读信节目《见字如面》：重拾写信慢时光

Letters as a way of communication have long given way to phone calls and WeChat messages.

信件这种沟通方式早已被电话和微信所取代。

But a TV show, Letters Alive (《见字如面》 ), is helping bring this old way to keep in touch back into the present.

但《见字如面》这档电视节目正将这一保持联系的老方式带回到现代人的视野。

Letters Alive took its idea from a UK program with a similar name, Letters Live, which premiered (首映) in 2013. Both shows feature famous actors and actresses, but there is no gossip (八卦), no eye-catching visual effects (视觉效果) or any regular showbiz (演艺圈) activities. Instead, it’s just one person walking up to a microphone and reading a letter.

《见字如面》的想法源于一档类似的英国节目Letters Live，该节目于2013年首播。两档节目无关八卦、没有抓人眼球的视觉效果或是任何常规的演艺活动。仅仅邀请一些著名演员，走到麦克风前朗读信件。

But these are not just any letters. They are selected from a wide time span and a diverse range of subjects. There is, for example, a passionate(充满激情的) letter that famous painter Huang Yongyu wrote to playwright Cao Yu 30 years ago to criticize his lack of creativity. There is also a heartfelt note from Spring and Autumn Period written by two ordinary young soldiers to their elder brother to report their lives in the war zone.

但这些信并非随机选择的。被筛选出来的信件涵盖了很长的时间跨度，主题也很多样化。例如，节目里有一封30年前著名画家黄永玉写给剧作家曹禺的充满激情的信件，，批评他缺乏创造力。还有一封春秋时代两名普通年轻战士为兄长讲述战地生活的家书。

Every letter is like a small piece of history. By hearing them being read, it’s as if we are being sent back in time to experience a moment that we would otherwise never have had the chance to.

每封信就像一片小小的历史碎片。听信时，我们仿佛回到过去，身临其境。

“Letters Live makes us pause and imagine the lives behind the letters,” UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch, one of the readers on the UK show, told The Guardian. “It allows people from all ages and all walks of life to experience a moment of time in someone else’s life for a brief moment.”

“Letters Live让我们停下来，想象信件背后的生活，”该英国节目的朗读者之一，英国演员本尼迪克特•康伯巴奇(卷福)在接受《卫报》采访时表示。“它让不同年龄、各行各业的人们在短暂的时间中经历了其他人生活的片刻时光。”

Compared to published texts, letters also come with a personal touch.

与其它出版文字相比，信件带有一种个人感触。

One example from Letters Live was a note of thanks from the mother of a dying child to JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. It read: “Mrs Rowling, Cancer threatened to take everything from my daughter, and your books turned out to be the fortress (堡垒) we so desperately (迫切地) needed to hide in.”

Letters Live节目中就有个例子，一个生命垂危的儿童的母亲给《哈利波特》作者JK罗琳写了一封感谢信。信中，她这样写道：“罗琳女士，癌症威胁着要带走我女儿的一切，但是你的书籍却像一座堡垒，让我们迫切地想要藏身其中。”

According to Guan Zhengwen, the director of Letters Alive, it is this kind of humanity behind every letter that strikes a chord (引发共鸣) with the audience. It is also what made the show a big hit in China ever since its first episode (集) aired on Dec 5.

《见字如面》的导演关正文表示，正是这种隐藏在每封书信背后的人性光辉，引发了观众的共鸣。这也是节目从12月5日首播后，就在中国大热的原因。

“It’s a thing of the past that entertainment shows establish themselves only with pretty faces,” Guan told Sohu News. “Showbiz is starting to switch to a focus on wisdom and intelligence(才智).

“仅靠颜值来打造娱乐节目已成过去，”关正文在接受搜狐新闻采访时表示，“娱乐圈正在将焦点转向智慧与才智。”