Xinhua News Agency comments on "Foundation Liquid General" and others: If we blindly pursue "appearance above all" and fall into the trap of "wanting a lineup but ignoring content, valuing looks but neglecting value," it would be a serious deviation.

Xinhua News Agency published a Xinhua “front-line commentary” on the evening of April 3 titled “Reject the Deformed Aesthetic of ‘Beauty Above All.’”

The full text is as follows:

Reject the Deformed Aesthetic of “Beauty Above All”

Xin Shiping

Some actors’ makeup is excessively refined, seriously out of sync with historical contexts and story scenes, earning the online nickname “the Foundation Primer General.” The so-called “beauty-oriented celebrities” are in vogue, and even when their appearance, temperament, and character setup are seriously mismatched, they still have to be pushed onto the screen. From the lead roles to supporting parts, there is an intentional pursuit of “high looks,” which weakens the authenticity and the sense of the times of the characters… Some film and television works exhibit an unhealthy creative tendency of one-sidedly pursuing “beauty above all,” forming a deformed aesthetic and sparking widespread dissatisfaction and criticism from many viewers.

People all have a desire to look good. Focusing on actors’ images, honing the details of wardrobe and props, and so on—this is originally the proper meaning of improving the artistic quality of a work. As the saying goes, “If you can’t act the role convincingly, it’s better not to sing,” and “acting what you’re supposed to act” is the baseline requirement for practitioners. If one unilaterally chases “beauty above all” and falls into the vicious cycle of “a strong cast without substance, looks without value,” then things will seriously go off course. Escaping reality’s “pseudo-refinement” strips characters of their sense of lived experience, eroding the authenticity and appeal of art. The casting logic of “choosing people by appearance,” and the opportunistic mindset of “making up with faces when the script doesn’t work”—both open the door to shoddy work. Even more seriously, a hollowed-out and singular aesthetic standard easily distorts value orientations, misguides some teenagers to “look only at skin, not at the heart,” and helps fuel a flashy and utilitarian trend.

A deformed view of aesthetics reflects a deformed view of values, of creation, and of development. Some producers are infatuated with looks and traffic, adhering to a “star-centered system,” turning artistic creation into a beauty-and-cash grab. Unhealthy fan-culture blows on the flames, using comment moderation to steer results and “scoring boosts” to harden a single aesthetic standard, and promoting the erroneous line that “looks are justice.” Platform algorithms lack proper guidance and filtering based on correct values, allowing formulaic and hollow content to spread, leading to “bad money driving out good.” When acting skills yield to traffic, and depth is subordinated to appearance, creators no longer focus on polishing plotlines, shaping characters’ inner spirit, presenting the content of the work, or pursuing overall quality; instead, they will stray from the right track and get lost on a wrong path. Restoring the correct course and returning to simplicity and authenticity—firmly rejecting deformed aesthetics and promoting the implementation of healthy aesthetic concepts—is the right way for industry development, and also the general expectation of society.

What is a healthy aesthetic concept? Looking back on the history of Chinese civilization, the ancients’ definition of beauty often offers inspiration. Whether it is Mencius’s “that which is fullness is called beauty,” Zhuangzi’s “plainness, with none in the world able to contend with it for beauty,” Li Bai’s “Clear water brings forth hibiscus, naturally free from adornment,” or Su Shi’s “If I would compare West Lake to Xizi, light makeup and heavy makeup both suit”—all point to one core idea: true beauty is beauty in simplicity, beauty in nature, beauty in inner meaning, and beauty in spirit and resonance. For today’s literary and art creators, by adhering to the people-centered creative orientation, keeping social benefits first, unifying social benefits with economic benefits, and upholding the value core of truth, goodness, and beauty, and by going deep into life and rooting oneself among the people, one can create more精品 works that stand firm and leave viewers not only with a momentary glance at “pretty to look at,” but also with a long-lasting echo of “pleasant to revisit.”

In recent years, from “The Awakening Era” and “Mountains and Seas in a Distant Land” exploding into a nationwide buzz, to “Silent Glory” and “Years of Peace” sparking heated discussion, a group of film and television works with profound thinking, exquisite artistry, and excellent production have shaped many vivid, three-dimensional character images with distinct personalities that reach straight to the heart. They have achieved a double harvest of both popularity and reputation. Looks will eventually fade; only classics endure. What viewers dislike is not aesthetic appeal, but the sacrifice of authenticity for the sake of looks. What they refuse is not aesthetic diversity, but baseless fabrications. Solid scripts, superb performances, rigorous logic, and moving stories will always be the “foundation makeup” of great works. Only by letting creation return to respect for the规律 of art, to digging into the depths of human nature, and to grasping the spirit of the times, can we produce more high-quality works with backbone, warmth, and strength—continuously injecting deeper force into enriching the people’s spiritual and cultural life and advancing the building of a cultural powerhouse.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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