1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 651 Farewell My Concubine

Li Bihua, whose original name was Li Bai.

She was born into a large family with many members. Her grandfather was a well-known gentry in Hong Kong who had four wives and concubines.

From a young age, Li Bihua lived in an old-style building with wooden staircases, where she heard many stories of the past, like excerpts from operas. These stories became the material and inspiration for her later creations.

She was later known as "Hong Kong's Eileen Chang".

His most well-known representative work is "Farewell My Concubine".

That's right, it's the one that Chen Aige filmed later. There are rumors that his father filmed it and changed the name to Chen Aige, but that's unlikely. His father did help, but the material is indeed Chen Aige's. In the end, it's the only thing he ever made.

This movie is, of course, adapted from a novel, and the author is none other than Li Bihua.

"Farewell My Concubine" is a novel she published in 85, or even earlier, it was originally a screenplay.

What's going on?

Around 81, director Alex Law, who later wrote the screenplay for "An Autumn's Tale," also wrote "Seven Little Fortunes," "Eight Taels of Gold," and "Echoes of the Rainbow."
You can tell from the style of these works that this person is a very artistic person.

When he was just starting out, he was preparing to shoot a TV series and asked Li Bihua, whom he greatly admired at the time, to help him write a script. Li Bihua wrote the script, which was called "Farewell My Concubine".

After watching it, Law Kai-Yui thought it was good, so he adapted "Farewell My Concubine" into a two-episode TV series.

The response was lukewarm. Later, Li Bihua kept thinking about the script, so she revised it and turned it into a novel, which was published in 85.

Then it was seen by Maggie Cheung's agent, Willie Chan.

Chan Chi-keung is a very famous and top agent in Hong Kong. He represents not only Maggie Cheung, but also a large number of Hong Kong entertainment celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Jacky Cheung, Cherie Chung, Joey Wong, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Carina Lau, Sean Lau, and Sandra Ng.

He is very popular.

On his 70th birthday, Hong Kong issued a thunderstorm warning, but many celebrities from the entertainment industry at the time, including Maggie Cheung who rarely makes public appearances, rushed to his side.

The main reason is that he is a very righteous person. In order to protect the artists under his command, he risked the gang's guns to fight for their rights. He was very tough.

He was the one who introduced Jackie Chan to Lo Wei, and later he repeatedly helped Uncle Chan clean up his messes.

In short, Chen Ziqiang thought the novel "Farewell My Concubine" was excellent after reading it, so he went to find Xu Feng.

Who is Hsu Feng?
Everyone knows Tomson Riviera, right?

That's the Tomson Group's business. Hsu Feng started as an actress and later became the chairman of the Tomson Group, a very powerful woman.

Chen Ziqiang said there was a very good novel called "Farewell My Concubine", but he believed that at the time only Hsu Feng would be able to adapt it into a film, because Hsu Feng was both a producer and the boss of a film company, and had both money and manpower.

Moreover, Chen Ziqiang's consideration was that "Farewell My Concubine" was a very exciting novel, but many film companies would be hesitant to adapt it.

Because most drama-based movies lose money at the box office.

After listening to Chen Ziqiang's analysis and recommendations, Xu Feng couldn't help but become curious and quickly read through the novel "Farewell My Concubine".

I was instantly captivated by it.

The main appeal lies in the story itself, which deals with taboo subjects at the time, and Li Bihua's writing style is also among the best in Chinese-language literature.

Here are a couple of lines for you to enjoy:
"A group of guests sat around the table. When he saw a girl he liked, he beckoned to her, and she gracefully came over to sit down. She wore high heels and a long cheongsam, which was either crimson or pale yellow. The cheongsam was embroidered with either flowers or willows, swaying erratically."

"Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi both applied some powder, wore light blue silk gauze, soft satin robes and mandarin jackets, with their white sleeves turned up. The young men were dressed in fur coats and horses, their clogs elegant and stylish."

Xu Feng was shocked after reading it. He immediately met with Li Bihua, the author of "Farewell My Concubine," and talked with her for about three days. Then, he very generously bought the adaptation rights to the novel "Farewell My Concubine."

At that time, Hsu Feng's film company had already produced more than a dozen films. They rented a booth at the Cannes Film Festival to sell these films, and it was at Cannes that Hsu Feng met Chen Aige.

At that time, Chen Aige made a film called "King of the Children", which was shortlisted for the Cannes International Film Festival.

This young man was eloquent and immediately captivated Hsu Feng. She and her colleagues then watched the movie "King of the Children" together.

After watching "King of the Children," Hsu Feng felt that Chen Aige was a remarkable person with great talent.

The next day, she met with Chen Aige and showed him the novel "Farewell My Concubine".

Chen Aige, being an ordinary person, found the book to be a popular novel and had no interest in it whatsoever, with absolutely no intention of making it into a film.

Of course, this is not the fault of our great director Chen. In fact, at this time, the novel "Farewell My Concubine" was not particularly well-written in terms of plot alone.

In the movie, Cheng Dieyi's actions, whether it was competing with Juxian for Duan Xiaolou, being jealous of each other, or becoming Yuan Siye's husband, were all embodied in his "play". He was a fool, and from beginning to end, he regarded himself as Yu Ji.

However, in the novel, it's very cruel. Cheng Dieyi is very "vulgar." He lives in reality and doesn't truly blur the lines between reality and fiction.

That's not pretty at all.

In the book, when Cheng Dieyi sees Master Yuan being executed, it is described that his face suddenly turns red, and he half-looks and half-peeks, because this is his first man. When he first met him, his eyes were bright and piercing, and his shoulders were once broad, but now they are old and dejected. This is his first man.
In the movie, Cheng Dieyi's attitude towards Master Yuan's death is indifferent, and his reaction is no different from that of Juxian and Duan Xiaolou. If he had to say what he felt, it would probably just be a sense of bewilderment and confusion about the turbulent times.

What schemes did he have against Master Yuan? None whatsoever.

He's not his overlord, so what does it have to do with Yu Ji?

It is precisely this "indifference" that makes Cheng Dieyi noble and beautiful, which is why we do not define this Master Yuan as a "husband".

However, in the novel, Master Yuan is portrayed as a "husband," which is quite jarring. Cheng Dieyi is no longer Yu Ji and loses his ethereal beauty.

The love triangles in the novel are incredibly cliché.

Cheng Dieyi and Juxian's rivalry over Duan Xiaolou resembled a quarrel between common women. Juxian would emphasize her female identity in front of Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi, highlighting her menstruation, childbirth, and status as a respectable wife.

Cheng Dieyi retaliated by seeing the sweater that Juxian had knitted for Xiaolou, which Xiaolou refused to wear. Dieyi then launched into a mocking and tantrum.

Another example is when Cheng Dieyi was smoking opium and Juxian helped him. Seeing Cheng Dieyi crying out "Mother" in pain while holding Juxian, his cries of anguish never ending, Li Bihua wrote about this behavior: "Even a poor bird in one's bosom is not killed by a hunter, that's all."

However, in the movie, this is the highlight of Juxian's kindness towards Cheng Dieyi, a manifestation of maternal instinct, and a profound understanding of the foolish man and another Yu Ji.

Anyway, Li Bihua's writing is quite cruel. In the end, Cheng Dieyi didn't die, but lived a wretched life. Just like many people in life who live like zombies, without any hope, but are unwilling to die. He was sent to a factory to make glow cups. He was missing a finger and was old, but he still had to live a wretched life.

Not only did Cheng Dieyi survive, he also got married. It was arranged by his superiors, so he accepted it. He even compromised on his sexual orientation.

In short, it's a matter of opinion.

Anyway, by this time, the Heavenly Gang had turned against each other. Xu Feng didn't know what she saw in Chen Aige. Chen Aige rejected her, but she was unwilling to give up. She begged and pleaded until it took her more than a year to finally persuade Chen Aige to direct the movie "Farewell My Concubine".

So later, the novel was adapted into a movie again, and in addition to Li Bihua's own adaptation, screenwriter Lu Wei also worked on the screenplay. The two of them collaborated and revised the screenplay repeatedly for nearly a year.

Finally, Li Bihua wrote a completely new novel of "Farewell My Concubine" based on the script, doubling the length of the original two hundred pages.

In short, "Farewell My Concubine" was first a screenplay, then a novel, then a screenplay again, and finally a new novel. There were multiple versions, and the plots were quite different.

Jiang Xian was still holding the first edition of the novel. "After reading this novel, I greatly admired Miss Li's talent. I happened to be in Hong Kong this time, so I arranged to meet you. Please forgive me if I have disturbed Miss Li."

"Mr. Jiang, you're too kind."

Li Bihua seemed a little nervous when she spoke, and it was clear that she was not good at talking. She spoke softly: "I have also read many of Mr. Jiang's novels. It is really my honor to meet Mr. Jiang this time."

"Haha."

Jiang Xian smiled as he sized up Li Bihua.

Li Bihua herself is very low-key. She has a very ordinary appearance and is basically no different from an ordinary young woman. She rarely makes public appearances.

This is rare, because in Hong Kong, both talented men and women are exposed to the spotlight.

People like Jin Yong, Wong Jim, and Ni Kuang are all very familiar faces to the people of Hong Kong.

As for Li Bihua, many people say they've only heard her name but never met her.

Leslie Cheung said she looked very ordinary.

Ni Kuang said that Li Bihua had put a large pair of scissors in her backpack, which startled him. He asked her why she hid scissors in her backpack, and Li Bihua replied that it was for self-defense.

In short, in Hong Kong's glamorous entertainment industry, gossip is rampant and entertainment reporters are everywhere, but the renowned Li Bihua is almost impossible to find a single photo of, nor are there any rumors about her.

This is probably the result of her deliberate guidance, given her personality.

Tian Qinxin is a well-known stage director in mainland China. Once, she received a phone call from someone who claimed to be Li Bihua.

Tian Qinxin paused for a moment, unsure if it was the Li Bihua she was thinking of, and finally cautiously asked, "Which Li Bihua? Is it the writer Li Bihua?"

After the other party confirmed her identity, Tian Qinxin was able to confirm her identity. What surprised her even more was that Li Bihua called her, hoping that she could bring "Green Snake" to the stage.

It was indeed released later, starring Yuan Quan and Qin Hailu.

There's also Tiandi Books, which has the closest collaboration with Li Bihua. Since Li Bihua publishes about 4-5 books a year, she would personally go to the publishing house to discuss layout and other matters with the editors whenever a book was due.

But when it comes to book launches, speeches, or meeting with readers, Li Bihua shakes her head and refuses.

This caused the manager of Hong Kong Tiandi Book Publishing House to have some complaints about her.

He repeatedly tried to persuade Li Bihua to attend the press conference, but Li Bihua always refused, which made him both love and hate her.

Jiang Xian and Li Bihua chatted for a while about their respective works. Although he had not read Li Bihua's novels, both "Farewell My Concubine" and "Rouge" were classics he had read countless times, so it was easy for him to have a conversation with Li Bihua.

Li Bihua also talked about Jiang Xian's novels, and it was clear that she wasn't just being polite. She said that her favorite was Jiang Xian's "Shake It Off, Shake It Off to Grandma's Bridge," which surprised Jiang Xian, since "Shake It Off, Shake It Off to Grandma's Bridge" is one of his lesser-known representative works.

Of course, this "unpopularity" is relative to his works such as "Garland Under the Mountain" and "Hibiscus Town." Jiang Xian's novels have never been unpopular in the market.

Li Bihua said, "When I read this novel, I was almost captivated by it. I only read half of it before throwing the book down. I was very saddened and thought, 'With a novel like this, why should I write novels at all?'"

"Miss Li, you flatter me." Jiang Xian said modestly, and in return, he talked about his feelings about "Farewell My Concubine". "When I first read this novel, I found it hard to imagine that the author was from Hong Kong, because in my eyes the author must be from Beijing."

Just take the opening paragraph, which describes the scene of the bustling Tianqiao market in old Beijing. It says that Yan Hong leads Xiao Douzi through the bustling area, encountering newsboys shouting and men teasing her with fried dough rings. Then they pass through food stalls filled with various snacks such as wontons, rice cakes, and soup, and pass a crowd of people watching a Western movie. Finally, they arrive in front of Guan Yu, who is performing acrobatics. In just three or four hundred words, the spatial layout of the entire bustling market is described, like a long take of a movie filmed in Beijing.

I never imagined that a Hong Kong writer could describe the scenes of Beijing so beautifully.

I heard that in order to make the script more realistic, Ms. Li went undercover in the underworld three times by herself.

Bold yet meticulous, truly remarkable!

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Mr. Jiang." Li Bihua was extremely nervous when Jiang Xian told her this passage. "She didn't have much confidence in writing this long passage, but hearing that Jiang Xian, a person from Beijing, had given it his approval, she was overjoyed."

Jiang Xian lightly brushed his fingers over the copy of "Farewell My Concubine" published by Tiandi Books on the table. "The reason I invited Miss Li here this time is actually because there's something I'd like to discuss with her."

“Please go ahead,” Li Bihua said.

"Then I'll be frank."

Jiang Xian said, "After reading the novel 'Farewell My Concubine,' I really liked it and had a strong urge to make it into a movie. I came here today to talk to Ms. Li about the film rights to the novel 'Farewell My Concubine.'"

(End of this chapter)