Now We Can Laugh It Off Too

Now We Can Laugh It Off Too

As someone from the generation that grew up watching the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, my feelings toward it are deeply mixed. Back in childhood, when information was nowhere near as abundant as it is today, the skits and stories from the Gala could serve as emotional sustenance for a whole year, or even several years. Chen Peisi, Zhu Shimao, Zhao Lirong, Gong Hanlin, Niu Qun, Feng Gong, Ma Ji, Zhao Yan, Zhao Benshan, Pan Changjiang, Guo Da, Cai Ming... every one of those names gave us something to look forward to on New Year’s Eve, a reason to keep waiting through the singing and dancing for the next performance.

But then, one day, that interest suddenly disappeared. I began dozing off while watching the Gala, and before long, even the desire to watch it faded away. It lost the pull it once had. That change was not simply because I grew up, nor was it merely a kind of aesthetic fatigue with comedy and talk-based performances. Life, like a ship leaving harbor, sped quickly toward an unknown shore, and there was no longer time to take in the scenery along the way. And of course, the ocean of life was no longer as calm as the harbor had seemed in childhood. Waves of storms arrived all at once, making the journey far rougher than expected, and the landscapes of life seemed impossible to fully comprehend. The annual Spring Festival Gala became less a long-awaited celebration and more a marker I would rather not confront.

What is more, the problems we face in real life could no longer be truthfully reflected in the Gala. If humor loses its satirical edge, it is like an eagle losing its wings. It can no longer soar as it once did. Of course, we all long to live in the cheerful song-and-dance world of the Spring Festival Gala, just as we long to live in the world presented on the evening news. But once the Gala drifted away from real life, the two could hardly intersect anymore.

Time passed, and now I myself have become a parent. As the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year has gradually faded, especially with firecrackers being banned, I wanted my child to experience at least some sense of what the holiday used to feel like. So I turned on the television and returned to the Spring Festival Gala.

To my surprise, Yuanyuan watched the singing and dancing performances with great delight, and from time to time even wanted to move along with the music. And the comedy and dialogue-based acts that I once found unsatisfying no longer seemed quite so dull. I think perhaps that is because what changed was not the Spring Festival itself, but us. The Gala certainly cannot solve the problems of life, and life does not naturally get better just because the year is turning over. But to have such a moment, a point at which to gather oneself and set out again, is not without importance. Just as we need sunrise and sunset, departure and rest.

Day after day, year after year—without such moments of pause, life would probably feel even more bewildering and disorienting. And the annual Spring Festival Gala, as part of the holiday ritual, may not need to reflect the whole of life after all. Since life is already a long journey carried under heavy burdens, why not take this opportunity to rest for a while and share a wholehearted laugh?