Produced in Shanghai and currently being broadcast on CCTV, "The Road to Life" is partly based on the classic novella "Life" written by the famous contemporary writer Lu Yao. "Part of the material" means that the series not only respects the spiritual core of the original work, but also injects new connotations of the times.
"The Road to Life" poster
Why is the adaptation reasonable? First, the context of the times has changed. In the novel, the reason why Gao Jialin wanted to leave the countryside and become a city resident, even sacrificing his love with Liu Qiaozhen, was inseparable from the specific background of the times. At that time, the urban-rural dual mechanism was very rigid, and population movement between urban and rural areas was restricted. If Gao Jialin could not leave the countryside, in the eyes of the people at that time, it meant that he would be bound to the rural land for the rest of his life. The novel is only a novella, and the timeline it covers is very short. Gao Jialin is unable to predict the changes of the times, and because of this, he has such a strong desire to get out of the countryside, and let this desire dominate his life. choose.
Gao Jialin (Chen Xiao)
Times have changed, and for today's audience, there is still a gap between urban and rural areas-the drama does not cover up this, but adds a lot of original plots to reveal it, such as the backwardness of rural schools, the cultural shock that Gao Shuangxing encountered in college ; But it is undeniable that today, the movement between urban and rural areas is free, and the change of household registration is not out of reach. There is a reason for the series not to stick too much to the setting of "household registration affects life" in the novel.
Conditions in rural schools are very poor
Second, for the final chapter of the novel "Life", Lu Yao deliberately gave it a subtitle called "Not the End". In other words, the novel only captures a very short period of the life of the protagonist Gao Jialin. The "Gao Jialins" whose hearts have undergone a new baptism are still continuing their fiery lives.
In this sense, "The Road of Life" can be regarded as a continuation of "Life". The series mainly tells how Gao Jialin, whose life was "stolen" after the college entrance examination, rewrites his rough and wonderful life experience. According to the preview, the audience will also see the process of Gao Jialin leaving the countryside and going to Shanghai to work hard. The series has been expanded in time and space.
And if the novel is Gao Jialin's one-man show alone, then "The Road to Life" is about the life road of a generation of young people. Including Gao Jialin (played by Chen Xiao), Liu Qiaozhen (played by Li Qin), Huang Yaping (played by Zhang Jiani), Ma Shuan (played by Tang Zeng), and the original character Gao Shuangxing (played by Wang Tianchen). The series enriches the stories of each of them, continues to write about their "not the end" path and whereabouts, and gathers together a typical group portrait of a generation of young people.
Liu Qiaozhen (played by Li Qin)
Thirdly, and most importantly, "The Road to Life" will reflect on the key propositions in "Life" about how young people "treat ideals and real life" and how to make life choices in detail, and keep pace with the times. with presentation.
In the novel, Gao Jialin once made a wrong choice. There is nothing wrong with pursuing an ideal life, but it should not be premised on detachment, belittlement, or denial of real life, otherwise you will go flying high in the air, and finally you will fall heavily from a high place. After Gao Jialin experienced the setbacks in life, Lu Yao wrote in the novel with deep sorrow: "Of course, as young people themselves, it is important to treat ideals and real life correctly. Even if your pursuit is legitimate, you cannot Realize it through crooked ways! And once you fall, it will cause a lot of pain in turn; it can even ruin a person's life!"
"The Road of Life" continues this thinking. The novel is a negative foil, and the drama adopts a different artistic technique, which is a positive description. It will give Gao Jialin more cruel tests, and use Gao Jialin's choices in each test to set a positive example for the young people of our era.
After understanding these three basic premises, the audience will not be too obsessed with what the original novel is, but can understand the necessary adaptation of the series based on the core of the original work.
For example, in the opening plot, a very important plot is that Gao Jialin was admitted in the college entrance examination, but because of Gao Minglou (played by Lin Yongjian)'s selfish desires and greed, he stole Gao Jialin's admission qualifications and made his family Gao Shuangxing, the son of Gao Jialin, went to college instead of Gao Jialin.
Gao Minglou, Gao Shuangxing father and son
This dramatic bridge section is its own attraction, but it also has many functions. One is to bring Gao Jialin the first heavy blow in his life. Let's see how Gao Jialin makes a choice in the blow. Will he be depressed and feel sorry for himself, or will he become more and more frustrated and make persistent efforts?
After experiencing the normal emotional depression, Gao Jialin accepted the reality and did not give up his ideals, so he decided to repeat his studies. Later, his mother was injured by an accident, which made Gao Jialin give up the idea of repeating the study. He worked as a substitute teacher in the rural school, diligently and conscientiously, and tried his best to improve the teaching conditions of the rural school and strive to let more children Can go back to class...
Gao Jialin made a different choice
From here on, what the audience sees is actually the Gao Jialin after "It's Not the End": Facing the gap between ideal and reality, he didn't spend his main energy on self-sentiment, self-blame or blaming others, nor did he find ways to get out. The shortcut is to accept the existence of the gap, but not accept fate or compromise, and continue to narrow and make up the gap with continuous personal efforts.
The second function of this plot is that it is the most important strategy to shape the character of Gao Shuangxing, because Gao Shuangxing went to university in the name of Gao Jialin, if he does not confess this mistake, this shackle will always be with him bothered him, troubled him. Gao Shuangxing is the epitome of a certain group of young people. Where he will go and when he will wake up will be a highlight of the follow-up plot.
The third function of this plot is that it is only the first blow in Gao Jialin's life. It is like a domino, after being pushed down, blows will follow. Because Gao Minglou will do everything possible to prevent Gao Jialin from getting out of the mountain in order to avoid his dirty conspiracy from being exposed, even the name "Gao Jialin" won't let him get out of the mountain. What kind of pressure will Gao Jialin face from Gao Minglou? He survived the first time, but if the blows come one after another, can Gao Jialin still be so calm? These questions will touch the hearts of the audience.
"Life" is a timeless classic. Although the historical context in the novel only exists in a specific time period, the life proposition put forward in the novel - "As young people themselves, it is important to treat ideals and real life correctly" is never out of date. "Road of Life" always adheres to the life proposition of the original work. Its adaptation is more of a technical adjustment, making the story more in line with the current context, and at the same time allowing the plot to solidly and effectively support the length of 37 episodes. "The Road of Life" continues to ask, how should young people in the context of the new era treat ideals and real life correctly? Don't rush to draw conclusions, let us follow Gao Jialin's life path in the play, and he will give us a powerful answer.
