Chapter 36 Silver Palace Studying

Not long ago I watched two educational TV shows, "New Life" and "The Fisherman's Girl" (the latter may not be included in the category of educational films, but from a certain point of view, it is very important for Chinese people's educational psychology. I have made considerable contributions.) After training, I can’t help but write down some of my experience for your reference. "New Life" describes how the purity of the countryside is stained by the crimes of the city—a phenomenon that has no time.Seven or eight years ago, "Three Modern Women" and "Human Way" also adopted the same theme, and like "New Life", they used the farmer's son who went to the city to study as the representative.A recent trend in Chinese cinema seems to be to rediscover stories popular in the 1930s.This might not be beneficial.Because the 1930s was an intellectually active era, although it had too many prejudices and narrow-mindedness, although its monotonous foreign stereotypes were a bit annoying.The tense and frizzy mood has passed, but the literary and film materials it adopted are worth keeping.

The purpose of "New Life" is to "promote the spirit of education and guide the youth in the maze" (quote advertisement), but the producer seems to be skeptical about whether the masses are interested in this education, so they have to compromise and exaggerate the "maze" , making the "Guidelines" section as simple as possible.They can't be blamed either - the attitude has its roots.There is a sect in the American church called "Revivalisis" (Revivalisis), which often hold public confessions after worship, and describe past sins at length.The promoters described themselves as murderers and prostitutes, the worse the better.The clouds support the moon, showing the kindness of today and the happiness after being saved.In the backcountry of the United States, where there are no thigh scenes to watch, the only entertainment for the villagers is these colorful confessions.

"New Life" failed to do this vividly.It lacks authenticity, partly because of economics.It's not that the film company doesn't want to spend money, but that the monetary value in the play is not calculated accurately.The parents gave the son 600 yuan to buy books, and the unworthy son used the 600 yuan to rent a beautiful mansion, hired maids, and kept entertaining guests and entertaining his girlfriend.A mercenary courtesan is willing to marry him if he can raise another whopping two thousand dollars.Even by the standards of living a decade ago, this account is still confusing.

The male protagonist turned his heart to kindness, but where is the "goodness"? "New Life" tries to answer that question—a valiant and slightly flustered attempt.At least it is much more realistic than its sisters—the previous films often only give you an ethereal feeling of renewal, as if you swore a curse on the morning of the first day of the new year and made a wish. "New Life" introduces the most ideal modern girl (played by Wang Danfeng), who makes friends with the male protagonist purely for the exchange of knowledge.When he wanted to go further, she rejected his love, because this year is not the time to talk about love.After graduating, she went to teach in the Mainland and became a beautiful and pleasing dean with a big bow in her hair.Influenced by her, the hero joined a tour group to develop the frontier, and went to reclaim wasteland.He did this without pre-consideration, but out of a momentary impulse, a poetic longing, bordering on escapism.If he sinned here, why couldn't he atone here?In our immediate surroundings, should a young man of strength and knowledge have nothing to do?It is very unrealistic to suggest that he must be told to go to "far, distant places". "New Life" raised another question worthy of discussion: Is primary education for the masses more important and urgent than higher education for a few?The hero's father refuses to help a neighbor's kid get into elementary school because his money will be saved for his own kids to go to college.However, his ineffective child failed his hard work. When he was stimulated, he destroyed his family and set up a school to benefit the children in the village.Here the playwright expresses his vague disapproval of our highest institutions, but his attacks are limited to the contagious environment of contagious corruption that surrounds them.Looking for the true meaning of education in "The Fisherman's Girl" is a dead end, because the hero of "The Fisherman's Girl" is an art student, and Western art has always been a pastime for the rich in China.Almost all professional painters paint traditional Chinese paintings. The hero of "The Fisherman's Girl" offends the audience (if this audience has any common sense) from the very beginning, because he does not know what is going on, and thinks that painting two awe-inspiring and stalwart naked women can earn money and support his family.

The creator of "The Fisherman's Girl" has probably never seen a fish swimming—except in a goldfish bowl—but he tells his story in a rare sweet style, with some magical strokes, dyed intentionally or unconsciously. Chinese people's temperament, for example, when a fisherman's daughter apologizes to an artist that she is not good enough for him, he will reply passionately: "I don't like educated women." However, although he is full of love for the daughter of nature Sao-style admiration, he couldn't help but teach her how to read.He could not resist the temptation.Chinese scholars in the past had such a common hobby: teaching aunts and wives to read.In fact, it is not a bad idea to teach your wife, if your wife is born beautiful, but this kind of flirtatious and subtle activities are often done in the twilight years, after retirement, before you have the leisure to accept a "red sleeves to add fragrance" female disciple to entertain the evening scene , the wife is obviously unqualified.

Scholars in the past rarely had the opportunity to teach female students, so Yuan Suiyuan was extremely envied, so Zheng Kangcheng was so poor that he had to use his maids as his family's peaches and plums.The situation is different now, but after all thousands of years of emotional habits are difficult to change for a while, and we can find relics everywhere.Women must also be educated, and the Chinese agree with this, but they prefer to educate their wives themselves, directly or indirectly.In popular fiction, a man is dismissed by sending a poor girl to school, even if he adamantly declares that he is only fulfilling her ambitions, because she is a gift.Marriage advertisements in newspapers often have the sentence "willing to help tuition fees".

The lover of the "fisher girl" is willing to teach her, so the education of the "fisher girl" is entirely for the enjoyment of her husband.And the education that art students receive is of no benefit to him.He quarreled with his father and came out to seek independence, but failed. Fortunately, a rich lady who fell in love with him came to his aid, and then this rich lady tried every means to destroy his relationship with the "fisher girl".At the last moment, the witch who bought the soul finally found out that the lovers were reunited. The artist hired a flower carriage to welcome his bride with the money given to him by Miss Kuo.Tragedy turned into comedy, the key lies in the unreliable conscience of a rich lady——"The Fisherman's Girl" has thus become a deeper tragedy.