"when the mountain flowers are blooming": create a cool and powerful principal zhang
2024-10-04
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tv series "when the mountain flowers are blooming". photo provided by interviewee
photo provided by interviewee yuan bullet
gu yu, a 14-year-old female student, was forced to drop out of school because her alcoholic father forced her to marry. she once gave up on herself while feeding pigs at home. zhang guimei acted very "chivalrously" to rescue this girl in darkness. zhang guimei scolded gu yu's father and desperately took gu yu back to school because she firmly believed that "receiving education" was the best way to free children from the shackles of fate.
this is the opening plot of the recently aired tv series "when the mountain flowers are blooming".
"mountain flowers are blooming" is based on zhang guimei, the winner of the "july 1st medal", and tells the story of zhang guimei's determination to found huaping girls' high school and write a new chapter for education in mountainous areas with her blood and sweat. in order to establish a women's high school, zhang guimei "exploded" with strong drive and execution to overcome difficulties one by one. some people accompany her, some help her, and some shrink back... the audience "immerses" the hardships of principal zhang guimei as she grits her teeth and moves forward step by step.
a few days ago, the play's screenwriter yuan zhuan was interviewed by reporters from china youth daily and china youth daily to share his experience in creating this play.
not a "bitter" character, but a cool and powerful teacher
when the drama team found yuan tan, she was very hesitant and "didn't dare to take it."
"teacher zhang has a very high level. everyone respects her and knows her deeds very well. as a creator, i feel that this type of drama is difficult to write. you will worry about whether you can write like her? can you write it well? "
yuan zhuan was worried a lot when she received the invitation, but at the same time, she liked principal zhang guimei very much. "there is always some lofty realm and idealistic spirit that you yearn for. teacher zhang is a truly 'powerful' person, and the opportunity to write about her is very rare."
after careful consideration for a week, yuan danzhan decided to write the script for "when the mountain flowers bloom" and expressed her idea to the scriptwriter: she did not want to create a "bitter" character who only emphasized hardships.
"a person who can open a girls' school in the mountains, something that many people think is 'impossible,' must be a particularly strong, brave, and powerful person, and he will be a very 'cool' teacher."
actor song jia, who plays zhang guimei in the play, said that principal zhang guimei's touching deeds, her greatness, selflessness and her spiritual strength are all reflected in the work. "as an actor, i hope to bring you a character with a charming personality."
the main creators of "when mountain flowers are blooming" did a lot of inspections and research in the early stage, reviewed many relevant text and video materials, went to huaping women's high school and other places to collect stories, re-traveled to the home visit of principal zhang guimei, and interviewed friends, teachers and students who are familiar with zhang guimei. an alumna of a female high school, she writes scripts and creates characters based on field research. the creators of the play specially chose to film the story in huaping county, lijiang city, yunnan province, where the incident took place, to truly present the original appearance of rural life.
during field research in huaping county, yuan zizi met principal zhang guimei. yuan danzi described zhang guimei as having a cheerful personality, being particularly optimistic and humorous; her communication with students was very "live" and there was no "preaching sense".
yuan zhunzhan experienced on the spot that principal zhang’s wholehearted dedication in helping students is touching, and his way of solving problems is also full of wisdom. "the first time i went there that day, i encountered something: a student's family member was sick, which caused her to not pay much attention to school. teacher zhang used a very good educational method: let the children go to the playground to sweep fallen leaves and think about this. it shouldn't be the case. after thinking about it, teacher zhang asked the child to bring her family's medical bills and said, "i'll reimburse you."
yuan danzi integrated this feeling into the creation of the series: the educator presented in the tv series is not only respected, but also has a charming personality that has attracted countless viewers.
knowing that something cannot be done but doing it, restoring "uncertainty" is the key point of creation
yuan zhunzhan mentioned that huaping women's high school is now very well-known, and there is an endless stream of people who want to interview and visit, but teacher zhang does his best to preserve the pure land of the school and protect the students from being disturbed by the outside world. for example, teacher zhang requires visitors not to interview students directly or to wear exaggerated clothing, otherwise it will distract students and make them restless while studying.
when the creative team of the tv series was collecting stories, teacher zhang said that they did not want to exaggerate the students' suffering, nor did they want them to think too much of their own suffering. students all have self-esteem. if their own situation is used as a "gimmick" or "selling point" on the screen, it will hurt them.
"during the interview, i saw a book, which contained about 100 short stories from students who had been interviewed over the years. these were all obtained with the consent of the students." yuan danzhan sighed. when she saw this booklet, she really felt teacher zhang’s love and protection for the girls.
teacher zhang resolutely shuttles between the school and the mountains, pulling the dropout girls back to the campus and holding the light that illuminates the future for them. the final episode of "mountain flowers" focuses on several female student story lines, integrating the figures and experiences of many students at huaping girls' high school.
yuan danzi revealed that teacher zhang put forward a basic requirement for the script creation: not to focus on showing her personal deeds and honors, but to let everyone see what the teachers and students of the school, party committees and governments at all levels have achieved for huaping girls' high school today. efforts and contributions to achieve results.
"teacher zhang told me that when she was doing this, no one knew whether it would be possible or where it would go in the end, but she would do it anyway and many people were working hard for it." yuan zizan said with emotion. when she didn't know whether she could succeed, she "knew that she couldn't do it but did it". she kept an eye on this thing and accomplished it little by little over the years.
restoring the "uncertainty" that mr. zhang had back then became the key point for yuan danzhan to write the script. "we hope to make the audience understand that even if this thing may not succeed and may fail every minute, it is still meaningful." the significance of the girls' school is not to gain honors, but "how to continue going forward."
"teacher zhang has had a profound impact: the students in front of them were greatly impacted and collided with their thinking, and they realized that life has infinite possibilities, that they can fight for themselves and make changes."
as shown in the drama, teacher zhang is surrounded by teachers who are as dedicated as she is, hard-working students, and lovely grassroots cadres. as a "leader", zhang guimei led a group of people to work together for a better tomorrow.
the experience of creating "when mountain flowers bloom" made yuan danzhan deeply feel the significance and value of "knowledge changes destiny, education changes life".
yuan tan, who has served as a screenwriter for many female-themed dramas, admitted that the more "female + education" themed works, the better. "if more creators are willing to write, i think it would be a particularly good thing."
china youth daily·china youth daily reporter shen jiequn source: china youth daily
(source: china youth daily)
