An original variety show that combines cultural heritage with youthful vitality, "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings," premiered on September 4th. Unlike most variety shows, "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings" doesn't treat performances merely as talent displays, but pioneered the concept of "learning-type performers." This represents a completely new model that starts with learning, deepens through practice, and completes through performance. In the program, 24 "students" with different ages and professional backgrounds share the common task and life starting point of experiencing and learning culture. Recently, one of the "Jiangnan students," Li Qixuan, expressed in an exclusive interview his fondness for the atmosphere of "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings."

Li Qixuan is a theater actor who has previously performed in multiple stage productions including "Sunrise" and "Les Misérables." Although regarded as the "visual appeal" of the show, Li Qixuan candidly admits he is actually "a very insecure person." Li Qixuan shared that due to dropping out of school, lacking formal acting training, and coming from a poor family background, he feels somewhat insecure in the industry, doubting his abilities. During the recording process, whether interacting with instructors or fellow students, he learned tremendously. His greatest growth came from a change in mindset - when facing the unknown and hesitation, "doing" is often the most important thing. "You don't necessarily need to think everything through before starting; you must act first to get results."

Li Qixuan mentioned that throughout the recording process, whether interacting with instructors or other students, he gained valuable learning experiences.

**Participating in the Program is About Experiencing and Learning**

**Q: "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings" emphasizes "learning-type variety show" and "cultural inheritance experiment." What attracted you to this concept?**

Li Qixuan: My personality is naturally curious about the world and I enjoy learning. As an actor, I believe it's important to learn more about knowledge and culture, and "cultural inheritance" itself is something that inspires reverence. I wanted to experience it and learn from it.

**Q: After completing the program recording, how did the actual experience differ from your initial expectations?**

Li Qixuan: I initially thought participating would be about experiencing and learning, imagining I could leisurely research and ponder this cultural knowledge. In reality, during recording there was no time to think - the various tasks were overwhelming and exhausting, leaving us completely drained. But as Director Wang Keran said in the program, you just need to grit your teeth and pull the cart without looking up at the road; you can't feel the growth while it's happening. After recording ended, I indeed felt I had gained tremendously.

**Q: Specifically, what do you consider your greatest growth in acting skills and personal mindset through this program?**

Li Qixuan: My greatest growth was the change in mindset - you don't necessarily need to think everything through before starting; you must act first to get results.

Li Qixuan's greatest growth was his change in mindset.

**The Final Training Camp Was Regrettable**

**Q: At the first group appearance press conference, you sang the theme song alongside teacher Zhang Kaili. How did that feel? What's your view on this "ancient-modern fusion" presentation style?**

Li Qixuan: I felt very nervous then because I was afraid of not singing well. Jiangnan gives people a feeling of "elegance," and this presentation style allowed me to feel the beauty of artistic conception - I really liked it.

**Q: Which mentor or companion provided you with particularly significant inspiration or help? Can you share a specific example?**

Li Qixuan: Bai Yang (one of the 24 students) provided tremendous help. I really like his personality, so after each performance practice in the program, I would ask for his thoughts. He speaks directly and offers more of an ordinary audience perspective. I wanted to hear his suggestions, then make my own judgments and improve my performance accordingly. From the beginning of building the courtyard and performance practice to the final works he presented, the progress he made also made me wonder what he had gained or what he had let go of to achieve such growth. Our personalities are somewhat similar - we both enjoy solitude. When he competed with me for the role of Xu Lingtai (one of the 12 historical figures), he lost the competition. I said "sorry" to him, and he just shrugged, smiled carelessly and said "It's okay, I'm happy right now." This is a mindset worth getting closer to.

Li Qixuan said participating in the recording was very rewarding.

**Q: Looking back now, what was the most memorable moment during the entire program recording?**

Li Qixuan: The final training camp was very regrettable - I felt I was affected by circumstances. I thought we would still perform in the original environment, but unexpectedly it was on stage, and a very small stage at that. This meant all the elements I had designed during creation were unusable, and I performed in a completely devastated state. If I hadn't made those advance assumptions, I would have performed well and wouldn't have had regrets. If only... but there are no "if onlys." However, I believe this experience will definitely help me in future performances.

**Abandon All Distractions and Express What You Want to Express**

**Q: The competition process was full of challenges. What difficulties did you encounter while preparing to portray the 12 historical figures, and how did you overcome them?**

Li Qixuan: The most difficult part was making the audience understand the character through a 5-minute performance. What should my content be? Just this question alone took me a very long time to think about, and I researched all kinds of materials myself. Initially, I thought it was extremely complex, but later, due to time constraints, I simply decided to perform and express what I most wanted to express - what touched me most deeply. The second difficulty was that after we wrote our scripts, our daytime schedule was extremely packed and exhausting, leaving no time for rehearsal. Under these circumstances, direct performance was somewhat demanding for us newcomer actors. Even when the production team later allocated rehearsal time, it was after we had been exhausted all day, making our script creation and rehearsal efficiency quite low. The solution I could think of was to abandon all distractions and express what I wanted to express, and we achieved that. Under these circumstances, each of our growth was very rapid - there was no time to think about whether we could do it; we just did it directly, which was extremely rewarding for me.

**Q: How has this "immersive learning" approach influenced your development as an actor?**

Li Qixuan: Experiencing life firsthand brought us closer to life and made me feel closer to the audience. I remember an audience member telling me that when you have the audience in your heart, the audience can feel much more. "Immersive learning" brought the students closer to life.

**Hoping to Become a Great Actor**

**Q: You've participated in Central Theater's productions of "Les Misérables," "Sunrise," and other stage performances. What training and insights have these stage experiences brought you?**

Li Qixuan: The insights "Les Misérables" brought me are indescribable. This work was my first stage performance, the first play I encountered when I was still a "novice." Fortunately, I encountered this work, which taught me some wonderfully mysterious truths - "believe in the power of belief," as the director Jean Bellorini said. Initially, I didn't quite understand, thinking this phrase was ethereal, until our final performance at the Théâtre du Châtelet in France. We spoke in our language, which the French couldn't understand, yet they were moved to tears. Believe in yourself, believe in everyone, believe we can do it, and we really did it.

"Sunrise" was what I encountered after performing "Les Misérables." This was the first time in my life I had to complete a full character, which was very difficult for me. I didn't know how to figure out "Hu Si" or how to portray "Hu Si" - this was something "Les Misérables" hadn't taught me. But Director Wang Keran said something memorable: characters are about performing relationships. I remember this deeply and keep pondering it, but I feel I haven't been able to fully present it yet. After the learning and training in "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings," I feel I will take another step forward.

Li Qixuan hopes to become a great actor.

**Q: After the training in "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings," what new plans or expectations do you have for your future acting career?**

Li Qixuan: For my future acting career, I hope to become a great actor. I hope the performances I give will leave impressions on audiences, move them, and help them in their lives. This is very difficult, but I believe I can do it as long as I don't give up.

**Q: If you had to summarize your journey in "Jiangnan · Twelve Gatherings" in one sentence, what would you say?**

Li Qixuan: I'd like to answer with lyrics from our song: "Looking back at the misty fourteen bridges, stars falling like a poetic robe. Red cherries and green plantains, the vast mountains and rivers all make the heart race."