"Towards the Republic" can be called a bright pearl in the history of Chinese film and television dramas, and its reputation and historical restoration are good. The characters in the play are highly restored to modern history, with a Douban score of 97 points, enough to witness its classic status.
In addition, many clips in the play are full of historical charm, especially the dialogue between the wonton stall owner and his buddies, which contains a deep meaning that no historian can explain.
After the First Sino-Japanese War, China suffered a crushing defeat in the war with Japan, which had risen through the Meiji Restoration. In order to highlight the gap in thinking between the Chinese and Japanese rulers, the screenwriter cleverly used contrasting techniques to contrast the characters.
Emperor Meiji of Japan, in order to buy the advanced battleship "Yoshino" from Britain in advance, even tightened his belt and ate only one meal a day, or even only one ordinary rice ball.
Despite his limited economy, he still put the national interest first and did everything to strengthen Japan's military strength. On the other hand, however, the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty was angry with the 118 dishes arranged in the imperial dining room, and even reprimanded the person in charge of organizing the birthday banquet, completely ignoring the crisis of the country and the suffering of the people.
This stark contrast makes us think deeply about the very different attitudes of the rulers of the two countries towards national interests and personal enjoyment.
Historically, in order to strengthen the army and strengthen the country, the Meiji Emperor of Japan personally cut down on food and clothing, eating only one meal a day, and the money saved from the living expenses of the imperial family was used to purchase advanced ** from the British.
His actions inspired people across Japan, who donated money to the defense sector to buy advanced Western products. In the First Sino-Japanese Naval War, Japan's most advanced warship "Yoshino" was originally built by Britain for the Qing Dynasty, but because Cixi was going to hold her 60th birthday, she embezzled 2 million taels of silver military funds that should have been allocated to the naval yamen, resulting in the Qing Dynasty being unable to pay to the British.
Therefore, the British, who "recognize money but not people", sold ** to the Japanese who paid first. In the end, the "Yoshino" played an important role in the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, and it can be said that Cixi's 60th birthday led to the defeat of the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle.
In the TV series, the Qing Dynasty was defeated by Japan in the First Sino-Japanese Naval War, and folk rumors began to spread that Japan would invade Shanhaiguan and prompt the Qing Dynasty to move its capital. Against this backdrop, the man at the wonton stall said to the boss when he was busy: "If Japan really invades Shanhaiguan, the Qing Dynasty may need to move the capital." ”
The boss retorted: "You are really too naïve, I think you are more confused than me." Even if the Japanese do come in, what will they do with us? The man replied, "But, after all, we are in their sphere of influence, and we cannot help but bow our heads." ”
But the boss said firmly: "Is it their sphere of influence? Their sphere of influence is also ours! Even if they come, it's them, not us, who should bow their heads. ”
It turns out that we seem to be defeated, but in fact they will accept us sooner or later, then we will still win. ”
Guess why? The wonton stall owner asked the customer mysteriously, and then he beckoned the guy to come over and make the wonton soup in the pot. "It's like the soup in this pot, you see, the duck was cooked by my grandfather at that time, the pork bone marrow was added by my grandfather, and the duck's mouth strip was provided by my father, well, when it comes to me, I have to put some of my things, do you know what I put in? ”
The guy shook his head, and the boss smiled and said, "I put a sheep's head, so this pot of soup is condensed with the flavors of four generations." ”
The boss compares the wonton stall to a thick soup that has been inherited for thousands of years, just as the Chinese civilization has been accumulated for hundreds of generations, and only the Chinese civilization has been inherited from the four ancient civilizations in the world to this day, which is because of the tolerance and inheritance of the Chinese civilization.
His metaphor contains profound meaning, expressing the fact that the Chinese nation has a long history, and no foreign aggression can change it, and it will eventually be assimilated. Although the boss's words are like the spirit of Ah Q written by Mr. Lu Xun, this is just a foil to the numbness and ignorance of the people in the Qing Dynasty at that time, highlighting the sobriety and helplessness of the awakened heroes.
The Chinese civilization is indeed open and inclusive, but the Chinese nation needs the spirit of resistance even more, otherwise the Chinese civilization may die out.