见字如面Letters Alive

Letters Alive (Chinese:见字如面; pinyin: jiàn zì rú miàn) , based on the British show Letters Live is a cultural TV show on Tencent Video that invites veteran actors and actresses to read letters written by famous people from different periods of Chinese history on air, in attempt to bring their stories to life and re-understand the Chinese people's spiritual feelings and life wisdom.

Program Form

Letters Alive is a cultural program jointly produced by Share Television Media and Heilongjiang Satellite TV, premiered by Tencent Video Network. The program made a large-scale scan and a large combing of letters from ancient China to the present. The program team invited Zhang Guoli, Gui Ya Lei, Zhang Han Yu, He Bing, Wang Yaoqing, Jiang Qinqin, Xu Tao, Lin Gengxin and other famous stars to read these letters.

Guests

Zhang Guoli(Chinese:张国立)：Born in Tianjin on January 17,1955,a member of the CPPCC National Committee,actor,director,producer and host at the national level.
Gui Yalei(Chinese:归亚蕾)：Born in Changsha, Hunan Province on June 2,1944 and originally from Wuxing,Zhejiang Province,she graduated from the Taiwan National Arts and Crafts Department,Taiwan's actress.
Zhang Hanyu(Chinese:张涵予)：Born in Beijing on December 19,1964,mainland China actor.In 1988 graduated from the Central Academy of Drama Department of performance.
He Bing(Chinese:何冰)：Born in Beijing on April 26, 1968,graduated from the performance department of the Central Academy of Drama in 1991, the actor of Beijing People's Art Theater, and the actor at the national level.
Wang Yaoqing(Chinese:王耀庆）:Born in Taiwan on July 15,1974,actor from Taiwan, China, Bachelor of Communication Studies, Fu Jen Catholic University School of Mass Communication.
Jiang Qinqin(Chinese:蒋勤勤）：Born on September 3,1975 in Chongqing,Mainland China actress,graduated from Beijing Film Academy 1994 Performance Department.
Xu Tao(Chinese:徐涛）：Graduated from the director of the Central Academy of Drama Department; famous Chinese voice actor, actor at the national level.
Lin Gengxin(Chinese:林更新）：Born on February 13,1988 in Tiexi District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China,an actor and graduated from Shanghai Theater Academy majoring in drama and television programs.

Letters

The secret to the show’s success is the letters they choose, written by people from all walks of society and covering many aspects of life. They are selected from a wide time span and a diverse range of subjects. Letters about love are always a sure bet. And friendship is another regular theme of the letters. Letters from ancient times are also involved.

Here are some letters form Letters Alive:

Title Writer Receiver Time

这场战事不知还要持续多久秦军将士黑夫和京忠公元前223

有你们中国是不会亡的萧红弟弟张绣珂 1941

让他活在我的歌里吧蔡琴媒体 2007

你多么需要它那点草莽精神黄永玉曹禺 1983

甜蜜蜜这首歌是我路畅最快的邓丽君词作家庄奴 1979

在时间之河的另一端刘新慈女儿 2013

其实爸妈也是装的郑国强郑艺 2010

我不愿意成为拆散你们的根源林徽因徐志摩 1921

我们还能还上那3000美金的房租李小龙妻子Linda 1971

不适合以常理判断罗永浩俞敏洪 2000

Program Comments

"Letters Live makes us pause and imagine the lives behind the letters," UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch, one of the readers on the UK show, told The Guardian. “It allows people from all ages and all walks of life to experience a moment of time in someone else's life for a brief moment."

Compared to published texts, letters also come with a personal touch. Every letter is like a small piece of history. By hearing them being read, it’s as if we are being sent back in time to experience a moment that we would otherwise never have had the chance to.

According to Guan Zhengwen, the director of Letters Alive, it is this kind of humanity behind every letter that strikes a chord with the audience. It is also what made the show a big hit in China ever since its first episode aired on Dec 5.

"It's a thing of the past that entertainment shows establish themselves only with pretty faces," Guan told Sohu News. "Showbiz is starting to switch to a focus on wisdom and intelligence".

References

Some references are in Simplified Chinese except as otherwise stated.

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2017/03/show-of-the-week-letters-alive/

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_610d2ae40102x9z9.html

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%A7%81%E5%AD%97%E5%A6%82%E9%9D%A2/20346237

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