Nov 05, 2013 15:05
Anchor:
Hello and welcome to this edition of "In the Spotlight", we talk about the arts, culture and showbiz here in China.
I'm your host Jules Page.
Renowned Chinese-born British writer Elisabeth Comber passed away in Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this month at the age of 96.
To commemorate this devoted writer, first up on today's show, we'll give a glimpse into one of her best-known novels, "A Many Splendored Thing."
After that, we are going to get up close and personal with a special folk art performer who runs the smallest theater in Beijing.
Last but not least, we'll update you on what's interesting on Chinese movie scene recently.
With all these fascinating stories ahead, stay with us.
-----------------
Anchor:
Earlier this month, the Chinese-British writer Elisabeth Comber died at her home in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of 96.
Better known in China by her pen name Han Suyin, she devoted her life to spreading Chinese culture and literature around the world.
Today we are commemorating her by having a look at one of her most popular novels, "A Many Splendored Thing".
This book was adapted into a film called "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" which earned three Oscars in the 1950s, but it was not until a few years ago that the book was introduced to China.
Xiangwei tells more.
Reporter:
"A Many-Splendored Thing" tells an interracial love story set in Hong Kong during the political turmoil of the 1940s, based on the real-life events between the author herself and a British journalist.
Not long after they fell in love with each other, the hero died in the Korean War.
This book brought a shift of notion towards Han Suyin among Chinese readers.
Chen Lei, the publisher of its Chinese version, explains.
"In the 1970s and 1980s, Han Suyin was frequently mentioned in the news in China.
At least one hundred million people were aware of who she was.
Before I become the editor of her books, her name only meant to me as a political figure.
Every person of my age knew she was the biographer of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.
But the publication of 'A Many-Splendored Thing' presented a rather different personality in her.
She was such a sensitive person with great literary talent.
I admired her for the depth of her thoughts in dealing with her relationship."
The eliciting descriptions of the tender hearts, chivalrous spirits, the infinitely affectionate relationship and the beautiful scenes on the hillside overlooking the Victoria Harbor have attracted many readers around the world, and made it into a successful Hollywood hit.
Meng Jun, who translated the book from English to Chinese, however, says its value is far beyond the above.
"Readers' understanding towards this book is mainly about the romatic side.
I think it's a bit shallow compared to its real value.
Actually it recorded a common uncertainty among the intellectuals amid the turmoil, of whether or not they should approach or get away from China.
It was a hard decision to make, but Han chose to stay."
It's also a vivid portrait of the expatriate in Hong Kong.
Chen Lei, the publisher of its Chinese version, added.
"A wide range of different people got portrayed in this book, such as refugees coming from the Chinese mainland, missionaries from the UK, and many others.
So this story is not only focused on the relationship between the hero and the heroine, but extended to a large picture of the whole Hong Kong society in the certain period.
What's more, the author as a Eurasian had broader intercultural insight, which gave the story more depth."
Prefaced by Malcolm John MacDonald, the British governor of Hong Kong at the time, this book was once extremely popular among English and French readers.
Chen Lei, the publisher gave an example.
"There was a story about the book.
After it was republished many times in English and French, the publisher told Han Suyin that 'two out of three women on the bus are holding your book in hand,' from which we could see how popular it was.
It's also among the first books a westerner would read about China."
That's why Chen Lei felt so surprised when she saw the Chinese version of the book for the first time in 2006 in her email-box.
Somebody forward this translated version to her, saying it's worth reading.
She realized it had never been introduced back to the Chinese society, neither on the Chinese mainland, nor in Hong Kong, Taiwan or anywhere else before.
She soon got in contact with the translator, Meng Jun, a college lecturer based in east China's Shandong Province, and learned he translated the book voluntarily at the first sight.
After got this version published, they cooperated on another three books by Han Suyin; all were embraced warmly by Chinese readers.
Meng Jun, the translator, speaks highly of Han Suyin's works.
"To some extent, Han Suyin's books can be seen as a personal documentation of China's contemporary history.
In her three autobiographical novels in particular, she recorded the history of her extended family, spanning from Qing Dynasty until after the founding of People's Republic of China."
A daughter of her Chinese father who was a railway engineer and her Belgian mother from an aristocratic family, Han Suyin holds a great passion for China and always sees herself as a Chinese.
Strangely, her brother and sisters who were also born in China never shared the same feelings.
Here's Chen Lei, again.
"Towards the same Yellow River, Han Suyin shared totally different views with her brother and sisters.
She said she felt excited and her blood tingled once she saw the roaring flows of the Yellow River, while the other children in her family felt nothing."
Meng Jun, the translator, explained it this way.
"It was probably because of the influence of her father.
In addition, she was a sensitive person so that she might feel more than others.
Another very important reason might be her experience living in rural China.
She was born in a railway workers' camp in a village.
She knew many real stories happening in the village among common Chinese people.
And she managed to dig into the depth."
Han Suyin has published some 40 books on modern China, including fictions and non-fictions set in East Asia.
The most famous ones include "The Crippled Tree", "A Mortal Flower" and "Birdless Summer", all translated into Chinese.
For CRI, I'm Xiangwei.
-----------------
Anchor:
In one of the old alleyways in downtown Beijing, a veteran folk art performer runs a workshop called "Kuideshe." People call it the smallest theater in Beijing because it has only one performer.
In Kuideshe, the solo performer recreates the music and chanting that once echoed throughout old Beijing.
Zhangru has the story.
Reporter:
Any afternoon if you pass by Yanshoujie Hutong, you might notice a small doorway.
The door is half opened, with a sanxian, a plucked, three-stringed Chinese instrument leaning against it.
If you push the door open, an old man, with a big smile on his face will greet you in authentic Beijing dialect.
"Come in please and take a look.
It's free of charge."
The man is 60-year-old Yu Xiaozhang, a Beijing traditional art performer.
The small room which holds only 10 people is his workshop.
Yu named it "Kuideshe", in honor of his grandfather, Yu Dekui, who was a legendary Beijing folk art performer.
Talking of his prestigious family, Yu is proud.
"My grandpa was born in the Qing Dynasty.
He wore long braid.
He could play three-stringed fiddle, two-stringed fiddle and sing local light hearted tunes.
Usually, other performers were not as all-round as him.
My grandpa was often invited to perform for the royal families then.
I heard that the money he earned from one performance could buy a house at that time."
The wall of Yu's small workshop is adorned with old photos of his family, depicting notable scenes such as Yu's grandfather performing for China's former premier Zhou Enlai and Yu's father, Yu Shaozhang, a famous violinist and Peking opera singer performing on the stage.
If you go to Kuideshe, Yu will show you a sample of his routine: ballad singing accompanied by three-stringed fiddle, narration while playing the Niujiaogu, a traditional instrument made from cattle bones, and tongue twister recited to a bamboo clipper.
After his performance, if you are interested, Yu will detail the history of each musical instrument he played.
In the old days, these performances were enjoyed in small theaters or teahouses.
But Yu says, nowadays few people are really interested in his performance.
"Now people's living pace is fast.
Usually, my audience can stay here for only 10 minutes.
They are rushing to catch trains or to tour the hutong.
They don't have much time to spend here.
So all my three performances last no more than 10 minutes.
Visitors who stumble upon my workshop just want to take a quick look at my performance and have a glimpse of old Beijing from me, an old folk art performer."
Yu usually charges each person 50 yuan, about 8 US dollars for watching his performance and bargaining is accepted.
"Sometimes, even though I have only one spectator who can afford 20 to 30 yuan, I will still try my best to perform.
I will not goof off people just because people don't pay much for my performance."
Yu's earnings remain modest.
He earns 3,000 yuan, about 480 US dollars per month, which is just enough to cover the Kuideshe rent..
For him, keeping his family's legacy alive is more important than making money.
"My grandpa and my father created such glory and success, but compared with them, I am nobody."
In the late Qing Dynasty, about 100 years ago, the original Kuideshe musicians' club was established by Yu Xiaozhang's grandfather Yu Dekui in Tianqiao, then one of Beijing's most popular performance districts.
As time went by, traditional folk art lost its appeal and Kuideshe was closed.
When Yu Xiaozhang was young, he toured the country with his father, performing traditional Beijing folk art and music.
In 2006, Yu rented a room of a courtyard and opened Kuideshe.
Recently, Kuideshe has received a lot of media exposure after some people posted his picture and story on the internet.
However, Yu, who has no cell phone or computer, doesn't know about it.
He could only buy a newspaper when his neighbor told him that he was in the paper.
They call him the "lonely keeper of traditional folk art." But Yu says he is flattered.
He just needs a stage, no matter how big it is.
Then he will not lose the skills he inherited from his prestigious family.
"Don't underestimate the several minutes when I am performing.
I can't make mistakes and I have to pay attention to every detail, such as my facial expression.
Also, I have to ensure that my performance will win applause.
So you can image how heavy my task is.
Although sometimes I only have one spectator, it's still a performance, and it's totally different from daily practice when there is nobody here."
Yu Xiaozhang has a son, who works as a software designer.
Yu says his son isn't interested in carrying on the family tradition, so he will not force him to do it.
But he will continue plucking the fiddle until one day he is too old to perform.
For CRI, this is Zhang Ru.
--------------------
Anchor:
Police films seem to be a favorite genre for Hong Kong movie makers, and two new directors have chosen the genre to start their careers.
Directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk present us with "Cold War," starring Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung.
"Cold War" is a code name for a police operation in the movie.
Luo Laiming has more.
Reporter:
While watching the movie "Cold War" I couldn't help but wondering how much support it had obtained from the Hong Kong police force, because it looks so much like a promotional clip - quite an intriguing and lengthy one though.
A police van carrying five officers is kidnapped at midnight in Hong Kong.
Two deputy commissioners fight for the command of the rescue operation, which is code-named Cold War.
Both have different approaches to solve the crisis, but only the one who cracks the case will come closer to promotion.
All rescue efforts seem to strictly follow standard protocols and the SAR basic law, and the commander has to work within or around the rules while trying to track the culprits.
The Hong Kong police vow to serve with pride and care, and this movie lauds their contribution.
Considerable screen time is spent on explaining the mechanism of the police force and the Independent Commission against Corruption, and many a characters pay lip service to the city's respect for rule of law.
While previously Hong Kong movies laid emphasis on gang crimes and intense shoot outs, this film shifts the focus to office politics and intellectual rivalry.
It is the debut of directors Leung and Luk, but already they are commanding a powerful cast, including Kwok, Leung and Andy Lau who appears all too briefly.
But all deliver brilliant performances.
Their staunch support is not based on the size of investment, but on their experience in the industry and the five years of writing and re-writing this particular script.
Indeed, the movie opens with a fast sequence which drowns the viewers with a wealth of background information, and then unfolds at equally dazzling pace, allowing viewers scarce time to brood over the plot.
This arrangement creates perfect amounts of suspense, pushing the viewers to constantly revise their speculations until the story concludes.
Of course, this movie is not totally without setbacks.
Many critics complain about the solution of the case.
For a story that highlights intrigue and conspiracy, the clue comes much too easily.
I'd say the latter half is a little sloppy because no perceivable attempt is made to curb the pace.
So the conclusion is somewhat of an anti-climax despite a clamorous explosion and the allusion to a sequel.
"Cold War" represents a revolution in the police film genre and a good boost for Leung and Luk's directorial careers.
Surely they will offer more interesting products in the future, but hopefully not in another five years.
On a scale from one to ten, I give "Cold War" a 6.5.
------------------
Back Anchor:
With that interesting movie, we wrap up this edition of "In the Spotlight".
If you have any suggestions for our program or would like to make a comment, we'd love to hear from you! You can email us at Spotlight@cri.com.cn.
You can also log on to our website at www.cribeyondbeijing.com to learn more about today's topics or catch up on any of our previous editions.
I'm Jules Page.
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time