Chinese contemporary literature and art, represented by "Tiananmen Square Poetry" as the authoritarian funeral of the "Gang of Four", and "Scar Literature" and "Reflection Literature", have opened the prelude to reform and opening up literature and art in the new era.
This is a prelude to opposing literary and artistic autocracy, a prelude to ideological emancipation, a prelude to profound reflection on history, and a call for the party and the country to make improvements in the ideas, principles, policies, methods and leadership mechanisms for leading literature and art. the beginning of major changes. This is not only a good start for literature and art in the new era, but also lays a solid foundation for the development of literature and art in the 30 years of reform and opening up.
1. Increased influence and expansion
The 30 years of reform and opening up are slightly longer than the 17 years after the founding of New China and the 10 years of the "Cultural Revolution" combined; but regardless of the time span, The number of literary and artistic creations, as well as the breadth and depth of reflecting life and penetrating into life, are simply incomparable to the sum of the previous two historical periods. The influence of literature and art has expanded unprecedentedly, and its penetration into life has been extremely enhanced. Just talking about literature, according to an article by Professor Zhang Jiong, former vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association: "...in the seventeen years since the beginning of New China, there were only 320 new novels, and the number of novels published in the ten years of the 'Cultural Revolution' At the beginning of the new era, there were only 140 new novels published every year. In the five years from 1991 to 1995, there were 2,500 novels published every year on average. In the past thirty years, the number of members of the Chinese Writers Association has increased from more than 900 at the end of the Cultural Revolution to more than 7,700. The number of members of the Writers Association of various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions has exceeded 50,000, and there are freelance writers and amateur writers on various fronts. There are countless people...and the potential readers of my country’s electronic network literature are as high as 120,000,000 people.”①
A few unsystematic numbers can be added here:
—— The novel "Wolf Totem" published in April 2004 sold 2.4 million copies in four years. In 2007, the world English copyright of the novel was transferred to the famous Penguin Publishing Group, with a 10% royalty and an initial payment of US$100,000. This is the highest reward received from a single book copyright transaction since the founding of New China. The CEO of the publishing group announced at the Beijing Book Expo: "Wolf Totem" is Penguin's most important book in 2008 and is confident that it will sell 2 million copies.
——According to statistics from the book "Catalogue of Chinese Art Films (1949-1979)", Japan produced 109 feature films in the past 30 years②, which is only equivalent to about a quarter of the production in 2007 (402 films) One; "According to incomplete statistics, from 1978 to the end of June 2008, my country created and produced 4,425 feature films"③, the latter is more than 40 times the former!
——Guangzhou The sales volume of new music album CDs frequently ranges from 700,000 to more than 1 million copies.
——There is a digest publication "Reader" in Gansu Province that focuses on literary and artistic works and also includes entertainment content. The circulation of a single issue has exceeded 10 million copies, creating a world-wide miracle.
——In recent years, the number of new domestic TV series produced each year has been around 15,000 (episodes), not including animation. Currently, there are 1,974 TV channels at all levels nationwide, including 1,764 channels that broadcast TV series. With a population of 1.3 billion in the country, the average person spends more than one hour watching TV series every day; tens of millions of viewers watch CCTV's "Youth Singing Contest" and "The Same Song". According to statistics from relevant agencies, the ratings of CCTV's annual Spring Festival Gala have been above 90% for many years in a row, making it an important part of the Spring Festival and an inseparable new folk custom.
——In addition to the Oscar, the "Nobel Prize in the film industry", Zhang Yimou has won almost all other film festival awards, and his influence has spread far beyond national borders. The main revenue from his blockbusters is also in Southeast Asia and even North America. This is a phenomenon that has never happened before.
2. Exploration of Theory
The development of literature and art in the past 30 years is based on theory. Its symbol is the unprecedented development and depth of research on basic literary and artistic theories and aesthetic theories known as "philosophy of art".
"According to Wu Wei's statistics, from 1980 to 1999, (domestic - cited by) published 224 volumes of translated works on Western aesthetics. The content is extensive and includes almost all major aesthetic schools that emerged in the 20th century. "Works"; "Systematic works on the principles of Chinese aesthetics began with "Introduction to Aesthetics" edited by Chao Wen. According to Liu Sanping's statistics, from 1981 to 2002, 242 books on the principles of aesthetics were published in China." Become a prominent scholar in the theoretical circles. These aesthetic theories can be roughly divided into the following categories: the aesthetic theories of Zhu Guangqian, Gao Ertai, Cai Yi, Chao Chaowen, etc. can be roughly summarized as "social aesthetics"; the ones that became widely popular later and are still in decline today are "Practical aesthetics" represented by Li Zehou; at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, "aesthetic activity theory aesthetics" emerged; in the second half of the 1990s, the so-called "post-practical aesthetics" represented by Yang Chunshi emerged; and At the beginning of this century, the concept of "ecological aesthetics" was proposed, and its disciplinary system is under construction.
Literary theory has always received the most attention in the research of various literary and artistic disciplines, and it has also shown an extremely active trend.
Mr. Qian Zhongwen, a well-known literary theorist and researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in a review and summary article: "An important achievement in the new era is that under the guidance of modernity, it has generally clarified the autonomy of literature, including literary theory. problems, making literary theory initially return to itself"; "the modernity issue of literary theory...has consciously become the dominant factor in theoretical research", and there have been "subjective literary views, epistemological (or ideological nature theory) literary views, and symbolism literature. literary views, life ontology literary views, formalist literary views, and aesthetic morphological literary views based on aesthetic reflection; in the 1990s, there were rhetorical literary views, production literary views, and literary views that discussed literature from the perspective of the Internet. "Not long ago, there was a literary view that literature is a form of social consciousness"; there was also a "literary view that only focused on literary phenomena... without metaphysical expressions" and so on. In short, literary concepts present a pluralistic state, which "reflects the depth and diversity of literary freedom." As for theoretical research in various other literary and artistic disciplines, they are also in an extremely active state.
3. Policy adjustment
The literature and art policy implemented before the new era in our country can basically be summarized in two sentences: literature and art are "subordinate to politics"; literature and art are "class struggle" and a tool of the “dictatorship of the proletariat.” There was indeed a proposal for the "Double Hundreds" policy of "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend", but the "anti-rightist" struggle began soon after it was promulgated, and the "Hundred Schools" became "the proletariat and the bourgeoisie", and the "Double Hundreds" "Hundred" is naturally in name only, leaving only the "instrumental theory" that serves "proletarian struggle and dictatorship." In practice, with the development of political movements one after another, this policy often became a "tool" for hostile criticism of the literary and art circles; during the "Cultural Revolution", it became a "tool" for the "Gang of Four" to implement fascist dictatorship against the majority of writers and artists. ". Facts have proved that these two formulations have serious problems.
According to public opinion, Deng Xiaoping, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, appropriately adjusted the party's literary and artistic policy in his "Message at the Fourth Congress of Chinese Literary and Art Workers". The "Congratulations" only mentions that literature and art "serve the broadest masses of the people", and specifically states that literature and art are not required to be subordinate to temporary, specific, and direct political tasks; later, this policy was summarized as "literature and art serve the people, Socialist Service”.
Literature and art have long been regarded only as ideology and are only an important part of mainstream ideology. From the 1980s to the 1990s, there were many attempts to commercialize literary and artistic (cultural) products. discuss. After the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, literature, art and culture were regarded as important components of "comprehensive national strength", an important part of maintaining the independence of national culture and safeguarding national cultural security, and an important aspect of the country's "soft power". Literature and art are not only ideological, but also industrial to a large extent. The reports of the 16th and 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China both proposed the task of reforming systems and mechanisms, rationalizing and optimizing the cultural market, and vigorously developing the cultural industry; in the report of the 17th National Congress, we promoted the great development and prosperity of (literary and artistic) culture. The task is related to the implementation of the scientific outlook on development, the transformation of growth patterns, the promotion of sound and rapid development of the national economy, the protection of citizens’ cultural rights and interests, and the joint sharing of the results of social development; it is also related to the enhancement of the " International competitiveness" is closely related to social equity.
In terms of leadership methods, the command style that serves ideological struggle becomes the guiding style of paradigm effect, that is, the "great criticism" of the past political movement style is abandoned, and the "Five One Project Award", Awards such as the "Outstanding Literary Achievement Award" guide literary and artistic creation. Since the new century, the award criteria not only focus on the ideological nature, but also take into account the popularity of the work in society. The "National Stage Art Quality Project" selection activity established at this time paid more attention to the creation of art, from focusing on the current educational function to focusing more on the status, value and durability of the work in future art history. These measures are gradually showing their positive effects.
4. Evolution of the system
In the past 30 years of reform and opening up, the most significant manifestation in the literary and art circles is the large-scale emergence of free cultural figures and private cultural groups. Freelance cultural people include freelance writers, poets, painters, from extras, cabaret singers to various entertainers, as well as musicians related to song creation and production, and creative producers of film and television dramas and television entertainment programs. , publishing planners of books, especially literary and artistic books, and of course more publishers of literary and artistic books and art CDs.
"The emergence of 'freelance writers' presents a new way of survival for cultural people and a change in the system"; "brings new activities and values ??to literature" , this is "the independent consciousness that rejects any dependence." ⑤ Gu Qingsheng's "Wandering in Beijing" and Wang Jifang's "Fracturing: Literary Stories at the End of the Century" published at the end of the last century are representative works that reflect their living conditions. According to data released by the "Freelance Writers Website" in November 2005, there are "no fewer than one million" people belonging to this group nationwide, and there are about "ten thousand people" with "monthly incomes above 5,000 yuan." Generally speaking, Beijing has the most liberal cultural people. As a result, "Beijing Diao" became a synonym for "free cultural people". Its emergence is a cultural social phenomenon. At first, the painters mostly lived in the countryside around the ruins of the Old Summer Palace, but now they use the "798 Art District" and Songzhuang in Tongzhou as their two main bases.
"Now 798 is not only an art business card in Beijing, but also... international patrons have also arrived one after another. Following the Ullens Art Center in Belgium and the Iberia Art Center in Spain, the Pace Gallery in New York, known as the 'Empire Gallery', once He signed a ten-year lease and established his first multinational branch, Pace Beijing, in a 3,000-square-meter factory in the 798 Art District. It just opened on August 2. "⑥
Nowadays, the entertainment industry may It has become the mainstream of the "Beipiao" tribe. Relevant data show that in 1992, there were only 20,000 "Beijing drifters" (in the entertainment industry), and so far the number has reached 300,000. In front of the Beijing Film Academy is the core gathering place for the "Beijing Drifters" in the entertainment industry, where tens of thousands of people are waiting to be hired by the crew all year round. The living conditions of "Beijing drifters" have been continuously paid attention to by film and television works, from "Beijing", "Star Making"... to the recently released movie "The Beginning of Spring", which has aroused strong responses.
Among the private cultural institutions, the film and television industry has the most outstanding performance. In November 1994, Shijia Advertising Culture Development Co., Ltd., the first "private television organization" in Beijing, was listed. In 2002, the number of film and television production companies in Beijing grew to about 80 to 100. “There are currently more than 2,000 film and television drama production institutions across the country”⑦, the vast majority of which are privately owned. They have played a very important role in promoting the development of television art in our country.
Deng Jianguo, known as the "big crocodile" of film and television, started shooting movies in 1995 under the name of Pearl Film "Star Studio". In 1997, he officially established Guangdong Superstar Pictures Company. In the same year, he filmed "Kangxi's Private Interview" ” and other 8 film and television works. Subsequent film and television dramas such as "The Opium War", "Kangxi Private Interview" series, "The Romantic Talent Ji Xiaolan", etc. made Deng Jianguo famous. In 2000, he was ranked first among the "Top Ten Most Influential Figures in the Film and Television Industry".
Page Taihe Global Media in Beijing is one of the largest private media organizations in mainland China. Its "Global Pictures", "Entertainment Let Me Go", the news talk show "Eastern Tan", the music variety show "Spring and Autumn", etc., are its branded TV programs; as of 2005, the company has provided services to CCTV, Beijing, More than 400 TV stations including Shanghai Oriental provide programs, plan and organize many large-scale events with great influence, and successfully promote Yang Liping's "Yunnan Impression" to the European and American markets.
Suzhou Funa Culture Technology Co., Ltd. is the only company outside Beijing that was among the first companies to obtain a Category A filming license from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. As of 2006, its subsidiary Funa Film and Television Company had filmed 30 TV series with more than 1,000 episodes in the 10 years since its establishment, creating the "Southern Style" style. The films it filmed, such as "New Beauty" and "Brilliant Spring," all performed well in the market. Others such as Xi'an Chang'an Film and Television Production Company's "The Passionate Years", Hairun Company's "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo" and "Jade Guanyin" have had a huge impact. Hairun Company also created the "new literary drama" TV series type with "Ci of Daming Palace", "Oranges Are Red", "The Empty Mirror", etc.
Others such as the "Hengdian" Group and the large number of animation production companies that have emerged in recent years play a vital role in the development of my country's film and television industry and the rise of the national animation industry.
The most famous private performing arts group is the Yang Liping Song and Dance Troupe. The "original" large-scale dance "Impression of Yunnan" that she carefully created has not only been performed in large and medium-sized cities in China, but has also gone abroad. Due to its pursuit of "original ecology", the play has also made immeasurable contributions to the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.
Individual artists, free cultural people, private art institutions and performing arts groups are the significant achievements of the reform of the literary and art system in the past 30 years; there is a lack of individual artists, free cultural people, private art institutions and performing arts groups in these 30 years. Years of artistic contributions to the spiritual and cultural life of our country are unimaginable.
5. Colorful Art Garden
30 years of contemporary literature and art have gradually shown the characteristics of diversity; the art garden has become a diverse and colorful art garden. The diversity here not only refers to artistic styles, styles, techniques, techniques, etc., but also includes concepts. "New concept composition", "new realism", "new historicism", "family history writing", "new experience", "new status", "feminist" literature, etc. all show some degree of "alternative" characteristics . It is called a commercial "blockbuster" with "form greater than content" by critics; vocal music is presented in four singing styles including ethnic, bel canto, popular, and "original"; it is a "red rock" with a certain "subversive" style. , the desolate and hoarse "Daolang" singing, folk song covers, the phenomenon of "super girl" and "super boy"; the "Hong Kong and Taiwan accent" and "Hong Kong and Taiwan flavor" in vocal performances, film and television performances, literary narrative language; the style of film and television dramas "joking" and "nonsensical" phenomena; "performance art" in the art world, etc. all give people a "weird", "unorthodox" and "very alternative" feeling. The emergence of a large number of entertainment literary and artistic works has created a situation where mainstream literature and art, elite literature and art and popular literature and art coexist.
In the literary and art circles, there are a large number of "alternative survivors", which is also a prominent manifestation of the diverse landscape of literature and art.
Han Han, who started his career by winning multiple "New Concept Composition" awards, has never shown a serious attitude towards listening. He always looks at everyone indifferently and does not take them seriously. Here are A difference in the concept of life; this concept of life is completely different from the traditional concept of life, and it is somewhat representative among some contemporary teenagers. Han Han's books are often published in the hundreds of thousands and are extremely popular. His works have always highlighted this "alternative" feature in his concept of life and behavior. You may not like it or advocate it, but you cannot allow it to exist. Tolerating "alternatives" can lead to artistic diversity.
6. Toward the rule of law and ensure the healthy development of literature and art
The purpose of developing and prospering literature and art is to meet the needs of the cultural life and spiritual development of all people internally; externally It is to maintain the independence of Chinese national culture, safeguard the roots of national culture, and expand the influence of national culture, thereby integrating the ancient and great Chinese culture into the world, becoming an integral part of "world literature", and contributing to the development of modern human civilization. . A concentrated expression of the influence of national culture and national literature and art, it is a world-class master, master and classic; its practical symbol is to win various world-recognized literary and art awards, including the Nobel Prize, the Oscar, Awards from the three major film festivals, etc.; its market performance includes distribution, attendance, box office, etc. around the world. By this measure, the gap in the development of our literature and art cannot be measured in a few words.
The fundamental way to develop literature and art is to fully liberate the productivity of literature and art, encourage and protect creativity and cultivate originality. There must be policies to encourage cultural innovation and create an environment that is conducive to producing quality products, talents, and benefits. It is a generally recognized reality that the entire cultural and literary and artistic circles lack creativity, and originality is particularly scarce. Taking the study of aesthetic theory as an example, as Professor Zhang Fa pointed out in his article, our aesthetic theory system still has two major flaws: “It does not highlight the unique aesthetic characteristics of Chinese culture and the Theoretical characteristics"; it does not get out of the narrow vision of "comparison between China and the West" and thinks about the construction of the future aesthetics from the perspective of "the concept of the interface of multicultural knowledge"⑧. The existing doctrines show more or less the systematic traces of some previous (Western) doctrines, and there are very few original things. The "serious crisis" of literary theory "is that there is too little theoretical innovation and original ideas. There seems to be a lot of debate, but there are also a lot of academic bubbles", and "some people" still have "old-fashioned ways of thinking"⑨. To change this situation, we must explore the objective laws of literary and artistic production and development and act in accordance with the laws. This law is creative autonomy, which means that literary artists must enjoy full autonomy in their thinking dimensions, thinking space, and thinking methods.
In November 1905, Lenin once emphasized: "The literary enterprise cannot be mechanically equalized, uniform, and the minority obeys the majority." A vast world of fantasy, form and content”⑩. Indeed, it was also in this discussion that Lenin demanded that "literary undertakings must in any case become a part of the work of the Social Democratic Party that is closely linked to other parts." He even demanded that "writers must join party organizations." Lenin also sharply ridiculed and criticized the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie's so-called "free literature"...but he did not deny the law that literary creation must have maximum autonomy in thinking and imagination, association and fantasy.
At the beginning of reform and opening up, Comrade Deng Xiaoping also emphasized this point. In his "Congratulations" delivered on behalf of the Party Central Committee at the Fourth Congress of Chinese Literary and Art Workers, he not only reiterated Lenin's above assertions, but also said: "In artistic creation, we advocate the free development of different forms and styles. Promote free discussion of different viewpoints and schools of thought in artistic theory.” The creative freedom emphasized here also includes the freedom of theoretical exploration in literature and art.
At the Fourth Writers' Congress, "creative freedom" was written into the document; soon after, it was no longer mentioned; in similar fields, "academic democracy" was mentioned more often. Which of the two is more in line with the rules of creation? No one seems to have given it much thought; but the problem cannot be avoided. Democracy is a system and procedural arrangement for group activities. One of the important principles is "the minority obeys the majority." Literary and artistic creation is an individual thinking activity. The discovery of scientific truths and the creation of novelties in literature and art cannot "submit the majority to the majority" at all. Are the Theory of Relativity and "A Dream of Red Mansions" the result of "academic democracy"? Even for their research and criticism, isn’t it possible to use “academic democracy” to determine the merits and demerits, right and wrong? "Academic democracy" is a matter in the management field. It has nothing to do with research and creation, and has nothing to do with literary and artistic creation.
Literary and artistic creation and literary production are essentially the creation of thinking and consciousness. They are psychological imagination and association activities. They must ensure a sufficiently broad space and multi-dimensional and multi-dimensional possibilities, and must break any space and Dimensional barriers, breaking any psychological barriers and mental constraints. The literary and artistic dictatorship of the "Gang of Four" and their ruthless destruction of literary and artistic artists and literary and artistic productivity are well known. The "Cultural Revolution" and the ultra-left ideological trends before it were "guilty with words" and "guilty with thoughts", which have been criticized and denounced by thousands of people. The harm is self-evident; since the new era, the party has The central government has repeatedly reiterated the "Three No's Principles" - "no pulling braids, no sticks, and no hating".
In his "Congratulations", Comrade Deng Xiaoping also solemnly declared on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China that in literary and artistic creation, "what to write and how to write can only be explored and gradually solved by writers and artists in artistic practice. In this regard , don’t interfere.” Even so, it cannot be said that there are no more obstacles and concerns in literary and artistic creation. The lack of creativity, especially originality, among our writers is clear evidence of this. "Creative autonomy" has not yet been followed by us as a basic rule. For many years, we have criticized the specific crimes of the "Gang of Four" and ultra-left thought, but we have not criticized its way of thinking; some people still use the old-fashioned way of thinking, and use different forms of movement criticism intermittently to eliminate dissident views. Over the years, we have not fully explored the flaws in the system, especially the legal system, that allow ultra-leftist trends to flourish. We have stopped it in theory and in specific actions, but we have failed to put an end to it institutionally, especially in the legal system. We have declared the evil consequences of the extreme left, but failed to fundamentally reveal: no organization, group, institution or individual has the power to "grab people, label them, or beat them with a stick"; no matter what name they use to do so, It is an infringement and harm to the individual rights of citizens and is fundamentally illegal; it violates not only the fundamental law of the Constitution, but also criminal and civil laws. Therefore, the top priority is to turn the moral commitments and administrative policy soft constraints of the "three no's" and "non-interference" into rigid constraints of the legal system. This requires the "Press and Publication Law" and other laws to protect citizens' personal rights and interests to be promulgated as soon as possible. Not only that, we must also build a social environment that encourages literary and artistic originality, literary and artistic thinking dimensions, and innovative ways of thinking. Only in this way can the productivity of literature and art be fully liberated, and the nation's creativity and originality be able to grow rapidly.
Notes
① Zhang Jiong: "Review and Prospect of Thirty Years of Literature in the New Era", "Journal of Shanxi University", Issue 1, 2007. ②Compiled by the China Film Archive and the Film Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts: "Catalog of Chinese Art Films (1949-1979)", Culture and Art Publishing House, 1982. ③ Zhao Shi: "Vigorously promote the creation of rural-themed films," People's Daily, July 31, 2008. ④⑧Zhang Fa: "A brief discussion on the evolution of works on Chinese aesthetic principles since the new era", "Zhongzhou Academic Journal" Issue 1, 2007. The following classification of aesthetic disciplines is also based on this article. ⑤ Han Yuhong: "Society and Literature in Dramatic Changes - Description of the Transformation of Chinese Literature at the Turn of the Century and Analysis of the Social and Cultural Background", Henan People's Publishing House, 2004, pp. 78-90. ⑥ Li Hongyu: "Chinese Contemporary Art After Getting Rich", "Southern Weekend" August 7, 2008. ⑦Li Peisen: "Brilliance Creates Dreams—Reviewing 30 Years of Chinese TV Dramas", "Contemporary TV" Issue 6, 2008. ⑨ Qian Zhongwen: "Thirty Years of Literary Theory - From the New Era to the New Century", "Literary Contest" Issue 3, 2007. ⑩Lenin: "Party Organization and Party Literature", "Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin: Essays on Art", People's Literature Publishing House, 1980, page 163. "Deng Xiaoping's Essay on Art", People's Publishing House, 1989, pp. 7, 10.
About the author: Han Yuhong, male, researcher at the Institute of Literature, Henan Academy of Social Sciences.