The literary era since 1979

Compared with the movie, the TV series of "Farewell My Concubine" is completely different.

The plot is also completely different from the movie version. It tells the story of the city of Yanjing in the 30s. Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou have been learning Peking Opera from a master since childhood. Cheng Dieyi is a female role, while Duan Xiaolou is a male role. The two co-starred in "Farewell My Concubine", and Cheng Dieyi was deeply influenced by the role of Yu Ji in the play.

He actually fell in love with Duan Xiaolou, who played Xiang Yu, but Duan Xiaolou fell in love with Juxian.

Cheng Dieyi could not control his emotions. He was sad and jealous. Finally, he chose to follow the wealthy businessman Yuan Siye and voluntarily became his lover.

One stayed in the mainland and the other went to Hong Kong. More than ten years later, the two met again in Hong Kong.

After watching the two episodes of the videotape, Fangyan frowned and his brows were twisted into a knot.

The script is the foundation of a play. I think the success of the movie "Farewell My Concubine" is inseparable from the brilliant work of screenwriter Lu Wei.

"I've finished watching it, what do you think?"

Gong Xing picked up the remote control and pressed the pause button.

Fang Yan said: "The theme is clear, the relationship between the characters is also clear, but it's just not good to watch, the drama is not strong, and the story is average..."

"I think this play is a bit weird," Gong said. "It makes people feel uncomfortable."

Fangyan asked, "What makes you look uncomfortable?"

“It’s just that the relationships between the characters are too confusing.”

Gong Xing severely criticized the homosexual love between Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi, as well as Cheng Dieyi and Yuan Siye, and especially the overlapping love triangle between Cheng Dieyi, Duan Xiaolou and Juxian. It was so shocking that my worldview was shattered. I have been acting for so long but this is the first time I have seen such an explosive love!
"This is actually in line with the historical situation in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China."

The dialect disagrees.

Things like the situation in "Farewell My Concubine" where Cheng Dieyi was taken advantage of by Mr. Yuan Si was already commonplace in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.

Even warlords would appropriate some female roles to be "husbands", whether voluntarily or not.

"So that's it."

Gong Xing suddenly understood.

Fang Yan smiled and said, "I plan to adapt this TV series into a novel."

"what?"

Gong Xing was stunned. To turn this work involving homosexual themes into a novel?

Analyzing it in dialect, the highlight of "Farewell My Concubine" is not only the emotional entanglement between Cheng Dieyi, Duan Xiaolou and Juxian, but more importantly, the intricate intersection of life and fate of the three people in the long time span from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China and then to the founding of the People's Republic of China.

What's more, it contains the traditional Chinese cultural element of opera!

If Farewell My Concubine cannot be a representative work of root-seeking literature, what other work can be? Who else!
"If you want to write it, do you have to ask for the consent of this 'Li Bihua'?"

Gong Xing reminded her, "After all, she wrote the script for this TV series."

"You're right to remind me!"

Fang Yan said: "We should ask for authorization from Li Bihua or the company that owns the script."

Afterwards, he called Xiao Zi, stated his purpose directly, and asked Sanlian Bookstore to help contact Li Bihua.

"Why, you want to write this TV show into a novel?"

"This TV series is quite interesting. After watching it, I suddenly got some inspiration."

"Really!"

Xiao Zi was happy to help, but he also reminded her that Li Bihua was not an easy writer to get along with.

Fang Yan asked: "Has Mr. Xiao ever had contact with her?"

"That's not the case, but there have always been some rumors about her."

Xiao Zi told the truth. In the eyes of some people who had come into contact with her, Li Bihua was a real man among women, and she hid scissors in her backpack for self-defense.

Moreover, she was very mysterious. After Rouge became a hit, she neither accepted newspaper interviews nor appeared on TV. She just promoted the film whenever possible.

Even her own photos are rarely seen in the world, and not many people have seen her true face.

All we know is that she worked as a screenwriter and reporter in the television department of Radio Hong Kong, and also wrote a column and serialized novels in Oriental Daily News.

"That's indeed quite strange." Fang Yan couldn't help but be surprised. He didn't expect Li Bihua to have such a strong personality.

"There are also problems with the Oriental Daily News, for which she contributed articles."

Xiao Zi lowered his voice and said that Oriental Daily and the newspaper company behind it had huge historical and background problems.

The boss behind the scenes was the "Ma Brothers", one of the four major families at that time. Readers in Hong Kong like to call the newspaper "bai powder newspaper".

"Ouch!"

Fangyan has also seen Hong Kong movies about the four major detectives and the four major families.

For example, "Inspector Lei Luo", "Three Flags of a Generation of Heroes", "Limp Ho", "O Triad Files"...

The Ma brothers appeared in "The Four Great Families: The Dragon and Tiger Brothers". Their ending was better than that of跛豪, as they escaped unscathed.

"So, someone like her may not agree to let you turn Farewell My Concubine into a novel."

Xiao Zi said the ugly words first.

Fang Yan said: "I have considered this. If it really doesn't work, I hope to cooperate with Li Bihua."

"Cooperation? What kind of cooperation method?"

“Joint creation.”

"You mean co-writing?!"

Xiao Zi didn't find it strange at all. It was very common for writers to co-write something in the literary world.

For example, in "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", Jin Yong was on a business trip for some time and commissioned Ni Xun to write the story for him. However, after he came back, he found out that Azhu had been killed by Qiao Feng. However, since the character was already written to be dead, the dead cannot be resurrected, so he could only passively accept this setting.

But he didn't learn his lesson and later asked Ni Xun to write for him, and also wrote that A Zi was "blind".

But looking at the whole article, both the design and the writing are excellent.

Especially the death of Azhu, which highlights the tragedy of Qiao Feng's struggle against fate, which is in line with the theme of "asking for something but not getting it" in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

"Yes, I will make a rough outline right away while I stay in Hong Kong for the next two days."

Fang Yan said, "When you contact Li Bihua, please pass it to her for me. I believe that after she reads the outline, she will definitely agree to meet with me."

"Now that you mention it, I'm really looking forward to it."

Xiao Zi was very surprised. "How are you going to adapt Farewell My Concubine?"

"Let me keep you in suspense." Fangyan smiled.

"it is good!"

Xiao Zi readily agreed, "I'll help you with the Farewell My Concubine issue."

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao!"

Fangyan thanked him and hung up the phone.

As Gong Xing took out the videotape, he cast a questioning look at her, "Yanzi, how are you going to write this outline?"

"Well, let's talk about this tomorrow."

Fang Yan looked at the night view outside the window and said, "It's a rare opportunity to come to Hong Kong. We must not miss such a beautiful view."

Gong Xing narrowed his eyes, "Do you have any bad intentions again?"

"Except for being greedy for you, what bad intentions could I have?"

Fangyan may not always keep his word when it comes to others, but he definitely keeps his word when it comes to Gong Xing.

The lights in the house went out and the sky gradually darkened.

From time to time, one or two stars pierced into the Milky Way or slipped into the darkness to illuminate the night. Gong Xing felt as if a hundred thousand firecrackers and thousands of fireworks were buried in his body. From the moment they were ignited, they exploded uncontrollably and nothing could extinguish them.

Skin, muscles and bones are cracking, giving the sky some turbulence of light and heat, and some flickering explosions to the darkness. (End of this chapter)