Into the new era, the east is red, the creative background of the story of spring

In the early days of reform and opening up·

"Into the New Era" is a red song. The whole song is full of patriotism, the melody is full of righteousness, and the lyrics are healthy and uplifting. This song praises our great party and people in the form of lead and chorus. It has the characteristics of a lyrical song, and reflects the affectionate and affectionate love for the motherland, the people and all beautiful things! After entering the reform and opening up, the song "Into the New Era" showed us the determination and belief of the four generations of leaders of the party and the country to collectively build a modern and powerful socialist country.

"The East is Red" was an ode created during the Anti-Japanese War by the people to express their sincere gratitude to their leader, Chairman Mao Zedong, and to the Communist Party of China. Over the years, this hymn has become more popular with the liberation of the whole of China, with the gradual prosperity and strength of New China, and with the increase of people's love for Chairman Mao and the Communist Party. During the Cultural Revolution, almost everyone could sing "The East is Red" and it became "the solemn ode to the great leader Chairman Mao" and also became the de facto national anthem. The national anthem is only used when welcoming foreign guests. At major meetings and gatherings, "The East is Red" is played.

The Story of Spring

In the spring of 1992, a powerful message from the south, "The Eastern Wind Comes, Eyes Full of Spring" flew like wings across the country. In Mulin County, Heilongjiang Province, the northernmost part of China, Jiang Kairu, vice chairman of the county CPPCC who had just stepped down, was holding a newspaper and was shocked by the passionate narrative in it. Shenzhen, the small border town he passed by when visiting relatives in Hong Kong in 1979, really turned into a modern new city in the blink of an eye? One thought can no longer go away - I have to go and see, I must go and see if it is true. He really took the only 2,000 yuan at home and went south. "Spring Story" singer Dong Wenhua walked out of Shenzhen Railway Station. Jiang Kairu suddenly became confused. Isn't this Hong Kong? Looking back, I saw the two big characters "Shenzhen" clearly written on the train station building, which was Xiaoping's inscription. Oh, what a Shenzhen! Compared with the rural Shenzhen he passed through 13 years ago, it felt like a world away. If you have never seen everything wither in the harsh winter, how can you be surprised when you see the buds bloom in spring? Jiang Kairu followed the steps of the great man on the Shenzhen street where Comrade Xiaoping had just walked, and truly felt the sound of spring. There was a scene in his mind - in 1979 when he went to Hong Kong to visit relatives, Comrade Xiaoping was also in Guangdong. After listening to a report from a leading comrade of the Provincial Party Committee, he said: First find a place in Guangdong to do the business. A special economic zone, fighting for a bloody way... Jiang Kairu's heart was constantly hit hard by the words "fighting for a bloody way". He had been a soldier and knew what it meant to fight a bloody road. Xiaoping had commanded an army of millions and would never say this easily. If he said it, it would mean a last-ditch battle, bloodshed and sacrifice. Success or failure depends on this. A picture emerged in Jiang Kairu's mind at the same time: Comrade Xiaoping stood in front of the big map of China and pointed out the country, looking for a breakthrough point for China's economic development and an ideal place to establish a special economic zone. He found Shenzhen on the South China Sea. , and drew a circle at this place... As soon as this feeling came out, a song mixed with the fragrance of spring, awakening the warm cries and longing deep in the soul, flowed out like a clear spring: "The story of spring ..." In March 1994, it was another spring. The Guangdong Provincial Youth Song Composition Competition sponsored by the Provincial Youth League Committee, the Provincial Youth Federation and the Provincial Music Association set off a craze. Hundreds of participating songs flooded into the Guangdong Province. Divisions of each city. In the Shenzhen sub-division, the entry song "Spring Story" written by Jiang Kairu and composed by Wang Yougui failed. Dong Wenhua sang "The Story of Spring" Jiang Kairu and Wang Yougui were a little frustrated, but they were not willing to let the song disappear. After thinking about it, they hoped to find a master to "bring it back to life". The composer Wang Yougui thought of Ye Xuquan, then deputy director of the Dongshen Water Supply Bureau and member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Federation. This graduate of the Chinese Department of South China Normal University was already an amateur writer active in the Shenzhen poetry circle. On an ordinary day, Ye Xuquan warmly received two songwriters who came to his door rashly. In Room 420 of the Reservoir Hotel, Jiang Kairu and Wang Yougui handed the unsuccessful songs to Ye Xuquan, hoping that he could revise them and recommend them. After Ye Xuquan read the lyrics carefully, he felt confident and said, "He is indeed a good candidate. If he improves his skills, he might be able to be selected. I'll give it a try."

" At that time, Ye Xuquan had been working in Shenzhen for 14 years and could be said to be a member of the generation that grew up with the people of the Special Administrative Region. This farmer's son who grew up drinking Dongjiang water had personally experienced and witnessed the earth-shaking changes that reform and opening up had brought to the Special Administrative Region. He has a profound understanding of the changes, especially the changing face of Shenzhen after Xiaoping's southern tour in 1992. He feels that using spring to introduce and metaphor such a major political and historical event is indeed unique. However, the original work is a bit lengthy and only focuses on Shenzhen. , there are also some words that are not accurate enough and can easily cause ambiguity. In order to save this song with a new concept and good subject matter but with some "flaws", Ye Xuquan immediately started to make drastic second creations in terms of structure, concept and wording. . His principles are: streamline the structure, improve the realm, and eliminate unnecessary elements to retain the true. Simplify the structure: change the three paragraphs of the original lyrics into two paragraphs, shorten the original song that is more than 7 minutes long to about 4 and a half minutes, and eliminate the elements. The procrastination of the lyrics is conducive to the singing, and it also highlights the two historic moments. To improve the realm: in view of the disadvantage that the original lyrics only talk about Shenzhen and write about Shenzhen, the song is placed in the context of the country's reform and opening up. Modify it in the context of the great situation of reform and opening up, so that the song can be sung not only in Shenzhen but across the country. For example, the first paragraph of the original lyrics is changed to "In 1980, it was a spring, a great man set aside a special zone on the seaside of South China." For "It was a spring in 1979, an old man drew a circle on the South China Sea", the time is pushed forward one year, and the background is set immediately after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in December 1978. Based on the historical turning point of reform and opening up, the original lyrics "Ah, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, you are the experimental field of reform and opening up" were changed to "Ah, China, China, you have taken a magnificent new step and entered the spring of renewal of everything." ;Changed the original lyrics "a city rises like a myth" to "a city rises like a myth"...the idea of ??the entire song has been elevated from Shenzhen to the height of the whole of China, from a special zone to the great cause of reform and opening up, and its connotation Deepen and sublimate the realm. Eliminate errors and retain truth: Make major changes to some politically inaccurate or ambiguous words in the original lyrics, and use personification and metaphor to make them more relevant and profound. "A great man wrote a manifesto on the coast of South China" was changed to "An old man wrote a poem on the coast of South China" because it is inaccurate to use "South China" to label "South" and use "Manifesto". It is even more inappropriate to express the remarks of an old leader who has taken over. It is more appropriate to change it to "China's South China Sea" and "poetry". The original lyrics use "You broke free from the iron chains of poverty and walked into the world." "Warm but cold spring" describes the environment of socialism and reform and opening up. Words such as "iron chains" and "warm and cold again" can easily cause ambiguity and lead to wrong associations. Change it to "You have unfolded a century-old picture." "The new picture scroll, holding out the colorful spring" was correctly oriented, majestic and beautiful. After repeated deliberations, Ye Xuquan finally polished "The Story of Spring". After the second creation, the lyrics have a perfect structure and conception. Bright, precise wording, and majestic, giving it a new connotation. With new lyrics in hand, composer Wang Yougui worked hard again. This poem is a bit "funny" in the eyes of some people. For example, "It was a spring in 1979, and an old man drew a circle on the South China Sea..." There are 17 words in one sentence, which sounds like vernacular. But Wang Yougui was not swayed by these claims. He understood the lyrics with his heart and felt that such a portrait was good and brought a very important political subject to life and to the masses. The 17 words are a paragraph in the composer's mind, not a sentence. It would be difficult to write it as a musical phrase. Wang Yougui reads the lyrics of "The Story of Spring" repeatedly every day. As he reads, the feeling comes out. He found a pitch that suited the people's peaceful mind - it was not singing, it was talking, peaceful, cordial and touching. This is the musical theme of the narrative of "Spring Story". Wang Yougui uses music to turn irregular words into complete phrases, and enhances a peaceful, simple, friendly and touching style based on colloquialism. When composing the music, he also combined the beauty of the South with the roughness of the North, erasing the separate musical styles of the South or the North. It may seem like nothing, but nothing is often everything. Although it is just a song, it has an epic momentum; it talks about big themes and big characters, and at the same time, it is like common people's common words, true and delicate, making people feel like a spring breeze and feel cordial.

In the song, a picture of reform and opening up slowly unfolded, and an epoch-making event and a great man reappeared before our eyes... After several tempers, a brand-new "Spring Story" was reborn. Ye Xuquan submitted the second-composed song directly to the judging panel of the Guangdong Youth Song Composition Competition. At this time, two completely different opinions emerged among the judges. Most of the judges believed that this was a political song, singing about reform and opening up, and a national leader. It used "draw a circle" and "an old man" Written in such a popular sentence, it is not serious enough and cannot be used. However, two other judges insisted that mass songs need this kind of popular writing style full of life and fresh, appropriate and affectionate metaphors. This song expresses the people's support for reform and opening up and Comrade Xiaoping. Respect is the true voice of the people. "Spring Story" once again stands at a fork in fate. The two judges' hard arguments once again saved this masterpiece from the fate of being buried. With their persistence and persuasion, other judges also changed their views. Finally, the song won the Guangdong "94 Youth Song Composition Competition" He came out on top and was awarded the gold medal, becoming famous in one fell swoop. "Spring Story" ushered in a new world of dark willows and bright flowers. Ye Xuquan was confident that this was a song that belonged to the times, a song that perfectly combined politics and lyricism, and should be popular across the country, so he thought of filming the song into a music video that had just launched in China. --MTV. However, he, Jiang Kairu, and Wang Yougui were not wealthy at that time, and filming a music video cost more than 100,000 yuan! Ye Xuquan and songwriter Wang Yougui thought about it. If they don't have money, they can raise it themselves. No matter what, they must sing the story of spring! So Ye Xuquan returned to his hometown of Dongguan and asked several middle school classmates to raise funds. One of the classmates named Lei said excitedly after listening to this song: "Without Deng Xiaoping, there would be no reform and opening up, and I would not have the opportunity to become a mechanic." Become a boss with a net worth of tens of millions!" He immediately decided to support Ye Xuquan with 100,000 yuan. Several other students were also infected and donated generously, quickly raising 160,000 yuan. Then, the song was passed to Meng Xin of CCTV, to Zhang Guoli, who is good at photography, and to Dong Wenhua, a singer who is famous all over the country, and moved these passionate artists. They flew to Shenzhen from Beijing at their own expense, and Zhang Chunsheng, the current deputy secretary of the Guangdong Youth League Committee, also came. Everyone agreed that they would volunteer to shoot this music video. The planning, creativity, script and copywriting of the shooting were carried out at the Jinhu Hotel in Dongguan. The chief planner Meng Xin planned until 3 a.m. every night for three days in a row. He also called the work in Beijing for three days; he had just finished playing "Prime Minister Liu Luo Guo". "" Zhang Guoli volunteered to be the chief director of the filming, personally participating in the discussion of the shots and the production of copywriting; the singer Dong Wenhua pondered and practiced the song day and night until his throat was uncomfortable; Zhang Chunsheng took over the lighting and props; Ye Xuquan, Wang Yougui is responsible for buying mineral water, buying lunch boxes, and pulling electrical wires, and works as a handyman. In October 1994, this music video, created and planned by Meng Xin, directed and filmed by Zhang Guoli, and sung by Dong Wenhua, became an instant hit after it was broadcast on CCTV. In December, it was broadcast on CCTV’s second music video Won a gold medal in the competition. For a time, "The Story of Spring" was sung all over the country and became popular throughout China. Later, this song was selected into the large-scale documentary "Deng Xiaoping", and won the "Five One Project Award" of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1995, the "Golden Bell Award", the highest award for Chinese music, and the Guangdong Lu Xun Literature and Art Award Music Award in 1996. Awards, becoming the "golden song" that has won the most national awards. Just as Dong Wenhua sang in the song: "The spring tide is rolling between heaven and earth, and the vast sails are flying on the journey." This song has spread to Chinese people all over the world. Place has become a song that truly represents the voice of the Chinese people and records the style of an era. The names of Jiang Kairu, Ye Xuquan, and Wang Yougui have also been recorded in the history of Chinese music.