Yee Fong’s Blog

In bureaucratic Beijing, covering official lines can be at times mundane and predictable. But once in a while, we do get refreshing perspectives from interview subjects who dare to deviate from the status quo.

Many Chinese have a somewhat love-hate relationship with CCTV – they distrust its regular dose of communist propaganda, yet rely on its supply of information.

Then, there are others who seek inspiration from the omnipresent outfit.

Meet Shi Mengqi, or better known as Lao Meng (Old Meng).

This was a guy who single-handedly put together his own Spring Festival show to emulate China’s national broadcaster CCTV’s flagship programme.

It was a controversial move with the promise of romanticism that paralleled the tale of David vs the Goliath.

Here was a laobaixing with little resources but who wanted to produce a show that likened itself to the glitzy fanfare that featured hi-tech backdrops, glamorous costumes and big names like Jay Chou and Jacky Chan.

His performers consisted of aspiring singers, aspiring actors, and aspiring dancers eager to showcase their talents to a wider audience.  Never mind that some of them sang out of tune, danced out of sync and less than dramatic in the skits.

Unfortunately for Lao Meng and his team, his production didn’t get to see the light of day on the Chinese mainland, as major portals which have agreed to telecast his show pulled out one by one.

In the end, it was telecast in Macau and some bits were featured on the story I did of him.

“There was a force pressuring them not to work with me,” Lao Meng told me in the interview. “I can’t say for sure where the force came from, but it was there.”

Despite the setback, he’s determined to make a comeback. He now a handful of artistes under his belt, waiting for their moment.

“I’m not afraid, as I have nothing to lose,” he proclaimed.  “I haven’t done anything illegal and I believe in China’s legal system. The society is always progressing.”

Well, let’s wait and see.