Featuring recognizable singing voices for Cantonese opera, vivid Lingnan landscapes, diverse Guangdong cuisines, captivating stories, and patriotic sentiment, the TV series "The Pearl River Family" has been gaining in viewership since its premiere and has reached a peak rating of over 3%, making it the most-watched drama series of the prime-time slot on CCTV 1 in 2023.

The drama series has ingeniously integrated the representative elements from Lingnan culture - Cantonese medicine, Cantonese cuisine, and Cantonese opera. Through the separation, growth and reunion of the Chen siblings, the drama portrays their dedication to personal careers and pursuit of excellence while sacrificing themselves for the country amidst the turbulent years, showcasing the patriotic and fearless spirit of the Lingnan people.

It is like a comprehensive encyclopedia of Lingnan culture, reflecting all its colorful and glorious aspects. To fully depict the essence of Lingnan culture, the production team has conducted extensive research in various parts of Guangdong. According to Director Wu Bin, they had invited top experts who have been devoted to the industries of Cantonese medicine, Cantonese cuisine, and Cantonese opera for decades to serve as consultants and guides for the production team.

As mentioned by Screenwriter Liu Hua, the script of "The Pearl River Family" has undergone 14 months of research and pre-production before it was finalized. In order to produce a solid script, Liu Hua has consulted with a lot of experts and immersed himself in over two hundred books on Cantonese opera, cuisine and medicine, as well as Lingnan history, customs, and traditions. Chen Shaomei, a Cantonese opera director, revealed that the actress Guo Xiaoting and the actor Cao Jun had spent their mornings learning Cantonese opera before starting filming. "We would teach them line by line," she said. In addition to on-site teaching, professional Cantonese opera performers would also record the singing segments for the actors, enabling them to learn and practice at their own pace.

"Accurate and profound artistic works have immense power to move people. I hope that through this series, more audience can appreciate the charm of Lingnan culture and gain a deeper understanding of the Lingnan area, as well as the fearless, optimistic, enterprising and practical spirit and temperament of the Lingnan people."

In fact, it is not just Cantonese TV dramas that are attracting attention. In recent years, Guangdong has been frequently witnessing "highlight moments" in its cultural field with miscellaneous "blockbuster IPs" emerging, such as the Yingge Dance from the Chaoshan region, which has gone viral on short video platforms, the hit TV series "The Knockout", which has boosted tourism in Jiangmen, the award-winning Cantonese opera films "Legend of the White Snake: Love" and "Lady Xian"( Lady of Qiao Guo), the out-of-demand dance drama "Wing Chun" and the musical "Bond of Love" that has been selected for the National Excellent Musical Collection.

粤药、粤菜、粤剧俱全，《珠江人家》成央视收视爆款

辨识度颇高的粤剧唱腔、风情浓郁的岭南画卷、琳琅满目的粤菜粤点、一波三折的动人故事、豪气干云的家国情怀……《珠江人家》开播以来，收视率一路上扬，最高收视率更突破3%，目前稳居2023年央视一套黄金档剧集收视冠军宝座。

《珠江人家》开创性地将岭南文化中具有代表性的粤药、粤菜、粤剧三大行业相关元素相融合，以陈氏三兄妹的分离、成长、团聚为主线，展现了他们在家国风云变幻的岁月里，既能为个人事业全力以赴、精益求精，更可为保家卫国牺牲小我、赴汤蹈火的精神，彰显了岭南人爱家爱国、敢为人先的精神内核。

《珠江人家》犹如一部“色香味俱全”的岭南文化百科书，折射出亮丽多彩的岭南文化。为了充分表现岭南文化风采，《珠江人家》剧组多次到广东各地深入采风。导演吴斌透露：“粤菜、粤剧、粤中医药部分都有扎根行业几十年的顶级专家跟组，配合剧组工作，勘误指导。”

编剧柳桦透露，《珠江人家》的剧本从采风到开机定稿历经14个月。为了拿出扎实的剧本，柳桦广泛请教了行业专家，还啃下了两百多本有关粤剧、粤菜、岭南中医药以及岭南文史、风俗方面的书籍资料。行业专家、粤剧导演陈少梅则透露了郭晓婷、曹骏等演员开拍前每天学习粤剧的状态，“演员每天上午从酒店出发来跟我们汇合，我们一句一句地教”。除了现场教学，还由专业的粤剧演员把唱段拍摄下来，“我们发给两位演员，让他们慢慢学、慢慢练”。

吴斌表示：“准确、深邃的文艺作品具有巨大的感染力，希望更多观众能借《珠江人家》感知岭南文化的魅力，增加对岭南这片土地的认知，进一步领略岭南人民敢为天下先、乐观进取、务实变通的精神气质！”

事实上，“出圈”的远不止粤产电视剧。潮汕英歌舞火爆短视频平台，热播剧《狂飙》带旺江门旅游，粤剧电影《白蛇传·情》《谯国夫人》摘“华表”揽“金鸡”，舞剧《咏春》一票难求、在全国范围内掀起观剧热潮，音乐剧《广交天下》入选全国优秀音乐剧展演……近年来，广东文化频频迎来“高光时刻”，文艺“爆款IP”频现。

文｜记者 艾修煜
翻译｜洪婷
责编 | 王楠
校对 | 周勇