Note: A brief history of skirting the line, from the Internet to blockchain, is also a history of skirting the line
Recently, gymnast Wu Liufang posted several sexy dance videos on her own media. Gymnastics Olympic champion Guan Chenchen left a message on Wu Liufang's social account: Senior sister, it’s okay to touch the edge, but don’t blame gymnastics.
On November 24, Wu Liufang’s social media account was set to “banned from following” by the platform, and the pinned video of her wearing an athlete’s uniform also disappeared.
I have always disliked the word "skirting the edge". It means constantly blurring the original boundaries and constantly eroding freedom.
But once upon a time, the word "edge" meant that freedom was expanding.
Let’s go back in time and review some of the key and original “edge moments” in China’s literary and art circles.
(It’s too long, so you might as well go straight to Part 7, where there’s something new.)
1. The era of “female spies”
In the 1950s and 1960s, the characters in movies were mostly workers, peasants, soldiers, and revolutionary fighters, due to the restrictions of the subject matter. In that era, there were no most handsome soldiers or most beautiful policewomen, only the stereotyped image of "workers, peasants, and soldiers". Therefore, the way many movie stars who dominated the 1940s transformed themselves was to transform their delicate faces into the appearance of the working people through styling, makeup, and other means.
Wang Danfeng, "the most beautiful actress in the 1950s", starred in "Production Expert". This face is still too delicate.
Later on, it was the era of the eight model operas.
In this era, the main way to get into the literary and artistic circles is through "female spies", because only female spies can have lipstick, permed hair, high heels and cheongsams.
The female spies in the films "The Eternal Wave" and "Heroic Gallantry" filmed in 1958 were deeply engraved in the memories of countless young men at that time.
Since 1979, China’s literary and art circles have begun to “skim the edge” of morality.
2. The first kiss in the media
The first kiss that appeared in public in China was not between Chinese people, nor in a movie, but on a magazine cover.
The back cover of the fifth issue of Popular Cinema in 1979 published a still from the British film The Crystal Slipper and the Rose. Popular Cinema was the most popular publication at the time, with a record of 9.4 million copies sold in a single issue. In today's terms, it was a top-tier publication. This picture naturally caused a stir.
At that time, a propaganda officer wrote a letter to the editorial department to express his anger:
"In socialist China, are hugging and kissing the most important things at the moment?"
"I never thought that in the socialist country founded by Chairman Mao, after the baptism of the Cultural Revolution, such a thing would happen. You have degenerated to the point where you are no different from bourgeois magazines!"
"It's a pity! I can't help but ask, what are you doing? ... It's purely to poison our young generation."
——The reasons for denouncing those who skirt the line are always the same.
A society that takes children as the standard at all times and in all situations is not pure, but abnormal. Using children as an excuse to continuously erode the freedom of adult society, it is not just the dancers who lose.
At the end of the letter, the reader challenged, "If you have the courage, please publish my letter verbatim in the (Popular Movies) reader letters column so that the 900 million people across the country can appreciate it."
The editorial department was really "brave" and published the full text of the letter and started a discussion in the magazine. In this big discussion, the editor of (Popular Movies) elevated "kissing" to the level of "liberation of thought". It was possible to make such a connection back then, and such a meaningful connection still exists today.
In less than two months, more than 11,200 letters and manuscripts were received. Facts have proved that the Chinese people of that era longed for freedom and opposed conservatism. Among all the letters and manuscripts, less than 3% agreed with the propaganda officer.
Who can represent all music lovers in China?
In the 1990s, the covers of (Popular Movies) featured the most famous actors of that era. Looking back at the covers of those years, their eroticism seems to surpass that of Wu Liufang's today.
Don't compare it to the marginal ones you see in the short video. This is the cover of a formal magazine.
The kiss on the cover creates room for real-life performances.
The film and television industry is also "madly" exploring new frontiers.
In 1979, a kissing scene first appeared in a domestic film (The Tremor of Life). Although it was said that the male and female protagonists had a mask on their lips when they kissed, the cinema was still packed, and many places temporarily sent firefighters to the cinema to guard against accidents. The male and female protagonists' light kiss was bound to be interrupted by the girl's parents who broke into the cinema, and there was an uproar of disappointment in the cinema.
The actress has become more beautiful
Many people like to use words like simple, innocent, and pure to describe the society of the past, but using these words to describe an adult society itself means great repression.
In fact, when it comes to kisses on screen, "Lush Mountain Love" had a greater impact.
In this film shot in 1980, the heroine played by Zhang Yu took the initiative to give the hero a kiss on the cheek, which shocked a generation and became a love textbook for young men and women of that era.
The reason why (Lush Mountain Love) had a greater impact, besides the kiss, was because of the swimsuit.
By 1986, kissing scenes were no longer a problem. In Furong Town, directed by Xie Jin, Liu Xiaoqing and Jiang Wen set the record for the longest kiss in a Chinese film.
Jiang Wen's film "Sunny Days" was shot in 1995 and has been watched by 50 million people. Milan, played by Ning Jing, has a one- or two-second exposure shot, which appeared in the public version under the relaxed environment at the time.
3. The art field is also making various borderline
In 1979, painter Yuan Yunsheng participated in the first large-scale mural creation in New China - the painting of the Capital Airport mural. In this mural, there are three naked girls bathing.
He later recalled: "That picture would not pass the art review at first. In order to pass the art review, I added an extra line at the girl's chest, (visually) making the reviewers think there was a skirt underneath, and I would draw the rest later."
Later, Yuan Yunsheng quietly wiped off the black line on the girl's chest, which immediately caused an uproar in society.
According to Yuan Yunsheng's recollection, Li Ruihuan, the airport construction chief at the time, saw the mural and was very open-minded, so he didn't say anything. Not long after, a senior leader approached Yuan Yunsheng and asked him in a gentle manner, "Can you modify the mural? We are under too much pressure here. I hope you can at least let the Dai girl in the picture wear shorts."
Yuan Yunsheng was very angry and said to him, "It must not be changed. In world history, changing a painting is a scandal. For example, the Pope asked Michelangelo to change a painting, which was a scandal. If it is changed, it will greatly damage the image of China's reform and opening up."
After learning from Li RH that the painting (Water Splashing Festival) was controversial, Comrade Deng xp went to see it without even saying hello, accompanied by Comrade Li XN and others. After seeing it, he said: "What is there to be controversial about? Artistic expression is normal. I think there is no problem. We should even print more and sell them to foreigners." Li Xian N next to him also said: "I think some people in China are surprised by what they see."
Since then, many people have come to visit and want to see what is going on. The airport is overwhelmed every day. Overseas comments: "The appearance of female bodies on the walls of public places in China foreshadows the real reform and opening up."
At that time, everyone thought that since so many senior leaders of the Party and the country had given their approval, nothing would happen anymore.
However, conservatism is so tenacious and freedom is so difficult. Often, conservatism is presented in a purer and more revolutionary way, and even in the face of policies and leaders’ statements, it dares to be overbearing. Just like some people on social media today, as long as they hold the stick of morality, they can ignore laws and policies.
Someone asked in a letter from a reader: "I know that customs also searches for nude photos when checking smuggling. Does your magazine admit that there is no difference between socialist literature and capitalist literature? Does appreciating buttocks and breasts mean your magazine's 'modernization'?"
In 1982, the (Water Splashing Festival) mural was partially covered with a curtain and sealed with plywood.
This letter represents 8 years.
4. The music industry is also making attempts to explore new boundaries of art.
In 1979, Teresa Teng's "Sweet Honey" became popular in mainland China. After decades of listening to passionate model songs, Chinese people began to like this kind of soft and beautiful songs. However, Teresa Teng was also accused of "decadent music" and "pornographic songs".
In early 1980, CCTV produced and broadcast a travel drama (Legend of the Three Gorges), and "Homesickness" was one of the accompanying songs. It reflects Wang Zhaojun's attachment to Chang'an. The song is full of low, sad, weeping, and lingering homesickness.
After the song was broadcast, it was very popular among the masses and became a hit in the streets and alleys. Voices of criticism and condemnation followed.
"It is not interesting, the style is very low, and it is not healthy in terms of temperament, interest, character and personality."
"This song is gloomy, decadent, low and lingering."
"It would be detrimental to the image of an ancient heroine to sing such a decadent song."
The public criticized the lyrics, while professionals criticized Li Guyi's "breathy singing method" as unorthodox, unorthodox, and not in line with the laws of socialist art.
"The voice is coquettish and artificial, completely catering to the low tastes of a small number of audiences, and imitating the vulgar style of some Hong Kong and Taiwan singers.
"It has the same flavor as the entertainment life in capitalist society, such as the cafes, bars, dance halls, nightclubs, etc."
"It not only pollutes our music scene, but also leads those being praised astray."
At that time, the Central People's Broadcasting Station and other departments organized a mass selection activity. Although "Homesickness" received more than 100,000 votes, it was not selected due to fierce controversy. Some people said: Those who voted are gangsters, and this is a song that gangsters like.
In the spring of 1980, the Chinese Musicians Association held a music creation meeting in Beijing, called the "Xishan Meeting". At the meeting, many popular songs at the time, such as (Ronghua) (the one Han Hong covered) and (Country Love), were criticized by name, among which Li Guyi's singing style was the focus. A senior figure in the music industry advised Li Guyi to sing (Country Love) again in a "healthy" way.
Labelled as a "pornographic singer", "of low taste", and even anti-party and anti-socialist, Li Guyi was under tremendous pressure and might even not be able to stay in the Central Orchestra.
The criticism of Xianglian is not an isolated case. In 1980, the song "Navy Night" was also criticized because of the line "Let our sailors sleep well". The skeptics thought: If our soldiers are asleep, who will stand guard to defend the motherland? These reasons seem so absurd now, but they were justified at the time - just like now, linking the future of one's children with Wu Liufang.
The turning point came with the first Spring Festival Gala in 1983.
That night, the four hotlines received numerous calls requesting to perform "Homesickness". There was a connection between the two. 30 years later, people used the phrase "crazy calling" to describe their support for things and people.
The director of the evening show was in a dilemma and could not make a decision. He went to the station director for instructions, but the director did not dare to make a decision. Wu Lengxi, the Minister of Radio, Film and Television at the time, was in charge of the scene. Faced with a mountain of on-demand lists, Wu Lengxi hesitated for a while and took the risk to make the decision (Homesickness).
Thus, on the stage of the 1983 Spring Festival Gala, the familiar melody that was once criticized as "decadent music" slowly sounded, and the door to the advancement of Chinese popular music was "opened" with great difficulty.
——Even if you go to a concert today, it is not easy to come. Don’t think that wearing high heels, putting on lipstick, wearing short skirts, and practicing yoga are natural.
5. What are they for?
From Li Guyi to Yuan Yunsheng, from Wang Meng to Wu Lengxi, from Li Xiansheng to Deng Xiaoping, why did they open up these spaces?
It is for the economic freedom of the Chinese people.
As the saying goes, "When you see a leaf falling, you know autumn has come; when you see ice in a bottle, you know the world is cold." Fok Ying-tung, who was once the vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, recalled, "At that time, investing in the mainland was a matter of fear for sudden policy changes. In 1980, a mural depicting a festival of ethnic minorities (Water Splashing Festival - A Hymn to Life) appeared at the Capital Airport. One of the girls was naked, which caused a great controversy in the mainland. Every time I go to Beijing, I have to check if the painting is still there. If it is, I feel more at ease."
Only by knowing where you come from can you know where you are going.
No matter it is economic or artistic; no matter it is for celebrities or ordinary people. All freedoms are shared by all. The freedom in the literary and artistic circles is the weather vane of other freedoms, and the so-called economic freedom is the market economy.
This is indeed the case. Along with the literary and art circles, the whole of China's economic reform tide surged. Xiaogang Village distributed land to households, and the household contract responsibility system began to be implemented. Nian Guangjiu employed more than eight people, and individual households became an important market player. Collective economy emerged and transformed into private economy. From planned economy to "planned commodity economy" and then to market economy. In the end, it shaped the daily life of Chinese people today and also created the world's second largest economy.
The efforts of these reformers, in the final analysis, are for the daily lives of the Chinese people.
During the Cultural Revolution, ballroom dancing was not allowed because it was considered bourgeois. Deng's speech in 1978 (Liberate the mind, seek truth from facts, unite as one and look forward) opened up a relatively relaxed atmosphere. On New Year's Eve of that year, ballroom dancing, which had disappeared for many years, appeared for the first time at the party in the Great Hall of the People. The party was organized by the State Council Administration Bureau, and some leading cadres and young people from some literary and art groups participated. At the party, there were more same-sex pairs than opposite-sex pairs, and the distance between women and their male partners was carefully kept at 20 cm.
It was also in this year that disco, which was denounced as "hip-shaking", first appeared in China. Fashionable young men and women in big cities wore suits, frog-eye glasses, and loafers, and the music played on the brick-shaped tape recorder was "Alibaba is a Happy Young Man".
In June 1980, the trend changed dramatically. If you dressed fashionably, you would be considered a hooligan, and if you danced socially, you would be accused of being an adulterer.
The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Culture jointly issued a notice on the prohibition of commercial dances and spontaneous dances in public places. The notice stated that social dancing was "low-level and vulgar, and it was against public morals." The people strongly opposed it and resolutely demanded that it be banned. The organizers of commercial dances would be given public security penalties and even be held criminally responsible for "disrupting social management order."
During the "Strike Hard" campaign in 1983, Ma Yanqin, a middle-aged woman from Xi'an, was arrested and sentenced to death with a reprieve because she "had been idle for a long time, used her home as the main venue, gathered hooligans to hold many hooligan dances, often seduced young men and women, went in and out of other hooligan places, instigated and induced various forms of hooligan crimes, and made profits by having promiscuous relationships with men and women." The case involved more than 300 people, and those who participated in Ma Yanqin's family dances many times were sentenced to life imprisonment, and even the band members who accompanied the dances were sentenced to life imprisonment.
In October 1984, the Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Public Security jointly issued a notice on strengthening the management of dance parties, which slightly relaxed the tone and changed the ban to restriction. That year, Beijing approved the opening of four dance halls, but only allowed four types of people to enter: foreigners, overseas students, overseas Chinese, and Chinese brought in by overseas Chinese.
After changing the ban to a limit, a bottom-up experiment was needed. Li Rui, the mayor of Tianjin at the time, took the lead and started a dance hall pilot. Afterwards, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Public Security issued a notice to all parts of the country with the article "Dances in Tianjin are relatively healthy" to further lift the ban. The whole country began to follow suit, and ballroom dancing began to spread from a niche circle to the public. A whirlwind arose overnight.
In 1986, Wang Meng returned to work as Minister of Culture. This writer, who loved ballroom dancing, did one big thing when he first took office: he lifted the ban on ballroom dancing.
6. Freedom is never smooth sailing
In general, during this period, from the top to the bottom, the overall development was towards a more relaxed and freer direction. The so-called historical laws never fall from the sky. Behind the deep currents are the efforts and struggles of those reformers and pioneers.
The development of freedom is never a one-time thing.
In 1983, the anti-spiritual pollution campaign began.
The relaxed atmosphere of the previous few years suddenly changed. During this period, young women who permed their hair, put on cream, wore fashionable clothes, danced in healthy groups, and even grew flowers were criticized and said to be the influence of the "bourgeois lifestyle" and opposed as a manifestation of "spiritual pollution."
At that time, the book "The Biography of Marx" was confiscated as a "pornographic book" because it contained a photo of Marx's wife Jenny in traditional European clothing, exposing her shoulders and neck. The cover of "Outlook" was considered a "pornographic photo" because it published a photo of a woman on the uneven bars of gymnastics. Soldiers who carried photos of their partners were severely criticized. Some party and government agencies in large cities did not allow female comrades with permed or shoulder-length hair to enter the gate. Many factories had guards at the gates, and male and female workers with long hair and strange clothes were not allowed to enter. In some places, pickets were even organized to patrol day and night. If they saw someone wearing bell-bottom pants on the street, they would go up and cut their hair...
With the intervention of Hu Yaobang, this wave of trend did not last long.
Moral tolerance has always been closely related to economic freedom. It was in this year that Anhui "Shazi Guazi" Nian Guangjiu was criticized by all parties for employing more than 140 workers, and some people even advocated taking measures to "change it." When Deng Xiaoping learned about it, he said: "Don't change it. If you change it, people will say that the policy has changed."
Conservatism and liberalism played against each other repeatedly. It was not until nine years later, in 1992, when Deng Xiaoping, at the age of 88, visited southern China and ignited the reform and opening up of China. Under the reform and opening up, the expansion of Chinese people's freedom entered the fast lane.
Of course, the times will always move forward, but a nap of it is a person's entire life.
Back then, there must have been a young girl who envied her older sisters who put on makeup, wore high heels and cheongsams to dance, and thought that she would be like that when she grew up. But when Wang Meng lifted the ban on ballroom dancing in 1986, she was already in her 50s.
Now, you open your phone and choose a foreign song;
You and your friends make an appointment to learn dancing after get off work;
You open WeChat and your friend sends you a hot picture;
You and your girlfriend hug under the school dormitory;
You think all this is commonplace and natural, but even though I know this history, when I finished writing this article, I still felt that every step was thrilling, hard-earned, and should be cherished.
Only when you know where you come from can you know where you are going.
Society is not made up of our tolerance for ourselves, but by our harshness towards others. You cannot only want your own freedom and despise the freedom of others. Being harsh towards others will eventually shape your harshness towards yourself.
7. Giant pandas and Chinese cockroaches
The adorable giant panda is a flagship species.
Flagship species is a concept in conservation biology. Simply put, it may not be the most important ecologically, but it is cute and adorable, which can attract public attention and call on the public to protect animals, protect species with less impact, and thus protect biodiversity. Therefore, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) chose the giant panda as its logo.
Everyone likes giant pandas, but do you know this animal?
The Chinese cockroach (qiong) looks like this.
This tiny insect, only 12 mm long, is only found at the top of Changbai Mountain at an altitude of about 2,000 meters. It is an ancient relict group, a living fossil of the class Insecta, and is a national first-class protected animal.
It hides in the mud or caves during the day and comes out to look for food at night. It is inconspicuous and even looks disgusting and wretched.
However, they are still masterpieces of nature, struggling to survive for hundreds of millions of years. Their survival is still part of the biodiversity of the earth.
Pandas are national treasures and the most dazzling animals, but the enthusiasm that pandas, as flagship species, mobilize is also for the purpose of protecting the Chinese cockroach.
The sense of community embodied by the honor of Olympic champions is not just to bring glory to the champions, but to allow the people in this community to live better and freer lives.
The championship is a huge pyramid. At the bottom are the athletes who were eliminated early in the screening; above are the unknown players in the city team, provincial team, and national team; above that are the slightly famous and honored; and at the top are the Olympic champions.
Guan Chenchen is an Olympic champion, while Wu Liufang is only a world champion. After retiring, the former will have a much brighter future.
The title of Olympic champion should not be a reason to harm the freedom of another retired athlete, but should be an ability to tolerate and protect the freedom of a retired athlete - I will share my robes with you.
Collective honor is not a reason to crush individual freedom. The cohesive force for winning glory for the country lies in the fact that the country fairly protects everyone's freedom through the law, even if these freedoms are not so noble.
8. The wisdom of our ancestors
We are not just talking about the freedom to dance and wear what we want, we are talking about economic freedom and the ability to innovate.
There is a saying that goes, "In China's economy, big fish live in big waters."
Water that can be used to raise fish is definitely not pure water. Under the rich water is sludge, the corpses of various plants, microorganisms, algae, and various inconspicuous insects. Only such living water can raise fish. And now, what we need more is living water to raise fish and boost China's economy.
In Star Wars, Luke gave up his status as a Jedi weapon because he discovered that the stronger he became in the light side of the Force, the stronger the dark side of the Force became.
The Force actually comes from the ancient Chinese wisdom: Tai Chi.
Look at the Tai Chi pattern. The curve separates two semicircles. The black one is Yin and the white one is Yang. There is a small white circle in the black semicircle and a small black circle in the white semicircle.
It is said that all things carry yin and embrace yang. Where there is yin, there is yang. Where there is light, there is darkness. Only when yin and yang coexist, and light and darkness coexist, can society prosper. This is the wisdom of our Chinese ancestors.
The bigger the water, the bigger the fish. When the water is too clear, there are no fish; when a person is too careful, there are no friends.
Therefore, negative things often coexist with the most positive things. During the heyday of China's Internet, Mr. Cang and the world's top Internet giants gathered in China.
This is exactly why Deng Xiaoping strongly supported the Water-Splashing Festival.
Today, kissing on screen is no longer a rare thing. We have more freedom than forty years ago, but it is not enough. We need more. Because we are no longer a backward country, no longer just a country that needs foreign investment and processing. We need to innovate independently and become the most dynamic country in the world, because only in this way can we obtain the world's top innovation.
Freedom is weak and inconspicuous, but it will show its power in the long history. Decades ago, the freedom of games for Americans allowed them to obtain GPUs and artificial intelligence. The heresy of people like Musk, Jobs, and Gates is the underlying driving force of innovation.
It is impossible to support a highly innovative economy with a society with low freedom.
Therefore, skirting the edge is not just about the person dancing.
Brushing the edge was once our past and also foreshadows our future.
Text/Liu Yuanju