Classical Reality
“Because they are ideal models for elegance,” replied another. “For instance, two discriptions of the same setting sun could be totally different: Those with ancient verse in mind might say, ‘The autumn river shares a scenic hue with the vast sky; The evening glow parallels with a lonely duck to fly.’ Compare that to what someone without education would say: ‘Wow! So many birds! Beautiful! Gorgeous!’”
Such exchanges became common online soon after Chinese Poetry Conference, a game show by CCTV, premiered. Contrasting most reality and variety shows, the program features competitions related to contestants’ understanding and mastery of ancient Chinese poetry. Few expected the show to get such good ratings. Viewers have been awed by the encyclopedic minds of competitors while enjoying the extensiveness and profundity of traditional Chinese culture. The show’s success has inspired an outburst of ancient Chinese poetry recitation across the country.
Primary-school students chant ancient Chinese poems. CFPRatings King
At 8:00 p.m. on February 7, 2017, the Season 1 finale of Chinese Poetry Conference aired on CCTV. After 90 minutes of fierce competition, 16-year-old high-school student Wu Yishu outlasted the other competitors and took the crown.
The on-screen competition was fierce, and even viewers at home were on the edges of their seats. WeChat users competed simultaneously, and the mobile winner bested over 200,000 rivals.
Statistics testify to the show’s success. Surveys from CoolCloud, a Chinese big data analysis company, show that on February 7, the audience rating of Chinese Poetry Conference finale hit 15.9 percent, 5 percentage points higher than the show behind it. Across two months of air time, the show attracted more than a billion viewers.
Not only has champion Wu Yishu become a celebrity, but 5,000-year-old Chinese culture has been rejuvenated online. “As China embraces the so-called ‘snack culture,' the humor on the internet is worlds away from the profundity of classical poetry,” sighed one netizen. “Readers are too often looking for a quick buck and failing to upgrade and nourish themselves with poetry. Chinese Poetry Conference, however, gave me passion and inspired me to pursue information that is much deeper than the day’s trending topics.”
Cultural Excavation
Before Chinese Poetry Conference, CCTV had produced a handful of similar cultural variety shows such as Chinese Riddles, Chinese Idioms, and Dictation of Chinese Characters, which were all highly acclaimed.
During the first season of Chinese Poetry Conference, Letters Alive, another cultural variety show produced by Hei-longjiang TV, emerged as a competitor. It featured celebrities reciting letters by historical figures instead of singing and dancing. The show featured academics and illustrations of the stories behind the letters, created by honored guests and even the audience.
“One thing is sure: Centuries-old Chinese culture is still relevant and popular, regardless of specific content,” asserts Meng Man, an associate professor from the College of History and Culture under Minzu University of China. “Despite centuries of historical changes, our hearts are still attached to our culture, and all that is needed is a spark. The popularity of cultural variety shows evidences the hidden demand to learn about our traditional culture, and such shows disseminate the culture in an entertaining way rather than expounding it mechanically, minimizing the gap between the disseminator and the audience.”
Wu Yishu, born in 2000, took the crown during the season 2 finale of Chinese Poetry Conference.Maintaining the Fever
The wave of cultural variety shows led by Chinese Poetry Conference has caught the attention of Chinese language teachers and scholars, who are debating the ultimate value of TV shows for traditional Chinese culture.
“Those shows effectively inspire middle-school students to become interested in ancient Chinese poetry,” remarks Si Baofeng, a senior Chinese teacher at the High School Affiliated to Fudan University. “Through the TV show Chinese Poetry Conference, students get a chance to admire the sublime, benevolent and passionate aesthetics of ancient Chinese poetry.” However, the teacher, who even teaches “Appreciation of Ancient Poetry” as an elective class, has concerns. “Their heads can just fill up with useless words if teachers or parents don’t understand the true value of ancient poetry. And memorizing and reciting poems is pointless if the student doesn’t understand the verse.”
“We must be cautious,” concurs Hou Tijian, an associate professor from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University. “Chinese Poetry Conference has played a positive role in helping the public discover and approach ancient poems. But only time can tell how long the fever will last or what will happen with it. Fairly often, some elements of traditional culture become all the rage in China, but they always fade back into obscurity relatively quickly. The point of learning traditional culture preserved by ancient poetry is to cultivate taste. Don’t pity those who have no interest in ancient poems; pity those consumed by sadness. We should formulate plans to arouse genuine interest, which is the best way to pass on the essence of our traditional culture.”
The Chinese Ministry of Education is also well aware of the need to pass on classical culture. In September 2016, revised Chinese language textbooks were distributed to primary and middle schools, which devoted 30 percent of their pages to stories of outstanding traditional Chinese culture. The books for grades seven through nine raise the percentage to 40. Each book contains 14 or 15 ancient poems.
Furthermore, Chinese institutions of higher learning are offering elective classes on specific studies of Chinese ancient civilization. The Ministry of Education is working to reform the national college entrance examination to increase the weight of Chinese language and literature.
Most of the nearly 200 photographs in the book were taken 1,200 to 2,500 meters above sea level by German pilot Graf zu Castell during his missions in China from 1933 to 1936.
During his flights across the country, Zu Castell took pictures of as many cities, villages, rivers, and mountains as he could. These photos were extremely precious in an era when aerial photography was rare. “From the air, I could provide a brand-new angle to showcase China to Westerners who knew much about the country,” he explained. “And for those who knew little about China, these photos may inspire them to learn more about the country.”
The appendix to the book features 12 photos taken by a French military officer from a hot air balloon during the early 1920s, the oldest aerial pictures of China.
Graf zu Castell was a pilot for Lufthansa, Germany’s national airline. Born in 1905 in Berlin, he was appointed to design new flight routes in China between 1933 and 1936. After returning home, Zu Castell joined the team planning a route between Berlin and Kabul, the longest of the time. After retirement, he was awarded the Federal German Grand Cross by the government.
Translator Zhao Shengwei graduated from the History Department of Xiamen University. For many years, Zhao has been engaged in collecting and publishing historical images of China as well as French and German newspapers and books describing China. His most recent compilations include Chinese History Lost in the West: French Color Pictorial about China 1850-1937 and the Shadow Magic series.
China 1933-1936 Through the Lens of A German PilotWritten by Graf zu Castell (Germany), translated by Zhao Shengwei, published by Taihai Publish-ing House, February 2017
A karst land formation in eastern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The hills measure some 200 to 300 meters high and feature lush vegetation.
Meishan (in today’s Jingshan Park) and the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, seen from the north. In Chinese, mei means “coal.” The hill was so named because it once hosted a warehouse for coal during construction of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The Temple of Heaven building complex viewed from 800 meters in the air. The Temple of Heaven was where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) worshipped Heaven and prayed for a good harvest.
The eastern city gate of Xi’an at dawn. The gate closes at sunset and opens at sunrise.
A bird’s-eye view of Xi’an from the west.
The western city gate of Xi’an.
Xi’an at dawn.
A fortified village. The village is located some 2,600 meters above sea level in southern Jingning County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province. A defense network was built to fend off attacks by bandits.
An inhabited village.
The famous Tide of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Ruins of a village.
Downtown Lanzhou, Gansu Province, viewed from 600 meters above.
The pulpit of a German church in Liangzhou, Gansu Province. The structure was destroyed by an earthquake on May 23, 1927 and reconstructed between 1928 and 1932.
Paddy fields along the northern slope of a mountain 2,000 meters above sea level, at the juncture of Guangdong and Hunan provinces.
A camel caravan on a pasture in today’s western Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
A pagoda used to store remains of eminent monks in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.