1979 Golden Age

When Japan was defeated in the war, Bo Yi tried to escape to Japan with a lot of gold, silver and jewelry, but was captured by the Soviet Union and became a prisoner.

But he never suffered, lived a life of luxury, offered precious treasures to the Soviets, and repeatedly tried to become a Soviet citizen. Later, he was transferred back to China and imprisoned in the Fushun War Criminal Management Center with a group of old and young people.

The management office also held some Japanese war criminals and puppet Manchukuo war criminals, and they all had to write a confession to confess their crimes. Puyi naturally had to write one, but he was not good at writing, so he dictated and Pujie wrote for him to complete the first draft.

These were all materials of his confession of guilt upon being executed, and were only circulated internally.

Later, the leaders said that this work should be published, especially overseas, so that everyone can see the results of labor reform in New China. The task was given to the Masses Publishing House, and Li Wenda was the editor-in-chief of the publishing house. He wrote another edition, namely "My First Half of Life".

This version was reviewed by many historians, and Lao She helped polish the text - this is very interesting.

Is Lao She Manchu?

Then the leaders and teachers read it, and only after they agreed to it was it published and circulated.

The basic facts of "My First Half of Life" are fine. The so-called controversy lies in the description of Bo Yi's inner thoughts. How can others know whether his inner thoughts are true or false? Moreover, there is also the element of editing and polishing, because it is necessary to highlight his repentance and reform mentality.

Let’s just talk about the basic facts. What the hell did Bo Yi do?

First, in order to restore the monarchy, he began to bribe warlords in Tianjin, make friends with foreign ministers, use yellow silk to write letters to Minami Jiro (a Japanese army general who participated in planning the September 18th Incident and the invasion of Northeast China), held talks with Doizoku and Itagaki successively, and then went to Manchukuo to be the emperor.

Anyone who says that he was forced, passive, or kidnapped is pure nonsense.

During the puppet Manchukuo period, he flattered the Japanese and oppressed the people. He often tortured his servants with kneeling chains, horse whips, electric shocks, etc. He even beat a child servant to death.

He employed more than twenty orphans as servants. This child servant could not bear the abuse and ran away. He was caught and severely beaten. After he was released, he ran away again, was caught again, and this time beaten to death.

But Bo Yi didn't do it himself, and let his servants beat him. He ate vegetarian food and prayed to Buddha, and didn't even touch flies and mosquitoes.

When he heard that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, he immediately knelt on the ground and shouted, "I am unethical and I am sorry to the Emperor!"

One of his attendants, Li Tao, reported Puyi and described him as "cruel, fearful, suspicious, treacherous, and very hypocritical."

“Tsk tsk!”

Chen Qi watched "My First Half of Life" at home, and was filled with emotion. He summed it up in one sentence: "The Last Emperor made him look like a white lotus!"

"The movie has just been filmed, how do you know what it's about?" Gong Xue asked.

"I know Bertolucci's script."

Even though he didn't explain, Gong Xue still believed it.

Chen Qi put down the book, stood up and turned around, and suddenly said: "Sister, please remember, I will do——"

"Write it yourself!"

"Oh, your handwriting is beautiful, hurry up!"

Gong Xue had no choice but to find paper and pen. The paper was specially made letter paper with an ancient style and charm, used to write invitation letters.

I only heard him say:

"To Mr. Zhu, let me tell you that an Italian director admires Chinese culture and has started shooting the $25 million blockbuster film "The Last Emperor" in Beijing, bringing the scenery of the late Qing Dynasty to the international screen. This is a great event!

Our company has the duty of building a bridge of friendship between China and foreign countries and promoting external affairs. Please bring a few friends to the Beijing Film Studio to watch the filming, meet friends through movies, and write articles to express your feelings. Isn't it a pleasure?"

"It's half-written, and I have to polish it for you!"

Gong Xue wrinkled her nose and tried to revise: "Mr. Zhu is a great man, your two tricks are a joke!"

"That's all I mean. What's a joke?"

Chen Qi kissed her, causing Zhuangzhuang to scream, and said, "After you finish writing it, ask Zhao Yan to deliver it as soon as possible. Hey, also include a gift, pick out a few of the local specialties I brought back from Guangdong."

Gong Xue wrote the letter quickly, put it into an exquisite envelope, and then found the gift and packed it into a small gift box.

He was very happy in his old age, with a virtuous wife and sufficient food at home.

Zhu Jiapan is the 25th generation descendant of Zhu Xi.

He is a researcher at the Palace Museum, a cultural relic expert, a Qing Dynasty history expert, and has a long list of titles. He has presided over the restoration of the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He is 72 years old this year and is one of the best in the relevant field.

They were a group of experts who were already curious about "The Last Emperor", so they gladly accepted Chen Qi's invitation.

We are all here anyway.

In fact, he wanted to invite Qi Gong, but Qi Gong definitely could not come. In these days, the descendants of Aixinjuelu are all low-key and dare not make a public statement. Bo Jie also served as a consultant because of the special nature of "The Last Emperor".

It's nothing like decades later, when the old BJ Zhenghuangqi people all had sky-high patterns, and they were called authentic!

"Hello, hello!"

"Thank you, old gentlemen!"

Chen Qi was meeting them for the first time, and he was very humble and polite. Zhu Jia smiled and said, "Why is it so hard for us to pick you up and drop you off? We wanted to come and see you. Although this is our first meeting, I have seen all your movies, and they are all wonderful!"

"Hey! Especially the Tai Chi, Li Lianjie performed it so beautifully!"

Wang Shixiang was a man of temperament and did not care about small matters. He wanted to practice on the spot, but Zhu Jia stopped him: "Why are you practicing with your old arms and legs? Go watch a play first!"

"Yes, this is not the time to practice Kung Fu. I'll call Li Lianjie to practice Kung Fu with you when I have time."

Chen Qi led everyone to the studio, and as they walked, he said, "The crew will shoot some at the Beijing Film Studio and some at the Forbidden City. The production will take half a year, so we have to stay in Beijing for a long time. After that, we will go to the Northeast to shoot."

"Have you met any of the actors? How was it?"

"It's OK. They are all overseas Chinese and speak English."

"Puyi, Wanrong, and Wenxiu all speak English?"

"Even Cixi has to be mentioned! This film was originally released overseas. The actress who played Cixi is Lu Yan, a disciple of Mei Lanfang, who immigrated in 1947."

"Oh, I know! I've been back to China quite often in recent years, shooting documentaries and stuff. But speaking English is so awkward. -"

Chen Qi smiled and led a few old gentlemen with frowns in.

Meanwhile, inside the studio.

Lu Yan wore an extremely exaggerated costume that weighed 50 pounds. The embroidery on the clothes was not embroidered on, but carved from wax, then cast in aluminum, and then gold-plated.

It was difficult for her to stand, so she could only lie there, looking at the hellish scenery, and kept giving Bertolucci suggestions: "Director, as far as I know, the palaces of the Qing Dynasty were not like this, and Cixi's aesthetics were not so, so alternative."

“You don’t understand, this is art!”

"But in China, this kind of scene is generally regarded as the underworld, which is the hell in the West?"

She kept saying this, and Bertolucci got impatient and called her by her English name: "Lisa, you are just an actor, I am the director, OK?"

"Well, all right!"

After saying this, Lu Yan could no longer argue and could only lie down. The staff continued to prepare. After adjusting the lights, they actually set off the smoke again. The studio was soon filled with a faint smoke, which smelled like the underworld.

Lu Yan couldn't help but shiver and felt even colder.