Every Journal Reporter: Tang Yuan Every Journal Editor: Guanyuanxing
Daolang Picture source: Official promotional video screenshot
Daolang's "comeback" actually "disturbed" this small western town more than a month ago.
html In July, a video of "Daolang returns capital to China to hold a concert and the stage is being built" was circulated on the Internet. At this time, the actions of Daolang and his team had already been captured.Some people said that he was returning his capital to China to hold a concert, some said it was to celebrate Daolang's mother's 80th birthday, and some said he was invited by the local cultural and tourism bureau to come back to promote his hometown.
In short, knife fans from all over the country and enthusiastic Zizhong citizens turned the Boat City in July into a "New Year". Since then, Zizhong has been receiving the first wave of traffic.
html On the evening of August 30, Dao Lang's online concert "Where the Folk Songs Ring" was held on the WeChat video account. It started at 20:00 and ended around 23:30. The three and a half hour concert attracted more than 53 million views. More than 600 million likes.This time, Daolang has brought his hometown Zizhong to the eyes of the people across the country, and beyond the screen, there are some moments worth capturing in the place where folk songs sound on the bank of the Tuojiang River.
Bank of Zizhong Tuojiang River Picture source: Photographed by reporter Tang Yuan
1
In 2004, Daolang became famous all over the country with his song "The First Snow in 2002".
In the old days of Zizhong, Nanshuncheng Street meandered through it, which is where Daolang's Weibo name is now "@南Shuncheng Street No. 22".
Next to it, Chonglong Town Central School stands quietly, filled with the smell of books; not far away, Zizhong County No. 1 Middle School is majestic and full of literary style. This is where Daolang self-deprecated "the place where he has his lowest and highest academic qualifications." If you include kindergarten, 400 meters behind you is the No. 1 Kindergarten of Chonglong Town, Zizhong County, where he attended.
Overlooking the Tuojiang River, below is the train track mentioned by Daolang. Picture source: Photographed by Tang Yuan, a reporter from China Daily.
What I have to say is that in an era when the Internet and social platforms were not yet popular, Daolang's rise was particularly sudden and rapid.
In 2004, he released his first music album "The First Snow in 2002". The sales of 2.7 million genuine albums made him stand out in the "golden era" where many singers competed fiercely.
This not only impressed many peers, but also laid a solid foundation for his subsequent music career, but it was also accompanied by some inevitable controversies and discussions.
At that time, Daolang, who was rising in fame, returned to his hometown Zizhong and appeared at the "Daolang Nostalgia Large-scale Concert". He successively sang 4 songs including "Lover", "Missing Comrades", "The First Snow in 2002" and "Impulsive Punishment".
Photo source of Daolang at the Nostalgic Large-scale Concert: Video screenshot
As a native of Zhongzhong, Chen Yi recalled that at that time, because webcasts and online ticket sales were not yet popular, many people went straight to witness Daolang’s concert. on site. "Many people who didn't buy tickets even climbed over the fence to see it live, because the performance address at that time was in the new school square of Zizhong No. 2 Middle School, which had not yet been completed."
Chen Yi told "Daily Economic News" The reporter described that at that time, she was in junior high school. In her school, except for the teacher responsible for evening self-study, most of the other teachers went to Daolang's concert, eager to "see his true appearance." After all, in her opinion, it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the county to produce such a big star.
To this day, when she recalls such a scene, she still smiles knowingly, lamenting why she was not born in a better era and missed out on the "most cost-effective" offline concert at that time.
According to her recollection, the grand scene of the crowds at that time is still vivid in her mind: "He has always been the pride of our Zizhong, but now he may not be able to hold (concerts) in Zizhong again, he is too popular."
Dao Lang's "Folk Song" Picture source of "The Place That Rings" online concert: Video screenshot
2
html In July, Zizhong, although it is located in a hilly area and is a bit sultry, shows a unique free and easy temperament because it is close to the Tuojiang River.At this time, on the banks of the Tuojiang River, a stage with a height of tens of meters was being built in full swing, and the short video platform was filled with heated discussions about "Daolang returning to Zizhong to hold a concert."
Most drivers passing by would record a segment and post it on social platforms, "Is Dao Lang back? Look, everyone is setting up a stage." Most of the comments below were, "Who said that? It’s like celebrating the New Year on the streets these days. Can’t you see Daolang?” Some people even asked affectionately, “Is Luo Erwa back?” Screenshot
Where the stage is set up, one side is the Tuojiang River, which gave birth to Zizhong people, and the other side is the old city with many low-rise houses. It is full of fireworks and is a place that is most familiar to Zizhong people.
On weekday nights, citizens take leisurely walks here, and there are also square dance teams joining in. In those days, the most popular ones were self-media bloggers and various Internet celebrities who “will be wherever the traffic is.”
Many people have changed their nicknames to titles such as "Take you to meet Daolang" and "So and so in Zizhong". The carnival of traffic spreads like this in this small town with the summer heat wave.
According to Chen Yi, in those days, everyone around her would go to the Tuojiang River after get off work to learn about the progress of the concert, count the number of people who were live broadcasting, and inquire about the latest news. Become a conversation piece with friends and family.
Of course, they will not miss this "traffic secret". They took a picture of the scene and added a sentence in authentic Zizhong dialect: "Our Zizhong has not been so lively for a long time. Come and take a look. There are huge crowds of people and Zizhong is very popular." La!"
In addition to local citizens, self-media bloggers and the Daolang team who have not appeared in public, another protagonist that cannot be bypassed is the "knife fans" from all over the country.
Middle-aged people’s pursuit of stars is crazier than we think.
Some people said that they flew here from abroad, some shared their experience of driving for several days to Zizhong, and some mentioned that this was their first time after flying thousands of kilometers to another city. , and then take the high-speed rail to get here.
If I was still a teenager when I listened to Daolang, most of the people who listen to Daolang now are middle-aged and have become "middle-aged knife fans" who have accompanied Daolang's songs for twenty years.
Due to local concerns about the confidentiality of Daolang and his team, Daolang has never met with Dao fans.
Maybe Daolang was discussing online concerts with his team at that time, and the knife fans outside had already organized a voluntary knife fan party. The main theme is "Since I can't hear Dao Lang singing, then Dao fans sing it themselves" free and easy.
"Dao fans" spontaneously sang a chorus under the ancient city wall. Picture source: Video screenshot
3
Daolang's "comeback" can be described as low-key and luxurious. The low profile lies in the fact that only the works speak for themselves, and all proceeds from tips are used for charity. In addition, this concert did not do too much marketing and publicity.
The luxury of "comeback" lies in the numbers behind it, 53 million views and 600 million likes, which lasted for 3 and a half hours and brought 39 songs.
When thousands of sails have passed, some unforgettable melodies will eventually echo in that "place where folk songs ring."
Just like the online promotion slogan for this concert and the following tour -
I have been gone for a long time/Now I am coming back following that voice/It walks in the dust of the northwest/Waiting under the northern sky / Leave the longing that cannot be seen / in the vast hearts of the people in the northwest / it follows the river all over the south of the Yangtze River / listens to the stories on the other side / grows into a wave with temperament / folk songs are not just mountains and songs / it is also a man With women, good and evil, ideals and reality/It can cross the land and span time/Folk songs are the most powerful joys, anger, sorrows and joys among the people/The more open-minded the place/The louder the folk songs are.
Concert video account reservation screen Image source: Video account
Some netizens said, "No one told me that Daolang's songs are actually so good." "We have reached the age where our bloodline is awakening.”
In fact, many years later, people who listen to the song will find that when an “old friend” with a long history meets you again, and he comes back with his hometown and the music he loves so much, the meaning is already there. Beyond the scope of music itself, there are traces of "each other", and behind this, what is more attractive is the resonance brought by emotion, culture and art.
Today, the ancient city wall music square has been built where Daolang held the concert. On the night of the concert, many citizens waited in front of the big screen in the music square to listen to this special concert. .
What Daolang means to this city, what this city means to music, and what "knife fans" mean may become different from August 30, 2024 (Chen Yi is a pseudonym in the article)
. Daily economic news
