China Entertainment started in 2004

Chapter 527: Why invite you?
"Why does Wang Shu represent directors from the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment circles?"

When artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan circles heard the news, they were all indignant.

In the past, the Hong Kong and Taiwan circles always stood above the domestic entertainment circles, and the domestic entertainment circles were the only ones who licked the two islands. How could the domestic entertainment circles ever represent the two islands?

Go against Tiangang!

It is undeniable that the mainland has internationally renowned directors like Zhang Yimou.

But even Zhang Yimou is not qualified to represent the two islands.

When Gong Li went to Hong Kong to film, Zhang Yimou earnestly told her to watch and learn well.

His attitude is self-evident.

Wang Shu served as the host of the Huabiao Awards ceremony on behalf of directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, which was difficult for the film and television circles of the two islands to accept.

If it is something that is not suitable for public display, just treat it as a joke and laugh it off with a mocking attitude.

Ke Huabiao Award
Not only did Wang Shu serve as the host of the award ceremony, but Chen Long was also on the list.

In addition, people from the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment circles such as Wu Yuzhen, Ye Weixing, Zhen Zidan, Aaron Kwok, Shu Qi, Lin Chi Ling, etc. have also signed up to compete for this award.

"Will Wang Shu represent directors from across Taiwan, Mainland China and Hong Kong as the host of the Huabiao Awards ceremony together with Chen Long and others?"

Li An, who was far away in Los Angeles, received a call from a friend in the Taiwan entertainment circle and learned about this.

"Yes, the mainland side announced it, and they specifically said it was a director representing the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong."

"Haha." Li An smiled upon hearing this, "It seems that the mainland is quite dissatisfied with the Hong Kong directors who come to the north."

"In the past, we endured the dissatisfaction in order to promote the development of commercial films in the mainland."

"Now, I want to use Wang Shu to tell the people of the two islands that the mainland can also produce directors like Wang Shu who can make commercial films, so that the people of the two islands will be more restrained."

He had previously returned to China to shoot Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Lust, Caution. He was well aware of the sense of superiority of the entertainment circles on the two islands over the mainland entertainment circles. He had also heard about many Hong Kong directors going north to make money like crazy by treating mainland film and television companies as cash cows.

In the past, there was no one available in the mainland, so we could only endure it.

Now, there is Wang Shu in the mainland.

Li An concluded that the mainland was most likely unable to tolerate it any longer.

The mainland has such a large market, and the mainland's film and television bureau is theoretically superior to the film and television departments of the two islands.

The mainland's film and television bureau must be very embarrassed to have been bullied by the two islands for such a long time, and has always wanted to get back at them.

Li An's friend pretended to have figured it out, and said, "So, this was done on purpose by the mainland, to disgust the entertainment circles of both islands?"

Li An laughed and said, "What do you mean by intentional?"

"If Wang Shu has no ability, even if he is pushed to the front by the mainland, he will only be asking for trouble."

When the friend heard this, he asked in surprise, "Are you saying that Wang Shu is qualified to represent the entertainment industry of the two islands?"

"Of course!" Li An responded without comment. "The youngest Oscar-winning director in history, the best director at the Venice Film Festival, the commercial films he made not only set new trends in the mainland, but also achieved impressive box office results."

"If I remember correctly, it doesn't include the overseas box office."

"Wang Shu is the number one in mainland China's single-film box office, right?"

"And if we count the overseas box office, then Wang Shu can definitely compare it with the movies he shot in Hollywood."

"In this way, no one's movie has ever made more money at the box office than him."

"So, he is truly qualified to represent the directors of Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong."

After saying this, the friend fell silent.

This is the truth, but when did the entertainment industries of the two islands be trampled upon by the mainland?
The friend was silent for a while, then said, "I heard that Wang Shu will make a co-production film later."

Li An continued, "I've heard about this, too. I also heard that it was the mainland Film and Television Bureau's proposal. Combined with the fact that Wang Shu was invited to host the Huabiao Awards ceremony, it's clear that the mainland wants to show off."

Of course, my friend understood the connection and immediately asked, "Do you have time? How about returning to China to make a co-production?"

"That old movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, wasn't it pretty good?"

This statement seems to be calling Li An to come back and make movies, but in fact it is to let Li An and Wang Shu compete with each other and destroy the rising momentum of domestic entertainment.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Li An fell into reminiscence when he heard this. "If Zhang Yimou hadn't made movies like Hero and House of Flying Daggers, I might have gone back to prepare similar films."

"Now, it's no longer possible."

What this means is that the series of costume martial arts films that Zhang Yimou has made since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" have exhausted the box office potential of this type of film in the North American market. Although these films may still make some box office, that's all.

This kind of project is meaningless.

He also knew that his friend's words were meant to invite him to go back and compete with Wang Shu, and he was just politely declining in this way.

In this way, the friendship between the two parties will not be damaged.

"We can work on other projects." After hearing what Li An said, the friend did not want to give up and continued.

Li An chuckled and said, "It's true that I can do other projects, but I'm not good at them."

"It's not like I haven't made commercial films in Hollywood before, and they didn't do very well at the box office."

After hearing this, the friend fell silent again.

Seeing that his friend remained silent, Li An said, "Wang Shu is really amazing. He can not only make art films, but also commercial films."

"Moreover, his commercial films are all novel themes when they are put in the mainland."

“I’m not good at these.”

"Not to mention, I don't have a script yet."

"On the contrary, Wang Shu is not only good at it, he can also write scripts himself."

"If I go back and make a co-production now, I'll probably be the one who becomes the joke in the end."

Generally speaking, co-productions must be commercial films.

If Wang Shu had made an art film, Li An would not have said this so frankly, because he is also good at art films.

But he knows his own limitations as he has had several commercial films fail in Hollywood.

Therefore, he knew clearly that, firstly, there were no good scripts, and secondly, it would be too hasty to go back.

Commercial films produced under such circumstances are bound to be inferior to those produced by quick shooters like Wang Shu.

In all likelihood, not only will he be unable to defeat Wang Shu, but he will also become Wang Shu's foil.

After Li An finished speaking, the other end of the phone fell silent again.

Because every word Li An said made sense and he found it difficult to refute.

Finally, he sighed and said, "If that's the case, then forget it."

Although he really wanted Li An to come back and make a movie to compete with Wang Shu and put down the arrogance of the mainland.

But, he also didn't want to put Li An in danger.

At the same time, related topics are also being discussed on the mainland Internet.

There are even hot posts on Tianya Forum.

Title: "The Film and Television Bureau announced the list of hosts for the Huabiao Awards ceremony, with Chen Long, Wang Shu and other names on the list!"

"Chen Long represents Hong Kong Island, and Wang Shu represents the new generation of directors and directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait."

"What do you think about this?"

1L: "Feng Xiaogang: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Chen Kaige: Director Feng, you are right!"

2L: "Well-deserved. Although I always tease Director Wang that he is an 18-year-old young director, I have to admit that Director Wang is really talented."

"The youngest Oscar-winning director in history has also made a commercial film that is a big hit at the box office."

"Although many people criticized Director Wang for taking advantage of the opportunity to win the Oscar."

"But, I think you should also know that Oscars require a lot of experience."

"Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for Director Wang to win an award at his age."

"Not to mention that Director Wang is a Chinese-language film director. It is impossible for him to win an award in Hollywood."

"Under these unspoken rules, Director Wang still managed to win the Oscar. Doesn't this also prove Director Wang's ability?"

"It is undeniable that there is indeed suspicion of cutting corners."

"But, under normal circumstances, would Director Wang have won an Oscar?"

“I think everyone knows that no matter how good the film is, it’s impossible to get it.”

"So, even if it's a trick, so what?"

"The quality of the film is already worthy of the award. Can't we use some tricks to make the impossible possible?"

3L: "I don't know whether Wang Shu represents the new generation of power, but he represents directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait? I won't talk about Hong Kong and Taiwan. On the mainland, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige, Gu Changwei and others will definitely ask why Wang Shu represents them?"

4L: "The above, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige, and Gu Changwei should hold back if they are unhappy. If they don't want to hold back, they should first win an Oscar statuette, or take the top spot in the domestic single-film box office before criticizing."

5L: "Haha, Director Wang is not an academic director, but a self-taught director. Now he is representing directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong as the host of this year's Huabiao Awards ceremony. I'm sure many people will be unhappy."

"Do you remember that Director Wang's heroic words offended many academicians and members of the organization who were just waiting to die? They felt that they had been slapped in the face at the time."

"Now, isn't this another slap in the face?"

"Haha, to be honest, when I saw the news that Director Wang would be the host of the Huabiao Awards ceremony, I was quite confused."

"Because Director Wang's previous remarks offended a lot of people, so they will definitely not let Director Wang do this job." "I can only say that the youngest Oscar-winning director in history is Niubi."

"Whether it's award-winning movies or commercial movies, he's good at it. He's the best."

The fact that Wang Shu will host the 13th Huabiao Awards Ceremony has been a hot topic in and out of the circle.

The reason why it has become such a hot topic is not because Wang Shu lacks ability, but because of seniority.

Wang Shu is only 22 years old. Before him there were fifth-generation directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, and sixth-generation directors such as Wang Xiaoshuai.

In terms of seniority, the eighth-generation director Wang Shu belongs to the lowest generation.

The current situation is that Wang Shu, who is of the lowest generation, represents directors of higher generation in both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and Macau.

Even though Wang Shu is indeed capable, in the eyes of some people he is considered to be a rebel.

Especially in the literary and art circles, too many people have no real ability at all and rely entirely on their seniority to make a living.

Therefore, these people strongly uphold the concept of seniority.

So when the news came out, there was a lot of opposition.

In the outside world, many people also know what is going on in the literary and art circles and are watching the fun.

Wang Shu was quite open-minded about this.

Anyway, now I have an Oscar and can make it in Hollywood.

Those people in the domestic entertainment industry who rely on seniority and seniority cannot control him, no matter how unhappy they are.

In fact, many people know that the Film and Television Bureau pushed Wang Shu to the front, targeting the entertainment circles in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

But, knowing is one thing.

It is another thing to watch Wang Shu, a wild man, being pushed to the forefront by the film and television industry and feel unhappy about it.

For many people who have mixed up their qualifications and seniority, even if the domestic entertainment industry has always been trampled upon by the entertainment circles of Hong Kong and Taiwan, they cannot just sit and watch the Film and Television Bureau push Wang Shu to the forefront.

Because the domestic entertainment industry has been trampled upon by the entertainment circles of Hong Kong and Taiwan, there are ten thousand excuses to justify it.

But if Wang Shu was pushed to the stage by the Film and Television Bureau to be classified, what it reflects is that the domestic entertainment industry is not bad, but that these people are all parasites and garbage.

There is no harm without comparison.

The more powerful a director like Wang Shu, who comes from a self-taught background, is, the more rubbish he is compared to those who talk about seniority and seniority all day long.

Indeed, Wang Shu is now an Oscar-winning director.

However, Wang Shu did not actually blend into the mainstream circle of domestic entertainment, but instead stayed outside of it.

Even though we have cooperated with China Film Group before, we have always been "fighting alone".

Therefore, no matter how powerful Wang Shu is, as long as he is not in the same circle with them, they can pretend that there is no such person as Wang Shu.

Now, the Film and Television Bureau has invited Wang Shu to host the Huabiao Awards ceremony, sending a signal that Wang Shu will be identified as a prominent figure in the mainland film and television industry.

As long as the Film and Television Bureau endorses Wang Shu, those who rely on seniority will look like clowns.

This is because Wang Shu never joined them, but won the Oscar by "going it alone".

Then, with absolute strength, the Film and Television Bureau took the initiative to step forward.

The whole process had nothing to do with them from beginning to end.

The contrast and setting off are too obvious.

Wang Shu was currently in the office of Yikeshu Company, drinking tea and chatting with Chen Hong via text messages on his mobile phone.

"Director Chen is sulking now when he learned that you are hosting the Huabiao Awards ceremony on behalf of directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong together with Chen Long and others." Chen Hong.

After reading the text message, Wang Shu replied: "It's not my fault. The people from the Film and Television Bureau came directly to my company to find me and told me that Brother Chen Long and the others agreed. Now it's my turn, and I can't refuse."

"Moreover, these words on behalf of directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong were not said by me. It was purely the Film and Television Bureau that was causing trouble."

He also criticized the news released by the Film and Television Bureau that he would host the Huabiao Awards ceremony on behalf of directors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong.

Indeed, given his strength, there is nothing wrong with it.

But in terms of seniority, it is far from enough.

This move completely set him up.

"Haha, I know." Chen Hong replied, "Hong Kong Island and Formosa Island have been behaving badly over the years. The Film and Television Bureau obviously wants to crack down on the two islands."

"And aren't you going to make a co-production later?"

"In fact, it can be considered as a way to build momentum for your co-production."

Wang Shu certainly understood that he also benefited from this matter, which was why he remained silent. Otherwise, if he had been held in such a position, he would have responded long ago.

Although I don’t know what the Film and Television Bureau is thinking, with the endorsement of the Bureau, his status in the mainstream circle has risen a lot.

The principle behind this is just like Stephen Chow.

Although Zhou Xingxing is a nationally renowned director, he has never been recognized by the mainstream film and television circles and has always been on the outside.

Although it doesn’t matter, it still matters if I can’t win an Oscar like Wang Shu.

The consequence is that his films neither win awards nor are they always criticized.

It was because of this that he changed his style and made movies such as "Kung Fu", "Kung Fu Soccer" and "CJ7".

No matter which one, the style has changed a lot compared to his earlier films.

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.

Zhou Xingxing, if you can't beat them, just join them.

But Wang Shu is different. He directly jumped out of this category and reached the ceiling of domestic entertainment.

Although this approach has jumped out, it is also unrelated to the mainstream domestic circles.

Wang Shu’s Niu Bi is Wang Shu’s business, and the mainstream circle of Chinese-language films is the mainstream circle of Chinese-language films.

In other words, the mainstream Chinese film circle can completely put aside Wang Shu’s closure and talk about its own affairs.

In this way, there is no Wang Shu for comparison.

The news released by the Film and Television Bureau now seems to be an endorsement of Wang Shu.

The Film and Television Bureau’s endorsement of Wang Shu is equivalent to defining Wang Shu in the mainstream film and television circle.

As a result, the mainstream Chinese film circle cannot avoid him when talking about movies and directors.

Although Wang Shu, who has already won an Oscar, doesn't care at all whether he has a status in the mainstream Chinese film circle.

However, with the endorsement of the Film and Television Bureau, he will become a huge obstacle that the mainstream Chinese film circle cannot get around.

Wang Shu did not continue with Chen Hong's text message, but replied: "You have also signed up for the Huabiao Award, right? Will you go then?"

"Go." Chen Hong gave a direct affirmative answer.

"So that means I can see you then?" Wang Shu replied.

"Yeah." Chen Hong replied.

"Did you miss me?" Wang Shu asked immediately.

"Can you please talk nicely?" Chen Hong replied.

There is neither a yes nor a no answer. Even though it is a seemingly unpleasant rhetorical question, it is actually a tacit agreement.

"I miss you." Wang Shu ignored the text message and replied.

Chen Hong was silent for a while and replied: "Yeah."

"Are you free? Let's have dinner together." Wang Shu asked.

"No." Chen Hong replied.

Seeing this, Wang Shu changed the subject again: "You just mentioned co-productions. Actually, I really want to tailor it for you."

"I know." Chen Hong replied.

"Have you agreed?" Wang Shu replied with a pretended surprise.

"No, I've already told you that I can't possibly act in a co-production you direct." Chen Hong replied, "Shu, thank you. I know your intentions, but I really can't."

"Let's have dinner together tonight." Wang Shu replied.

The content of the text message uses a period instead of a question mark, which expresses that there is no doubt about it.

After reading the message, Chen Hong was silent for a while and replied: "Find a remote place with few people. I don't want to be seen."

"Okay." Wang Shu replied.

Previously, he asked Chen Hong out for dinner, but Chen Hong refused.

Then he mentioned the co-production again, which touched Chen Hong a little.

After much hesitation, Chen Hong finally agreed.

Not only did he agree, but because he was worried about being seen, he also took the initiative to ask for a remote and sparsely populated place.

If it were Yang Mi, who no longer has a boyfriend, or Yan Danchen, Shu Chang, Jiang Xin and others, they would all be eager to go to the crowded downtown area to be seen by others.

(End of this chapter)