"The Gunshots of Guanzhong" officially aired on CCTV Channel 8's prime time on the 18th, directly following "The Righteous Path of Life"!?... A seemingly ordinary exclamation, yet it reflects people's attention and deep reflection on the currently much-discussed "CCTV prime-time showdown."
Nowadays, people's reception of television information has transformed from the past "taking everything as it comes" to "active screening." The quality of content directly determines how long people will pay attention. And the brand of viewership is the underlying logic that decides the quality of content. Thus, choosing a major broadcasting platform in the competition between TV drama works becomes increasingly fierce.
For a long time, CCTV screens have always been the battleground for many TV dramas, fiercely competing with each other. Despite CCTV’s strict review process—even cutting down drastically—very few shows pass through. In reality, however, being broadcast on CCTV is still considered an honor, and CCTV's prime time is even more so, becoming the ultimate target for all TV series.
As the main theme of CCTV, from previous shows like "Gaze of War," "Bathing in Blood," and "Defending Yan'an" to the recent "The Righteous Path of Life," none of them were without twists and turns before airing on CCTV. This time, "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" was announced to take over the prime time slot on CCTV-8 after "The Righteous Path of Life," immediately causing astonishment within the industry and speculation from outside observers. Previously, "The Cowherd and Weaver Girl" starring Tian Liang and "My Brother Shunliu" starring Wang Baoqiang were both vying for the CCTV prime time slot. After several evaluations, "My Brother Shunliu" and "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" simultaneously landed on the prime time slots of CCTV-1 and CCTV-8, while "The Cowherd and Weaver Girl" unfortunately did not make the cut this time around.
As a "Guanzhong" play, it has never appeared on CCTV before. This time, "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" broke the 16-year-long deadlock by firing the second shot of the Xinhai Revolution, successfully knocking on the door of CCTV-8. Such an unprecedented breakthrough—was it luck? Was it lineage? Or was there another reason?
The reporter took these questions to Wu Jian, the producer of the show under Xi'an Film Group. According to Wu Jian: the series is produced by the Western Film Group, directed by renowned director Ding Hei, who has previously worked on "Dioscorea" and "Song of Eternal Sorrow," and stars Li Yapeng. It is adapted from Zhang Ye's novel "Five Blessings" and tells the story of the "second shot of the Xinhai Revolution." The simple and straightforward Guanzhong man Liu Wu leads his troops in the Xinhai Revolution, opening the door to a new era with bloodshed and sacrifice.
The entire series vividly portrays the changes in the Guanzhong region during the revolution and the intrigue among important figures in Shaanxi's military and political circles, revealing the difficulties and complexity of the "Republican Revolution." The plot is tightly woven and full of ups and downs. At the same time, the series also delves into the lesser-known historical event of the "second shot of the Xinhai Revolution." Due to this event, the Qing government's resistance forces were restrained, making this shot absolutely historically significant.
What sets "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" apart from previous "Guanzhong" series is its grand background and major events. He said, "We want to create a 'Guanzhong' that Guanzhong people recognize, based on the unique emotions here but striving for a big breakthrough in storytelling, allowing audiences from different regions to resonate."
Deputy Director of CCTV's Film and Television Department, Huang Haitao, commented on the series: "Although 'The Gunshots of Guanzhong' is a period piece, from its visuals to music, from characters to plot, it is very modern, fashionable, and fits well with modern audiences' aesthetics. At the same time, the series has a strong visual appeal, combining the ruggedness of Northwest China's style with the delicacy of chivalrous sentiment."
For a long time, "Shaanxi dramas" have been a highlight in Shaanxi's cultural development. The heavy earthy atmosphere, ancient urban charm, rough Guanzhong customs, and vivid Guanzhong characters have captivated audiences, showcasing the relaxed charm of Shaanxi's rich culture and history. However, due to geographical and thematic limitations, though popular locally, they have struggled to gain wider recognition, falling into a state of "no ripples."
In the entire field of Chinese TV dramas, "Shaanxi dramas" can be said to have distinct personalities. With thousands of years of profound history and cultural accumulation, every blade of grass and brick in Shaanxi carries rich historical and cultural content, and the TV dramas presented thereby play special, irreplaceable roles in the entire TV drama field.
However, because of their overly authentic and simple nature, they have not been widely accepted. Starting with last year's TV series "The Xi'an Incident," followed by this year's "Defending Yan'an" and "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" consecutively landing on CCTV, "Shaanxi dramas" have been reactivated, gaining societal recognition for "Shaanxi troops," which could be said to have sparked a rebirth in film and television. To a certain extent, these two dramas offer a comprehensive and multi-faceted interpretation and presentation of Shaanxi's unique regional culture and rich history. Meanwhile, due to its wide social impact, this regional culture has been elevated from a regional cultural platform to a national or even global cultural platform.
Looking at previous works on similar themes, "My Colonel My Regiment" highlighted the common soldier's life in war, restoring the real state of the martyrs' bloody battles in Myanmar. "Soldier Outburst" promoted the resilient belief of "not abandoning, not giving up." "Sword Brightness" conveys the spirit of "drawing the sword when encountering enemies - courage wins in narrow encounters." "The Righteous Path of Life" further distinguishes rational principles and emotions with phrases like "steel knives belong to steel knives, classmates belong to classmates."
On the other hand, "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" integrates tenderness and ruggedness reasonably, unexpectedly arranging traditional Chinese heroism within real historical contexts. Grand and realistic, shocking war scenes, dramatic and thrilling plots, rich folk customs, and captivating local landscapes surpass the audience's "aesthetic" limits both sensually and spiritually.
On June 18th, as the aftertaste of "The Righteous Path" had yet to dissipate, we could truly experience the lingering effect of "The Gunshots of Guanzhong" elevating the theme of war.