TV show brings beauty of language to fore
Print Edition
FOR TV audiences across China, the keywords reserved for Chinese entertainment and reality shows are usually “vulgar, nonsense and low taste.”
And as if that was not enough, there have been even talks over their authenticities as the scripts are often set to achieve the maximum effect on the screen, stirring huge controversies.
But this image of reality shows is expected to be broken down through “Letters Alive,” a new semi-theatrical show based on the format of the UK televised show “Letters Live” that is inspired by Shaun Usher’s bestselling anthologies “Letters of Note.”
The early episodes of the Chinese version received a record score of 9.3 out of 10 on the film and TV review website Douban in December, based on the ratings of more than 1,600 viewers.
Letters penned by celebrities ages ago are reinterpreted by today’s stars, giving people the magical effect of the enduring power of literary correspondence.
The show, aired on Heilongjiang Satellite TV on Saturdays, is also presented on v.qq.com. It is produced by Television Media whose credits include “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition” and “Chinese Idiom Congress.”
The last two shows encouraged contestants to write Chinese characters by hand and guess the idioms. They managed to revive the appreciation of Chinese characters in an age when more and more people tend to use the computer and write less.
In “Letters Live,” Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of BBC’s “Sherlock,” read Chris Barker’s love letter to Bessie Moore, a romance that blossomed in the midst of World War II. Celebrated actor Ian McKellen read a touching coming-of-age letter of a young man to his parents, while actor Tom Hiddleston read a letter from naturalist Gerald Durrell to his wife.
In the Chinese version “Letters Alive,” actors Zhang Hanyu, Zhang Guoli, Lin Gengxin and Jiang Qinqin have been invited to read the letters of well-known Chinese celebrities.
Veteran Taiwan actress Kuei Ya-lei impressed the audience by reading a letter from folk singer Tsai Chin which she had written in memory of her late husband Edward Yang.
Yang, a well-known filmmaker, had 10 years of sexless marriage with Tsai. The letter reveals her complicated feelings about her husband and details about their love story.
Actress Jiang Qinqin read Lin Huiyin’s farewell letter to her lover Xu Zhimo, a poet. Lin, a writer herself and the first female architect in modern China, fell in love with Xu but the letter said that she couldn’t hurt the feelings of Xu’s wife.
Lin later married Liang Sicheng, who is referred to as the “father of modern Chinese architecture.” The couple spent the rest of their lives restoring ancient buildings.
Actor Lin Gengxin read the first preserved “letter to home” in Chinese history. The letter was written on wooden tablets by soldiers of the Qin State in 233 BC during the Warring State Period. It depicted the cruelty of the war and the young soldiers’ longing for family.
Ever since the show’s debut in December, “Letters Alive” has been hailed by netizens who found it inspiring and touching.
A netizen, Manibeimeihong, said the show brought to fore the beauty of Chinese language and culture. The time-honored stories made it possible for them to return to the past.
Netizen Huachinvwang said the show had a simple format and didn’t need excessive modification. However, it boasts an inherent power of words, culture and history. Compared with noisy variety or game shows, she was delighted to “Letters Alive.”
The show also tests the readers’ recitation skills, drawing applause from audiences who cheer for both the readers and the letter writers.
“Letters Alive” is a welcome change from the superficial and vulgar shows that lacked authenticity.
A forum organized by Yangli Investment about domestic entertainment questioned the industry’s cultural roots and influences.
Xiao Shiming, a film and TV expert from Lujiazui Finance and Television Alliance, said the success of Hollywood productions demonstrated the importance of contents. A good show, he said, tells good stories and spreads cultural values. The success of “Letters Alive” is largely attributed to the unknown stories that highlighted the charm of Chinese culture and words.
Industry insiders said “techniques” or “tricks” used by entertainment TV to lure audiences were gradually losing their appeal. These “tricks” included exaggerated stories about contestants and special presentation techniques. Audiences today are becoming more sophisticated and sensitive about a show’s authenticity.
Last year, Hunan Satellite TV’s popular army-life reality series “Takes A Real Man” was criticized by one of its contestants — Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang — because the show’s script required him and other celebrities to “act.”
“I used to be deeply moved by the stories of the singing contestants, but later I found out that some of the stories were fabricated,” says Lisa Ni, a local administrative worker. “It made me look like a fool. Variety shows should be produced with real emotions and stories.”
Professor Wu Gang, a TV expert from East China Normal University, says sincerity was the basis of a good variety show.
“A successful program can touch people’s hearts and memories, as well as their reflection on life and the world around them,” Professor Wu says. “In the future, shows with historical and cultural insights are more likely to impress people.”
“Letters Alive”
Heilongjiang Satellite TV, 9:20pm, Saturdays
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