Shanzhai Spirit

It has long been a tradition for Chinese people to get together with their family on Chinese New Year's Eve and watch CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. But this year, on the evening of Feb 13, people will have another choice - the Shanzhai Spring Festival Gala.

A knockoff performance of CCTV version, one of the biggest annual events in the Chinese TV calendar, Shanzhai Spring Festival Gala has remained in the spotlight despite its failed online debut on 2009 New Year's Eve.

Producer Shi Mengqi, a 35-year-old former wedding video producer from Sichuan province, said preparation of the upcoming 2010 event has been "much smoother" than with last year.

"We've got singing, dancing and comedy, about 40 performances in the three-hour gala," said Shi, or Lao Meng as he's known, in his office at a hutong in Beijing's Dongcheng district.

"Our performers are rehearsing their shows. We don't have a host. The shows will be aired online one by one."

About 500 people attend the audition, with quite a few from professional troupes and art colleges.

Shi said his gala will be broadcast live on a portal website, whose name he wouldn't tell. About 80 websites across the country will also broadcast it.

And it doesn't stop there, Shi has sponsorship. A private walnut powder company from Shanghai signed a three-year cooperation contract with him last week in his office. This year, the company will invest millions of yuan in his program, media reported. In return, the company's product will be mentioned in the program.

"This is much better than last year. This year we are legal," said Shi, without revealing the exact amount of investment.

Last year, with help from his friends and 10 volunteers, Shi started to work on his Spring Festival Gala after he got the idea of holding a show similar to CCTVs version at the end of 2008, when the knockoff phenomenon was at its peak in China.

He rented a car and a banner and drove across Beijing to publicize his plans, which attracted a lot of aspiring amateur performers and actors. His show was taken as an amusing alternative to the CCTV version, although Shi had hoped his version would be "a little bit more satirical but funnier".

At the last minute, the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV informed Shi that due to the lack of a performance permit, his gala couldn't be broadcast by a domestic TV station and websites that had signed contracts with him.

Eventually, the show was held in a hot spring resort in suburban Beijing as self-entertainment for performers themselves on the Chinese New Year's Eve.

This year, it's a whole different story. Last month, Shi received commercial performance permission from Dongcheng district's cultural commission, which legalized his Folk Spring Festival Gala. In addition, CCTV also sent a reporter and cameraman to interview him, according to Shi.

Most people view what happened last year as a failure, but Shi believes it was still a success.

"Good or bad, people get to know me. The first step is always hard, but the rest will be easy," he told METRO.

This year, Shi doesn't worry about the budget anymore because he will work with a local media company that provides him and his team with free offices and an offer to cover the costs if he cannot get sponsorship.

In the meantime, the studio show has already attracted numerous professional actors and more diverse offerings.

"We've got performers from universities and groups all across the country. We just provide food and boarding," said Shi.

He told METRO that a singer in his 20s has been invited to perform in the show. "He is sick and knows he will live for no more than two years, so he cherishes every moment on stage," he said. "By offering him a chance, I know what I am doing is meaningful."

As a "public figure", controversies follow Shi whether he likes it or not. Rumor is that he broke up with one of his team members and that the man, surnamed He, left with Chen Siyu, the former chief-director of the show.

The rumor goes further to say that Shi made a lot of money out of the interviews of performers and operation of the show.

He shrugs off all these rumors, noting that he has to bear these "side-products" as the result of being in the spotlight.

"What I care most about is whether the audience will continue to support me," he said.

Finally, he insisted that his show would not lose the Shanzhai spirit, even though he's financially secure now.

No matter if it's a "cheap copy" or "amateur" in style, Shi believes "grassroots" is the right word to interpret the spirit of his show. "All of our performers, including those professional but not yet famous ones, are from the grassroots. I am too. That's why we have come together," he said.

(China Daily 02/01/2010 page28)