ExclusiveDao Lang, Pu Songling and the Story Behind Luocha Country

Hello everyone this is Sarah It's been a while since the last update I hope you've all had an enjoyable summer vacation On July 19 the Chinese folk singer Dao Lang's new song Luo Cha Country instantly became a sensation Not only did it dominate the Chinese music charts but it also rapidly spread overseas within just a couple of weeks Its global play count exceeded 30 billion now making it a phenomenon in the history of music What factors allowed this song to transcend language barriers and resonate with global audiences? To understand that we need to delve into the cultural background of the song The illusion of a Luo Cha Country comes from Pu Songling's strange stories from Liaozhai's studio Pu Songling was a literary figure during the Qing Dynasty His courtesy name was Lu Xian meaning immortal retained He is revered as master of Liaozhai and was born in 1640 in Sichuan Shandong province His impressive collection of 431 tales of the unusual and supernatural was largely completed by 1679 though he added stories to the manuscript as late as 1707 Although Pu Songling lived and died as an obscure schoolteacher his work titled Strange Stories from Liaozhai's Studio gained fame when it was first printed some 50 years after his death inspiring many imitations In the preface of the book Pu Songling shared a story about himself When he was born his father dreamt of a thin and sickly monk entering their home The monk was dressed in robes exposing his right shoulder and he had a piece of medicine plaster the size of a copper coin on his body The location of the plaster matched exactly with the birthmark on Pu Songling's body Because of this Pu Songling's father believed that he was the reincarnation of an ascetic monk and named him Lu Xian Many people at that time also believed that Pu Songling was the reincarnation of the monk from the dream Pu Songling himself pondered could this really be my previous life? Strange Stories from Liaozhai's Studio consists of nearly 500 pieces of work While they superficially tell tales of gods demons spirits and ethereal foxes they actually use fantastical descriptions to reflect various contradictions within the contemporary society and reveal its darker aspects Then what is the story behind Luocha Country? Luocha Country tells the story about a person named Ma Ji who was intelligent and handsome Once he accompanied others on a sea voyage for trade Due to a strong wind the ship lost its way and after several days and nights they finally discovered a city in the vast sea After landing he found that the people in the city were particularly ugly in appearance However when they saw Ma Ji they mistook him for a monster One day Ma Ji walked into a mountain village He noticed that the people in the village were not as ugly as those in the city but they were dressed in tattered clothes Ma Ji spoke and communicated with them with a smile Because they didn't share a common language it took him a lot of effort and time to make them understand that he was from China The villagers told him according to the elders there's a place called China located 26 000 li to the west The people there have peculiar appearances Seeing you today it's indeed like that Here one li equals to 500 meters Ma Ji asked them why they were so poor and they explained in our country what matters is not knowledge but appearance Those who are exceptionally beautiful become high-ranking officials the slightly less beautiful become local officials and even less beautiful ones can gain favor from nobles and support their families As for people like us who are ugly our parents considered us unlucky from birth and many were abandoned Some of us were only kept for the purpose of continuing the family line Ma Ji was very curious and asked them about their country The villagers replied that it's called Luocha country and the capital is to the north just 30 li away from this village Ma Ji was very interested in seeing their capital city for himself so he asked the villagers to guide him there When Ma Ji and the villagers reached the capital city they coincidentally encountered a large group of officials coming out of the palace A villager pointed at a person and said to Ma Ji he is the prime minister Ma Ji looked and noticed that the prime minister had ears that grew in reverse three nostrils on his nose and his eyelashes covered his eyes like curtains The villager then pointed at several officials on horseback and said they are ministers Ma Ji observed that these ministers had fierce and sinister appearances However people on the street were frightened and ran away upon seeing Ma Ji clearly regarding him as a monster No matter how the villagers explained they still didn't dare to approach Ma Ji directly The villagers told Ma Ji that a senior minister known for his extensive travels abroad would be brave enough to meet him This minister had seen people of various races during his journeys with the king Encouraged by this Ma Ji went to meet the minister The minister was a 120-year-old man not particularly ugly in appearance though He welcomed Ma Ji as an esteemed guest and was pleased with his visit Ma Ji shared his story with the minister who then promised to report to the king and attend the court session the next morning even though he hadn't participated in court sessions for over a decade The following morning the elderly minister made an exception and attended the court session He reported Ma Ji's situation to the king and recommended him as a minister The king was delighted and issued a royal decree However some other ministers were concerned about Ma Ji's unusual appearance and feared that the king might be startled upon seeing him As a result the plan to appoint Ma Ji as a minister was put on hold Once Ma Ji was drunk He thought of his lack of usefulness in the Luocha country and couldn't help but feel somewhat melancholic Suddenly he had an idea He remembered that in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms there was a character named Zhang Fei who had a distinctive appearance Ma Ji smeared coal on his face to imitate Zhang Fei's appearance and began to wield a sword Surprisingly the elderly minister found Ma Ji's new look even more handsome He advised Ma Ji to present himself in this manner to the prime minister believing that it would leave a positive impression The elderly minister hosted a feast at his home inviting influential officials from the court Before the guests arrived he made sure that Ma Ji was well-dressed and ready to make an appearance When the officials arrived they were astonished by Ma Ji's transformed appearance The next day these officials recommended Ma Ji to the king speaking highly of him The king met Ma Ji and granted him a position and rewards Over time some officials discovered that Ma Ji's appearance was a disguise and they began to avoid him Ma Ji became increasingly isolated at the court His longing for his homeland grew stronger prompting him to write a letter requesting to resign from his position However the king refused to allow him to leave Eventually Ma Ji requested a three-month leave and the king reluctantly approved it During this break Ma Ji went back to that small village The villagers welcomed him on their knees and he distributed the gold and silver he had brought from the capital among them The villagers thanked him and promised to go to the seaport to purchase exotic goods to repay him Ma Ji inquired about the seaport and the villagers explained that it was a market on the sea where beings from the four seas come to sell jewels and merchants from the twelve nations come to engage in trade Many divine beings also come to play there Intrigued Ma Ji expressed his desire to visit the seaport and asked the villagers to guide him After three days they arrived at the seaport The scene before them was breathtaking with countless towering buildings and merchant ships stretching far into the distance The market was filled with various exotic treasures many of which were rare in the human world Suddenly a young man riding a swift horse appeared in the market and the citizens respectfully made way for him addressing him as the Eastern Third Prince The prince immediately recognized Ma Ji as a foreigner and warmly welcomed him Ma Ji humbly greeted the prince and introduced himself as a man from China The prince was pleased and gifted him a splendid horse Ma Ji rode the horse to the seashore with the prince but the horse suddenly neighed and leaped into the sea The water parted forming a path that allowed Ma Ji and the horse to enter a magnificent palace made of gold and jewels the Dragon Palace The prince reported to the Dragon King mentioning that he had encountered a talented scholar from China at the seaport Impressed the Dragon King ordered Ma Ji to be brought before him Ma Ji paid his respects to the Dragon King and was asked to compose poetry With inspiration flowing Ma Ji quickly penned a poetic composition The Dragon King praised his talent and hosted a banquet in his honor At the feast the Dragon King married his daughter to Ma Ji and bestowed upon him the title of the Deputy Commander of Imperial Guards The marriage between Ma Ji and the Dragon Princess was blissful and they often enjoyed poetry and music beneath the jade trees in the Dragon Palace However Ma Ji couldn't forget his homeland and its people and he shared his homesickness with the Dragon Princess Understanding his feelings the Dragon Princess told him that the paths between the immortal realm and the human world do not connect so she cannot accompany him back However she said when our hearts are united despite being in different places that's what it means to be a couple Why must we be physically together to grow old together? She promised that three years later on the eighth day of the fourth month she would entrust him with their unborn child On the day of parting the Dragon King hosted a grand banquet and presented numerous gifts Carried by the Dragon Princess in a white lamb-drawn carriage Ma Ji was seen off until the seashore Three years passed and on the eighth day of the fourth month Ma Ji sailed to the southern island From a distance he saw two children playing on the water's surface To his surprise they did not sink but seemed to be supported by a magical force Upon closer inspection he noticed that their appearance greatly resembled the Dragon Princess What astonished him even more was that the red jade lotus he had given her years ago was now placed on the children's floral hats Ma Ji felt a mix of joy and sorrow reminiscing about the Dragon Palace missing the Dragon Princess and longing for the people and events in Luocha Country At the end of the story Pu Songling's commentary states With a charming face and flattery the world's ways are like ghosts and to display honor and wealth one must seek them within the mirage of the sea market This indicates that people put on a false facade to conform to worldly expectations and human behavior becomes indistinguishable from that of ghosts In such a society for ordinary individuals to attain prosperity and prestige they might have no choice but to search within the illusory sea market After hearing the story of the Luocha Country let's now take a look at Daolang's song The song Luocha Country sparked widespread discussions and interpretations Initially it was thought to be Daolang's retaliation against mainstream artists who had marginalized him Later it was seen as a reflection of societal darkness and political undertones Regardless the song creatively reinterpreted Pu Songling's tale incorporating contemporary social emotions and issues resonating with the public In the current context of China where the economy is declining unemployment is high private enterprises are struggling and corruption is rampant this song naturally resonates with many Chinese people On a broader scale this can be seen as a reflection of global trends The far-left ideologies are gaining momentum and innocent individuals are being unjustly persecuted while morality and truth seem to be distorted This sentiment is expressed in the song's concluding lyrics emphasizing that this issue is a shared concern among humanity Alright we will conclude our discussion here for today If you enjoyed this segment please subscribe like or leave a comment See you next time