Unexpectedly, the theme of the first dark horse drama in 2024 turned out to be the "Chinese Quintessence Suona".
The title of the drama sounds a bit strange at first glance, it's called "A Small Town with Many Stories".
is not big either. It stars Zhang Jianing and Gao Zhiting, as well as Wu Xingjian, Song Jiateng, Na Renhua, Tan Xihe, Yang Xinming, Fan Tiantian and other powerful actors, but there is no traffic at all. The lineup of the
platform is also average, with iQiyi and Shaanxi Satellite TV launching simultaneously. Not on CCTV, nor on first-line satellite TV. No matter how you look at
, it looks like a small production that just fills in the files.
is just such a small drama, but it won a lot of praise from Douban when it first aired.
I can’t say that there are no bad reviews, but there are indeed many who praise the story for being compact and not protracted, the heroine, and the light comedy style of the series. On the day that
premiered, it topped the platform’s soaring list.
What kind of magic does this story have that makes it more popular with the audience than the recent popular dramas that have gathered top stars and are constantly being searched for just by being praised? With this question in mind,
watched 8 episodes in a row, and finally discovered that almost all the toughest points in Chinese dramas, and the most unspeakable "taboos" are in this drama. How effective is
? Anyway, my laughter didn’t stop. But with a smile, the various flavors of life blown out by the suona and the pitiable warmth and warmth of human relationships in the small town came to my heart.
Various musical instruments, suona is the king.
I didn’t expect that this suona would really be a dark horse for 2024 domestic urban dramas.
01. When a top student majoring in Suona meets "Mr. Bai" from a small county town, a chemical reaction will happen.
When we mention Suona folk music, our first reaction is the quintessence of the Chinese nation, weddings and funerals, and perhaps, Spring Festival Gala performances. Three words: down to earth.
When it comes to domestic urban dramas, our first reaction is, 996, CBD, the boss is arrogant and the heroine is invincible. Two words: suspension.
Two things, one plays on the ground and the other floats in the sky, seem to be irreconcilable poles in life and on the screen.
In "Small Town Stories", the screenwriter who wrote "Ma Xiaotiao" and "Lan Duoduo" happened to put the two things together.
The story opens with a suona sound that changes the life of the heroine Mu Di.
Once upon a time, she was the sweet girl of heaven who had studied suona for twelve years and ranked first in the suona major at the Central People's Conservatory of Music.
The National Academy had long since taken a fancy to her, and they were just waiting for the entrance exam, and she got the chance on the first try.
But at this moment, her boyfriend cheated on her. To be precise, get a certificate.
His wife, who is 20 years older than him, ran directly to the heroine and declared her sovereignty. The heroine, who had experienced a cliff-like breakup, uttered a few words neatly: You really disgust me.
is so angry that my ears are ringing.
This is broken. The opportunity to join the international theater that I originally had was gone.
Forget it, go back to your hometown of Weihai, a small town, to recuperate.
"Beijing is not suitable for recuperation. I want to go home and recover quickly, and then fight back to take back everything that belongs to me."
The idea is beautiful, but the reality is quite realistic.
As soon as he returned, his parents arranged a blind date.
Blind dates are still a trivial matter. The heroine who returns to a small town has to overcome at least three hurdles in the first two episodes. Each of these three hurdles hits the heroine's destiny.
is also in this process. The male and female protagonists are constantly in trouble and chaos, and the immersive small town life where they can encounter everything is fully unfolded.
The first hurdle is to see a doctor.
Why did the heroine come back? To treat her illness.
So when the plot starts, don’t talk about anything else, just see a doctor first.
But when I looked at it, I saw the male protagonist. It was unrealistic to say that we met him by chance. In fact, we couldn't even hide. We could run into him no matter what we did.
First, we made an appointment with a famous old Chinese medicine doctor, and the male protagonist arranged it.
arrived at the scene, and the male protagonist told the female protagonist: The meaning of making a reservation is to be qualified to queue.
just have to queue up.
But the female protagonist didn’t wait in line for a while. Good guy, the male protagonist directly led someone to jump in line.
The heroine is so angry.
This short plot clearly illustrates the characteristics of the small town: with the intrusion of the Internet, in the end, we have to follow the rules of the small town, but the rules also contain human feelings.
I finally sat down to see the doctor. Hey, why did I see the male protagonist?
"I help line up when I'm busy. When I'm not busy, I come here to learn how to do it."
OK, after the old Chinese medicine doctor finished taking the prescription, the heroine took the prescription to get the medicine: What's going on, why is it you again?
As expected, Bai Lang, the owner of a planning company who is the most all-rounded, well-versed in people and the world in his small hometown. The knot of
is considered to be tied. Soon the heroine came to the second hurdle again -
, the family dinner.
Originally, the heroine came with her nephew to sign in, but when the director of the small town came to the family banquet, people were blocked, and everyone was busy handing out business cards.
The male protagonist was also busy moving forward, but in the confusion, he stepped back and dropped the female protagonist's phone.
The heroine went up to discuss the matter, and the nephew grabbed the hand of an old man in front of him: Third Grandpa, someone is bullying my aunt.
A fight? What are you thinking? This is a small town.
Mr. Bai blurted out directly: Isn’t this my aunt?
OK, you can knock out a aunt just by bumping your cell phone. "It's all a misunderstanding."
Although he knocked away his aunt's cell phone, the male protagonist made a meritorious deed: the director was surrounded by people preparing to toast, and it was difficult to escape.
The male protagonist who was the master of ceremonies had an idea - "Whose car does this car in the garage belong to? Please move it."
The director immediately understood: It belongs to me. I'll move it. Escape with ease.
The male protagonist followed him all the way and successfully handed over his business card.
What a trick, small town wisdom.
Although he cleverly helped the director get out of trouble, his future wife Mu Di was even more unkind to him.
The third hurdle is performance.
Although I am going home to recuperate, I still have to pick up some work.
How difficult would it be for the heroine to accept a "red deal", play the suona, take the money and leave?
As soon as the hostess arrived at the scene, she was dumbfounded. How could this be a red matter? It was clearly a white matter.
The heroine also specially wore a red dress. Looking at the CEO of "Small Town Story Group" who was hosting the event, it didn't matter whether she called her aunt, Bai Lang.
The heroine took the suona and turned around to leave.
Bai Lang caught up and explained: You are not an artist, you have to do it when you get the job.
The heroine was so angry: You are the Suona artist, and your family is all Suona artists.
But it is indeed the intermediary who made the mistake, and the performance still has to be done.
What should I do if I am dressed in red? Just ask the male protagonist to take off his suit and do a live nesting. Just like that, the female protagonist in a dark suit has finished her performance.
The children are very tired. They used to perform one piece of music, but now they perform a whole show.
Make money.
The male protagonist kindly asked: Do you want me to take you back?
heroine: I’ll never see you again in this life.
As the old saying goes, you can’t speak too early.
When the heroine walked out to take a taxi, she soon discovered that her mobile phone was out of battery and the taxi was not running. It was getting dark while walking. There were no street lights in this place.
At a critical moment, a life-saving car passed by -
The heroine waved, the car window rolled down, and a familiar face appeared: Is our life so short?
A good girl will not suffer the loss in front of her, Mu Di immediately surrendered: Take me with you Just a paragraph.
President Bailang stretched out five fingers: five hundred. Good boy, sit down and raise the price.
But not long after we got in the car, the car broke down.
Now I felt completely at ease. Fortunately, there was still half a box of beer and roast chicken left over from the event in the car.
Mu Di for one second: Don’t eat.
The next second, you will be eating deliciously.
While drinking beer and eating roast chicken, the two had their first communication about the suona. Mu Di believed that "of all musical instruments, the suona is the king. When the suona sounds, it must be the focus of the audience!"
Bailang said, you can pull it down, you can Just know - "As soon as the suona sounds and the white cloth is covered, the whole village, young and old, waits for the food to be served."
Forget about the venomous tongue, it’s time for the car called by Boss Bai to arrive—it’s here, the chicken car.
After finally arriving in the city, the heroine, who was about to have a heart attack, got into a taxi and disappeared.
These two people, how can I say, they are a cross talk partner.
Bailang's mouth was bubbling with lyrics, and Mu Di's main point was a straightforward reply to the argument. The interaction between the two really made me laugh.
The highlights of the first two episodes of the story are indeed too obvious, from the compact laughter to the brilliant performances of all the comedians.
The value of this drama is its directness: there are no twists and turns, but simple and crude ways to make you laugh.
But the story is not just a cp, but through the heroine, the audience is taken step by step into the small town and sees the reality Suona faces.
Next, Mu Di will not only feel a different kind of human warmth, but also get to know members of the local folk band.
How to combine traditional art and popular culture?
How did the heroine, the aunt, and the small town tyrant Bai Lang change from tit-for-tat to mutual appreciation?
In the end, how can Mu Di work with the members of the folk orchestra to spread traditional folk music?
In the lively plot, not only was the suspense laid, the audience was drawn into the drama, but the grand proposition of the play about national musical instruments and the entrepreneurial life of young people in small towns was also slowly revealed.
The first suona sounded.
02. Zhang Jianing's naturalness, Gao Zhiting's liveliness, and Song Jiateng's gangsterism give this drama the tone of an urban life drama.
In fact, it is quite a test of acting skills, because it requires skills to be seen in daily dramas.
As luck would have it, the show is full of acting talents.
What makes me most satisfied is that Zhang Jianing once again played the life-like character in an urban drama.
Before Chinese drama audiences, they saw many leading heroines of urban dramas who lived in a domineering style, but Zhang Jianing's acting skills focused on life-style.
The character of Mu Di is different from Zhu Zhe in "Ode to Joy 3 and 4". The latter encounters gods and kills gods, encounters demons and demons. The former has high academic qualifications and abilities, but is under great pressure inside and looks as if nothing has happened. Small town girl.
Zhang Jianing's performance is still as natural as the wind in Weihai. Her hearty laughter and smooth suona-playing movements make the scene full of life, but the plot of being handsome and walking home in just three seconds also made the audience burst into laughter. .
In Zhang Jianing, I saw the rare appropriateness of a young actor in urban dramas. Almost every emotional point is correct, every laugh point is acted naturally, and every expression is not overdone.
Among the performances of the new generation of actors in Chinese dramas, naturalness is actually a rare ability. I hope Zhang Jianing can maintain it.
second place, Gao Zhiting
Bailang played by Gao Zhiting exceeded my expectations.
He vividly played the role of a smart and capable small town boss who can fool anyone.
For example, a scene in which a customer asks for balance but the customer refuses to give it.
Bai Lang first begged with a smile on his face and chased the customer all the way. When he saw that he couldn't talk, he suddenly stopped and said calmly: No, I can only go to your unit to ask for it.
Seeing that the customer was angry, he immediately retracted and looked respectful.
Finally, I bargained with the customer with a playful smile. The whole process is joyful and coherent, and it can be said to be completed in one go.
With a few small movements and expressions, he brought to life a boss who flexibly mediates in interpersonal relationships in a small town.
also has familiar faces from Noon Sunshine that are familiar to the audience.
Tan Xihe, a "national first-class actor" who plays Gao Zhan in "Nirvana in Fire", plays the heroine's father, playing a kind of father who pretends to be confused while pretending to understand.
"Jingjue Ancient City" has organized a group for team building.
plays the role of Yue Yang, the golden tooth. This time he plays the role of a competitor of the male protagonist's company. He can't hide his joy under his serious expression.
Yang Xinming, who plays Professor Chen, plays the tutor of the female protagonist. In response to the female protagonist’s outburst of hatred, he scolds the female protagonist and then points out the way to the female protagonist with distress. The acting is spot on.
Wang Yongquan, who plays An Liman, plays the role of the heroine's third uncle and the ship owner who rents a boat for the male host to host the wedding, and he shows the temperament of a simple and honest man on the water.
and more.
Song Jia Teng, who performed brilliantly in "Kurst", plays the male protagonist Jin Jin, a kind-hearted but brainless business partner. He is fooled by Yue Yang's character every day. In the end, it is up to the male protagonist to smooth things over. The helpless little boy The expressions are also very contrasting and funny. It can be said that one person plays the role of "crouching dragon and phoenix chick".
Wu Xingjian, who played Jiang Xianyun in "Ask the Cangbang" and Zhou Nan in "The World", played the role of a rich second generation who loves music. He ignored the heroine at first, but he followed her after knowing that she was a top student at the music school. Reluctantly, the immaturity and passion of young people were all performed by him.
It can be said that without money to buy traffic, "A Small Town with Many Stories" is a rare Chinese drama in recent times where the performances of all three actors, old, middle and young, are extremely complete. The wonderful group scenes support the whole story.
03. On the surface, we are filming "Suona Weddings and Weddings", but in fact we are filming traditional culture. It's time for this 33-year-old actress to change the subject.
The suona theme is difficult to shoot.
Small town stories and the confusion and struggle of young people are also difficult to film.
The weddings and funerals presented in the drama are still difficult to film.
If it is too deep, it is easy to be depressed; if it is too emotional, it is easy to fall into the rut of sensationalism.
There has yet to be a decent domestic drama that dares to integrate these elements.
Until its appearance -
"Small Town Stories", the play structure itself is very clever. From the perspective of a post-95s young girl, it explores the fate of national musical instruments and the struggles of young people in small towns that are otherwise inaccessible to young people. proposition.
In general, whether it invites the golden supporting actors of Noon Sunshine or the charm of the series itself, "Stories in a Small Town" has a comedy atmosphere everywhere.
Don't look at it as talking about Suona culture. The themes are all-encompassing.
The struggle and dilemma of young people, the struggle and entrepreneurship of a new generation of small town youth, the dilemma of national musical instruments, etc.
You see it is describing "a bunch of troubles", but in fact every word of it is inseparable from the romance of traditional culture .
There are two extremely "romantic" segments in the drama, which I like very much.
The first segment is a performance of the suona.
The heroine, who failed the exam due to tinnitus and lost confidence, had tinnitus in the first episode.
But in At a wedding banquet, when she finally came back to save the scene, put on her performance costume, and blew all the way with great arrogance,
unexpectedly took the scene away.
The audience should be like the audience in the play, and immediately felt the charm of the suona. It is worthy of being the quintessence of China.
Next, the heroine will work with the Erhu teacher who specializes in baking cold noodles, Sister Du who specializes in beauty Pipa, and Sister Yang Qinping who specializes in massage, to combine national musical instruments with urban pop music.
Those who are interested in Suona The question of whether it is traditional or modern is subtly resolved in a gentle way in the play: Suona is the quintessence of the country, of course it is traditional, and it should also be modern.
The second paragraph is a performance of weddings and funerals.
Because of the forced Helplessly, the heroine had to participate in some weddings and weddings, but she was extremely resistant in her heart, until she participated in a sea burial in the hero's company.
Grandpa Li, a veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, told his granddaughter that after his death, his ashes must be kept Throwing it into the sea, he said, "His life was bought by the lives of his comrades." He just hoped that after death, he could be closer to his former comrades.
Although the host has experienced various obstacles and not being understood , and was even criticized by relatives, but in the end the male protagonist successfully helped Grandpa Li fulfill his last wish of being buried at sea. Let Grandpa Li’s ashes be put into the sea, and his memory will last forever.
Life and death are natural laws. People are full of joy at the arrival of life and feel sad at the departure of death. This is human nature. But in Chinese culture, death is not just about sadness.
The use of lively musical instruments such as the suona to bid farewell to old friends is the most unique aspect of Chinese culture. Farewell is sentimental, but it can also be festive. The so-called funeral is celebrated and the whole village eats a banquet. This is the most unique aspect of Chinese culture. part.
Just like at the end of this burial at sea, everyone was finally moved.
At this moment, the theme of the play is sublimated again.
The topic of death is very heavy, but "Stories in a Small Town" is very light.
There are funerals in the play involving the elderly and children, and the grief of the family members is inevitable, but as the male protagonist said, using hard performance to express condolences to the deceased and soothe the sorrow of the living is the meaning of live suona performance.
This is the most gentle part of "A Small Town with Many Stories" in my opinion.
The sound of suona has become the ferry sound at the end of the life of the deceased at weddings and weddings, allowing the deceased to leave the world happily without leaving any regrets.
This is a unique way that Chinese people use to dilute sadness and heal pain.
The same goes for "A Small Town with Many Stories".
makes people laugh and cry. Although the
series uses a lot of comedy techniques, it does not make people feel frivolous or suspended. It is because of these real career and life details. Behind
, there is also the foundation of traditional Chinese culture.
Weddings and funerals, welcomes and farewells, Chinese life itself is a cyclical process.
The old life is dying, but it has not left completely. It has just changed its form and exists on this earth.
The deceased is gone, the living people live a happy life and face life with a normal mind. This is the core issue that "Stories in a Small Town" wants to convey to everyone. There is no popular star in the
series, and the actors who appear are not very well-known, but it makes up for a major shortcoming of domestic dramas in terms of subject matter.
Especially Zhang Jianing, who plays the protagonist Mu Di, gives a spirited performance. This 33-year-old actress should have become popular long ago.
No matter what, I hope everyone who finishes watching this drama will be like Mu Di.
can blow the suona when you are stuck, in difficulty, or under pressure, and your energy will rise immediately.
Everyone will die, but living should be vigorous.
When the suona sounds, there is a thousand taels of gold.
In big cities and small towns, people live with a smile.
This domestic urban drama finally tells the story of a small town. I heard it with great interest. What do you think?
