National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1331 Colorful

Frankly speaking, before coming here, Yao Peifang had her doubts about Ning Weimin's decision to gather a crew to come to Beijing for filming, as she had already witnessed Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko's wedding held in Japan.

She thought that no matter what, the wedding in the capital would not be more luxurious or extravagant than their wedding in Japan.

After all, the conditions in the capital are too backward, and there are absolutely no better high-end hotels than those in Tokyo, Japan.

  So what is there to shoot?

But in reality it is not the case.

First of all, the venue of the wedding was enough to surprise her.

As a girl from Shanghai, Yao Peifang didn't know much about the capital.

Her knowledge of the capital was limited to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Beihai Park and the Summer Palace. Her deepest impression was that the ancient buildings in the capital were symmetrical and neat, covered a large area, and what was shocking was the royal style.

But when it comes to interest, romance and the joy of life, it is far inferior to that of Jiangnan.

Don’t even mention the gardens in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Even the Yu Garden in Shanghai has a different scene every three steps.

There is no private courtyard in the capital that can compare to it in terms of exquisite design and winding paths.

However, the moment she stepped into Yun Garden, her prejudice collapsed.

Because when her fellow crew members were amazed, she gradually discovered that although Yun Garden was smaller than Yu Garden, the garden on the west side was very distinctive.

The rockeries and ponds here are scattered throughout the garden in different forms, with lush flowers and trees, which is very interesting.

The owner created it meticulously, using "scenery changing" techniques such as stacked stones, trees, pools, flower hedges, curved corridors, and moon gates to create a feeling of infinite space and present an infinite interest in life.

Especially the big theater on the east side is breathtaking.

It must be said that this was the first time for all Japanese people to see a theater where they could entertain themselves hidden in a private residence.

Even for her, it was the first time she saw a theater of such a large scale.

In comparison, the stage in Yu Garden is too small.

Even the Japanese actors familiar to Chinese people, such as Ken Utsui who played Oshima Shigeru, and Tomokazu Miura, the husband of Momoe Yamaguchi, were stunned.

They couldn't help but ask the others, "You all saw it, right? Is this a real theater? Can there really be performances?"

You know, these two well-known Japanese actors, one became famous earlier, is well-traveled, and has traveled all over the world.

Another grand wedding held a few years ago with Yamaguchi Momoe was very grand.

It cost over 100 million yen and its luxury shocked the whole of Asia.

Even the two of them had never seen such a scene.

The grandeur of this place can be seen from this.

What’s more, such a courtyard can actually be lived in.

Whether it is running water, flush toilets, bathrooms, electric lights, floors, tiles, chandeliers, mosaics, etc., everything is available. Many decoration materials are even specially imported from foreign countries.

From the perspective of practicality and experience, Yao Peifang was even more impressed.

I couldn't help but sigh sincerely that it turns out that the capital also has courtyards and gardens that are not at all as charming and romantic as those in the south of the Yangtze River. My past ideas were really limited.

Secondly, the layout of the venue is even more eye-opening.

Not to mention that the Japanese had never seen the colorful tents in the capital, even Yao Peifang, a Chinese who grew up under the red flag, saw it for the first time.

You should know that the two lines of shed decoration in the capital are related by upper and lower processes, and the decoration is based on the shed, so they should actually belong to the same line.

But in essence, it always serves the etiquette of life.

To put it bluntly, in the past summers, pergolas were indispensable for people in Beijing. Although it was a rigid need, it was actually one of the few practical businesses in the pergola industry.

The profit is not huge, just enough to provide enough food and clothing.

If people in these two lines really want to make money, they have to rely on services, that is, weddings and funerals.

Furthermore, the rise and fall of the shed color industry follows the changes in social ideology and the ups and downs of people's economic conditions.

Before the call to change customs in the 1950s, people used to attach great importance to etiquette and ostentation.

Whenever there is a wedding, funeral, promotion, a child’s full moon or an elder’s birthday, it must be celebrated as a major event to bring honor to the family.

It goes without saying that wealthy families, even poor families, would sell everything they had, borrow money and pawn things, in order to show off among their relatives and neighbors and in society.

Based on this, the capital's stage color industry has almost always been in its golden age of prosperity from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the early years of the Republic of China.

Hundreds of years of continuous inheritance of rich industry experience have made the pengcai industry one of the main means for people in Beijing to show off their wealth.

If you build a three-story colorful pavilion, I will build a five-story one. If you wrap the yard, I will just build the entire alley, and then I will have to build a building over the street. It all depends on who has more money and is willing to spend money on it.

Over such a long period of time, the stage decoration industry in the capital has not only developed many details and skills, but also can produce almost any thing, no matter how bizarre or ingenious, and its richness far exceeds the imagination of ordinary people.

This has made the color sheds in the capital city unique and different from those in other places.

(Night view of the wedding tent, with electric lights and paper flowers forming a "Panchang" pattern to symbolize good luck as decoration)

For example, in the fifth year of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor and changed the country's name to "Hongxian".

At that time, in the Wanzi Building courtyard of Zhongnanhai, he had people build a colorful palace in the style of the Qin'an Hall in the Qing Palace, with a total of 81 rooms.

He planned to receive congratulations and grant the world's bestowals here when he ascended the throne.

This lottery work was contracted by Tian Wu, Tian Fuhai, managers of Longshun Lottery Bureau of Longfu Temple, and Zhang Chunshan, the foreman.

In order to get this official job, they went to the police chief Wu Bingxiang for help.

This colorful palace is a huge project.

The roof of the hall has five ridges, with swallow wings extending from the front, back, left and right, and tile ridges extending vertically. There are five animal heads on the left and right sides of the eaves, and large animal heads are placed at both ends of the ridge, which are called "kiss".

On the pillars are coiled dragons made of silk.

The seat of the hall is a wooden platform in the shape of a rhinoceros seat used in carpentry work. It is painted white on the outside and has three steps with handrails.

In the front of the hall is a large window partition with a lantern brocade pattern drawn with silk strips and large glass.

The pillars in the hall are all wrapped in red satin, and the dragon's body is coiled with green silk, and the dragon head and tail are painted helmet heads.

The ceiling is first made into eight square frames with bamboo poles, and then a vertical sitting dragon is pinched out with red, green and purple silk.

The upper center part of the hall is the "skylight", which is made of a wooden frame, covered with colorful glass and equipped with electric lights.

In order to satisfy Yuan Datou himself, the silver Yuan Datou was earned smoothly.

At that time, the Longshun Lottery Bureau had a total of 83 highly skilled color craftsmen in the capital.

They also hired 33 electricians from the former Huatai Electrical Materials Store.

In addition to free meals, each person was paid a high salary of eight yuan per day and night.

Only then did they work day and night to create an unprecedented masterpiece in the capital's stage coloring industry on time. Of course, there was no such thing at Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko's wedding.

However, the stage painting industry in the capital has been extinct for many years. The fact that it can be revived in the world with extremely high standards at this time is shocking enough.

What's more, these "old-fashioned" shed painting craftsmen saw that Ning Weimin was really willing to pay money to help pass on the skills.

Whether out of gratitude in their hearts or because their skills that had been idle for many years were finally put to good use, they were all eager to show off.

This time I really wanted to use all my skills to do the work, which is why I can't wait to use my skills and strive for perfection.

Needless to say, their stage sets have become the product of their hard work and emotions, and are naturally much more exciting than those built simply for money.

Not only are there flower archways, but also wine and tea sheds and viewing seats in the form of pergolas, and they are all highly decorative.

What about railings, skylights, corner clouds, glass windows, hanging screens, flower walls, shed pillars...

Every component is extremely exquisite and has strong traditional classical architectural features.

In particular, the ventilation rolling windows are similar to the ceiling and can be opened and closed at any time with a rope according to the sunlight conditions.

But the most amazing thing is that they built a three-story circular building in the center of the garden that looks like a classical palace.

This was what shocked Ning Weimin when he first saw them working.

(Interior view of the wedding tent for the son of a bureaucrat in Tianjin)

The entire wedding tent was built on the roofs surrounding the garden, which was equivalent to adding one or two floors to the original building.

But the four sides are not independent, but form a circular building.

There are wooden stairs on both sides of the pavilion, as well as corridors in front and on all sides, making it extremely convenient to move up and down. The space is well divided and fully functional.

For example, the corridor is surrounded by colorful carved railings and red-painted pillars, all of which are hung with couplets in gold characters, and red, yellow and green colored balloons are hung between the pillars.

Partition doors and windows were installed at the back, making it look like a classical palace with carved beams and painted rafters, magnificent and beautiful.

There is a large fan-shaped plaque hanging on the top of each "hall", each with a different inscription.

In addition, several electric lamps are hung under each corridor for night lighting.

For example, the north building has "A Match Made in Heaven" inscribed on it, and it is used as a small banquet hall to entertain friends and relatives.

The South Tower is a place where heaven and earth meet and harmony reigns. It is actually a stage where Peking opera, Kunqu opera, octagonal drums, magic tricks, acrobatics and other kinds of performances can be performed.

Guests only need to sit in the corridor of the north building and in the courtyard downstairs to watch and enjoy.

(Small stage in the wedding tent)

The "Harmony of Qin and Se" in the west building and the "Flute Sounds Attracting Phoenixes" in the east building were both used as teahouses for guests to eat snacks, drink tea, and play cards. The four corner buildings were used as kitchens, tea stoves, washrooms, and clothing storage areas.

This not only makes full use of all the space, but also has an additional benefit.

Since there was no effective area occupied by the shed in the courtyard, in addition to making room for the corridor leading to the auditorium and the bridal chamber, wooden platforms as high as the stone platform of the house were built on both sides.

The edge of the stage is surrounded by a red painted railing with a "stage skirt" hanging below.

There are two wooden ladders and railings with handrails on each side leading directly to the platform.

An official seat is set up on the stage, surrounded by tablecloths and chair covers embroidered with the same color of satin, so it can still be used for guests to rest and eat.

This is already very close to the style of a Western terrace. It not only effectively expands the reception space, but also has a unique charm.

In addition, by setting up sheds and making decorations, various scenic spots can be created in Yunyuan to make up for the defects in the residential architectural layout or even cover up the ugliness.

As long as the yard is large and has plenty of open space, and there is no hanging flower gate, you can build one with fir poles and straw mats.

If there are no corridors or verandas, temporary structures can be set up.

Coupled with various carefully designed decorations, it is more artistic than the original building.

The courtyard can be filled with flowers to further enhance the festive atmosphere.

For example, the theater building on the east side has been used as an office building and has fallen into disrepair over the years, but its structure is solid.

This is the main venue for our wedding, and we've invited people to perform opera. We want to have a proper party, but what should we do?

There is no other choice but to ask the shed builders to do it.

The places that are difficult to see are covered up with painted curtains. Even if Monkey King has sharp eyes, he cannot see the dilapidated walls and columns inside through the festive painted archways and walls.

So you can imagine what kind of shock such a scene would cause to everyone in the eyes of the crew members?

(Decorations on buildings during weddings during the Republic of China era)

In fact, Yao Peifang personally saw how the Japanese in the crew were amazed by the stage decoration in Yunyuan.

In particular, director Yutaka Osawa and cameraman Asaichi Nakai, after touring the entire park and gaining a general understanding of the wedding process and the purpose of the venue, both excitedly expressed that Chinese weddings were so grand and the settings were so gorgeous, and that such scenes were indeed worth filming.

So, including Yao Peifang, almost everyone in the crew understood the reason why the Ningwei public opinion poll crew came.

Yes, this is the style of the true officials and wealthy people in China.

This kind of traditional wedding scene with unique charm and full of cultural characteristics is something that most people have never seen, let alone even heard of. If such a scene could be captured on film, it would be meaningful in itself.

What's more, the love story theme of this movie and the composition form of the music MTV also require such colorful scenes that can be shot beautifully and have a romantic atmosphere.

It sounds like the opening scene of The Godfather.

Opening the show with such a grand and joyous celebration will not only catch the audience's attention immediately, but also make it easier for the audience to immerse themselves in the show because of their curiosity.

It can also better highlight the profound heritage of the wealthy Yang family.

The contrast between the male protagonist played by John Lone and the female protagonist Teresa Teng, who came from a poor family and made a living by performing arts, is deeper and stronger, increasing the drama.

For this reason, Ning Weimin didn't need to say anything more. Everyone in the crew agreed with his idea from the bottom of their hearts and started to work hard for it.

As for Yao Peifang, she was shocked by Ning Weimin's talent and also gained a better understanding of his wealth and financial power.

The handsome but somewhat ostentatious Ning Weimin in previous impressions has now become humble, simple and low-key.

Only now did she understand the meaning of the words he said and the things he did in Japan.

No wonder he didn't care about the dividends from the Tan Palace Restaurant at all. It turned out that he really didn't care about the wealth that ordinary people couldn't even hope for.

She was extremely regretful at the time and even secretly felt sorry for him. That was tens of millions of yen, and he just didn't want it. Now it seems that she underestimated him and didn't understand him well enough.

Alas, the people I once thought were familiar have become strangers again, but that damn sense of mystery and attraction has increased in the opposite way.

Why she met such a person is really worrying.

  At this moment, Yao Peifang, sitting on the top of the rockery, felt that she was about to become Lin Daiyu in "Dream of Red Mansions".

This feeling of being sensitive, suspicious, lacking self-confidence, self-pitying, and upset for a man is terrible.