As expected

Author: Cui Yongyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-08-01
Features: Cui Yongyuan, the "celebrity host" from CCTV, has released his new book in people's anticipation. In this book, Cui Yongyuan remains the same—like "the son of the neighborhood grandma," calm yet with a touch of mischief, still witty and sharp, and still full of insightful remarks. What's different this time is that he speaks the truth about himself. The human touching through the text makes readers laugh out loud at times and touch their hearts at others. Speaking the truth is not easy, breaking free from artistic pretensions is not easy. That's why many things Cui writes in this book are not commonly found in similar books. It's the power of culture that makes this book stand out. But that's all it is—the thoughts and reflections are all there. One of the hardest things in the world to do is speak the truth. Ancient Chinese fables were, and fables are words hidden within words, mostly recorded as subordinates speaking to kings. Why didn't subordinates speak the truth? Because speaking the truth carried the risk of losing one's head. Fortunately, as records show, kings sometimes understood, and they would say, "Good." Kings didn't need to tell stories to their subordinates because all they had to do was speak the truth. Zhao Zhongxiang wrote Ruminations on Time, Time and Love, Ni Ping wrote Days, Yang Lan wrote Wind Along the Sea, Jing Yidan wrote Jing's Topics, Bai Yansong wrote Pain and Joy, Shui Junyi wrote Frontier Stories, and even the relatively lesser-known Yang Jun has published Smiles. It's time for Cui Yongyuan to show off too! In this book, Cui "confesses" to the prank of keeping a puppy at his workplace and teasing his superiors to pass the time. Further on, readers discover Cui's torment of lying awake at night, unable to sleep due to a casual question from the TV station director during the day. Watching Cui miserably count sheep one by one with his "artificial hypnosis" method, readers happily trade their sleep for a juicy laugh at his deep, skin-deep troubles. Famous people, especially, find it hard to endure such pain. But Cui is a master at self-mockery, not stingy with his self-deprecation. With his masculine pride, he sweeps away all narcissism and self-admiration, revealing a flesh-and-blood person far different from the glamorous star seen on screen. He reflects on every action of his; he shows mercy for his mother's necessity of beating him in that era. In short, whether on stage or off, he can't seem to find the feeling of being a celebrity—he "connects" with friends who are just ordinary people, unknown to readers. Yet amidst the words, a sense of normalcy jumps out. There's an English proverb that says, "The truth is our most precious thing, so we should use it sparingly." But Cui Yongyuan continues his style from Speaking the Truth in this book. His teasing of his superiors makes readers laugh at the same time they can't help but feel a little nervous: Is it okay to write about your superior like this? Cui says he took 38 years to grow into a radish and now slices it piece by piece for everyone to see. He's told lies, been hit, been deliberately punished by teachers, and even done business. He writes about his life experiences effortlessly, making the audience laugh and find themselves unable to stop. Cui has built the readers' joy entirely on his "pain"!