It’s hard to appreciate elegance and vulgarity if you don’t understand cross talk. Why is it said that the art of cross talk is at a rare low period in history?

Guo Qilin once said that the current cross talk industry is a false prosperity.

The words of Team Leader Guo Shao were not just casual remarks, they were also spoken from his own thoughts. What he probably means is that currently only Deyun Society is better in China, and other groups are not good, so it is a false prosperity.

The author believes that Guo Qilin’s argument is correct, but the evidence is not necessarily accurate.

So, what stage is the current domestic crosstalk industry in history? Is it a boom or a bust, a peak or an underestimation?

Things are a bit complicated and cannot be explained clearly in one sentence.

We might as well take a look at the performance of the three peak periods of development in the history of the cross talk industry, and summarize their respective characteristics from the three aspects of actors, works, and audiences. The audience is divided into horizontal and vertical aspects. Two aspects.

1. The 1920s and 1930s

Representative figures: Li Dechen, Zhang Shouchen, Chang Baokun

Actors: During this period, crosstalk artists were distinguished from quantity and quality. It has reached the first explosive period of the industry. Starting from the Eight Virtues of Crosstalk, the Shouzi generation led by Zhang Shouchen, Ma Sanli and others became the backbone, and then the Baozi generation led by Chang Baokun began to become crosstalk stars.

While the team of crosstalk artists is rapidly expanding, crosstalk groups have also begun to appear. Five major teahouses, including Lianxing Teahouse and Chenguang Teahouse, have become venues for official crosstalk performances. This is the first time in the history of the industry.

Works: This period was the fusion period of Qingmen crosstalk and Hunmen crosstalk. After being "dismantled", the two styles of crosstalk became the unique property of the crosstalk industry and continue to this day.

In addition, artists represented by Zhang Shouchen and Zhang Jieyao have adapted and created many popular cross talk works, such as "Nine Arts in Court".

Moreover, during this period, civilized crosstalk began to gradually become popular. Crosstalk was no longer a wandering art that mainly stayed on the ground, but became a popular art that was used in homes.

Audience: Looking horizontally, crosstalk has begun to spread on a large scale from Northeast China to Jiangnan, from Tangshan to Xi'an, and crosstalk performances in major cities have become normal.

Vertically, the crosstalk audience has developed upwards from the middle and lower classes, from the ruling class such as Yuan Shikai, Zhang Zongchang, and Zhang Xueliang, to the elites such as Zhang Boling, to leaders in various industries such as Mei Lanfang. Extending to ordinary citizens, cross talk became for the first time an art form that was appreciated by all walks of life.

2. The 1950s and 1960s

Representative figures: Ma Sanli, Hou Baolin, Liu Baorui

Actors: This period is the era of Bao generation artists During the peak period and the period of vigorous development of literary artists, Ma Sanli, Hou Baolin and Liu Baorui were all at the peak of their cross talk careers. Juniors such as Su Wenmao and Liu Wenheng also began to emerge, while Hou Yaowen, Ma Ji and others began to gradually mature.

Crosstalk has developed across the country, and professional crosstalk groups have been established in Heilongjiang, Gansu, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei and other places.

Works: After the cross talk in this period was reformed, a large number of new cross talks began to be created based on the inheritance of traditional cross talk. For example, Hou Baolin's "Yi Guandao" and "Night Journey", and Ma Sanli's "Buying a Monkey" have become classic masterpieces of this period. Many works such as "Night Journey" have continued to this day. Characters such as "Ma Daha" created by Ma Sanli have become synonymous with it.

Audience: Horizontally, crosstalk has become more popular across the country, with many crosstalk enthusiasts and artists appearing in Heilongjiang in the north, Hong Kong in the south, Shanghai in the east, and Gansu in the west.

Vertically, from national leaders to ordinary people in the fields, they have become cross talk listeners. The development of broadcasting technology and movies has allowed cross talk to spread to thousands of households.

3. The 1980s and 1990s

Representative figures: Ma Ji, Hou Yaowen, Jiang Kun, Feng Gong

Actor: This period is the historical development of the cross talk industry In the fastest stage, professional and non-professional crosstalk actors are everywhere across the country. Almost every unit has people who can speak crosstalk. Crosstalk is also a must-have program in parties of all sizes. Many children also start learning it during this period. crosstalk.

Crosstalk teams from professionals to amateurs are sprouting up all over the country. Many cultural centers and publicity departments of various units have professional crosstalk teams.

Works: TV crosstalk has quickly become the main creative direction of the crosstalk industry with its fast-paced, fresh and trendy characteristics. Satirical crosstalk has become a popular crosstalk theme for the masses, such as "Elevator Adventure", "Clever Name", "Thieves Company", etc. The work became a symbol of this era.

At the same time, the trendy guitar crosstalk and rap crosstalk are also short-lived in the history of the industry.

Audience: From a horizontal perspective, crosstalk during this period can be regarded as one of the most popular art forms in China. Crosstalk actors are even more popular among the masses than opera and film actors. Audiences in almost all regions across the country I can name a few cross talk actors that I like. Crosstalk stars such as Ma Ji Jiangkun are very popular when they perform at home and abroad.

Looking vertically, national leaders praised and affirmed Jiang Kun and Feng Gong on the Spring Festival Gala in 1990. This was also the peak moment of the crosstalk industry during this period. It can be said that cross talk has become an art form favored by all walks of life at this time, reaching almost all-round coverage.

Based on the characteristics of the above three periods, we can analyze the development of the crosstalk industry in the past ten years (2010-2020):

Actors: Crosstalk actors have become young people again Although the older generation of crosstalk actors have gradually retired and the crosstalk industry has been experiencing a period of sluggishness, some young actors have still emerged in recent years, but their artistic level is difficult to compare with the previous three peak periods.

After the gradual reform of local folk art troupes, there are fewer and fewer state-run professional crosstalk teams. At the same time, private crosstalk groups have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and the number is quite large, but they are still at the stage of large numbers and poor overall quality.

Works: There are very few classic works from this period that can be handed down from generation to generation. Crosstalk works are generally fragmented and similar. The works generally lack rigorous structure and cannot withstand scrutiny. The performance style is beyond comparison. It is mainly impetuous and casual, and has gradually broken away from the category of language art.

Audience: Looking horizontally, through the Internet and TV, audiences in any region of the country can see crosstalk works at any time. It can be said that almost everyone can become the audience of crosstalk, but at the same time, crosstalk audiences The stickiness has been greatly reduced, and the number of people who really understand cross talk has not increased. On the contrary, there are more people joining in the fun.

Looking vertically, there are now few crosstalk actors who can achieve both elegance and popular appreciation for their works. The audience for crosstalk performances is getting smaller and smaller, and the attitude of the superstructure towards the works of the crosstalk industry has reached the point where it is needed. to strengthen supervision. Refined and popular appreciation has become a rare term in the cross talk industry.

To sum up, the development status of the cross talk industry in the past ten years is: there are many actors and few outstanding actors. There are many works, but very few excellent ones. Many people listen to cross talk, but few understand it.

Because most people in the industry are not professional enough, their crosstalk performances can only be "empty without showing off", and there are not many people who can achieve the level of "showing off and showing off together".

The creative level of most crosstalk actors in the industry is low, and crosstalk works cannot reach the level of "elegant and vulgar appreciation", which can only make the works develop in the direction of vulgarity.

So, the crosstalk in the past ten years can be summarized as being in a relatively prosperous period commercially, while the art of crosstalk is in a rare low period in the industry. Business and art are in a state of separation, which is the real "false prosperity".