Exciting 1979!

Chapter 122 Wei Ming: Am I going to earn foreign exchange? (Guaranteed 2 more chapters)
The fact that the British BBC took the initiative to approach the Shanghai Animation Film Studio to seek cooperation surprised the main leaders of the studio and also showed them another way to earn foreign exchange.

Previously, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio was also able to earn foreign exchange for the country, basically by having its own works participate in competitions and win awards abroad, and then selling them to other countries.

Although they received many honors, the profits were not that high, and no one thought that cultural products could bear the responsibility of earning foreign exchange for the country.

Last year, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio traced and colored more than 7000 pictures for Japan's Toei Company's "Space Battleship Yamato" series.

This cooperation was just an attempt under the general environment of Sino-Japanese friendship. We did earn some foreign exchange, but that was all we did. The work belonged to the Japanese, and we didn't get any honor at all. It also delayed our own production plans.

And this time's cooperation with the UK may bring both fame and fortune!

The UK provides foreign exchange, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio provides the people and technology, and the film is based on traditional Chinese mythology. If the UK can successfully promote it internationally, it will be a win-win!
So the factory director Te Wei urgently convened a high-level meeting, and even invited the third brother of the Wan brothers, Mr. Wan Chaochen.

Before his retirement, he was the deputy technical director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. As for his two twin brothers, Mr. Wan Laiming and Mr. Wan Guchan, they are both 80 years old.

The meeting first determined that cooperation was possible and there were no policy issues. If successful, they could find a way to use foreign capital to make their own films while expanding their international influence.

But there is one thing.

"We must not be careless about quality. We at Shanghai Animation Film Studio must have absolute dominance in content," said a deputy director. "Nowadays, many foreign animations are too focused on efficiency and are crudely made. We must not destroy the reputation of Shanghai Animation Film Studio."

"Everyone," said Director Te Wei, "let's take a look at the script first. We worked overtime to find someone to translate it, so some parts may not be accurate. Please pass it around."

However, after starting to read the script, several key persons in charge at the meeting fell silent. What the hell is this?
Indeed, it is a luxury to expect foreigners to understand Chinese mythology.

The screenwriter who created this script should not be completely ignorant. He may be a foreigner who has done some research on Chinese mythology, or a Chinese who has not been in China for a long time.

The script starts directly from the story of Nuwa mending the sky, mixing in myths and legends from all ages, even touching on lesser-known novels about gods and demons like Pingyao Zhuan. But, this thing is too unfocused, how can it be filmed?

Finally, everyone unanimously decided that the cooperation was acceptable, but the script was not acceptable and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio had to revise the script.

Of course, since the British side wants to shoot a mythological theme and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio is also good at this, then we should start from this aspect.

So the Shanghai Animation Film Studio contacted the BBC and discussed it, and the other party agreed to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio's proposal to rewrite the script.

So the Shanghai Animation Film Studio began to discuss the issue in large and small meetings.

……

Children, don’t be greedy, the New Year will come after Laba Festival.

On January 1980, 1, Laba Festival, all canteens at Peking University served Laba porridge in limited quantities.

Wei Ming and Yang Hao went out of school to see the news about unlimited pork consumption during this year's Spring Festival, but when they came back, it was out of stock.

Yang Hao complained: "Pork is not limited, but Laba porridge is limited, humph!"

But soon Wei Ming had Laba porridge.

After returning to the dormitory, Brother Feng called him: "Xiao Ming, come here, let's eat the Laba porridge your sister-in-law made."

"How can I have the nerve to drink porridge when my sister-in-law comes all the way to bring it to you?"

"It's not something I'm embarrassed about," he picked up a pot from the ground, "it's just that I can't finish it all by myself!"

"Oh, why are there so many?"

Qiao Feng: "She forgot that Xiaomei and Biaozi are not here. I told her before that, as the old saying goes, once..."

Wei Ming was serving porridge while waiting, but Brother Feng got stuck.

"What's the old saying?"

Qiao Feng was thinking frantically: "You can't make two kinds of food in one pot. You see, I actually wanted to drink millet porridge, but she only had eight-treasure porridge in her pot."

Wei Ming laughed as he ate: "Brother Feng, your request is a bit too much." He also wanted to have two dishes in one pot, unless it was a double-flavored pot.

There are only two of them in the dormitory now, which seems very empty, and sometimes Brother Feng doesn’t come back to spend the night.

However, the advantage of this is that Wei Ming's writing efficiency has improved.

I usually write the outline in the office and then go back to the dormitory to do the formal creation.

That night, Wei Ming was called home by Uncle Ping'an to eat Laba porridge. He saw Aunt Xiaoyan also soaked a few bottles of Laba garlic in cans. She said that Director Wei liked it.

Director Wei smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes, I love to eat Laba garlic, the rest belongs to your aunt."

What's left?

Jealousy.

Lu Xiaoyan immediately pinched him.

Xile hadn't realized yet that their parents were flirting, but Wei Ming, who was already very sensible, was deeply hurt.

I just ended an unforgettable first love!
"By the way, Xiao Ming, how is your preface going?" Aunt Xiaoyan then insulted Wei Ming again. Wei Ming quickly used the bowl to cover his expression. He had been busy writing the novel these days and had forgotten about it.

"It's almost done, it's almost done, it definitely won't delay anything." He tried to fool around first.

When I returned to the dormitory, Brother Feng was not there again. He was working overtime on his novel.

This is another novella, with more than 50,000 words already written, and it is also the longest one he has written so far.

This time he divided the novel into several chapters.

The first chapter is called "Where is Spring?"

He is now writing the last chapter, entitled "In the Field of Hope."

~
The next day, Wei Ming saw Teacher Gu Jianfen, who came to say goodbye to Wei Ming.

Because the students are now busy with their final exams and it will be winter vacation soon, so she, as an off-campus music instructor, has nothing to do for the time being, so she simply goes home to prepare for the New Year.

Before leaving, she gave Wei Ming a music score that she had composed for "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms".

Wei Ming could now understand the music score, and sang according to the music score: "A little girl picking mushrooms, carrying a big bamboo basket..."

Teacher Gu looked a little disgusted. You are a young man over 1.8 meters tall and you are "walking barefoot through the woods and hills early in the morning". You should let Xiao Lele sing first.

Wei Ming was very satisfied. Although it was released two years earlier, it was exactly the same as the original version. He would also use this song in his new novel as a chapter.

Wei Ming had previously published the lyrics of this song in "Ci Kan", as well as the previous "Where is Spring".

Now he has written two more poems, one called "Little Grass" and the other called "Planting the Sun". Both were created three or four years later and have been submitted.

Wei Ming took out the lyrics and handed them to Teacher Gu: "Please read them first. I will come to your house some other day and we can discuss how to compose the music together."

Teacher Gu sighed: "You write songs so fast! And the styles are so varied. This song "Little Grass" is too bitter, while "Planting the Sun" is so sunny."

Wei Ming: "Writers, like musicians, have very complex and changeable emotions. I was writing a novel recently. When it came to the sad plot, I wrote "Little Grass", and when it came to the positive and sunny part, I wrote "Planting the Sun."

Gu Jianfen was very curious: "What kind of novel is this?"

Wei Ming briefly explained: "It is a story about a music teacher and a group of children. Music is also an important part of this novel."

"No wonder you came to me to learn music. I thought it was just a hobby."

"I am indeed interested. Otherwise, there would be no such novel, or I would have made the male protagonist a teacher of another subject. I think music is very powerful."

Teacher Gu asked: "What kind of power does music have in your novels?"

Wei Ming said leisurely: "To soothe the pain and nourish the soul."

He was very confident about the novel and planned to finish it and submit it to People's Literature before the end of the month. He had already received the letter inviting him to write an article, and even an editor came to see him a while ago, saying that he wanted to stop by.

When he heard about the theme of the novel Wei Ming was writing, he was very interested and said, "If there is time, we will arrange to publish it in February, just after the Spring Festival!"

When Wei Ming got off work in the evening, he just returned to the South Gate and saw Aunt Xiaoyan coming with Xile. Needless to say, they were definitely looking for him.

It’s just a preface. I’ll go all out and finish writing it tonight!
It turned out that wasn't what she was talking about.

"Xiao Ming, what a great event!" Lu Xiaoyan grabbed Wei Ming's shoulders excitedly.

"Auntie, no matter how happy this is, you should let go of my hand first. I still need to use my arm at night." No wonder Xizi is so afraid of his mother. His hands are really strong.

"Oh, I'm telling you, you would never have thought that this afternoon, Shanghai Animation Film Studio called our editorial department to discuss the adaptation of "The Magic Book" with you!"

Wei Ming asked: "Don't you have no money?"

Lv Xiaoyan: "Yes, they have no money, but this time it is not them who are paying, it is foreign countries who are paying, I think it is called something, oh, yes, the BBC is paying."

At this point, she paused and said, "You really have a connection with Britain!"

However, the BBC's invitation has nothing to do with Melinda. The original project of "The Magic Book" was able to be launched and promoted because the British side took the initiative to seek cooperation.

"Aunt, please tell me what happened?"

Lv Xiaoyan: "It was probably that the British side provided a script, but the Shanghai Animation Film Studio was not satisfied with it, so they thought about revising it. As they were revising, they found that there was a passage from "Ping Yao Zhuan" in their script that was quite good. Someone also suggested that "Tales of Heavenly Book" was adapted from "Ping Yao Zhuan". Then several directors and deputy directors read your novel and said that the story was good, so why not just shoot it? Then the British side agreed after hearing the outline of the story, and now they are waiting for you to write the script!"

Wei Ming nodded. He had heard from Aaron in his previous life that the British side later withdrew their investment for unknown reasons, but the script was already written and it was filmed without wasting any time, so it was still a pure domestic animation, and its style was in line with "Journey to the West: Conquering the Dragon King" and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King".

His mind was racing. Even though the Shanghai Animation Film Studio didn't make any foreign currency in the end, could he take this opportunity to make some?

……

(End of this chapter)