China Entertainment 1997

New Year's Eve, Haidian Apartment

"You have a good time in the UK, wear more clothes, go home as soon as possible during the summer vacation, and don't run around over there."

Zeng's mother gave many instructions and gave the phone to Zeng Li. Zeng Li took the phone and chatted with his sister Zeng Yu.

Last year, Zeng Yu went to study in the UK and couldn't come back during the Spring Festival. The couple were worried about her. They called her on New Year's Eve and found out that she was celebrating the New Year with many Chinese students.

"Be careful when you play with your classmates. Don't drink. Pay attention to safety. Give me a call when you get home. If I have time later, I will go to the UK to see you."

"Okay, that's it. International long distance is quite expensive."

"Mom, you've been nagging me for more than ten minutes, and you haven't finished talking for a minute."

"You say it, you say it."

Zeng's mother angrily went to the kitchen to cook. Zeng Li chatted with his sister Zeng Yu for a while before hanging up the phone. Then he ran to the study and stared at the computer screen while holding down his cell phone.

Zeng’s mother came over to take a look and asked, “What are you doing?”

"I searched for New Year blessing text messages on the Internet, and I sent a few to our dean, secretary, teachers, and co-actors and directors. It's the New Year, so I can't express my blessings."

"Help me search a few items, and I will send them to my colleagues later. I will use your mobile phone to send them. Our director's mobile card cannot be sent by China Unicom."

"It can be sent. I read the news two days ago. China Mobile and China Unicom can already send text messages to each other."

"As long as it can send, don't tell me, this thing is really easy to use. It can make calls and send text messages. Whatever you send here, it will be picked up on the other side. It is much more convenient than a BB phone."

Zeng's mother held the new mobile phone and lamented that it was a new mobile phone given to her by Cao Xuan. Zeng's mother didn't want it at first. As soon as Cao Xuan opened the packaging box and said that he could not return it, she accepted it without hesitation.

Although she said it was a waste of money, Zeng's mother felt happy in her heart.

He even spent a lot of money on long-distance calls to call a few close friends and colleagues.

Then he "accidentally" revealed that he met his daughter's partner in Beijing this time, and the young man bought her gifts and insisted on buying her a new mobile phone.

When people get annoyed by her and don't answer the phone, she sends text messages, calling it an experiment.

My great-grandmother used to have a mobile phone, but the old model had a non-Chinese display, which she couldn’t figure out, so she could only use it to make calls. Now that I have the latest model, I started to try out new features, and take a look at Versailles.

Zeng Li has been speechless by her mother for the past two days, secretly complaining to Cao Xuan.

However, Cao Xuan thinks that his mother-in-law is very interesting and looks very similar to his mother, Sun Lan. If the two sisters meet, they will definitely be able to chat.

After tinkering with text messages for a while, the meal was almost done. The two moved the dishes to the living room. It was past 8 o'clock and this year's Spring Festival Gala officially started.

"Does this program team take care of the food?"

In previous years, Zeng's mother only watched the show, but this year she has a good son-in-law and is also concerned about the situation backstage.

"In charge of the meals. There are lunch boxes in the background."

Zeng Li explained, and just as he picked up a piece of pork ribs, Zeng’s mother asked again: “What program is Xiao Cao on?”

"About 9 o'clock, probably less than 10 o'clock, but this year he has to participate until the end, there are two programs."

"I know, "Unforgettable Tonight" is not something that ordinary people can sing. Xiao Cao is amazing. It is both a solo and a finale."

Zeng's mother looked proud, Zeng Li took a breath and said nothing.

Although Zeng's mother was hesitant about the future of their relationship, she was still very positive about Cao Xuan's career development. She even felt like she had evolved into an old crush. These days, she listened to Cao Xuan's songs while cleaning at home.

Fortunately, Zeng Li and Cao Xuan were a young couple, with a clear division of labor between outside and inside, otherwise Cao Xuan would most likely become someone else's child as Zeng's mother said.

In fact, what Zeng Li was most worried about was not himself, but his sister Zeng Yu. Cao Xuan had raised his son-in-law's career too high.

If Zeng Yu's future partner has a mediocre career, then the pressure in front of Cao Xuan, his brother-in-law, will be extraordinary.

Zeng Li felt a little guilty. He didn't know whether he was the cheating girl in Cao Xuan's words...

………

The two of them chatted, and this year's Spring Festival Gala officially started. Ni Ping, Zhu Jun, Zhou Tao, Wang Xiaoya, Li Yong, Cao Ying and other hosts appeared.

Zhao Zhongxiang officially withdrew from the Spring Festival Gala hosting team, led by Ni Ping, and the first CCTV host became Zhu Jun.

Zeng's mother didn't pay much attention to these hosts, but Zeng Li took a few more glances at Cao Ying.

This host was born, and now he has begun to transition to film and television, and has been very successful.

In the second half of last year, the hit "Oolong" was released, and at the beginning of this year, "The Nine-Year-Old County Grandpa" was broadcast, and the ratings were also quite good.

Moreover, she participated in the CCTV TV series "Snow without a Trace", which also allowed her to win the Golden Eagle Award like Cao Xuan, and won the Best Actress Award and the Most Popular Actress Award.

With a hit TV series in hand and the ability to host the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Cao Ying's career is in full swing and she is one of the most popular hosts nowadays.

Zeng Li paid attention to her because the TV series starring the two had a hit in the ratings in January, and Zeng Li Xiaosheng.

Of course, there is a more important reason. Cao Ying and Hu Jing are very close to each other, and both became popular last year. They are often compared by the media. Zeng Li inevitably takes a few more glances at this empress of the East Palace's rival.

This year's Spring Festival Gala is different from previous ones in that it also features a prize-winning guessing game. The audience can interact with each other in front of the TV. The audience can participate in the guessing activity through mobile text messages or logging on to the CCTV website.

In the future, the Spring Festival Gala's evil activities such as collecting five blessings, shaking red envelopes, emptying shopping carts, etc. basically evolved from this link.

However, Zeng Li and his daughter were too lazy to join in the fun and concentrated on watching the show.

Frankly speaking, the overall quality of this year's Spring Festival Gala has been relatively low in recent years.

Especially the language programs that the audience pays more attention to are generally a little stretched.

Feng Gong, Guo Donglin, and Lu Ming collaborated on the cross talk "On Stage and Off Stage", which is somewhat similar to the previous "Old Songs with New Sings".

Using both guitar and accordion, Mo changed many songs, including a short excerpt of "Dongfeng Po" by Cao Xuan, which gained a lot of popularity.

But the most impressive thing about this show was Guo Donglin singing, which turned into Jinmen Allegro, praising the national football team for entering the World Cup.

"Hey, entering the World Cup, I don't think anyone is scary, let alone Brazil, Turkey, and Costa Rica. We don't accept him. We will beat them 3:0 in every game. Everyone agrees."

As a result, 9 goals were poured into Xia Tian. At that time, some people complained about Guo Donglin's crow's mouth...

Feng Gong's cross talk is quite amusing, and Guo Donglin is also in charge. The chemistry between the two is very good.

Next is Huang Hong, who collaborated with Gong Hanlin this year. His works are average and have jokes, but they are not amazing.

Cai Ming and Guo Da are inferior, with not many jokes. The same is true for several other works, which are bland and unremarkable.

There is also a cross talk drama by a Taiwanese artist, starring Jin Shijie, but the style may not be very popular with mainland audiences, especially northern audiences, and there has been little response.

In fact, many people say that the later Spring Festival Gala sketches are not as good as the previous ones. On the one hand, the audience has become more and more informed and broadened their horizons due to the Internet. On the other hand, there is a lack of talent and limited subject matter, so good works cannot be developed.

On the other hand, in fact, even during the golden period of the Spring Festival Gala, the overall quality of the Spring Festival Gala works every year is uneven, with few outstanding ones and many ordinary ones.

If you compare a certain Spring Festival Gala production with all the classic Spring Festival Gala sketches, then of course they will all be bad no matter how you compare them.

Of course, the general lower limit of the Spring Festival Gala works at this stage is still guaranteed. Most of them are above the standard, and there are wonderful works every year.

Unlike later generations, not only was the lower limit lower, but there was not even a single work to show respect.

The classic of the 2002 Spring Festival Gala is Lao Zhao's "Selling Cars", which is also the sequel to last year's "Selling Kidnappings".

It is no exaggeration to say that when the Iron Triangle showed up, everyone had smiles on their faces. When Lao Zhao and Fan Wei acted together, they didn't even shake their shoulders. Looking at the two people's faces, they couldn't help but raise the corners of their mouths crazily.

With a shake of the baggage, the whole audience was excited, and even the audience in front of the TV burst into laughter.

Famous lines come one after another, and even 20 years later, some people are still making jokes about it.

"When does 1+1 equal 3?"

"Excuse me, there is a monkey under the tree and a monkey riding on the tree. How many monkeys are there in total?"

"Because your feet are off the ground, there is no pressure on your legs, so the virus cannot get up, and your smart IQ takes over the high ground again."

"Congratulations on how quickly you answered!"

"Thank you~"

The same model, changed, became a sketch again, and even the laughs were doubled because of the previous work.

Mother and daughter Zeng Li laughed so hard in front of the TV that their stomachs ached, and audiences like them are now everywhere in the country.

"Selling Kidnappings" is such a classic series of sketches.

It's such a classic that even if Zhao Benshan plays a fool, people will think that he is holding back bad intentions and is ready to deceive people.

With Fan Wei's superb acting skills, it took more than ten years to get rid of the shackles of a comedian. The main reason is that the image of the Spring Festival Gala and the role of Fan Debiao are too deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Cao Xuan's program is the fourth program after Lao Zhao, and follows Li Yang's "English Everyone Speaks".

This crazy English model is very popular now, and he is the most out-of-the-circle cultural celebrity at the moment, roughly equivalent to Yi Zhongtian in "The Forum" and Luo Xiang in "The Outlaw Zhang San".

When Cao Xuan was reviewing English before, he bought his textbooks, which were indeed beneficial and helpful.

But it's not as high-end and high-end as they advertise, as if speaking English a few times loudly can lead you to the pinnacle of life.

Generally speaking, people have different opinions. You can use some techniques, but there is no need to treat them as a secret book...

Li Yang's participation in the Spring Festival Gala this year is not only because of his own fame, but also because of the current environment.

Whether it is a successful bid for the Olympics or joining the WTO, it indicates that China is actively engaging with the world, and the authorities also intend to promote everyone to learn English.

The most obvious thing is that before this, English was only offered in primary schools in cities, and even in many small cities. There were even fewer primary schools in towns and rural areas that had English teaching conditions.

Starting from 2000 to 2001, English began to be fully included in primary school textbooks, and the status of English as the main subject in middle schools became more and more stable.

From this we can also see the direction above, the overall policy is closer to the international and actively open.

From this aspect, it is a good thing for Cao Xuan.

Go abroad and rush to the world!

Now for Cao Xuan, it is not just career and business considerations, but also other more important factors.

Cao Xuan associates many things with Li Yang from this program, but more people don't care about Li Yang at all, but are full of interest in his program.

CCTV also gave an appearance, and Ni Ping and Zhu Jun announced the curtain in person.

"In this prosperous year last year, our party and our country ushered in many exciting and happy events."

"Yes, on the 80th anniversary, we successfully bid for the Olympic Games and joined the World Trade Organization. People across the country have been given a shot in the arm."

"Looking back at the past, we have experienced setbacks, but we have persevered and never forgotten our original aspirations. We are still young and we strive to make great achievements."

"Now, we forge ahead and set sail towards the future."

"The following song "Stars and Sea" was composed and sung by Cao Xuan to pay tribute to the great party and the great motherland!"

The host left the stage, applause broke out from the audience, the stage dimmed slightly, Cao Xuan appeared on the stage in a black tunic suit, the melody of "Stars and Sea" sounded softly, and Cao Xuan raised the microphone.

"You are a star in my heart

Follow me and keep moving forward

…”