This director lacks vision.

Chapter 364 The Romance of the Chinese
After Li Hong and Zhu Jun went on stage to begin reciting their lines, Meng Ziyi said, "I heard from my cousin that the show 'National Beauty and Splendor' cost a lot of money."

The costumes of the Four Beauties and their backup dancers were all meticulously researched and customized according to the clothing characteristics of the pre-Qin, Western Han, Eastern Han and Tang dynasties, combined with modern aesthetics.

These clothes alone cost millions.

There was also the stage design and visual effects, as well as a mobile stage built specifically for the show. My cousin also wrote four songs for the show.

"Wow, this treatment is amazing..."

The more Meng Ziyi talked, the more bitter she felt; she also wanted to play one of the Four Beauties.

All the women present thought the same way, especially Tong Liya, who had little status among the Four Beauties.

This made them even more unhappy.

Yang Mi was the most upset. She said, "I've played Wang Zhaojun before, but Jiang Yifeng won't even let me go on stage!"
This is too much!

Even if I can't play Wang Zhaojun, I'm sure I can play Yang Guifei, right? My surname is Yang too, and I'm more voluptuous than Fan Bingbing in a strapless top!

At this point, Yang Mi proudly puffed out her chest!

Liu Jicun had just been rebuffed by Yang Mi, and now he seized the opportunity to retaliate.

She retorted teasingly, "Isn't Tong Liya your good friend? She got to play one of the Four Beauties of ancient China, you should be happy for her, right?"

Yang Mi: "..."

Tong Liya is indeed the biggest beneficiary of the "National Beauty" program. In the future, it will be known that she is one of the Four Beauties, a great beauty who can rival Fan Bingbing, Liu Yifei, and Jing Tian.

The key point is that her performance on the show was flawless; she portrayed Diao Chan exceptionally well, and she has every reason to boast.

In fact, this performance can be seen as Jiang Yifeng's compensation to Tong Liya.

After all, Chen Sicheng's "Detective Chinatown" is about to start filming, and Dilraba Dilmurat has been cast as the female lead.

Because of Jiang Yifeng, Tong Liya lost some roles.

Hearing Liu Jicun's words, Yang Mi stubbornly replied, "Of course I'm happy for Yaya!"

Liu Jicun then asked, "Do you think you can replace Sister Jingtian? Or Liu Yifei and Fan Bingbing?"

Yang Mi was speechless when asked the question.

She certainly believed she could do it, but she couldn't say it publicly.

Qin Lan came to the rescue, saying, "Ya Ya was lucky. It was because Na Zha suddenly didn't want to play Diao Chan anymore, otherwise it wouldn't have been her turn."

Meng Ziyi analyzed, "I think Nazha doesn't want to be suppressed by Sister Qianqian, after all, Xi Shi is the first of the Four Beauties."

Gao Yuanyuan understood Jiang Yifeng best. She smiled and said, "The performance is over, there's no point in discussing these things anymore."

Since Comrade Xiao Jiang spent millions on custom-made clothes, these clothes will definitely be useful in the future.

It's perfectly normal for the Four Beauties to have five or even six members.

"If you still want to play one of the Four Beauties, you can go and talk to him."

Once the head butler spoke, the topic was dropped.

The children's martial arts program "Heroes Have Emerged Since Ancient Times" is being broadcast on television. It is performed by the Shanlu Lai State Martial Arts School Performance Troupe and was selected by the Spring Festival Gala program team.

Following this program was the grand chorus of "Glory and Dream" performed by the Zongzheng Song and Dance Troupe.

This was followed by the skit "Code Name Big Ben" and the stage play "Red-Haired Girl".

Although "Code Name Big Ben" is called a sketch comedy, its structure is different from traditional sketch comedy. It is more of a combination of manzai style and sketch comedy form.

The show is packed with jokes, delivers strong emotions, and is quite abstract.

Bai Ke's passionate rant and Qiao Shan's feigned ignorance made the audience at the scene and in front of the TV burst into laughter.

Although some viewers did not like this sketch format, they could feel the novelty of the program.

After all, we've seen too many traditional sketches, so changing things up occasionally can be a big plus.

As for Chi Ling, Jiang Yifeng adapted it into a stage play, combining theatrical and spoken drama forms. It tells the story of a theatrical troupe that refused to perform for the Japanese during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and in the end burned down the theater and perished together with the Japanese.

Although the entire series is only 8 minutes long, the story is complete, the characters are vivid, and the emotions are very infectious.

"One act ends, another begins; do not mock romantic dramas, do not laugh at people's absurdity~"
I've asked about the changing times, and I've sung the praises of rise and fall with resounding voices. The truth is ruthless, the truth is compassionate—how can one fathom it all?

When Li Yunxiao, dressed in red, sang opera amidst the flames until he was completely engulfed by the fire, many audience members shed tears.

Everyone was applauding the Spring Festival Gala performances, but then came the singing by Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, followed by a duet between Liu Huan and Sophie Marceau, and the quality of the program suddenly dropped.

Viewers have noticed that this year's Spring Festival Gala is in a state of flux.

One moment they surprise everyone beyond their expectations, like watching the Spring Festival Gala, and the next they revert to the traditional Spring Festival Gala, with all the same old programs.

Moreover, although the entire gala had the theme of "Water benefits all things, and success is achieved in no time," the programs were rather fragmented and not connected.

Jiang Yifeng couldn't do anything about this.

His ideas and principles are good.

However, the Spring Festival Gala has many programs arranged by higher authorities, and it's impossible to do everything according to Jiang Yifeng's wishes.

The insertion of these programs will inevitably disrupt the integrity of the gala's theme.

Jiang Yifeng originally envisioned starting with Jingwei filling the sea, using the Chinese people's efforts in water management as the main theme, connecting the past and present, and performing the program according to the timeline.

However, the program arranged by the higher-ups didn't fit in at all, and Jiang Yifeng didn't insist.

Of course, some of the programs Jiang Yifeng created were quite lighthearted and superficial.

For example, the song "Learn to Meow" sung by the second generation of Produce 101 members.

Let's learn to meow together, meow meow meow meow~
"Let me act all cute and affectionate with you, oh meow meow meow meow~"

Six beautiful young girls, dressed in pink tutu skirts and cat ears, sang "meow meow meow" while performing various adorable dance moves. They were so cute it was almost unfair.

Although the song "Learn to Meow" is very childish, the average age of the second-generation members of Produce 101 is 15 years old, so this type of song is very suitable for them.

Imitating a cat's meow is also widely praised.

Seeing this, Wang Churan felt very sad, while Liu Jicun laughed happily, even joking that Wang Churan had won without lifting a finger—the other members of the girl group had made "Learn to Meow" a hit, and Wang Churan had gained a signature song without lifting a finger.

Wang Churan didn't want this kind of easy win at all. She was very angry, but she couldn't think of a point to refute Liu Yicun, so she had to endure it for the time being.

The gala continued to play, and the subsequent programs, including the Three Gorges epic drama, the skit "To Help or Not to Help," and "Eighty-One Tribulations," also gave the audience a great surprise.

At 11:45 p.m., after Zhang Minmin finished singing "My Chinese Dream," the Spring Festival Gala began its last program before midnight.

This is also the grand finale of this year's Spring Festival Gala - "Song of Asking the Moon in the Nine Heavens - Chang'e Flying to the Moon".

After all, there's a saying that if the Spring Festival Gala starts after midnight, it's not really the Spring Festival Gala anymore; the later programs are considered rather perfunctory.

After Sa Beining and Dong Qing introduced the program, program information appeared in the lower left corner of the television.

"Song and Dance Recitation: Song of Asking the Moon from the Nine Heavens - Chang'e Flying to the Moon, Performers: Yan Danchen, Sichuan Children's Choir, China Song and Dance Troupe..."

The lights went out, leaving only the moon hanging high in the sky.

This moon, composed of over 100 LED screens and rendered with AR visual effects, is large, round, and emits a warm, yellowish halo, making it exceptionally beautiful.

Beneath the moon, Yan Danchen wore a flowing robe that resembled an underwater celestial being, looking like a fairy.

Both Yan Danchen and Liu Yicun won the Best Actress award at Cannes, but Yan Danchen received much better treatment.

Wang Churan seized the opportunity and began to mock Liu Jicun.

Liu Jicun did not respond because the program had started.

A melodious and graceful piece of traditional Chinese music began to play.

Chang'e began to dance gracefully.

A dozen seconds later, Chang'e gracefully took off and flew to the moon, transforming into a beautiful woman under the moon tree, motionless.

At the same time, silhouettes of a group of children appeared beneath the moon, and they began to recite in unison.

"The jade plate hangs on the roof beam. The jade plate shines brightly, its light is dazzling."

Profit or loss, visibility or concealment.

On top of Xuan and on bottom of string, its state is impermanent.

What did the jade plate hold, and what joyous feasts were once held there?
Where is the jade plate? Tears of parting flow endlessly.
What sound does the jade plate evoke, a song that has lasted for a hundred years?
Poems passed down through the ages, joy and laughter forever.

This recitation imitates the format of the Book of Songs, and when paired with the melody of an ancient-style song, it sounds quite charming.

As the children recited in unison, the moon began to transform into a "jade plate," or rather, a jade mirror.

In the mirror, Chang'e moved again, dancing in the moon palace.

The scenes begin to shift: the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine, Wu Gang chopping down the cassia tree, Qu Yuan questioning the moon… Li Bai's Quiet Night Thoughts… Su Shi's Prelude to Water Melody…

From mythology to history, it's all about the stories of the ancient Chinese people about the moon.

The program, through poetry recitations and scenes from the jade mirror, created a connection between the modern and the ancient, allowing the audience to experience the romance and aesthetics of the ancients, as well as their obsession with and emotions towards the moon.

"The cool light of the jade plate shines on my heart."

The moonlight was bright and clear, like a pool of water.

The boy looked up, gazing at the vast expanse.

I wish to ride a crane and ascend straight to the heavens.

What answer does the jade plate give? Where is the celestial palace?
Where will the saint return? The journey is long and arduous.
When will the boy cross the ten thousand mountains?
The Milky Way shines brightly, its path is radiant.

The light of the jade plate shines into my heart.

The moonlight was bright and clear, like a pool of water.

The boy brushes away the frost, the journey home is not yet over.

"Reaching for the stars and carrying the moon, I return to my homeland."

After the recitation ended, the image of the ancient people and the moon in the jade mirror also came to an end.

The camera pulls up from the "Jade Mirror of the Moon" and returns to the Spring Festival Gala stage.

The children to the lower left of the full moon also turned around.

The camera panned to them, and this time it wasn't a poetry recitation, but rather singing as the music progressed.

"Jade plate, jade plate, why do you hang on the roof?"
Jade plate, jade plate, why do you offer up silver light for nothing?
"Jade plate, jade plate, why do you sometimes flaunt yourself and sometimes hide, sometimes appear thin and sometimes plump!"

As the song progresses, the camera zooms in on the moon again.

This time, the story in the jade mirror has moved to the modern era.

This is an animated short film about China's aerospace industry made by Jiang Yifeng.

A little boy's childhood dream was to go to the moon. He studied hard and joined the aerospace project team, but encountered technical gaps and a shortage of funds.

When they finally overcame numerous difficulties to launch the rocket, they encountered the Long March 3B accident, and the rocket crashed and exploded 22 seconds after liftoff.

The accident caused heavy losses.

Moreover, this rocket launch was broadcast live to the public, yet such an accident occurred, which is a very heavy blow to the reputation of China's aerospace industry.

The dream of landing on the moon has hit a low point, and after the first verse of the song "Jade Plate" is sung, the interlude begins.

The story is clearly about lows and setbacks, but the music is even more exciting than before.

dong dong!dong dong!
The synchronized drumbeats were exhilarating.

Some people say that the song "Jade Plate" is a song from the Hongwu Zheng Yun period, but that's a bit of a stretch.

However, the lyrics of this song do indeed adopt the classical poetic structure of harmonious tones and perfect parallelism. Some rhyming words, such as "盘", "漫", and "汉", conform to the open-vowel characteristics of the "Hanshan rhyme group" in the Hongwu Zhengyun.

This feature creates a strong sense of solemnity and imposing presence.

In the second verse of the song, Jiang Yifeng intensified the drumming and incorporated the harmonies of young drummers, enhancing the overall momentum of the song.

This creates a progressive effect in the song's emotions, making the listener feel that hope is bursting forth from a desperate situation!

Whenever children sing war songs, it is the most perilous moment for the Chinese nation!
"Jade plate, jade plate, does the heavenly palace hold the answer?"
Jade plate, jade plate, when will the Great Sage return from his pilgrimage?
Jade plate, jade plate, when will that child cross the myriad mountains in the heavens?
"Long, long, long... towards the Milky Way..."

The singing became even more magnificent and resounding, but the camera did not return to the jade mirror; instead, it focused on the Spring Festival Gala venue.

People really want to see more animated short films, to see the protagonist overcome setbacks and succeed, but there aren't any.

The audience's emotions were temporarily suppressed.

The children split into two groups: one group recited the poems softly, while the other group sang "Jade Plate" loudly.

The singing, accompanied by the recitation, became more layered, and the emotions continued to build.

"Jade plate, jade plate, light in my heart~ Moonlight, moonlight, so bright~"
Jade plate, jade plate, that child has been freed from the frost of time; let me gather the stars for him and take him back to his homeland~
"Jade plate, jade plate, hey! Jade plate~~"

With the final "Hey! Jade Plate," the camera suddenly zooms in.

The large moon at the scene became clearer and clearer, no longer a hazy jade plate, but with many more textures and details, becoming more and more realistic.

This scene is like stepping from mythology into reality; the moon we imagined has finally become the shape of an astronomical celestial body.

On this astronomical celestial body, the Chang'e-3 lunar probe landed.

There is a Chinese slogan on the probe: "Reach for the moon in the heavens and capture turtles in the deep sea, let myths become reality."

The camera lingered on the slogan for two seconds before the program ended.

Jiang Yifeng did not tell how Chinese aerospace engineers succeeded in the animated short film. He omitted the process and only used the last shot to tell everyone that Chang'e 3 landed on the moon, showing the greatest romance of the Chinese people - turning myth into reality.

This also allows the audience to save their emotions for the final explosion, creating the best program effect.

Upon seeing this, Wang Churan and Liu Jicun exchanged a glance.

I felt a chill run down my spine, and the emotions I had been suppressing exploded completely.

The live stream chat was also filled with comments like "Holy crap, it's taking off!" and "Awesome!"

The Spring Festival Gala venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Some audience members even stood up involuntarily!

This year's Spring Festival Gala began with "Underwater Flying Dance - Jingwei Filling the Sea," paying tribute to China's five thousand years of history and civilization, and ended with "Song of Asking the Moon in the Nine Heavens - Chang'e Flying to the Moon," paying tribute to the development achievements of modern China through its aerospace achievements.

Although there were some flaws in the transitions between the programs, the entire gala still managed to create a cohesive beginning and end, and had a complete structure.

It not only upgrades the stage design and visuals with visual effects technology, but also showcases the profound heritage and connotation of Chinese culture.

The vast majority of viewers genuinely enjoyed the show.

Seeing the enthusiastic applause from the audience, Jiang Yifeng felt quite proud. He had done his best and was satisfied with the result of this year's Spring Festival Gala.

Not only Jiang Yifeng, but the entire Spring Festival Gala production team could feel the success of this year's gala.

So a strange scene appeared at this year's Spring Festival Gala—the audience applauded for a very long time.

The main reason is that the host is about to announce the New Year, and the live broadcast delay needs to be adjusted.

This year's Spring Festival Gala live broadcast was delayed by one minute, and the adjustment time was even longer.

Just then, the audience applauded enthusiastically, so everyone took the opportunity to extend the performance a little longer, which was also a tribute and affirmation to Jiang Yifeng and this year's Spring Festival Gala.

This inadvertently created a memorable scene—the Spring Festival Gala audience applauded for half a minute.

Time passed, and the six hosts took the stage to speak, beginning the New Year's Eve countdown.

After the time announcement, there will be some song and dance performances, mainly to create a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Yifeng ignored the programs and went to the lounge to rest for a while.

(End of this chapter)