No matter how the outside society influences you, be sincere to yourself and be your true self. Only when you have no distracting thoughts and questions in your heart can you move forward without asking anything.
01
There are always some people who live their lives into poetry and also illuminate the future of others
?Part 7 years ago The movie "Wonderful West and East" shot instantly broke the Internet, with a huge number of viewers and rave reviews. The film was originally shot to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Tsinghua University. It has been silent until now, and was finally released at the beginning of the new year. It breaks the limitations of time and space and tells the stories of young people of four generations about their feelings about their family and country, about finding themselves, about following their hearts, and about being loyal to the truth, which lasts for nearly a century and is both independent and related to each other. It tells the story of university The inheritance of spirit is actually the inheritance of the spirit of the times.
The film starts from modern times and goes back to tell the stories of six young people in the 1960s, the 1940s during the Anti-Japanese War, and the 1920s. There is a clear main line interspersed among them. This is what director Li Fangfang once said when interpreting the title of the film:
"No matter how the outside society controls you, be sincere to yourself and be your true self. Only when you have no distracting thoughts and doubts in your heart can you move forward bravely and ask no questions about the east or the west." "
Writer Zhou Guoping also said: "As long as a person knows what he really wants and finds the life that best suits him, all the temptations and excitement of the outside world will indeed become irrelevant to him. "
As a literary work, although the connection between young people of four generations is a little far-fetched, the main line running through it is indeed very clear and shocking.
02
"What this era lacks is not perfect people, but sincerity, justice, fearlessness and compassion given from the heart."
It is true. , these young people are not perfect. At certain stages or important nodes in their lives, they have also experienced hesitation and confusion, hesitation and wavering, and moments of wise self-preservation. There is no choice but to be unwilling, but in the end, you will always follow your inner thoughts and make a choice that is worthy of your conscience. Only in this way can we feel more credible and have a stronger sense of involvement, thus arousing excitement.
Wu Linglan in Tsinghua University in the 1920s was a young man with talents in Chinese studies and foreign languages. However, he was limited by the secular views of the time and chose the field that everyone thought good students should study. Subject, the results are not listed. He was numb, hesitant, and felt ashamed that he was addicted to such nihilistic questions as pondering the meaning of life.
?Shen Guangyao during the Southwest Associated University period was born into a wealthy family with a good upbringing and a bright future. However, his mother came from afar and begged him not to pursue fame and fortune or to serve as a soldier. , he also knelt down and swore to his mother that he would not listen to what was happening outside the window and concentrate on studying hard.
When Chen Peng, a top student in the early 1960s, faced the need of his motherland to do secret work in the research institute, the first thing he thought of was "I have someone to take care of", and that was the one he secretly loved. His middle school classmate, Wang Minjia, who was also an orphan, put love before ideals and the individual before the country's cause in that era of high collectivism.
Zhang Guoguo, who lives in modern society, faced intrigues, various unspoken rules, and schemes in the workplace, and once lost herself.
Whose youth is not confused? Who hasn’t had trouble growing up?
What is rare is that at the critical juncture of life, there is guidance from mentors, support from seniors, mutual help from friends, and guidance from one’s own heart.
Wu Linglan, after the guidance of Principal Mei Yiqi, and especially after listening to the speech of Tagore who visited China, Wu Linglan finally cleared away the fog, no longer ashamed to think about life, and began to have a true understanding of herself. Watch. Realizing that individuals need to grasp the soul and the nation needs spiritual achievements, they are reborn and follow the footsteps of the masters, calmly and resolutely.
From the sketchbook that Shen Guangyao’s mother looked through, we can also see the rich man’s love for life. He could have lived the life his mother hoped for, "enjoying the joys of life, reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, marrying the girl you like and having children, and enjoying the joys of being a parent." But when he saw the disaster of the nation , his mother was in grief when he saw the little boy who died in the enemy bombing, and when he saw the blood on the elegant professor's body, he did not hesitate to go against his mother's wishes and resolutely joined the army. After completing each mission, he took a dangerous detour to give The orphans delivered food, and finally, under siege by enemy planes, they crashed into an enemy ship and died together with the enemy. Life achieved the most magnificent bloom.
Chen Peng, in that topsy-turvy era, when everyone spoke ill of Wang Minjia and even punched her, what he said was, "Don't be afraid, I am the one who supports you. I will fall with you, no matter how deep you fall, I will be there to support you."
He is engaged in arduous scientific research in the Gobi desert, but he can always find time to help the disfigured man. Wang Minjia sent back the best cream available at the time and made beautiful wood carvings and seals for her.
When my country's first atomic bomb he participated in the research and development was successfully exploded, it was also the time when his heart was closest to Wang Minjia's. Although he was physically damaged and already hairy at a young age, even though the simple and beautiful little town they once lived in The mountain village has been destroyed beyond recognition.
Faced with the cunningness of her boss and the temptation of her colleagues, Zhang Guoguo overcame her inner wavering and said, "I am different from them." When he used colorful oil paints to paint the windows of the quadruplets with hopeful patterns in the house he rented, at that moment, I believe his heart must be very satisfied, and he completed the self-salvation of his soul.
As Steve Jobs said: Courage to follow your heart and intuition. Only your heart and intuition know your true thoughts, everything else is secondary.
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The film also provides us with a perspective. In that era, even the "bad guys" that everyone considered had a pitiful side and some room for tolerance. Let us not despair of this society.
Wang Minjia and Li Xiang were dissatisfied with their teacher’s domestic violence and came up with the idea of ??writing an anonymous letter to criticize the teacher’s wife. After being discovered by the paranoid teacher’s mother, Wang Minjia From then on, Li Xiang's life became a nightmare, and Li Xiang never dared to stand up and admit that he was an accomplice, just because he didn't want to lose the opportunity to support his side. Later, he left the chance of survival to his colleagues, Zhang Guoguo's parents, and himself. Then she was laid to rest in the wilderness of the border.
Even Shufen, who directly caused Wang Minjia to be brutally trampled, collapsed when she saw Minjia lying in a pool of blood, perhaps regretting it, or feeling guilty. , and despair of love and marriage, jumped into the bottom of the cold well.
The quadruplets are not as greedy as people think, and they have repeatedly made appointments with Guoguo. , just to give the box of extremely precious fetal hair pens to the benefactor who named their baby in person.
Although the world is not as perfect as imagined, it still gives people hope, so. We still need to regain our original aspirations in this impetuous society, choose to listen to our own hearts, pursue our true selves, return to our nature, and seek inner peace.
04
At the end of the film, there are Easter eggs and even more splendid chapters. The appearance of every name and photo will attract applause from the audience who are reluctant to leave. It is a tribute to the masters - these masters in their time are also like many today. Like many ordinary people, they "pursue the truth in their hearts, wish for the freedom of their hearts, and be beautiful in the world" and live out their own character.
Those dazzling names are their eternal pride. . Universities are supposed to be places that produce masters. When will our universities no longer talk about how many ministers they have trained, how many billionaires they have produced, and how high their employment rates are abroad? Only if you are an egoist can you live up to the reputation of the university and the reputation of the country's important weapon. Only by returning to the original intention of education can you face the reality of education itself.
?The English name of the film. Forever? Young?, eternal youth, yes, this is the hymn of youth composed by generations of people with their ideals, exploration, passion, and confusion. It is their magnificent youth and the "establishment" they pursue. "Adhere to morality and speak without asking anything about the West or the East" is far more than the motto of a university. It is the national spirit that can be passed down and a beacon that guides future generations. It is also the poetry and distance that you and I should pursue.
"You will be happy when green shoots sprout from the ground, you will jump for joy at the rising sun, and you will also give kindness and warmth to others. At the same time, don't forget your own preciousness while giving to others. Love what you love, do what you do, listen to your heart, and don’t ask about east or west. "
The voice-over at the end once again highlights the topic.
I hope you and I can encourage you in this impetuous society.