“Becausetheyareidealmodelsforelegance,”repliedanother.“Forinstance,twodiscriptionsofthesamesettingsuncouldbetotallydifferent:Thosewithancientverseinmindmightsay,‘Theautumnriversharesascenichuewiththevastsky;Theeveningglowparallelswithalonelyducktofly.’Comparethattowhatsomeonewithouteducationwouldsay:‘Wow!Somanybirds!Beautiful!Gorgeous!’”
SuchexchangesbecamecommononlinesoonafterChinesePoetryConference,agameshowbyCCTV,premiered.Contrastingmostrealityandvarietyshows,theprogramfeaturescompetitionsrelatedtocontestants’understandingandmasteryofancientChinesepoetry.Fewexpectedtheshowtogetsuchgoodratings.ViewershavebeenawedbytheencyclopedicmindsofcompetitorswhileenjoyingtheextensivenessandprofundityoftraditionalChineseculture.Theshow’ssuccesshasinspiredanoutburstofancientChinesepoetryrecitationacrossthecountry.
Primary-schoolstudentschantancientChinesepoems.CFPRatingsKing
At8:00p.m.onFebruary7,2017,theSeason1finaleofChinesePoetryConferenceairedonCCTV.After90minutesoffiercecompetition,16-year-oldhigh-schoolstudentWuYishuoutlastedtheothercompetitorsandtookthecrown.
Theon-screencompetitionwasfierce,andevenviewersathomewereontheedgesoftheirseats.WeChatuserscompetedsimultaneously,andthemobilewinnerbestedover200,000rivals.
Statisticstestifytotheshow’ssuccess.SurveysfromCoolCloud,aChinesebigdataanalysiscompany,showthatonFebruary7,theaudienceratingofChinesePoetryConferencefinalehit15.9percent,5percentagepointshigherthantheshowbehindit.Acrosstwomonthsofairtime,theshowattractedmorethanabillionviewers.
NotonlyhaschampionWuYishubecomeacelebrity,but5,000-year-oldChineseculturehasbeenrejuvenatedonline.“AsChinaembracestheso-called‘snackculture,'thehumorontheinternetisworldsawayfromtheprofundityofclassicalpoetry,”sighedonenetizen.“Readersaretoooftenlookingforaquickbuckandfailingtoupgradeandnourishthemselveswithpoetry.ChinesePoetryConference,however,gavemepassionandinspiredmetopursueinformationthatismuchdeeperthantheday’strendingtopics.”
CulturalExcavation
BeforeChinesePoetryConference,CCTVhadproducedahandfulofsimilarculturalvarietyshowssuchasChineseRiddles,ChineseIdioms,andDictationofChineseCharacters,whichwereallhighlyacclaimed.
DuringthefirstseasonofChinesePoetryConference,LettersAlive,anotherculturalvarietyshowproducedbyHei-longjiangTV,emergedasacompetitor.Itfeaturedcelebritiesrecitinglettersbyhistoricalfiguresinsteadofsinginganddancing.Theshowfeaturedacademicsandillustrationsofthestoriesbehindtheletters,createdbyhonoredguestsandeventheaudience.
“Onethingissure:Centuries-oldChinesecultureisstillrelevantandpopular,regardlessofspecificcontent,”assertsMengMan,anassociateprofessorfromtheCollegeofHistoryandCultureunderMinzuUniversityofChina.“Despitecenturiesofhistoricalchanges,ourheartsarestillattachedtoourculture,andallthatisneededisaspark.Thepopularityofculturalvarietyshowsevidencesthehiddendemandtolearnaboutourtraditionalculture,andsuchshowsdisseminatethecultureinanentertainingwayratherthanexpoundingitmechanically,minimizingthegapbetweenthedisseminatorandtheaudience.”
WuYishu,bornin2000,tookthecrownduringtheseason2finaleofChinesePoetryConference.MaintainingtheFever
ThewaveofculturalvarietyshowsledbyChinesePoetryConferencehascaughttheattentionofChineselanguageteachersandscholars,whoaredebatingtheultimatevalueofTVshowsfortraditionalChineseculture.
“Thoseshowseffectivelyinspiremiddle-schoolstudentstobecomeinterestedinancientChinesepoetry,”remarksSiBaofeng,aseniorChineseteacherattheHighSchoolAffiliatedtoFudanUniversity.“ThroughtheTVshowChinesePoetryConference,studentsgetachancetoadmirethesublime,benevolentandpassionateaestheticsofancientChinesepoetry.”However,theteacher,whoeventeaches“AppreciationofAncientPoetry”asanelectiveclass,hasconcerns.“Theirheadscanjustfillupwithuselesswordsifteachersorparentsdon’tunderstandthetruevalueofancientpoetry.Andmemorizingandrecitingpoemsispointlessifthestudentdoesn’tunderstandtheverse.”
“Wemustbecautious,”concursHouTijian,anassociateprofessorfromtheDepartmentofChineseLanguageandLiteratureatFudanUniversity.“ChinesePoetryConferencehasplayedapositiveroleinhelpingthepublicdiscoverandapproachancientpoems.Butonlytimecantellhowlongthefeverwilllastorwhatwillhappenwithit.Fairlyoften,someelementsoftraditionalculturebecomealltherageinChina,buttheyalwaysfadebackintoobscurityrelativelyquickly.Thepointoflearningtraditionalculturepreservedbyancientpoetryistocultivatetaste.Don’tpitythosewhohavenointerestinancientpoems;pitythoseconsumedbysadness.Weshouldformulateplanstoarousegenuineinterest,whichisthebestwaytopassontheessenceofourtraditionalculture.”
TheChineseMinistryofEducationisalsowellawareoftheneedtopassonclassicalculture.InSeptember2016,revisedChineselanguagetextbooksweredistributedtoprimaryandmiddleschools,whichdevoted30percentoftheirpagestostoriesofoutstandingtraditionalChineseculture.Thebooksforgradesseventhroughnineraisethepercentageto40.Eachbookcontains14or15ancientpoems.
Furthermore,ChineseinstitutionsofhigherlearningareofferingelectiveclassesonspecificstudiesofChineseancientcivilization.TheMinistryofEducationisworkingtoreformthenationalcollegeentranceexaminationtoincreasetheweightofChineselanguageandliterature.
Mostofthenearly200photographsinthebookweretaken1,200to2,500metersabovesealevelbyGermanpilotGrafzuCastellduringhismissionsinChinafrom1933to1936.
Duringhisflightsacrossthecountry,ZuCastelltookpicturesofasmanycities,villages,rivers,andmountainsashecould.Thesephotoswereextremelypreciousinanerawhenaerialphotographywasrare.“Fromtheair,Icouldprovideabrand-newangletoshowcaseChinatoWesternerswhoknewmuchaboutthecountry,”heexplained.“AndforthosewhoknewlittleaboutChina,thesephotosmayinspirethemtolearnmoreaboutthecountry.”
Theappendixtothebookfeatures12photostakenbyaFrenchmilitaryofficerfromahotairballoonduringtheearly1920s,theoldestaerialpicturesofChina.
GrafzuCastellwasapilotforLufthansa,Germany’snationalairline.Bornin1905inBerlin,hewasappointedtodesignnewflightroutesinChinabetween1933and1936.Afterreturninghome,ZuCastelljoinedtheteamplanningaroutebetweenBerlinandKabul,thelongestofthetime.Afterretirement,hewasawardedtheFederalGermanGrandCrossbythegovernment.
TranslatorZhaoShengweigraduatedfromtheHistoryDepartmentofXiamenUniversity.Formanyyears,ZhaohasbeenengagedincollectingandpublishinghistoricalimagesofChinaaswellasFrenchandGermannewspapersandbooksdescribingChina.HismostrecentcompilationsincludeChineseHistoryLostintheWest:FrenchColorPictorialaboutChina1850-1937andtheShadowMagicseries.
China1933-1936ThroughtheLensofAGermanPilotWrittenbyGrafzuCastell(Germany),translatedbyZhaoShengwei,publishedbyTaihaiPublish-ingHouse,February2017
AkarstlandformationineasternGuangxiZhuangAutonomousRegion.Thehillsmeasuresome200to300metershighandfeaturelushvegetation.
Meishan(intoday’sJingshanPark)andtheForbiddenCity,alsoknownasthePalaceMuseum,seenfromthenorth.InChinese,meimeans“coal.”ThehillwassonamedbecauseitoncehostedawarehouseforcoalduringconstructionoftheForbiddenCityintheMingDynasty(1368-1644).
TheTempleofHeavenbuildingcomplexviewedfrom800metersintheair.TheTempleofHeavenwaswhereemperorsoftheMingandQingdynasties(1368-1911)worshippedHeavenandprayedforagoodharvest.
TheeasterncitygateofXi’anatdawn.Thegateclosesatsunsetandopensatsunrise.
Abird’s-eyeviewofXi’anfromthewest.
ThewesterncitygateofXi’an.
Xi’anatdawn.
Afortifiedvillage.Thevillageislocatedsome2,600metersabovesealevelinsouthernJingningCounty,PingliangCity,GansuProvince.Adefensenetworkwasbuilttofendoffattacksbybandits.
Aninhabitedvillage.
ThefamousTideoftheQiantangRiverinHangzhou,ZhejiangProvince.
Ruinsofavillage.
DowntownLanzhou,GansuProvince,viewedfrom600metersabove.
ThepulpitofaGermanchurchinLiangzhou,GansuProvince.ThestructurewasdestroyedbyanearthquakeonMay23,1927andreconstructedbetween1928and1932.
Paddyfieldsalongthenorthernslopeofamountain2,000metersabovesealevel,atthejunctureofGuangdongandHunanprovinces.
Acamelcaravanonapastureintoday’swesternNingxiaHuiAutonomousRegion.
ApagodausedtostoreremainsofeminentmonksinOrdos,InnerMongoliaAutonomousRegion.