Editor's note: This is a nostalgic theater.
When I first watched "Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" on TV 20 years ago, what impressed me most was that Gu Yuetao, the head teacher played by Bao Jianfeng, would go out every day to throw a coin into a glass jar. Somehow, his positivity and optimism in the show always infects me in front of the screen. At that time, many people had imagined that their senior year life would be as colorful and happy as the Jiaying Middle School in this drama?

Eighteen-year-old sky poster

The reality is of course skinny, and everyone knows what happened later. As a post-80s generation, most of us have never met a teacher like Gu Yuetao, nor many classmates like Shi Yanfeng, and there are no special events in our daily study and life that are worth writing about. We have all had the "18-year-old sky", and the sky over there is not what it looks like in the TV series after all.

The students in "18-year-old sky"

In fact, looking back at "The Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" twenty years later, it is not difficult to find that it is a bit outrageous. What are the students in the class doing every day? Shi Yanfeng and his good brothers Gao Jinglei and Yu Yifei have a regular program after school to play bowling. Lan Feilin leads a group of female classmates to discuss beauty skills. What's more exaggerated is that Xu Tianxiang finds a wandering street portrait person every day. Xia Ye painted herself and helped her realize her dream of traveling, because Xu Tianxiang found the courage in Xia Ye that he did not have. Anyway, you say that they are high school seniors who are about to face the college entrance examination, which is really unconvincing.

The teachers in "18-year-old sky"

Even more outrageous than the classmates are the teachers. The N-angle love in the third year office of Jiaying Middle School is really complicated - the newcomer Gu Yuetao admires the painting teacher Wei Lin, the math teacher Gao Ziwen secretly loves the English teacher Pei Pei, and the dean Ling Shuang has a good impression of the teacher Gao Ziwen, Gu Yuetao and Pei Pei are officially designated CPs, a pair of happy friends. Oh, by the way, in the second half of the plot, there are also the spoilers of Gu Yuetao's ex-girlfriend Hu Jingjing and Pei Pei's senior Yang Peng. Anyway, you say that they are senior three teachers who are about to face the college entrance examination, which is really not convincing.
Since "Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" obviously has nothing to do with our youth, why are there still many viewers still obsessed with it 20 years later? Because, rather than saying that this TV series is very "fake", it is better to say that its intention from the beginning is to create a dream for us, a dream that makes us unwilling to wake up.

Gu Yuetao (played by Bao Jianfeng)

In that dream, the teacher at the school was not a serious elder, but a friend who could talk to everyone and make friends. I like the relationship between Gu Yuetao and Shi Yanfeng, who are both teachers and friends, love each other and kill each other - Shi Yanfeng, who is set up to be mad and cool, is not forgiving, but secretly "forces" the students to study hard and keep the teacher. The scene of the two men chatting for a long time will always warm people's hearts.
I like Gu Yuetao's sincere care and love for the students. The CD of Lan Feilin's idol was confiscated by Gu Yuetao. Because of a misunderstanding, the way he encouraged Lan Feilin made everyone laugh. Not only was he not angry, but he actually invited his idol to the school for a concert. This is really "other people's teacher".
I like Gu Yuetao's tolerant attitude towards the vague feelings among the students. Tang Song and Wang Chen got closer and closer because they sorted out the language review plan together. The simplicity and sincerity of the former moved the latter. Gu Yuetao did not criticize the two severely, but instead taught Tang and Song to deal with the matter correctly. You must know that in those days, "puppy love" was still a concept that made countless parents and teachers change their minds.

"Eighteen-year-old sky" stills

I like what Gu Yuetao said to everyone in the class - "Every today is the beginning of tomorrow. What kind of tomorrow is to be, what kind of efforts must be made today". What matters is not what grades the students have achieved, but whether they have the determination to work hard for their ideals.
In the final analysis, what Gu Yuetao wants to create in the TV series is a new educational model - both equality and respect, as well as guidance and care. Some people say that "Eighteen Years Old Sky" is the Chinese version of "GTO", but I don't see it that way. Gu Yuetao will not be as extreme and indulgent as Eiji Onizuka, who was born in the "Bakugoo". If I say, Gu Yuetao may be closer to the modern version of Confucius - emphasizing that there is no difference between teachers and teachers, teachers do not have to be worthy of students, it looks very "cool", but in fact it is not that deviant.

Shi Yanfeng (played by Li Zhinan)

In that dream, the sincere emotions and pure friendship between the classmates were so enviable. The daily life of the third and eighth class of high school is not peaceful at all: Lan Feilin and Wu Dandan fought hard for the heroine of a stage play, Shi Yanfeng and Wu Liping once fought tit-for-tat for the girl they liked, and Shi Yanfeng and his good brother trio had a brief period of time. "School bullying" was too honest in Tang Song, because Du Fengyu lost his cosmetic bag and Qi Jia almost became a thief suspect...
It's not surprising that the whole class is composed of "problem students" deliberately selected by the principal, but in the TV series, the background of these students is still cute, simple, kind, and just. It's as if when Shi Yanfeng encountered a gangster robbing money, Wu Liping would still stand up and let them finally become good friends who "don't know each other"; it's as if Gao Jinglei's family suddenly died in a car accident (saying that the screenwriter of the year was really good enough. Ruthless), and also rely on the encouragement and support of the students to get out of the trough of life. Honestly, who wouldn't want to study in such a united, loving, and mutually supportive class?

"Eighteen-year-old sky" stills

It is precisely because the high school life in "Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" is so perfect and enviable that although we have not forgotten this TV series over the years, we have never taken it too seriously. Of course we know that it is impossible for every teacher in the world to be as humorous and approachable as Gu Yuetao, and it is impossible for every classmate to be as lovable and trustworthy as Class 38.
Perhaps, the ending of the play itself is very meaningful. Under the leadership of Mr. Gu Yuetao, the third and eighth class finally got good grades in the mock test. Now, the lovely class teacher can finally stay. But then what? The TV series came to an abrupt end, and we don't know, did all the students in the third and eighth class later take the college entrance examination? Did you get into the ideal university? Maybe I can ask again, are they all okay today?
Whether intentional or unintentional, "Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" perfectly avoids these headaches. If "Sixteen-Year-Old Flower Season" tells about the troubles of youth, and "Seventeen-Year-Old Don't Cry" shows the innocence of youth, then what is left in this play is a beautiful and yearning dream. This dream may not be realistic, but it is worthy of each of us to cherish and commemorate.

"Eighteen-year-old sky" stills

The most embarrassing thing is the reason for the establishment of the third and eighth class in the TV series - "quality education". This term and concept is probably unfamiliar to modern young people. Nowadays, it seems that few experts, teachers, parents or classmates care about "quality education" in the public opinion field. Everyone acquiesces in their hearts that competition should be fierce, resources should be scarce, and elimination should be cruel . I wonder how Mr. Gu Yuetao thinks about "internal volume"? If he was still coaching in the third year of high school today, I am afraid he would be directly complained of and laid off.
Twenty years have passed, and Bao Jianfeng is no longer the handsome little boy he used to be. Ni Jingyang, who is very much like Wu Qianlian, doesn't seem to have a particularly impressive role anymore. The innocent school girl Lan Feilin has become Jin Sha, the sister who rides the wind and waves." star" Li Zhinan failed to become a shining superstar in the entertainment circle after all. Isn't that the case with our senior year? Who can guess what will happen to the sky at the age of 28 and the sky at the age of 38 after graduation?
About ten years ago, there was a rumor that the original cast of "Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" would gather again to shoot the second TV series. For various reasons, the rumors only stay in the rumor stage, and many fans of the show regret it. However, I am very fortunate. The story of the third and eighth class, it is better to stay at the moment when the classmates tell their dreams one by one. Let the good memories stay in time, maybe, this is the best arrangement.