Reading guide
In 2023, under the guidance of first-class cultural thoughts, variety shows will strengthen cultural self-confidence in creation, strengthen the creative transformation and innovative development of culture; Connect the soul with literature and art, and strengthen value guidance in the same frequency resonance with the times.
With cultural people, it can condense the soul more; With art, it is easier to communicate with the world. "In 2023, variety shows will continue to shoulder the mission of literature and art, adhere to cultural inheritance, promote the right path, unite people's hearts in their creation, and inspire people's confidence and strength to forge ahead in the new era with high-quality masterpieces.
1. Undertake the cultural mission and have a deeper understanding of the cultural inheritance and development of the new era
Focus on showcasing the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. In June 2023, the general secretary of ** pointed out a new direction for the creation of variety shows at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development, focusing on the important assertions of the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. Programs such as "China in the Classics", "The Legend of the Grandmasters: The Eight Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties", and "The City of Museums: The Exploration of the Source of Chinese Civilization" refine and display the "spiritual identity" and "cultural essence" of Chinese civilization under the magnificent narrative structure; "Poetry and Painting China", "Exploring China in a Simplified Manner", "National Style Super Drama", "China Traditional Chinese Medicine Conference", "China Rice Food Conference", "Chinese National Banquet", "Drama Universe" and other cultural symbols that have lasted for thousands of years such as cultural relics, art, medicine, and food, while showing the continuity of Chinese civilization, deeply excavate the "presentness" and "newness" of culture; "Debut! The "Beijing Central Axis" and "Yellow River Cultural Conference" focus on different regional cultures and vividly demonstrate the unity and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization; "Beauty and Commonality" takes the story of multicultural exchanges and mutual learning under the Belt and Road Initiative as the starting point, and shows the value orientation of "harmony is precious", "harmony is different" and "good neighborliness and friends" that Chinese civilization has always adhered to. These programs vividly present the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization by means of film and television, and are loved and praised by the audience.
Focus on deepening and expanding the "second combination". "Marxism and China's excellent traditional culture are different, but there is a high degree of compatibility with each other", the important judgment of the general secretary provides a fundamental basis for the selection of topics and the introduction of new literary and artistic programs. "Chinese Wisdom in China" deeply explains the simple concepts that represent the ideals of Chinese civilized society, such as "the world is for the public, the people are the foundation of the state, the government is based on morality, and the old is renewed", and the commonality with communism in terms of value goals. Focusing on theoretical hotspots such as "common prosperity", "people first" and "whole-process people's democracy", "China's New Expedition" leads the "people-oriented" in traditional Chinese culture from tradition to modernity, from theory to practice, and from China to the world, showing a high degree of consistency with the Marxist people's position. "Learning Methods from the General Secretary" focuses on the worldview and approach of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, which reflects the consistency of Marxist materialist dialectics and dialectical thinking in traditional Chinese culture. The brilliance of these programs is that they explain the "meeting point" between Marxism and China's excellent traditional culture in a more understandable, distinct and intuitive way.
Focus on the creative transformation and innovative development of culture. Literary and artistic programs are not simply reproducing excellent culture, but making culture "live" on the basis of a comprehensive and in-depth understanding. Fusing ancient and modern cultural achievements, "China in Intangible Cultural Heritage" shows the innovative application of traditional intangible cultural heritage in strategic emerging industries in the new era such as aerospace, medical care, and new energy with the concept of seeing people, things, and life. "Danqing Chinese Heart" and "Sven Jiangnan (Season 2)" respectively combine Song painting, classic texts with band**, dance and recitation and other art forms to create cross-border co-creation. With the help of modern audio-visual technology, the 2023 "Chinese Festival" series presents traditional culture in various forms, opening up a "multiple time and space" experience across different eras and regions. **Radio and Television Station conforms to the trend of mobile and vertical screen**, and for the first time in the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival, it will launch a new experience of "watching the Autumn Gala on the vertical screen and celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in the palm of your hand", realizing the innovative interpretation of traditional culture on the cross-media platform. Bilibili's "2023 Most Beautiful Night" combines traditional elements with animation, games, and film and television works to achieve a youthful expression of traditional culture.
2. Connect the soul with literature and art, and be the leader of the times
In 2023, variety shows will continue to play the role of a value leading vane and a pressure relief valve for the people, showing some new characteristics in the current fast-paced life.
Talk and reading variety shows are down-to-earth, bringing high-quality spiritual companionship to the audience. By constructing a real conversation field, talk shows bring thinking about the spirit of the times and the value of life in a relaxed and peaceful discussion. "Qiang Qiang Travels the World (Season 3)" leads the audience to explore the diverse value of life in the profound heritage of Jiangnan's cultural history. The podcast variety show "Let's Have a Good Chat" takes listeners and viewers to observe the world in a relaxed and happy chat. "Wilderness Talks (Season 2)" confronts life issues that are easy to be confused from the workplace to life, from social to self, from emotion to emotion, and gives the audience the strength of the heart. "Expand and Talk" and "First-Person Plural" start from the "female perspective", ** various issues and phenomena, and gently and powerfully output new views. The reading program "I Read on the Island (Season 2)" takes people out of the fast-paced life, sinks down, and re-enters the quiet reading time. "Let's Read Together" focuses on hot reading topics that have attracted high attention on the whole network, and talks freely among the green mountains and green waters, making reading a common practice for the whole people.
Social variety shows that also bring spiritual value and emotional value to the audience, such as "Mao Xuewang", "Friends Please Eat", "It's a Good Friend's Weekend", "Happy Adult", "Let's Go Now", etc., have further developed towards "acquaintance relationships".
Rural variety shows show high popularity, projecting the audience's yearning for the new appearance of the mountain countryside and the poetry and painting pastoral. From poverty alleviation to rural construction in Hemei, the "pool of spring water" for rural revitalization has been activated. The creation of variety shows is widely based on the fiery practice of the countryside, outlining the myriad atmospheres of Chinese-style modern villages, and awakening people's yearning for "returning to the garden and living in the countryside". "Home Between Mountains and Rivers (Season 2)" explores a new batch of beautiful villages from multiple perspectives such as natural environment, historical customs, customs and delicacies, and comprehensively inspires the imagination of rural life. "Let's Farm the Land" truly records the labor practices of 10 young people from sowing, irrigation, fertilization to harvesting, and outlines a moving picture of young people taking root in the countryside. "Boil! "Village" uses the boiling symbol "hot pot" to string beads into a chain, and the authentic local ingredients bring modern people to the stretch of nostalgia. "Longing for the Village" invites three urban college students to go into the countryside in a social practice way, and through the portrayal of agricultural work, parents' shortcomings, and the interaction between man and nature, it reveals the reality and fireworks of ordinary life. "Our Beautiful Life" uses country houses as an incision to show the rural living environment, changes in living standards, and fresh and simple pastoral scenery. In addition to the charm brought by the countryside to the audience, the program also creates a "relaxed" viewing atmosphere for the audience through a relaxed and slow program rhythm, life-oriented task links, and quiet and comfortable shooting scenes, bringing a strong sense of happiness.
Physical competition variety shows have emerged, leading a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude towards life. In 2023, variety shows such as "I Can Be 47", "Unstoppable", "Oops Good Body: Running to the Season" will invariably focus on physical competition. "I Can 47" focuses on storytelling, using the concept of "Infinite Ark" to gather 47 physical powerhouses, allowing participants to constantly overcome their limits during the voyage. "Unstoppable" gathered 100 contestants to compete on the same stage. The three programs also focus on depicting many female contestants, and "Oops Good Body: Running to the Season" has made a new attempt to cooperate with male and female contestants to complete the competitive task together. The concentrated emergence of physical fitness variety shows is not only in line with the current new lifestyles and health concepts such as fitness and bodybuilding, but also reflects the changing aesthetics of today's audiences.
**Variety shows pay more attention to nostalgia and personal story expression. With the deepening of comprehensive governance in the field of entertainment, first-class variety shows have been withdrawn from the strong competition that created a sense of tension, excitement and suspense in the past, and more attention has been paid to the value orientation and cultural connotation of the program. In the process of narrating the development of Taiwan's popular **, "The Sound of Life: Treasure Island Season" strengthens the common memory and emotional connection of the people on both sides of the strait, and builds a strong sense of community of the Chinese nation. "Riding the Wind 2023" weakens the competition system and focuses more on expression, while showing the charm of time, life stories and life experiences about vivid individuals. In addition, the youthful atmosphere and innovative expression of ** variety shows also help the program break the circle and spread. "New Folk Song Conference" carries out tide changes to traditional folk songs, so that the national tide transcends age, crosses regions, breaks through boundaries, and blooms with cross-era charm. "Summer of the Band (Season 3)" cuts from the perspective of band culture and band songs, creating an inclusive and innovative atmosphere.
Observational variety shows have a broad vision and keenly capture the hot spots of social concern. Observational variety shows are deeply cultivated in vertical scenes, and through the attention to hot topics in society, they can resonate with the audience at the same frequency. The workplace observation program "Heartwarming Offer (Season 5)" aroused heated discussions among the audience on topics such as "anti-involution", "noble son from a poor family" and "female power"; "Forensic Season for the Beginning of the Workplace" uses cases as a carrier to demonstrate the professionalism of forensic doctors in various complex environments, and also expands the discussion space on social issues such as women's safety issues, mental health problems, appearance anxiety, and career shortcuts. Love observation programs such as "Like You and Me Too (Season 4)" focus on "desensitized singles" and lead the audience to face new problems in social marriage and love. The environmental protection public welfare documentary program "All the Way Forward" not only records the current situation and problems of China's ecological environment, but also demonstrates environmental protection and gives full play to the value leading role of variety shows.
3. Draw strength from China's progress and reflect the style of the times with literary and artistic masterpieces
The evening program keeps up with the rhythm of the times and fully demonstrates the achievements of regional development. From 2023 to 2024, the New Year's Eve parties on major platforms will be full of flowers and colors. **The New Year's Eve party of Radio and Television Station, with the theme of "Sailing", used literature and art to depict the road of striving for high-quality development in the new development concept. Beijing Satellite TV follows the theme of "Embarking on a New Journey", and integrates themes such as cultural Beijing construction, Beijing-Mongolia cooperation, and Beijing-Singapore counterpart support; Dragon TV focuses on urban construction, aerospace, culture and sports, and shows Shanghai's development in the fields of science and technology, humanities and other fields; Hunan Satellite TV innovated to create a "New Year's Eve Street", highlighting the city's fireworks and the happy life of the people; Zhejiang Satellite TV shows the achievements of Song Yun Jinhui, poetry and painting Jiangnan, co-creation and common prosperity, Asian Games, and national style inheritance; Jiangsu Satellite TV pays tribute to countless ordinary individuals who have lit up happiness with struggle in the past year; Guangdong Satellite TV's 2024 Greater Bay Area New Year's Eve Party tells the story of the Bay Area in multiple dimensions. For example, CCTV's "May Fourth Gala" shows the vigorous vitality of Chinese youth in the new era of contribution and forging ahead on a new journey by telling the touching stories of young strugglers. On the occasion of the "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival", the "Harvest Evening" shows the development and changes of rural revitalization in the new era, and the inheritance and innovation of rural culture.
The popular science program focuses on the display of scientific research achievements and the promotion of the spirit of scientists, highlighting the important role of literature and art in condensing the spiritual strength of building a strong country. Behind the display of scientific research achievements, popular science programs pay more attention to the indomitable, patriotic and innovative spiritual strength contained in each scientist. Programs such as "Hello Mr. Sai", "Future China (Season 2)", "Ocean Open Class", "Innovation in China" and other programs invite scientific and technological workers who lead the development of the country in the field of cutting-edge science to tell the audience the stories of scientific and technological breakthroughs and innovations, and lead the audience to look back on the trek of scientific and technological breakthroughs and imagine the infinite possibilities of great changes in science and technology. On this basis, the program also generally pays attention to the perspective of young talents and the public, and enriches the program by setting up exchanges between different generations of scientists and questions from the audience.
Youth programs keep pace with the times, starting from multi-dimensional themes such as science, role models, and family style, focusing on the value guidance and dream inspiration of young people. "China Space Station Tiangong Classroom" ignites children's enthusiasm and yearning for space and scientific research with wonderful space science courses. "The First Lesson of 2023" invited outstanding representatives from all walks of life to communicate with students, bringing a vivid ideological and political lesson to young students to lead the mission of the new era. "My Chinese Teenager (Season 5)" skillfully integrates aesthetic education, teenagers, and ** to show the high-spirited demeanor of teenagers in the new era. "Grandpa's Heirloom" uses the small incision of "heirloom" to interpret the theme of family style inheritance and national spirit, which has far-reaching educational significance and important practical value. These programs are widely recognized and welcomed by young people through innovative means such as theme segmentation, diverse forms, interactive and interesting, and technological blessings.
Judging from the overall development of the entertainment field in 2023, short ** and fast-rising short dramas are competing for users' attention and time, which is both a challenge and an opportunity for the variety show industry. The industry needs to keenly capture market changes while basing itself on its core strengths, and emerge more good content with creativity, depth and breadth, so as to truly enable the audience to "see themselves", "see the times", and "see the world".
Author's Affiliation: Development Research Center of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television).
Producer: Yang Mingpin.
Rotating Editor-in-Chief: Peng Jin.
Post-editing: Jiang Hui.