Original Article: https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404487545764315185#_0
Original Author: 诗债累累
Editor and Image Source: 萝卜皮皮虾
What is the most important mission of an actor’s performance? That is crafting a role.
What is an actor’s energy? That is the ability to charm his audience with his performance and allow them to feel the emotions and meanings behind his actions, with the actor as the medium and the aim of crafting his role in mind. The clearer the emotions and meanings are in the delivery, the higher the energy.
In terms of performance arts, the display of energy is done externally via body movements and lines, and internally via emotions. To quote Hegel – “A scene full of conflicts can show the most perfect and profound development of beauty.”
By using the keywords “body movement” and “emotions”, and inserting them into a scene full of conflicts, we can split them them into two types of scenes – “smile emotions” and “cry emotions”. The interesting part about these representative performance is that there is tragedy in the smiles and there is hope in the tears.
Smile emotions:
- Character entry
- Return from Burial Grounds
- Nevernight City
- Snowy night outside of Jing Chamber
Cry emotions:
- Rescue of Jiang Cheng in Lotus Pier
- Rescue of Wen Clan in Qiongqi Lane
- Never Night City
- Reawakening after 16 years
Let us look at these one by one.
Smile Emotions
1. Character Entry – the high spirited young man
Besides just a good looking young man, Xiao Zhan also displayed the curiosity and the eagerness to break any rules in his performance. Based on the free spirited characterization, we can vaguely infer his parents’ character as well.
2. Return from Burial Grounds – Vengeance, major shift in personality and the blurring between good and evil
The situation and experience in the Burial Grounds were not clearly shown in the drama or the novel. Based on the descriptions in the later episodes, the general idea is that he went through hell and back, grasped a new power and learnt how to control this power. In understanding this new power, he went through various experimentation and created the Tiger Seal in order to focus the power and control it. This smile not only meant that he was able to take revenge, it also represented his unlimited talent in the demonic path, as well as his disdain at the society, self mockery.
3. Never Night City
The dark clouds in his background are similar to how Wei Wuxian was like then – confused as to whether he was good or evil, unable to see the light of hope. How did he get to such a state? How did get himself into trouble? He was so prideful that he would not lose control. The loss of his family caused him severe grief and indignation. For all that befell on him, there was no one he confide in, there was no one who can give him an answer. The smile/laugh spoke of all the despair he felt.
4. Snowy night outside of the Jing Chamber – Nothing matters anymore
In Wei Wuxian’s first lifetime, he fulfilled his promise of wanting to assist the weak and never to go against his conscience. He was unrivaled during the Sun Shoot Campaign and he saved the remaining innocent Wen clan members. When he was facing off against every other person during Never Night City, he saw the false righteousness of their treachery. If not for the death of his Shijie, he would not have despaired and taken his own life. The smile at this time, was in mockery of his life, but also contained his relief of finally being at peace.
Cry Emotions
1. Rescue of Jiang Cheng from Lotus Pier
At this moment, Wei Wuxian was at his weakest point, and he might also be looking at the last bit of kindness remaining in the world. Despite putting on a false front, his heart is weak and that is shown with that tear drop. All of his energy is sapped away, and he’s totally disheartened.
2. Rescue of Wen Clan in Qiongqi Lane
At this time, Wei Wuxian has not really thought clearly about how he intends to protect these people. He saw the world with the naivety of a young man, and refused to let go of his principles to join the society. He cried because he thought he was just bidding farewell to a friend who he thought had the same aim, but in fact, he was putting himself into a precarious situation.
3. Never Night City
From the confident young man at the Qiongqi Lane, who thought he could survive any traps laid by his enemies, to witnessing his brother-in-law’s death, to being encircled at Never Night City, to sinking into madness and arrogance. He had lost his faith in human values and his reason for existence the moment his Shijie had died for him. This tear, was release, was acceptance, was redemption. His tragedy could only be ended by him and him only.
4. Reawakening after 16 years – Surreal
He chose his own death, but his revival was not of his own design, nor did he know why he was brought back. The tear was for this helplessness.
There is this ancient fable about Zhuang Zi (who is a revered Taoism scholar) who dreamed that he was a butterfly. After he woke up, he forgot that he was Zhuang Zi. He thought, did he dream of becoming a butterfly, or did a butterfly dream of becoming him? This surreal state could be applied to Wei Wuxian.
“If only that was all a dream, how great would that be?” – this tear was also realisation.
Who would not want time to stop at when everyone was at their happiest? The world remains treacherous, and he still had to make a choice between the easy path and the right path, but he would rather go on the right path alone. Therefore, even if he was given another chance to live again, he will insist on the right path – this tear was also his hope.