Rebirth 96: Begin the life of a monster from kindergarten

Chapter 346 The wind is rustling and the water is cold

"Hong Kong was about to return to China, and as Chinese filmmakers, we couldn't give history a blank sheet! Finally, I thought of "The Opium War". This war was a watershed in China's 5,000-year history, and it was also the beginning of China's modern history of humiliation. Since then, China has gone from a great country to a meal on the table of the great powers!

When I proposed this film project, the company did some calculations and found that the cost of filming was nearly 100 million yuan! That was in 1995. At that time, domestic films had just ended the unified purchase and sales model a few years ago. Domestic films were not as good as those in Hong Kong. An investment of two million yuan in a film was considered a great production! One hundred million, that is really an astronomical figure! After the cost estimate, many people advised me to give up because this film would drag the company into bankruptcy! Don’t say that we at Hengtong don’t have this ability, even Beijing Film Academy and Bayi Film Studio don’t have this ability!

But our generation of filmmakers have always been crossing the river by feeling the stones. Even if there is no road, we have to jump over it. Even if the film fails, it can leave a lesson for later filmmakers, allowing them to cross the river by stepping on our backs!
But I am lucky!
After the film project of "The Opium War" was announced, I received support from people from all walks of life. Hengdian took on the construction of the film sets, saving me a lot of money. The Chinese National Culture Promotion Association helped contact many entrepreneurs to raise funds. Many mainland and Hong Kong entrepreneurs also donated to me out of their own pockets through remittances. Together with the loan I got in exchange for my property mortgaged to the bank, I was able to raise enough funds for the film.

This film also received support from the national level. The national navy provided three warships free of charge, and dispatched thousands of soldiers to act as extras. Many art masters also starred in the film without any remuneration.

Lang Xiong, the Golden Horse Award-winning actor who played the boss of a foreign company at the time, said something to me that is still fresh in my mind. He said: As a Chinese, being able to act in this movie that reflects Chinese history is much more important than money!
Chen Chong also came back from abroad to ask for a role, but unfortunately due to her age, she was not able to get it in the end..."

While picking up the letters and notes on the table and reading them, Xie Jin explained to Zhang and his party the stories of the filming of the movie.

Zhang Yihang was listening nearby, and in a trance, he felt like he was back in his childhood.

Just like those summer nights, lying on a mat and listening to my grandma tell all kinds of weird stories.

Xie Jin put down the notes in his hand and picked up a photo on the table. There were many people with smiles on their faces in the photo. Xie Jin, who was much younger than he is now, was sitting in the center of the photo.

Moving the photo towards Zhang Yihang, Xie Jin pointed at the people inside and said with a smile: "This is a group photo taken when "The Opium War" won the award. Look how happy they are! But during the two years of filming this movie, these people never smiled, hehe... Now, many of them are gone and have walked in front of me!"

After stroking the photo for a while, Xie Jin put it back on the table.

Bao Fang saw that the teacher was in a sluggish state, so he quickly reminded him: "Teacher, why don't you take a rest today? We can talk about it tomorrow if there is anything!"

Zhang Yixing also said: "Yes, Mr. Xie, take a rest first!"

Xie Jin did not refuse, nodded and said: "Alas, I am useless now that I am old. When I was young, I could work for several hours in a row when I was making movies!"

After helping Xie Jin up, Zhang and his entourage quickly asked Chen Ruyi to arrange accommodation nearby.

After sending Xie Jin to a nearby hotel to sleep, Zhang and his party left the hotel room.

While waiting for the elevator, Bao Fang chased after them from behind and said, "Yihang, I'll take you there!"

Zhang Yixing waved his hands, "No need, Mr. Bao, just take care of Mr. Xie!"

"The teacher has fallen asleep. Let me see you off!" Seeing Bao Fang's insistence, Zhang Yixing agreed.

The two walked into the elevator and headed to the underground parking lot. Bao Fang escorted Zhang and his party to the car, hesitated for a moment, and said while holding the car window:
"Yihang, the teacher originally planned to give you more things, including part of his inheritance, but he was worried that it would cause you unnecessary trouble, so he gave up the idea and finally gave you some notes from the filming of the movie! Originally, he intended to leave these things to Xiao Xie. As the eldest son of Mr. Xie, Xiao Xie can be said to be the best candidate to inherit his legacy. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned! Later, he planned to leave them to us disciples, but finally chose to give them to you! The teacher has dedicated his entire life to Chinese films. Giving these things to you may have some selfish motives, wanting to add something heavy to your film career. However, I hope you can understand the sincere intentions of a deceased person. Even if it is his selfish motives, it is for the public good. For the sake of Chinese films, I hope you will not complain about it!"

"Thank you, Mr. Bao. I know about it!" Zhang Yixing nodded and replied solemnly, "I dare not refuse the gift from the elders! For me, it's just a piece of cake to do something along the way! I dare not disobey your order!"

Bao Fang smiled, took two steps back, bowed to Zhang and his party to express his gratitude, and then watched the car leave.

The next day, Xie Jin couldn't resist his curiosity and visited several large-scale filming bases built by DreamWeaver Culture.

Standing in the base, touching the filming equipment that he had never seen before, Xie Jin's laughter never stopped.

After visiting the last base, Xie Jin left Yueshan with satisfaction. When he left, his face, which was over 80 years old, had the innocent smile of a six-year-old child.

As he watched him drive away, a line of poetry suddenly popped up in Zhang Yixing's mind:

The wind is rustling and the water is cold!
In the car driving away, Bao Fang asked: "Teacher, let's go home next!"

Xie Jin shook his head and ordered, "Go to the capital!"

Bao Fang was puzzled and asked, "Why are you going to the capital again? Your body can't handle it!"

"Xiao Bao, I want to do more things while I still have breath!"

"Leave the rest to young people like you. What you need most now is rest!"

"It's not too late to rest after death!" Xie Jin laughed, "I have been watching the young generation of Chinese filmmakers since Zhang Yimou's generation. It's not easy to meet such a young group of people who are quietly doing things that many older filmmakers can't do! I don't have much now, but I still know a lot of people in the film industry. I want to meet them and let them escort my film career!"

Bao Fang was stunned. He naturally knew who those filmmakers his teacher knew in Beijing were. Although these people had long since retired behind the scenes, even Han Shanping, the current head of Chinese Film, had to respectfully call them "seniors" when he met them.

The car left Yueshan and headed towards the capital, with smoke and dust all the way!
Outside the car window, the setting sun hung on the top of Yueshan Mountain, like a wreath on the mountain.

(End of this chapter)