Our reporter Song Shuang
"Your painting is from Xu Daoning's "Missing Snow at Guanshan" in the Northern Song Dynasty?" "If you don't use the method of 'Guan Gong's patrolling the city' to pour tea, where will the tea taste good?" Looking at the current online literature works, If readers are not careful, they will collide with traditional culture.
In recent years, the subject matter structure of online literature works has become more optimized, and many works pay more attention to absorbing nutrients from cultural classics.
The "2021 China Internet Literature Development Research Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") shows that Internet literature actively mobilizes the treasure house of traditional culture and classical literature resources, and combines traditional culture with modern spirit.
Inheriting and developing the excellent traditional Chinese culture has become the conscious pursuit of online writers.
Through the reprocessing of online literature, the traditional culture that has crossed the long river of history has a new arrival today.
Dig deep into classical literature resources
"In the era of information explosion, I hope that traditional culture can have a broader world." Internet writer Yan ZK said.
His novel "Zhen Yao Museum" draws inspiration from classical myths and legends such as "Sou Shen Ji", "Shan Hai Jing" and "Strange Tales from a Liaozhai", and has been ranked No. one.
In Yan ZK's view, integrating classical literature resources into online novels is like "reproducing the turbulent situation on the shoulders of giants".
He said: ""Journey to the West" was adapted and created on the basis of folklore, storybooks, and zaju. Lu Xun's "New Story" borrowed the ancient myth theme of 'old wine into new bottle', and paid tribute to literary classics through transformation and transformation. The practices of these predecessors are also an important way for online literature to inherit excellent traditional culture.”
In recent years, the historical reference frame and context of online literature have become increasingly clear. Some scholars have pointed out that online novels inherit the traditions of Bianwen, Zhiwei, legends, Huaben, Ming and Qing novels, and the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School. There are differences, but it does not prevent it from carrying forward the genes of Chinese classical literature.
"The Wind in Longxi", "The Swordsman in the Snow", "The Harem: The Legend of Zhen Huan", "Wan Qingsi", "Langya Bang" and other excellent online literary reputation works inherit and continue to use the superb artistic techniques of classical literature; Whether it should be Green, Fat, Red and Thin", "Lonely Empty Courtyard and Spring Is Late" and other names are directly taken from classical literature; "Perfect World", "Breaking the Sky", "This Immortal Is Too Serious" or borrowing Chinese myths to interpret majestic and bizarre plots Ups and downs stories, or new interpretations of ancient legends with the witty humor of online literature.
The innovative expression of traditional Chinese stories by online literature not only stays at the level of words and stories, but also goes deep into the spiritual core.
For example, Xianxia and fantasy novels represented by "Zhu Xian" have injected new connotations into the traditional "xia culture"; the protagonist of "Jiang Ye" inherits the traditional cultural personality and does not avoid difficulties and dangers for the world; "Ziyang" promotes loyalty, filial piety, and benevolence Kindness is the highest spiritual realm, and the depth of the traditional story spirit is fully used.
In general, online fantasy and historical works rely on the cultural character of classical literature, and their positive influence is increasingly prominent.
Feel the charm of Chinese culture
"Spring rains startle spring and clear valleys, summers are full of mansions, summers and summers are connected, autumns are exposed and autumns are cold and frosts fall, winters are snowy and winters are small and cold." Inspired by the twenty-four solar terms songs, "post-00" network writer Ci Liansheng wrote the novel "Sea Yan Heqing Four Seasons".
In this work, the twenty-four solar terms are set as different characters, who go through the four seasons and visit the great rivers and mountains together with the protagonist.
"I am usually interested in traditional solar terms and festival culture. I wrote these contents into my works to let more people understand the essence of Chinese excellent traditional culture." Ci Liansheng said.
In addition to the solar terms, traditional cultural elements such as embroidery, folk art, tea art, traditional Chinese medicine, porcelain making, gardening, clothing and food are competing to become the "guests" of online literature. Readers feel the charm of Chinese culture while appreciating the story.
"Loving You Is the Best Thing I've Ever Done" uses 28 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines such as suye, licorice, and huaixiang as the chapter titles of the novel, and introduces Chinese medicine culture; "Into the House" integrates traditional ceramic culture into the protagonist's growth story, from the selection of materials and materials , temperature control, and technical techniques to explain the porcelain making process in detail; "My Flowers After Hundred Flowers Kill" integrates traditional elements such as fragrance, food, makeup, etc.; Minority culture, business culture, etc. also continue to increase the thickness of online literature, so that online novels have more prominent knowledge and cultural attributes.
The Internet writer Sitting on Linglingshui is a tea art teacher. In recent years, he has used his professional knowledge to create a number of tea culture novels such as "Traveling through Tea Words and Views" and "Mingmen Family".
She said that many readers fell in love with tea and studied tea through novels, and her works played a positive role in the inheritance and popularization of tea culture.
The National Social Science Fund's major project "Research on the Construction of China's Online Literature Evaluation System" shows that the traditional interests of literati such as poetry, writing, swordsmanship, wine, tea, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and life in the rivers and lakes are also rejuvenated by online literature.
"Why did landscape painting appear at a specific time in the history of Chinese painting? Why did flower and bird painting develop in depth during the Ming and Qing Dynasties? Essentially, it has the influence of literati interest." said Mo Xi, an online writer who grew up in Dunhuang and majored in art history since childhood. .
His work "Sleeping while Pillowing Water" takes traditional Chinese painting as the theme, making the traditional literati's pen and ink feel vivid on paper.
The online novel "High-Quality Han Shi" is "sourced locally" from "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" and "Book of Jin", and its content such as clear talk and study tours show the demeanor of the Wei and Jin Dynasties; It is considered by readers to have a gentle and honest traditional atmosphere.
Multi-modal output of traditional culture
Chinese civilization is the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation, and it is the cultural soil for Chinese Internet literature students to grow and develop.
To promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese excellent traditional culture, online literature is an important task.
Online literature observes traditional culture with modern concepts, and arouses the spiritual resonance of readers.
The "Report" shows that online literature inherits and develops traditional culture, emphasizing "the combination of the personal struggle of the protagonist and the narrative of the family and country", which is in line with the era of the younger generation growing up in the rise of a great country and not forgetting personal struggle in the sense of national pride. context is closely related.
The novel "Towering the Sky" promotes the spirit of self-improvement, and "Mulan Has No Brother" retells traditional stories with the concept of modern women, and makes a useful exploration of the modern expression of excellent traditional culture.
Internet literature is close to traditional culture with artistic methods, and transforms the characteristics of Chinese culture into the charm of attracting readers.
The protagonist of "Wolf's Little Pen" travels through time and space and across Kyushu with an ancestral pen, leading readers to the scene of famous cultural events in Chinese history; The festival fairies have different temperaments and lifelikeness, and accompany the readers into the "dream" lightly; "Book of Spirits" revisits the character tradition of "Strange Tales from a Liaozhai" in a comedy style, connecting the classical literary resources to the atmosphere.
Online literature revitalizes traditional culture with the IP chain, stimulates each other, and produces a "chemical reaction".
The "2019-2020 Annual Network Literature IP Film and Television Adaptation Potential Evaluation Report" shows that the total output value of the downstream cultural industry driven by Internet literature IP in this year exceeded 1 trillion yuan.
Online novels such as "The Son-in-law", "The Swordsman in the Snow", "Shangyang Fu" and "The Wind Rises in Luoyang" have been adapted into film and television dramas, which vividly describe Chinese culture and become "the most popular form of cultural communication among users".
The linkage of different art forms such as animation, audio, and short dramas has also contributed to the "breaking circle" journey of the multi-form output of traditional culture.
Data shows that by the end of 2021, the total number of online literature users in China has reached 502 million, and the number of readers has reached the highest level in history.
Xie Yu, a member of the Network Literature Committee of the Chinese Writers Association, said that online literature should continue to "learn from the past" and create masterpieces that not only conform to the Chinese aesthetic style and the reading habits of hundreds of millions of readers, but also have a distinct spirit of the times and "network nature" - this is also the network The only way for literature to be refined and canonized.