I used to only know the song "Wan Zhi Diao" from Gezi Opera, but later I discovered that it is also a song called "Salt City District Chief". It was once banned because of its explicit content. Originally, I just thought it was a catchy tune, but my interest in it has since skyrocketed. XD
Erotic literature is so interesting, whether it's in the palace or among the people.
I happened to come across a documentary about this song, so of course I had to watch it. XD
In terms of the director's filming techniques, I think it's okay, but from a cultural and historical perspective, the content is quite interesting.
The film is called "Salt City District Chief". I originally thought it referred to the song, a tracing of the song's history. After watching it, I realized that the title itself is a pun, just like the song "Salt City District Chief" - including the name "Wan Zhi Diao" from Gezi Opera - is inseparable from the former Salt City District Chief, Guo Wan Zhi. This documentary not only records "Salt City District Chief", but also that "Salt City District Chief".
Who would have thought that watching such a documentary would make me cry? XD
I, who can go from laughing out loud one second to suddenly being moved to tears the next, was caught off guard and started crying halfway through. XD
There is a segment in the middle with an interview with Guo Wan Zhi himself, and his voice sounds quite old at that time.
I have a natural aversion to death. The feeling of being on the verge of death and reminiscing about lost youth, the feeling of a presence that is still there but the soul has long faded away, is too painful for me.
Starting from the exploration of the origins of the song, from neighborhood rumors to media reports to accounts from family and friends, this layered and gradually changing structure really embodies how people cannot come to a definitive conclusion and how things do not really have a "truth". From a different perspective, everything can look different. Everyone has their own standpoint, and every event has its own viewing angle. There is no absolute right or wrong, only relative arguments.
This "small history", although it has a non-realistic element of rural rumors, is also like a myth that refers to something that once existed. It is still a tiny piece of amber that preserves a small part of what happened on this land, allowing future generations to catch a glimpse of it.
I deeply understand the difficulties presented in the interviews about the folk songs. So many memories have no chance to be preserved, disappearing along with the individuals.
To be able to remember even a little bit is something. I believe that is the true significance of a film like this.