Interviewed about 40 literary and artistic workers, they said this

Three generations of old, middle-aged and young literary and art workers talk about "deep roots"

"In recent years, there has been a lot of film production in China. The plateau is there, but what about the colorful 'peaks'? ——Chen Daoming, Chairman of the China Film Association

"It's difficult to take over the movie "Three-Body Problem"! Only innovation. - Director Zhang Yimou

"People are old, live for a lifetime, write for a lifetime." ——Sun Xiaoyun, Chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association

"I love the stage of acting, and if I die on stage, it will be my good death." - Actor Lei Jiayin

"The money I earn for three months of filming is not as much as an advertising endorsement, but I have pushed down at least 400 advertisements over the years, just for fear of affecting my creation." - Actor Zhang Songwen

"We have to embrace AI, but we also have to know that it has no soul and it is difficult to produce epoch-making works." ——Ye Xiaogang, Chairman of the Chinese Musicians Association

"Literary and artistic creation should not only tell the stories of the Chinese themselves, but also reflect the common values of all mankind." ——Feng Shuangbai, chairman of the Chinese Dancers Association

"I am most worried about young people becoming a generation kidnapped by capital." - Composer Shu Nan

"I want to grow up healthily with my fans and be a 'tablemate' across the air." - actor Yi Yang Qianxi

……

From literature and drama to film and television music, from dance to calligraphy...... The vast number of literary and artistic workers go deep into life and take root in the people in literary and artistic creation, bravely climb the peak in upholding integrity and innovation, diligently pursue in advocating virtue and art, and constantly explore in exchanges and mutual learning...... Recently, about 40 old, middle-aged and young literary and art workers of three generations were interviewed by Xinhua News Agency reporters to tell their "deep-rooted" stories.

People first: "There are thousands of reasons, but the key is to have good works that are close to the people"

Ten years ago, singer Zhou Shen participated in the draft, nervous and cramped all over his youthful face. Ten years later, at the 2024 solo concert, he stood in the center of the "Bird's Nest", singing for his dreams, crying with joy: "Thanks to the strength of the country, hard work and sweat so that everyone can realize their dreams." ”

"Xia Luo", "Wang Duoyu", "Zhang Chi", "Ma Chenggang", ...... The successful screen images have made the "content" of comedy movies increase day by day. The box office of the movie starring Shen Teng has exceeded 37 billion yuan. However, outside the spotlight, he is sometimes unhappy, and even occasionally anxious: "This year's summer and National Day files are not as expected, and the audience is getting fewer and fewer, what should I do?" ”

Suspense comedy, literary drama, costume action, war history...... Zhang Yimou, who is over 70 years old, has always maintained a creative speed of almost one a year, and has constantly broadened the genre of films. "There have been huge breakthroughs in the number of screens and the amount of films produced," he said. But I've found that many people don't go to the cinema anymore and instead focus on short videos with three- to five-minute movie commentary. As a filmmaker, I feel like I'm walking on thin ice. ”

"Your imagination doesn't exceed the audience, the character knows the ending with one mouth, and the audience naturally doesn't like it." Chen Daoming said bluntly, "In recent years, the quality of Chinese films has been up and down and not stable enough, and in the final analysis, there is still a lack of good works close to the people. The threshold of entertainment is lower, and the audience's vision is high, but even though there are thousands of reasons, the key is to go deep into life, take root in the people, and reflect the joys, sorrows, sorrows and sorrows of contemporary ordinary people in the fireworks of the world, so that the garden of literature and art will always bloom for the people. ”

"The general secretary said that originating from the people, for the people, and belonging to the people is the fundamental position of socialist literature and art, and it is also the driving force for the prosperity and development of socialist literature and art." Shu Nan said: Literary and art workers should always bear in mind the people-centered approach.

Before becoming famous, Zhang Songwen worked as a printing factory worker, a tour guide, and a group performer, and his diverse life experience drew rich nutrients for his later literary and artistic creation. "Pay more attention to the people around you, and the performance will be real. Let the people feel that 'you act like my neighbor', and the character can enter the hearts of the audience. ”

Actor Jia Ling is also a "halfway monk". "My biggest weakness is that I don't come from a major, and my biggest advantage is exactly that." She said, "Today's small achievements are the result of years of hard work and experience of market life. ”

"Down-to-earth sketches can also solve the problems around the people." Actor Ma Li has experience, "After the satirical sketch "The Pit" I participated in the Spring Festival Gala was broadcast, some netizens thanked me and said that no one had taken care of the big pit in front of his house for seven or eight years, and it was filled overnight after the sketch was broadcast. After listening to it, my sense of honor exploded instantly! ”

Lei Jiayin especially likes to visit vegetable markets and supermarkets. He said: "Most of my inspiration comes from life. It is not only necessary to observe people, but also to water flowers, raise fish, and play with walnuts...... Everything in life is about performance. ”

"The market is changing, and so is the way audiences are entertained. It is necessary to study the audience and educate in a entertaining way. Zhang Yimou recalled that during the release of "Man Jianghong" in 2023, he secretly hid in the cinema with a stopwatch. I watched it more than a dozen times before and after, calculated the frequency of laughter, and summarized the audience's laughter, which was convenient for accurate creation. ”

Xiao Ke, the composer of the popular song "Beijing Welcomes You", has a deep understanding of "art comes from life": "Songwriting should use the language of the people to tell the truth and speak the words of people. You are hypocritical, the audience is not stupid, and they understand it very well. ”

"There are a lot of lies, empty words, and clichés in the lyrics, and the people can't remember them, and the songs can't be spread." Shu Nan, the composer of "Don't Forget the Original Heart" and "China in the Lights", said that only by going to the people to collect wind can we perceive the pulse of the times.

Huang Doudou, vice chairman of the Chinese Dancers Association, often goes to the countryside, and he recalled excitedly: "I danced Yangge with more than 100 villagers, and hundreds of red silks were thrown on the ground, which was so shocking that I couldn't describe it. At that moment, I truly understood what it meant to be 'the mother of literature and art'. ”

"If literature and art want to serve the people, they must actively reflect the people's lives. People are not abstract concepts, but concrete people, who have joys, sorrows, sorrows, and struggles...... Literary and artistic works should reflect these real emotions. Xia Chao, chairman of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association, said.

In the past ten years, Chinese literary and artistic masterpieces have blossomed in the "deep roots".

The movies you have watched "My Motherland and Me", "My Hometown and Me", "Operation Red Sea", the TV series "Mountains and Seas", "The World" and "Big River" that you have chased, the dance poetry drama "Only This Green", the dance drama "Five Stars Out of the East" that you have sighed, the song "We Are All Dreamers" and the Yue Opera "New Dragon Gate Inn" that you have heard, and the giant Chinese painting "Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Building a Better World Together" that shocked you......

There are 100 or 1,000 methods of literary and artistic creation, but the most fundamental, crucial, and reliable method is to take root in the people and life. In recent years, the vast number of literary and artistic workers have written the times with words, inspired people with songs, conveyed true feelings with dances, depicted perseverance with brushes, and condensed and moved with cameras, creating a large number of masterpieces that record the times, which are like bright stars, shining in the long river of time.

Integrity and innovation: "Embrace AI, but also know that it has no soul"

"Artists can't always stay in their comfort zone, if they don't change and make no progress, the audience will get tired of watching it, and you will be eliminated by the times." Actor Tong Liya said.

"Innovation is hard." Actor Zhou Dongyu sighed, "But actors must work hard to overcome difficulties, try different themes, and expand the boundaries of performance." ”

Recently, the news that Zhang Yimou directed the movie "Three-Body Problem" detonated the Internet, and some people said that "this thing itself is very sci-fi". Zhang Yimou said with a smile: "I have seen so many comments, especially negative comments, and I accept them all." This will force us to innovate in audiovisual expression. We selected more than 10 'post-90s' elites to form an AI team and start creating. Innovation is the life of literature and art. It is necessary to permeate the spirit of innovation throughout the entire process of literary and artistic creation. I agreed with writer Liu Cixin to ask for advice in person, hoping that he would not be annoyed by me. ”

At the intersection of technology and art, faced with the question of "will AI replace literary and artistic workers", Ye Xiaogang replied: "We must embrace AI, but we can't rely too much. Music students rely on AI composition to hand in their homework, and they can't hide it in front of experienced teachers. This is just as Zhang Shuai, a composer and professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, said, AI lacks a soul and must have confidence in people.

Fan Di'an, chairman of the Chinese Artists Association, also believes that AI can learn, accumulate and express, but it cannot replace the discovery, feeling and expression of artists. Li Jingze, vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, said that AI will not only not eliminate human creativity, but will put forward higher requirements for human innovation.

AI has brought an impact to literary and artistic creators, and folk songs are also facing challenges of the times.

"My son grew up singing folk songs such as "Half Moon Climbs Up", but suddenly stopped singing in the third grade of elementary school. He said that no one at school sang this song, and he would be laughed at by his classmates. This made singer Liu Hegang worry about the future of folk songs, "Affected by pop music, Chinese folk songs have encountered a bottleneck in inheritance, and many 'post-90s' and 'post-00s' don't know what a folk song is. Is it about to become an 'intangible cultural heritage'? ”

Regarding concerns about the development and future of folk songs, Zhang Shuai asked rhetorically: "Why does Daolang use many elements of folk songs and explore new expressions of folk songs, which is quite popular with the people?" Shu Nan replied: "Folk songs in the new era must be upright, innovative, and keep pace with the times." For example, singer Tan Weiwei's singing combined with Huayin's old dialect is very good and has many fans. With popular and cosmopolitan musical elements, traditional folk songs can be rejuvenated. ”

Liu Hegang founded the Chinese classic folk song exhibition and performance activities, innovative techniques allow the audience to relive the memory of the times in the familiar melody. He said: "Adjust the position and method of the articulation of folk songs, and then replace the accompaniment with an electroacoustic band, so that folk songs can enter the campus, which is widely welcomed by college students." ”

"The breadth of a museum lies in condensing the essence of history. The beauty of an art museum lies in keeping up with the pulse of the times. Wu Weishan, vice chairman of the Chinese Artists Association and director of the National Art Museum of China, creatively cooperated with many museums to carry out cooperative exhibitions, so that the collection resources and research forces were combined, and people couldn't help but sigh at the powerful power of "beauty and beauty".

Quyi must also continue to innovate. Cross talk actor Miao Fu introduced that his Qingqu Club evaluates the performance of actors every month according to the number of "new jobs" to ensure the enthusiasm of actors for innovation. "Today, the laughter is getting higher and higher, and only by bringing a healthy freshness to the audience can we maintain the vitality of cross talk."

Chongde Shangyi: "I cherish this job, I am afraid of desecrating the acting profession, and I am even more afraid of being sorry for the audience"

When it comes to artistic style and morality, Shu Nan recalled that some traffic singers were exhausted when they came to the recording studio to record and sing, and even their voices were dumb, and they didn't study or prepare their works, and they didn't even know what to sing, so they hurried to the next commercial event. "I'm most worried that young actors will become a generation kidnapped by capital, and all they think about every day is to make money." For example, he said that the older generation of singers is not like this, and Mr. Yan Weiwen carefully takes a lot of notes every time he enters the recording studio and discusses carefully with the songwriter.

For some time, the "yin-yang contract" has shrouded the entertainment industry like a haze. Zhang Yimou said: "This is a very bad phenomenon. Every time we sign a contract, the first thing we do is to pay the tax early and pay the tax in full. This is not only a matter of virtue for literary and artistic workers, but also a basic obligation of every citizen. ”

The criticism of Shu Nan and Zhang Yimou resonated with many interviewees about "advocating virtue and art". Those who establish virtue and cultivate people must first establish themselves; He who casts the soul of bacon must first forge himself.

"The general secretary said that literature and art must not lose their way in the tide of the market economy, and they must not deviate on the question of who they are, otherwise literature and art will have no vitality." Chen Daoming said, "This is the first lesson for every literary and art worker. Literature and art should not be slaves of the market, and should not be stained with the stench of copper. ”

"Acting is the first thing to be, a good actor must not only have artistic ability, artistic taste, but also artistic virtue, all of which are indispensable." Actor Wang Kai said.

"The role comes first, and the drama is bigger than the sky!" Actor Song Jia said that a good actor must always remain low-key and modest, so that he can unreservedly hand over a sincere heart in his performance.

During the 8 months of filming "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an", Lei Jiayin and more than 20 martial arts brothers "climbed and rolled". The makeup artist sighed: "You don't need makeup anymore for the scars all over your body." "I have severe pain in my body every day, and there is a scene where I fell from the upstairs and couldn't lift my arm, and the director thought I was going to 'die' on the set." Lei Jiayin said that as an actor, ability and talent are important, but more important is to have a sense of awe.

Huang Xiaoming, vice chairman of the China Film Association, said that literary and artistic workers should not only regulate their own moral words and deeds, but also shoulder social responsibilities. "Recently, Huang Bo and I held the 'Courtyard Comedy Festival' in our hometown of Qingdao, in order to create a new business card of urban culture and help the development of the cultural tourism industry."

"From the first day of acting, I've never fooled around with any role, and I've given it my all every time. Even if it was a very small scene before, with only one line, or even a back in the distance, I had to be serious. Looking back on his arduous acting career, Zhang Songwen said with tears in his eyes, "I cherish this job very much, I am afraid of desecrating this profession, and I am even more afraid of being sorry for the audience!" ”

"Some people say I'm muffled." Yi Yang Qianxi, who has turned from an idol artist to a professional actor, said, "I don't want to be defined as an idol, being under the halo every day, and feeling that my brain is empty. I prefer to calm down, focus on the performance itself, and continue to absorb new knowledge and experience like a sponge, which will be more enjoyable and enjoyable! With more than 90 million Weibo followers, he said that he and his fans are "at the same table in the air". "Many fans have been with me all the way and have grown up healthily together. As an actor, I not only want to record the times, but also have the responsibility to promote and lead. ”

"The pursuit of art must not be impetuous!" Violinist Jiang Xiongda said that many institutions engage in youth music education only for profit, and some parents blindly pursue examinations and give up cultivating children's true love for music, which is self-deception.

Interviewees believe that literary and artistic workers rely on their attitude to become literary and artistic masters in order to grow into literary and artistic masters. You can't do it without talent, you can't do it without diligence, you can't do it without culture, and you can't do it long without personality.

"Do our business, you offend the friendship, and you can't offend the burden." Miao Fu said, you regard cross talk as an industry, and everyone is a friend; You think of it as an industry, and everybody is an enemy.

Li Ge, vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and chairman of the China Photographers Association, said that literary and art workers should be willing to be poor, lonely, and even marginal, and engage in artistic creation in a down-to-earth manner.

Sun Xiaoyun said that when she picked up the brush, she was the happiest person and the closest person to her ideal. "Since learning calligraphy at the age of 3, calligraphy has given me everything to be a human being - there is a 'god' on my head, a bottom line under my feet, and feelings in my chest."

"If you don't have reverence for heaven and earth, and you don't have compassion for all beings, you don't want to be an actor." Actor Sarina said.

"Literary and artistic workers shoulder the cultural mission of the new era, our self-cultivation is not a personal private matter, if the heart is empty, you will be confused." Actor Yu Hewei said that successful role interpretation should express to the audience what kind of spiritual characteristics the Chinese nation has and what kind of people Chinese a group of people.

Talking about artistic virtue, Jia Ling, an actor who has always been humorous, said with a serious face: "In the future, my body will follow my brain, my brain will follow my heart, and my heart will follow the audience, it's enough." ”

Exchange and mutual learning: "We must not only tell our own stories well, but also reflect the common values of all mankind"

Once upon a time, we applauded films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" for being world-famous, but calmly observing that there are still not many "Chinese stories" that have entered mainstream Western theaters. In Zhang Yimou's view, we have never occupied this position.

"We have to stay awake and think seriously about how to resonate with a global audience." Huang Bo, vice chairman of the China Film Association, said that China is already the world's second largest film market, but the influence of films has not yet reached the world.

How to make the Eastern and Western cultures better exchange and learn from each other? Zhang Yimou said that the key is to work quality. "Film works must rely on quality to conquer distributors and have box office appeal before they can enter overseas mainstream commercial theaters."

Talking about the overseas exchange of music works, Ye Xiaogang said bluntly: "We still have some of the situation of 'going out' with money, and there is still a long way to go from pure marketization......

Why is "Liang Zhu" so popular overseas? Jiang Xiongda said that it is because it integrates the unique national tone and beautiful melody into the structure and technique of Western symphony, and has become a classic example of the combination of Chinese and Western styles.

Tan Weiwei deeply agrees with this: "Music has no borders, and the key is that the way of expression must be empathetic and emotional. ”

With cultural people, it can condense the soul more; With art, it is easier to communicate with the world.

Wang Yichuan, vice chairman of the China Literature and Art Critics Association, said that it is necessary to establish an international communication awareness, use the common emotions, narratives and images of the world to tell the stories of ordinary people, share the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, and continuously enhance the national cultural soft power and Chinese cultural influence.

In the view of Pan Lusheng, vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and chairman of the China Folk Literature and Art Association, China's folk literature and art industry has developed from the rescue and protection of the past to the inheritance and dissemination, and further realized creative transformation. Some of the works have become national gifts and gone to the world.

He performed 12 shows in United Kingdom in September and made his debut in France in October...... The dance drama "Wing Chun" choreographed by Fung Shuangbai was very popular overseas. He proudly said that Chinese literature and art should not only tell their own stories well, but also embody the common values of all mankind. (Wang Junlu, Guo Yujing, Chang Zhaoyuan, Wen Jing, Yu Peixuan, Liu Yang)

Xinhua News Agency New Media Center

Theoretical Research Office of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles

General Office of the Chinese Writers Association