Chapter 21 where big goals come from

Evil "culture" and culture of civic spirit China has been undergoing drastic changes in the past 100 years.In a rapidly changing society, everyone is hurrying under tremendous internal and external pressure.The elites of the May Fourth generation felt that the country was in ruins, and they were anxious to get angry. They saw everything as the root of China’s disease.At that time, they scolded China very fiercely and too much, but they were not disillusioned, and you couldn't read the broken cans and broken throws from their articles.They think that as long as they find the right roads, remove the roadblocks, and modernize, everything will be fine.By 1949, the chaos was turned into governance, and China stuck out its head from the modern crisis for the first time, elated, and its confidence greatly increased.The whole nation is on the road of industrialization and modernization day and night.In terms of culture, it is no small ambition to build a low-level culture, to "serve the past for the present, and make the foreign serve China".But because of the short period of time, there were not many achievements, and they were not solid. Later, they turned to the extreme left politically, and lost all the achievements they had made, such as the modernization of Peking Opera. The bankruptcy of the "Cultural Revolution" discredited the entire Chinese revolution, and further affected China's thousands of years of cultural history and people in mountains and rivers.The cultural elite experienced the deepest and most superficial disillusionment in modern times, and the few remaining souls were later looted by the market society.Look at those famous directors and famous actors, don't look at each of them doing a good job, many of them have foreign passports in their arms.These days, there is no need to blame others for holding a passport from which country, but at least it shows that he is not optimistic about China, has no concern for China's fate, and only wants to share weal and woe.As ordinary people, it is normal to chase ups and downs, buy blue-chip stocks and throw junk stocks.The problem is that they are not ordinary people, they are cultural elites.It's a pity that these elites only have the demeanor and outfits of elites, and they are even more petty bourgeois in soul. They are simply a bunch of chaotic spiritual stockholders or value refugees.No matter how happy they are, they are just literary and art contractors and wage earners, hurrying to earn some fame and fortune and "going home for the New Year"-when there is a turmoil, they will disappear without a trace, leaving nothing but unfinished buildings.The historical mission of rebuilding Chinese culture must not be shouldered by such shoulders.Such a group of spiritual beggars, let them be the leaders of culture and art, what can be the result?Of course there have been achievements in literature and art in the past 30 years, but these achievements are out of proportion to China's trend and momentum.Much greater literature and art should have appeared in China.

Let's talk about traditional opera.The modernization of Peking Opera in the 1960s and the glory days have long since disappeared. There is always "Sanchakou" endlessly, and modern life can only perform some family planning or something.The past cannot be "used" by the present, and the result is perish, so everyone squeezes into the specimen boxes or shelters of "intangible cultural heritage" to seek "survival", a lifeless existence.Over the past 30 years, foreign dramas have not been nationalized artistically, and basically have not approached the forefront of contemporary social and political life ideologically. In recent years, they have become a place for gags, and they have little to say about the spiritual world of Chinese people. contribute.Musicals are all rote copies of "West Side Story" and have no Chinese temperament. They are not as touching as "Honghu Red Guard" back then, not even half of them.The two points of painting are in a line, from the painter's studio to the rich man's living room, and they can be divided into a group with stamp collecting and fried Pu'er tea.Besides movies, some movies like "Wrangler" and "Legend of Tianyun Mountain" in the early days of reform and opening up can still cry for the people to watch their own sad things, but today those "big directors" organize Chinese history and culture to prostitute to the West to comfort them— ——The West sees China still behaves like this, and feels comforted and safe, and can continue to be obscene and bullied.The more mixed the poetry, the less interesting it seems that it is not worth mentioning, but it is embarrassing to talk about.The only thing that has improved is TV dramas, which rely on the vast number of working women, that is, aunts and sisters who sit in front of the TV to check, and the creation and production have not dared to mess with aesthetics.Novels are not so blessed. Among the readers are many petty bourgeois white-collar workers who are not addicted to drugs, but they are better than drug addicts. They force the author to make up some dirty things according to their preferences.Generally speaking, it is impossible not to have achievements in literature and art in the past 30 years, but they are really not that great. They are full of evil, cruel, bandit, whiny, and evil spirits, and they are ashamed of this great era of vicissitudes.

China's economy has climbed to the fifth and sixth floors, but the "superstructure" is still nestled in the basement. This is a prominent but inconspicuous contradiction in Chinese society.In the world's cultural production chain, China is now quite low-end. Every blockbuster film has to create a new beauty to send to Cannes and Venice, which is the lowest end of the production chain.A truly high-end cultural product is to form our own ideals and beliefs, social relations, lifestyles, development paths, and aesthetic standards.With these things, foreigners come to learn Buddhist scriptures instead of prostitutes.Therefore, to establish great ambitions, enhance soft power, improve society, rebuild people's hearts, and promote the upgrading of cultural and artistic products should be an important task for Chinese society, especially the cultural and ideological circles, in the next few years.These so-called big names now occupy the largest resources, and whenever they make a little rubbish, they use their powerful funds and power to operate the media and deceive the whole people to subscribe.For Chinese culture to truly revive, these "leading figures" in culture and art must either correct their evil ways or be laid off.They are the products of social culture and social psychology in the past 30 years, and they have completed their historical mission.If China doesn’t move forward, it’s enough, and if Chinese literature and art don’t move upwards, it’s enough. If they want to move forward, just relying on these people, with their prodigal appearance, walking at the head of the team will definitely delay things.

Where are the resources for solving this problem?Let's not talk about culture first, but first look at the system.Today's literature and art system is roughly divided into three parts: one is government agencies, the other is the commercial market, and the other is civil society. The high-speed development of the economy makes the government rich, and it spends money lavishly, often tens of millions for a party, and several million for organizing an "International Symposium on Literature and Art".Those national academies and organizing committees give people the impression that they have nothing but money—it’s not necessarily that they are particularly rich, but that they can’t produce decent things even if they have money.So much taxpayer money was spent by them to set up so many awards, so many judges were invited, so many banquets were set up, and so many mountains and rivers were inspected, but in the end, did the spilled RMB produce something?In fact, the problem is not with the artists, nor with the troupe leaders, they are all worthy of sympathy.At the root of the problem is the growing rigidity of a system with no ambitions, where the more money is allocated, the worse things get done.If you say that he took the money and didn’t do anything, then you must be wronging him, and if you say that he has done less work, you are wronging him, but if you say that he has done nothing, then you are not wronging him.They used RMB to build a rainbow bridge and piled up "today is a good day", without any energy and courage of self-criticism and self-vigilance, making the literature and art of a nation's soul construction reduced to nail polish or essence.Many parts of literature and art need money, but the most precious and core part of literature and art has nothing to do with money. It does not come from being rich, but from suffering.

If the national academies have nothing but money, then the commercial market has nothing but money.It turns out that many people think that as long as there is a marketization, all artistic problems will be solved.In the past seven or eight years, I have observed dramas and movies, but I really haven't noticed it. What I have seen is that it is getting worse and worse.Those commercial blockbusters that are in line with Hollywood, such as Golden Armor and Promise, are really rubbish in a brocade box.Any of them set off a media frenzy, and any of them became the laughing stock of the world.The results of the marketization of drama theaters in recent years have also come out: the on-stage and off-stage groups in each theater are like organizing mutual aid groups. You teach me to be boring, and I will help you to be nasty.The most popular one is love and funny, because the input is low and the output is high.The actor was so close to stepping off the stage that one person held down an audience to do the tickling job.Over the years, the audience has been almost transformed into a theater animal that can only laugh.I remember watching a play in a big theater once. The sense of humor on the stage was terrible, but the ticklish meat off the stage was very developed. The audience was so happy that they almost smashed the back of the chair up.Sometimes it is obvious that the stage is a tragedy, and it is reasonable to cry, but the audience must laugh, laughing so hard that the actors and directors can't laugh or cry.So at least for now, the market can't afford to take on the important task of rebuilding Chinese literature and art.However, TV dramas seem to have entered a virtuous circle now, showing a positive side of the market.

I am more optimistic about the third piece - civil society.Civil society is not only non-governmental organizations, but also includes many relationships, associations and activities that are not relatively stable and do not need to apply for registration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.If you go to the park on weekends, the common people will sing and dance by themselves, they will jump up when they sing, and they will join in when they watch it. The atmosphere is much more enjoyable than that of the National Center for the Performing Arts.At present, the Internet is actually the largest civil society in China.The social implication of blogging is that everyone runs newspapers and magazines.The day when everyone runs a TV station is coming soon.How many personal blogs, forums, MSN, and QQ have formed large and small circles, and they are constantly poking their heads out, moving from virtual to reality.Those who write poetry, take pictures, talk about movies, exchange music, there are almost a lot of traditional life categories, and it has also created those that are not traditional, and many of them have nothing to do with the market, and they are not related to the propaganda department. The more people, the higher the level.In the past ten years or so, the Internet has really liberated a lot of cultural and artistic creativity and productivity.Let’s talk about the modernization of traditional literature and art.In those years, the couplets written by Wang Pei and the allegro written by Wang Xiaoshan on the Internet are so lively and natural, which is really amazing.This is the literature and art of civil society, which is more dynamic than the state and more soulful than the market.The spontaneous art of the masses does not care about the market share, nor does it compete for the Golden Rooster and Golden Egg Award. It does not need to jump over the wall to make itself look like a monster in order to become a blockbuster, but it shows a profound calmness and elegance.I used to see the calligraphy and paintings left by her ancestors at my friends. They were all used by literati to entertain each other, and they were not comparable to those pretending calligraphers and painters.Ordinary people are not in that way, do not eat that food, and are not controlled by that, so they are more likely to be close to the two realms of art: freedom and nature-look how high the literary level of some text messages is.The involvement of civil society in the arts and literature has been ongoing over the years.Let’s talk about popular music. There are many timbres like Cui Jian’s and Tian Zhen’s voices, which were originally not in the “stream”, but they have developed and grown in the world of civic art. In the end, the system had to expand and revise its own “aesthetics”. Open the door and invite people in.People are also a world, and if you lock people out of the house, it is actually equivalent to locking yourself in the house.The participation of the masses on the Internet has led to a great democracy in literature and art, like "A Murder Caused by a Steamed Bun", like many very innovative works, which have formed competition and pressure on official and commercial literature and art.As a third aspect, although it is still in the stage of rebellion and riots, with considerable side effects, the general trend of civil society participation in shaping the future of Chinese literature and art is obvious. Although the copycat version of the Spring Festival Gala in 2009 was aborted, it was a clear signal.

By no means do I mean to belittle the state and the market, and to treat civil society as a panacea.In fact, all three have their own characteristics.It's just a feature, and it's an advantage if it's used properly, and it's a disadvantage if it's too much.A more ideal and realistic pattern should be to let the state, the market, and civil society stand at the same time, let them develop their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and form a mixed literature and art system of healthy competition and cooperation.Ordinarily, these three things are currently coexisting, but the current social guidance theory does not regard the mixed system as a long-term home, but a temporary store—maybe it is the bed of the wild mandarin duck in the room in the hair salon. .Those who stand on the side of the capital, they are thinking about "big capital and small government", and they hope that China will be transformed into a Zhonghua Corporation.The official said: What do you think?I was also the chairman of the company when I changed the company. Now everyone should practice calling the secretary "boss".Judging from countless cases, the relationship between officials and businessmen is really boring nowadays, either they are working together, or you eat it and I destroy it.How can this work?So we hope that civil society will join in and make a good start.I think of the National College Student Drama Festival in those years. The Drama Association funded 300,000 yuan. They managed it like a public welfare fund, and borrowed market methods for marketing. One month, tens of thousands of dollars were left at the end.Integrity, efficiency, mass participation, self-actualization, you name it.This seemingly insignificant matter has another level of significance, that is, civil society has improved the government, borrowed from the market, and formed a benign relationship among the three.

Set up big ambitions, abandon small Yin flavor China should have big goals and big aspirations, not small chanting and small sentiments.Chinese elites, especially political and cultural elites, should establish this awareness. Back then, when Mao Zedong led a hundred people to Jinggang in the Autumn Harvest Uprising, they relied on big goals and big ambitions. Without these things, this small group of people would disappear in a single turn in the maelstrom of modern times, and they would not even take a chance. . "Zhang Xueliang's Memoirs" said that the Northern Expeditionary Army was invincible, defeating Zhili and Fengli.One day, Marshal Zhang asked the young marshal to discuss this matter, and the marshal said: Little six, I don’t understand, we want guns and guns, we want guns and cannons, and we have the only German mountain artillery regiment, bomb them If not, it's over...why can't it be bombarded?The young marshal said: Dad, we have guns and cannons, we have German mountain artillery regiments, but have you ever thought about it?People have the Three Principles of the People, but we don't!The general refused to accept: "Three People's Principles" are a joke, I still have "Five People's Principles"!Two days later, the marshal called the young marshal again: "Little six, you are right!"We really lack the "Three People's Principles" or something.I haven't had enough sorghum stubble in the Northeast, so let's withdraw! What are the "Three People's Principles"?It is a big goal, a big ambition, a big right and wrong!With these, there will be popular support, strength, and direction. Those local warlords will not succeed if they are not convinced, so the Kuomintang has risen all the way.The Communist Party has also risen, relying on the wind of world socialism aroused by the two world wars and the economic crisis of the 1930s.I met an old lady in Chaoyang District a few days ago. She is 95 years old. She still runs a school, writes calligraphy, and carves paper-cuts without wearing glasses. She is really an old fairy.She was the first curator of the Chaoyang District Cultural Center after liberation, and she studied education at Fu Jen Catholic University.After liberation, she said that she opened the door at six o’clock in the morning—the “revolution” had gone, and opened the door at nine o’clock in the evening—the “revolution” came back, went to the factory, went to the grassroots, day and night.There were many people in that era who risked their lives regardless of the cost, and the result quickly changed the poor and white face of the country.With big goals, people's mental state is different, and they can walk with flexibility.There is no big goal, neither east nor west, and people will slack off when they walk around.When it came to the "Cultural Revolution", the old lady said, if it's broken, the traitor must be in power, or why all the good people I admire have become bad people?Forget the revolution, go home.The great aspirations and goals set by the Chinese revolution for the Chinese people declined when the "Cultural Revolution" flourished, and the morale of the people was squandered by rebellion, collusion, struggle, criticism and reform.In the later period of the "Cultural Revolution", the whole atmosphere began to slump, and society began to use small sentiments to rebound ultra-left politics."Boat Song" played by Hawaiian guitar and sung by Ms. Liu Shufang are very popular among young people.Ms. Liu's words "My little baby! Ah! My baby!" had an impact on the listener, using the lyrics of a revolutionary historical song at that time, that is, "Down one, and take one prisoner." After the end of the "Cultural Revolution", Comrade Xiaoping judged the situation and made historic adjustments to the big goals and ambitions - he understood that it would not work without big goals.He said, let’s put aside the matter of liberating all mankind for a while, let’s talk about a short-term and practical one—the national economy will be quadrupled, everyone’s wallet will be doubled, and the first and then the second must be paid!At that time, a singer and movie star like Liu Xiaoqing could earn an extra 50 cents a day, and he felt like he was living in a fairy tale.Therefore, regardless of the goal of drumming first and then drumming, and letting the wallet bulge before drumming up, one "drum" and one "first" have indeed given ordinary Chinese people a great boost. Drum first".Of course, this goal has a price, and the price comes from the distance between the successors.According to Comrade Xiaoping's original vision, everyone is still in the same marathon square, and there is at most ten or eight steps away from each other.I didn't expect that just halfway through the run, I would travel several miles back and forth, and the people behind couldn't even see the back of the front. People who couldn't see the back would be desperate, and accidents might happen.In addition, this goal has a limitation. The limitation lies in the numbers on the "one" and "two" drums. This kind of digital goal, even if it is "seven" and "eight", is still relatively easy to achieve .Ease of implementation is certainly an advantage, but it is also a disadvantage.If it is too easy to achieve, people will easily enter the state of being full of wine and food, and the state of being full of wine and food will easily lead to the behavior of walking birds in cages and visiting the Eight Great Alleys.Today’s elites repeat those words over and over again when they encounter old classmates: “I have a car, I have a house, and I have everything. Refresh yourself." In short, the listlessness and decay of the elite shows that the existing goals should be adjusted.If you don't adjust, you can't lift your spirits, enter the state, and can't gather strength.The Chinese nation still needs to take a step forward in the history of world civilization. It needs motivation, and motivation comes from goals.

Now there are two paths of decay: one is the post-modernism going to the West; the other is the Peony Pavilion of the declining nobles.Because they are all poor people, there is nothing else to follow, only one is the foreign decay, and the other is the original decay, that is, the road of Peony Pavilion. China should become a society with multiple values. There should be space for mediocrity, heresy, and even decadent things. A healthy society should be like this.Let them fall in love with homosexuality and bisexuality; run naked to find a place with few people and let them go; like Dr. Li Yinhe who described "sadomasochism" exquisitely, it's okay, just don't make it too loud.People with special hobbies close the bedroom door, close the curtains, use small whips, small knives, and small handcuffs to learn techniques and innovate aesthetics. As long as they are willing to fight and suffer without killing people, society should not interfere with them.But in the same way, they don't need to keep selling that set of things to the public who don't have this hobby, saying that this is called "advanced culture", which is so beautiful and high-end!The mainstream of society cannot go with them, and it will be over if you go to China with them.China still has to go up, and going up depends on the feet of nature, not on small feet——"Cai Fei Lu" records that the ancients played with small feet, and they also played "Aesthetics".China has such a large population, historical scale, and civilized scale. Now that it has entered the history of the world, you have to do something big, or you will be out of the game.

Today's writers and artists, from a personal point of view, are mostly quite imaginative and interesting.But so many years of world outlook, human nature and aesthetics have taught them that anyone with big goals and ambitions is either a fool or a lunatic.So they worked hard on "shrinking the body" - almost shrinking the upper body, leaving only the two parts of the head.Let's just talk about "dirty words", the old learn from the young, and the men learn from the women. You chase each other and see who can turn their mouth into an anus first.As a result, they really became fools, lunatics and bastards in the eyes of ordinary people.Which child wants to engage in literature and art, the parents are not in a hurry to fly over the wall!

Zhang Wenmu has a very good saying: the rise of the individual can only be achieved with the rise of the nation.The relationship between an individual and a nation is that of a kite following the wind.If the national wind is strong, the kite will go up at once.There is no wind in the sky, and you can only run out of breath by pulling a small string, and you can only run with a relatively second- and third-level wind, and the kite is only five or six meters high.So for us, we must establish the great ambition of the Chinese nation and make greater contributions to mankind!