Chapter 118: When Prosperity Lies in One's Grasp, Yet the Soul Becomes Desolate

In 1990, the 11th Asian Games were held in Beijing—China’s first time hosting a comprehensive international sporting event. The 1991 CCTV Spring Festival Gala carried forward the athletic fervor ignited by the Games.

At eight in the evening, the 1991 Spring Festival Gala began punctually. This was the ninth such gala organized by China Central Television.

Lu Kun and his wife and children had been waiting in front of the television for a long time.

Looking back from a future perspective, this particular gala could easily be summed up in one word: “rustic.”

Rustic, yet profoundly grounded and relatable.

There were many captivating performances.

The moment Taiwanese singer Pan Meichen, dressed all in black and sporting a tomboyish look, appeared on stage, her clear voice immediately caught the audience's attention.

Her song “I Want a Home” moved viewers gathered around their TVs on New Year’s Eve to tears.

The melody flowed smoothly, tinged with sorrow yet imbued with a stirring courage, inspiring people to bravely face life and strive for their dreams.

The folk culture of An Gui Province made a modest appearance in this gala. In the program “Praising One’s Hometown,” Luo Ningna performed “Liu Sanjie,” bringing the mountain folk song tradition into the spotlight.

The comedy sketches of that year’s gala were a collection of gems.

Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao’s “Police and Thief,” Jiang Kun and Tang Jiezhong’s “Impatience,” Ma Ji and Zhao Yan’s “Asian Games Highlights,” Zhao Benshan and Yang Lei’s “Old Man Xiao Jiu’s Happiness,” and the recurring duo Song Dandan and Huang Hong’s “Hand in Hand” all delighted the audience.

When the sketch “Hand in Hand” came on, Lu Kun nearly burst into laughter.

“Hand in Hand” tells a story of a comical mishap where counterfeit glue sticks two unrelated people’s hands together. On the surface, it’s a love story; underneath, it satirizes the rampant spread of fake and substandard products.

“Could it be that the name of the famous 502 super glue in the future was inspired by this sketch?” Lu Kun mused, rubbing his forehead.

When the song “Lupin Flower” began, Liu Liping and her daughters, Daya and Erya, were moved to tears.

Singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan had always been special presences on the gala stage, and in 1991, five such singers took the spotlight.

Zhen Ni’s rendition of “Lupin Flower” was one of the warmest and most emotionally charged songs. A tribute to maternal love and longing, it combined a beautiful, catchy melody with deeply heartfelt lyrics.

“Every night I recall mother’s words, shimmering teardrops like lupin flowers; the stars above are silent, while children on earth think of their mothers...”

Strangely, when Lu Kun heard this line sung, his first thought wasn’t tears but a mental note to warn future internet trolls.

It’s “Every night I recall mother’s words,” not “Grandpa recalling mother’s words.” Could people take this seriously?

Jiang Yuheng’s performance of “Looking Back Again” was an unmissable classic of the 1991 gala and remains one of his signature works.

When Jiang Yuheng’s penetrating voice filled the room, it stirred a soul-deep resonance.

Combined with his faintly melancholic aura and unique tone, he instantly captured the hearts of male viewers in front of their TVs.

“...Looking back again, it feels like a dream;
Looking back again, my heart remains the same.
No matter how many pains and confusions tomorrow will bring,
Having questioned time and again in the dark and quiet moments,
I now know that simplicity and calmness are the true way.
Looking back again, it feels like a dream;
Looking back again, my heart remains the same.
Only the endless long road accompanies me.”

Originally released in 1989 and first sung by Su Rui, the song was moderately received at best.

Jiang Yuheng’s version was a cover so powerful it overshadowed the original. Once aired on the Spring Festival Gala, pirated copies were sure to flood the market within days.

It was destined to become a massive hit.

How classic was this song? Lu Kun recalled that in a future talent show called “Happy Boys,” Chen Chusheng covered “Looking Back Again.” However, being young, Chen couldn’t quite capture the song’s depth—the world-weariness, composure, and serene dignity born of life’s countless trials.

When the panda mascot Panpan appeared, Daya and Erya nearly jumped out of their seats.

Of course, it wasn’t a real panda on stage.

This was Bass, the prototype for the 1990 Beijing Asian Games’ mascot, Panpan. This “unexpected” guest performed basketball shots, weightlifting, cycling...

The two sisters couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable antics of the “panda.”

The Yue opera “Dream of the Red Chamber” was met with ridicule; many viewers admitted they had no idea what they were watching. Lu Kun’s family all pulled faces in unison.

The play “The Case of Chopping Beauty” was featured on the gala stage.

The children quickly grew sleepy and soon went back to their rooms, but Lu Kun watched with great interest.

“The prince consort stepped forward to scrutinize:
It is written that Qin Xianglian is thirty-two years old,
She accuses the current prince consort of
disrespecting the emperor, defying the king,
breaking the marriage promise and inviting a lover into the bed...”

Liu Liping glanced at her husband, who was nodding and singing along with the performers on TV with great enthusiasm, and rolled her eyes.

“Hey, you know the new year’s almost here, right? Singing this now seems a bit… inappropriate,” she nudged Lu Kun’s shoulder, interrupting his self-performance.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Lu Kun looked puzzled.

“Well... aren’t they about to chop off Chen Shimei?” Liu Liping stammered.

She knew her husband’s type all too well. These past few years had been better; even if he occasionally had a wandering eye, he managed to hold himself back.

“Ha ha ha.”

Lu Kun understood her meaning—she thought singing this was a bad omen.

“The Case of Chopping Beauty” is a widely circulated folk tale.

It tells of Bao Zheng, who fearlessly upholds justice and executes the prince consort Chen Shimei with the blade of the ‘Dragon Head Chopper.’

In reality, the story was rather nonsense!

Chen Shimei was from the Qing Dynasty during the Shunzhi reign, while Bao Zheng lived in the Song Dynasty—it was impossible for Bao Zheng to have come back in time to execute Chen Shimei.

Even some online writers dared not fabricate such a tale.

Since 1980, the Folk Art Research Association of HUB Province had been campaigning to set the record straight, but this year’s CCTV gala seemed to have undone all their efforts—Chen Shimei’s reputation as a heartless villain remained firmly intact.

The people of Inner Mongolia also had their say.

“I’m from Inner Mongolia, and I want to say, I’ve explained for years that we don’t live in yurts, don’t ride horses to school, and certainly don’t wear those Mongolian robes. After this gala airs, all those years of effort will be wasted...”

“I don’t believe it—Chen Shimei is obviously a villain,” Liu Liping stubbornly insisted.

What followed, of course, was a descent into shameless, despicable, and vulgar territory.

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