Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 609 Life is not just about the present, but also about poetry and the distance. Chase your dreams boldly!
Take it apart and take a look.

Ouch, it’s actually a letter from Chief Jia!

After browsing through it, Fang Minghua smiled.

He is indeed a literary youth, and his writing style is quite good.

Obviously, Jia Zhangke's feelings about the article "Hello! Mr. Shu" are different from those of the reader's letter just published in Yenching Literature.

Jia Zhangke is much more rational, and he observes the story and characters in the novel almost from a third-party observer's perspective, without any expression.

This is in line with the style of his later films: emphasizing emotional restraint and humanistic care, rejecting sensationalism, and expressing social issues and exploration of human nature through a unique lens language.

This is deeply influenced by Italian neorealism.

As for the hesitation and worry expressed in the letter, Fang Minghua only wants to say:

What's the hurry?

Isn’t there an old Chinese saying that goes, “When Heaven conferres a great responsibility on a man, it first tests his mind with suffering, his muscles and bones with toil, and his body with hunger.” This is fate testing you!
Of course, we have to encourage him.

In fact, there is no need to encourage them. They will pass the exam eventually. This is history.

But despite this, Fang Minghua still wrote back, expressing his understanding of the young man surnamed Jia's situation and hoping that he would not be discouraged and continue to study hard.

"Life is more than just the present, there is also poetry and the distance. Be brave and pursue your dreams! If you really like this novel, when you are admitted to the film academy and come back after graduation, I am willing to give this novel to you to make into a movie!"

A week later, Jia Zhangke was so happy when he received the call from Fang Minghua that he jumped off the bed.

"The great writer is willing to let me make this novel into a movie, why am I still hesitating?"

Repeat, repeat, and keep repeating!

At this time, Fang Minghua had already boarded the train from Xijing to Yinchuan.

"A Chinese Odyssey" has already started filming at the Western Film and Television City in Yinchuan. Song Tangtang was a week late due to company matters. Fang Minghua is now accompanying his wife Song Tangtang to the filming location.

It’s not that he can’t bear to leave his wife, but Zhang Xianliang, who is far away in Yinchuan, invited him a few days ago.

"Brother, we haven't seen each other for a few years. Why don't you just hang out for a bit? Take a look at our Zhenbeibao Film and Television City and spend some time with your wife."

So Fang Minghua arranged her family affairs and went there happily.

At that time, the railway from Xijing to Pingliang and then to Yinchuan had not been built yet, so you could only take a train to Lanzhou and then head north to Yinchuan.

The train is galloping through the mountains and is now within the borders of Gansu Province.

After leaving Baoji and continuing westward, you will leave the Guanzhong Plain and enter Tianshui, which is located in the transition zone between the Loess Plateau in central Longnan and the mountains in southern Longnan. There are mountains on both sides of the train, but the further west you go, the barer the land becomes.

Fang Minghua sat on the lower bunk, looking out the window and admiring the scenery along the way. Song Tangtang sat on the lower bunk opposite him, carefully reading the relevant information provided by the crew.

Fang Minghua has become accustomed to his daughter-in-law's passion for work.

After arriving in Lanzhou, I stayed there for one night. I had a bowl of Lanzhou ramen in the morning and then took a train to Yinchuan the next morning. It was already five in the afternoon when I arrived at Yinchuan Railway Station.

Carrying the station wagon, the two men got off the car and followed the crowd out of the exit. They saw a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing a suit and gold-rimmed glasses. It was Zhang Xianliang, and next to him was a young woman in her thirties.

Fang Minghua has also met Ma Hongying, the former director of the Personnel Department of the Ningxia Federation of Literary and Art Circles, but she has now resigned from her public office and is the deputy general manager of China Western Film and Television City Co., Ltd.

Zhang Xianliang is over 50 this year, but his figure has not changed. He looks very elegant in a suit and he is getting more handsome as he gets older.

After the four of them shook hands, Zhang Xianliang smiled and said to Fang Minghua, "Let's go back to the hotel first, and then we'll welcome you and your wife!"

Fang Minghua and his crew were still staying at the hotel on Wei Si Road. This time, the crew of "A Chinese Odyssey" were staying here. When they arrived, the crew were not there as they had not returned from filming in Zhenbeibao.

There were only four of them at the dinner. At the banquet, Zhang Xianliang told Fang Minghua that he was now half-entered the business world and had officially taken over as the chairman of China Western Film and Television City Co., Ltd., and the vice chairman was Song Tangtang.

"Now the company's shares have been sorted out. All the shares in Yinchuan were bought by me, and we have completely severed our ties with the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles." "Congratulations, congratulations." Fang Minghua raised his glass.

At the beginning, Western Film and Television was established by Zhang Xianliang in the name of the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles in cooperation with Shengshi Film and Television. This was just a stopgap measure considering the environment at the time.

Now that the country is further reforming and opening up and policies are being relaxed, Fang Minghua suggested that Zhang Xianliang find a way to buy the shares of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

Enterprises must not wear any red hats. It may seem convenient to do things now, but it will cause endless troubles in the future due to unclear equity.

Zhang Xianliang followed his advice and, with the royalties from published books and the copyrights of foreign publications, he scraped together over a million yuan and bought all the shares of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

The next morning, just after dawn, the whole hotel became bustling. The crew of "A Chinese Odyssey" finished breakfast and prepared to leave for Zhenbeibao, and Song Tangtang also went with them.

Fang Minghua got up later because he wanted to wait for Zhang Xianliang to go there together. By the time he got up, the crew was gone.

It was almost nine o'clock when Zhang Xianliang arrived at the hotel, and the two of them got into a Santana and went there together.

After driving for about half an hour, we arrived at Zhenbeibao and started strolling around accompanied by Zhang Xianliang.

Compared with when I came here three years ago, Zhenbeibao has changed a lot. Several movies have been shot here, such as "New Dragon Inn", "Pluto in Action" directed by Qi Jian, "The Old Man and the Dog" directed by Xie Jin, etc., all of which were shot here.

Fang Minghua also went to the former filming location of "New Dragon Inn" to take a look. He saw a "Dragon Inn" wine flag swaying in the wind, and behind it was a two-story building made of adobe.

"I heard that the movie Dragon Inn did very well at the box office after it was released in Hong Kong, so I decided to preserve this filming location as a tourist attraction in the film and television city," explained Zhang Xianliang who was standing nearby.

"Yeah, that's good." Fang Minghua nodded, and then said, "Brother Zhang, you should also keep the prop houses used in the filming of "A Chinese Odyssey". Maybe they will become popular tourist attractions in the future."

"Haha, don't worry, I've asked Hongying to arrange this a long time ago. With you as the screenwriter and Stephen Chow as the lead actor, the movie will definitely be a box office hit in the future." Zhang Xianliang said with a smile.

is it?

Not to mention a box office hit, just don’t let it be like what happened in history, where the losses were so severe that even Stephen Chow’s company couldn’t be saved.

Fang Minghua laughed at himself in his heart, but there was no change on the surface.

The two walked around the Western Studios for a long time and finally came to the filming location of "A Chinese Odyssey" where the classic scene was being filmed.

I saw the fairy Zixia played by Athena Chu holding a sword on the neck of Zun Bao played by Stephen Chow. Stephen Chow was wearing ancient wedding clothes, with tears in his eyes, reciting the classic line:

"I once had a true love in front of me, but I didn't cherish it. I regretted it when I lost it. This is the most painful thing in the world. If God can give me another chance, I will say three words to that girl: I love you. If I have to add a time limit to this love, I hope it is: 10,000 years!"

Seeing this scene, Zhang Xianliang lowered his voice and said, "People say that Stephen Chow is good at nonsensical performances, with exaggerated expressions and movements. But I think this scene is very sincere and not contrived at all."

"Because he is telling a big lie, and this way it looks real." Fang Minghua said with a smile.

Zhang Xianliang naturally understood that Fang Minghua was referring to the line spoken by the Joker played by Stephen Chow. He had not read the script and did not know the cause and effect, so he just smiled and said nothing more.

As a producer, Song Tangtang was mainly responsible for liaison and coordination work. He did not appear at the filming location. He probably went to ask the financial staff to check the account books.

As a finance background, she takes this very seriously.

The crew filmed for a while and took a break. Fang Minghua then went over and chatted with Stephen Chow and Liu Zhenwei.

I didn't see them last night or this morning, so naturally I had to go over and say hello.

The three chatted for a while, and Fang Minghua asked casually: "Director Liu, is your friend Wong Kar-wai filming in the mainland?"

"Wong Kar-wai? He hasn't made any movies recently."

Fang Minghua was surprised by Liu Zhenwei's words.

This King of Sunglasses didn’t film “Ashes of Time”?
That’s not right. Historically, “East West Poison” was filmed in 92. Is it earlier than “A Chinese Odyssey”?

Did I remember it wrong?

(End of this chapter)