Chapter 127: The Mountains and Rivers Are Safe, Life Is Ordinary, It’s Your Wishful Gaze
Zhang Liangying suddenly understood Shen Qing’s state of mind when he wrote this song: pride, honor, compassion, patriotism, and infinite hope.
Without these unbreakable emotional bonds in the blood of Chinese people, such lyrics could never have been written.
She looked up again at the crowd, the buildings, and the full moon in the sky, her eyes suddenly welling up, “It hasn’t been easy for us to get to where we are today.”
On the live television broadcast, this scene was seen by audiences across the country—Zhang Liangying’s eyes sparkled with tears, and under the stage spotlights, it was as if stars were twinkling in her eyes.
The audience was deeply moved.
For a singer, before even starting to sing, to reach such an emotional state could only be achieved through profound love for her country.
At this very moment,
countless Liangfen fans were silently cheering for Liangying in their hearts.
Many emotional viewers felt a pang in their noses.
They recalled the arduous, challenging, stumbling, and persistent journey of the Republic of China, and tears flowed like a bursting dam.
Zhang Liangying’s heartfelt and full voice emanated from the television, echoing in every corner of the living room and spreading through every street of Datang Everlasting City.
“You are the distant road,”
“A light in the misty mountains,”
“I am a child, walking in your eyes,”
“You are the bright moon and gentle breeze,”
“I am the dream you nurture,”
“Seen or unseen, it’s a lifetime, embracing you.”
These six lines of lyrics use vivid and evocative metaphors, likening the motherland to ‘a light in the misty mountains’ and ‘the bright moon and gentle breeze,’ and people to children growing up under her embrace and guidance.
Therefore, the lyrics of this song are not as direct as Myriad Lands, but rather very subtle and reserved.
This requires the singer’s voice to be not too direct, needing a sense of etherealness, gentleness, and even more so, forbearance, stubbornness, and strength.
Now comes the chorus, with an escalation of emotion, and Zhang Liangying’s pitch has clearly risen by a third.
“…”
“You are the long river of time,”
“The sky ignited by sparks,”
“I am an admirer, and I sing you into a song.”
As she sang this part, Zhang Liangying’s emotions shifted to a restrained, solemn, reverent, and simple tone. From these lines, one could almost see the sky ignited by sparks and hear the flow of the long river of time.
So good it made one’s scalp tingle.
Coupled with the imagery in the lyrics, it was too easy to make people cry.
When the first part concluded and the second section began, Liangying’s pitch increased, and her momentum changed abruptly.
“And I will love the people you love,”
“May your desired smiles bloom,”
“Your hand, I hold as I stumble,”
“Please take me to tomorrow.”
“…”
Boom!~
Shen Qing, sitting in the audience, couldn’t help but stand up. He turned to look, and Zhang Yimou and Chen Weiya in the distance, as well as Liu Xiang and Tian Liang nearby, had all risen to applaud.
So good!
Even setting aside the meaning of the lyrics themselves, just listening to the melody was so good it made one unable to sleep.
Tens of thousands of tourists in Datang Everlasting City were captivated by these sincere expressions, as peaceful and prosperous as the nation, and as mighty as a strong army. Many experienced the real feeling of ‘scalp tingling’ for the first time.
So many people had never imagined a song could have such power, but the subtly metaphorical Wish achieved it.
It wasn’t as grand and majestic as Myriad Lands, nor as direct as I Love You China, and certainly not as rousing as Singing the Motherland, but Wish had its own unique strength.
It was like a bottle of aged wine; the more you tasted it, the more flavor it had, the more intoxicating it became, slowly seeping into your heart.
“The mountains and rivers are at peace, the everyday life is ordinary,”
“But you gaze with your wish fulfilled,”
“Children, sleeping soundly in their dreams,”
“Just as you deeply loved them…”
At this moment, Zhang Liangying’s ethereal, passionate, impulsive, and slightly shouting singing style conveyed the feeling of ancestors who fought valiantly on the battlefield looking back at their descendants in a prosperous era, like the turn in “The Age of Awakening” between Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian.
Shen Qing was stunned, “My goodness, Liangying, are you the queen of live performances?”
Shen Qing was only met with Zhang Liangying’s even more moving singing, and the cheers and applause of tens of thousands of audience members.
The Liangfen fans who came to support her shouted her name excitedly.
Viewers in front of their televisions were also cheering for her!
When the last line was sung, the applause continued for a long time, not ending even when the next performance began.
Zhang Yimou and Chen Weiya exchanged a smile, both seeing affirmation for Zhang Liangying in each other’s eyes.
Chen Weiya: “I know what you’re thinking!”
Zhang Yimou: “Haha, I know what you’re thinking too. Do you think she can do it? On that stage.”
Chen Weiya: “I don’t know about the future, but she can definitely do it in her current state.”
Zhang Yimou: “If she were to sing the opening ceremony theme song, I would feel at ease… Zhang Liangying has a big heart.”
…
Shen Qing went backstage; he was waiting for Zhang Liangying.
When Zhang Liangying walked off stage and saw Shen Qing waiting for her as usual after her performance, Liangying excitedly rushed towards him.
She asked, “Did I sing well? Did I meet your requirements!?”
Shen Qing laughed heartily, “Yes, you sang very well, don’t worry.”
Zhang Liangying: “Hehe, then I’m happy. You know, I almost cried while singing just now.”
Shen Qing: “It’s right to cry! I wrote this song to make the audience cry, so you crying yourself is just basic operation.”
As they spoke, they walked towards the lounge area, waiting for Liu Huan, Liu Xiang, and Tian Liang to finish, as everyone was going for a late-night snack later.
While waiting, many staff members came up to take photos and greet her, all of them impressed by her performance.
“Liangying, you were amazing.”
“I’ve never heard such an exciting song before. The last time was at the National Grand Theatre, listening to the teachers and students of the Central Conservatory of Music perform The Yellow River Cantata.”
“This song is too classic.”
Zhang Liangying was very excited, feeling a sense of national recognition.
…
Eleven o’clock.
After Liu Huan and the others finished their performance, when they arrived at the restaurant, they surprisingly saw Ye Yiqian!
Wow!
No wonder Ye Yiqian hadn’t been seen around lately; she had gotten together with Tian Liang.
After not seeing each other for a year, Zhang Liangying and Ye Yiqian had endless things to talk about, chattering away together.
Meanwhile, Shen Qing, Liu Huan, Liu Xiang, and Tian Liang chatted while drinking, discussing everything from the gala to their careers.
As they talked, Tian Liang became increasingly emotional, drinking glass after glass of wine, and finally burst into tears.
After Shen Qing and the others comforted her for a while, Tian Liang came back to her senses and smiled gallantly, “Alas, it’s such a regret not to be able to participate in the Olympic Games at my doorstep, but, it is what it is…”
Tian Liang had been removed from the national team.
He was dismissed in January 2005, with the reason being his excessive participation in advertising endorsements.
Even though he had recently defeated renowned athletes like Hu Jia in the finals of the National Games men’s platform event and won the championship, he was still not included in the new national training squad list.
This meant he could not participate in the Beijing Olympic Games, which was a regret for anyone in their prime.
But no amount of comfort could change the facts.
Finally,
Everyone turned their attention to Liu Xiang. Liu Xiang raised his glass of plain water and laughed, “I’ll do my best, but I’m afraid my legs might act up then.”
Liu Huan: “I just heard Teacher Sun say you’re planning to increase training intensity? I think it should be appropriate, not excessive. Like us singers, practicing too intensely can cause problems with our voices. It should be about the same intensity as usual…”
Shen Qing: “I agree with Teacher Liu Huan’s suggestion. Your current training intensity has already broken world records; there’s no need to increase it further.”
Liu Xiang: “The pressure on me is no longer from within myself, but from everyone around me, alas…”
…
The next day.
Shen Qing and Liangying toured the sights of Xi’an, first visiting the Shaanxi History Museum, then the Bell Tower, and in the afternoon, the Terracotta Army, and they ate several different kinds of noodles!
During their tour, they encountered many of Zhang Liangying’s fans.
Most of these fans were tourists, with many elderly people. They were incredibly enthusiastic upon seeing Liangying.
“Oh my, seeing a real person.”
“Liangying, the song you sang last night was so beautiful. Auntie likes you. Do you have a boyfriend? Auntie’s son is a civil servant in the provincial department…”
“Liangying, you’re not performing on the Spring Festival Gala this year, Auntie supports you.”
“This child is so lovable.”
“Oh, is this your little boyfriend Shen Qing? My goodness, he’s really good-looking, quite handsome.”
“…”
