Mr. Mei Baojiu and Mr. Li Yugang are both modest gentlemen with a gentle temperament and good manners, and they are always magnanimous and appropriate in dealing with people and things.
However, when it comes to their respective unwavering and unwavering pursuit of ideals, their differences are irreconcilable.
In Mr. Mei Baojiu's mind, Peking Opera is a brilliant treasure of the Chinese nation, from costume design to genre inheritance, every link must strictly abide by the artistic norms and requirements, any small mistakes or deviations may lead to a decline in artistic quality, thus affecting the inheritance of Peking Opera from generation to generation.
Therefore, he has always adhered to the legacy of his ancestors, abided by the rules formed by the art of Peking Opera after a hundred years of precipitation, and strictly implemented every regulation of opera performances.
However, Mr. Li Yugang has the opposite view, he dares to break through the stereotypes and innovation. In his view, the form of artistic expression is not the key, but the real thing that matters is whether it can win the love of the audience.
As long as it can attract the public's attention and promote traditional Chinese culture, even if it is necessary to break the inherent framework and boldly introduce new elements, it is worth trying.
The differences between the two of them are like the contradiction between "Master of One Light" and "Yang Guo" in martial arts novels. Mr. Mei Baojiu is like a master who adheres to the legacy of his ancestors and sticks to the rules, striving for perfection in every detail of his martial arts moves, and resolutely cannot tolerate even the slightest error.
And Mr. Li Yugang is like the fearless Yang Guo, as long as the moves are practical and effective, even if he needs to offend the convention, he will not hesitate.
On the road of inheriting traditional culture, Mr. Mui Baojiu plays the role of a defender, and he is committed to ensuring the pure transmission of the essence of culture; Mr. Li Yugang is a pioneer, who pursues innovation and development and actively cultivates new vitality.
As time passed, the gap between the elderly and the younger generation deepened, and the differences intensified.