Generation Z Artists

Chapter 366 Happiness is not about whether you have money or not

After making the decision, Fang Xinghe sent the script to teacher You Benchang without hesitation.

In fact, China has many good actors. The previous generation, such as Li Xuejian and Wang Zhiwen, and the generation before that, such as Jiao Huang, Zhu Xu, and Yu Shizhi, could all surpass Fang Xinghe in terms of technical skills.

91 points of acting skills is really not enough in front of those masters.

But his first choice for collaboration was always the righteous and humorous Ji Gong.

Nostalgia is a irrational thing.

Dong Youde contacted the old man directly. Teacher You probably stayed up all night to finish reading the script and called Fang Xinghe the next day.

"Xiao Fang, I've read the notebook, it's very good. Thank you for remembering me, but there are some things I'm unsure about that I'd like to discuss with you. Is that convenient?"

Teacher You's style is both straightforward and gentle.

"Of course, please go ahead."

"it is good."

The sound of turning pages came from the other end of the phone; Teacher You must have taken notes and was now confirming them.

He asked, "The topics discussed in this script are quite sharp... I see a lot of urban-rural divide, such as discrimination against people from other places in Shanghai, and a stark price comparison between two different lifestyles... Isn't this kind of division presented too harshly?"

Fang Xinghe nodded secretly; Teacher You had truly understood the script.

There is no racial conflict between white and black people in China. However, in modern China at the beginning of the 21st century, there are extremely serious urban-rural and regional conflicts.

The severe imbalance of various resources is the core factor, and the discrimination against young people in small towns, migrant workers, and rural people by respectable people in big cities has further exacerbated this contradiction.

For example, xenophobic ideas, but this does not mean that only certain cities and rural areas are xenophobic.

Generation Z only realized after being reborn that there was such a serious regional discrimination and urban-rural divide in China at that time.

After 2025, there will be virtually no major regional shifts in mainland China.

But it's different now.

From a historical perspective, this was just a growing pain, and we eventually resolved it well.

However, if we look around from today's perspective, we can feel an immense sense of hostility and a chaotic atmosphere that is difficult to comprehend.

"One Chinese person is a dragon, a group of Chinese people are worms" is a common saying today, but it was unheard of in the era when people lived a more frugal life.

This is not just about Chinese people not being united abroad, but about them not being united anywhere.

The internet is filled with daily battles and insults, and the media openly distinguishes social classes based on region and household registration...

Many major media outlets publish the original quotes on their covers, which were widely praised when they were first published. However, now when they repeat these quotes, they fail to pass censorship, with warnings that they "have **inclinations**".

That's outrageous...

So why has the theory of China's collapse continued to prevail?
It's not because those people are stupid, but because judging from the current chaotic state, it really looks like the end is nigh.

Many people's pessimism has a solid logic in reality, but who would have thought that China's development and internal cohesion are completely illogical?

All I can say is, this civilization is truly amazing.

By the way, the phrase "eating dates and taking medicine" appeared in 2014 and was widely used to predict China's national fortune until it gradually fell out of fashion after 2019.

The pessimistic outlook on the nation's fate lasted until 2019, when it was officially reversed by that event.

After that, optimism and nationalism began to gain the upper hand, and by 2024, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation had officially become the consensus of most people.

It is now 2006. According to the dividing line, there are still thirteen years left.

In these thirteen years, the peak period of the urban-rural conflict was roughly after 08 and before 14—which coincides with the period of soaring housing prices.

When an old, dilapidated apartment can easily be worth 500 million, it's hard for the newly rich who have won without effort not to feel a sense of superiority.

The elimination of urban-rural conflicts occurred after the national poverty alleviation campaign, combined with the principle of "housing is for living in, not for speculation," which gave rural household registration a strong policy value again.

—The pressure in the city is too great, while there's a safety net in the countryside. What makes you so arrogant?

Currently, urban household registration still holds sway.

Especially for those with Beijing or Shanghai residency, it adds one level to job hunting, two levels to finding a partner, three levels to education, and a whopping 10086 points to self-confidence...

There's a dialogue in the new version of "Touch" that takes place when Lu Xiaoye is looking for a job—

"Young man, where is your household registration located?"

"Changchun..."

"A country bumpkin, huh?"

"...the small county town below."

"That's alright, all rural areas are pretty much the same anyway, they all come here to cause trouble..."

The auntie recruiting the job sized up Lu Xiaoye with only one eye; her previous appreciation for his good looks had turned into wariness.

It's particularly ironic, but also particularly true.

Fang Xinghe sensed certain divisions in this era. He did not believe these were intractable problems, but simply wanted to record them to serve as a warning to society.

So he kept the title "Untouchable" and ultimately just let Lu Xiaoye live happily ever after, never touching Chen Dafu's social class again.

The emotional core of this film is merely the surface of the story.

At its core, reality is irony.

It is a touching story, and also a cold one.

This coldness is not Fang Xinghe's "forced sentimentality," but rather the stark reality of a mountain child gathering 6000 jin of pig feed during a summer vacation versus a bowl of plain porridge in Shanghai costing 188 yuan.

"I want everyone to look at all of this objectively."

Fang Xinghe explained it to Teacher You in this way.

"Classes exist in China, along with class consciousness, which has even given rise to a strong tendency towards classification—"

The rich relentlessly promote the idea that "the poor breed cunning and the rich cultivate conscience," scholars vigorously advocate for complete openness, urban commoners are misled into believing in "happy education," and officials, surrounded by admirers, maintain an air of superiority.

There is a group of people who genuinely hope for a complete separation between the upper and lower classes.

Grandpa You fell silent; he hadn't expected to hear such a response.

Too sharp, too fresh, too brave.

Fang Xinghe continued earnestly and sincerely.

"Our film has heavy parts and sharp parts, but it has no exaggerated parts."

Is Shanghai really that extravagant, xenophobic, and aloof?
I think you have the answer.

On the surface, this art film is a cliché story of mutual understanding and redemption, similar to "Better Days," but its complexity and restraint go far beyond what can be summarized by the gap between the rich and the poor.

Why did Chen Dafu, with his sharp tongue and arrogant nature, soften in front of Lu Xiaoye?

Because Lu Xiaoye doesn't tolerate his ways at all.

Dr. Chen is both weak and resolute; his nature hasn't changed. He's simply afraid of Lu Xiaoye, yet at the same time, he harbors hope for her. How should we understand this hope?

He doesn't have long to live, but his children don't care about him. All he can rely on are his housekeeper, caregiver, lawyer, and other outsiders. But are these outsiders really reliable?

He doubted all of this, instinctively disbelieving, yet constantly filled with fear.

You should be able to understand that an elderly person who has lost the ability to take care of themselves, with no one around to trust, is constantly tormented by sensitivity and suspicion in the final stage of his life, and his mind and emotions are never at peace.

He needed a pillar like Lu Xiaoye—rough, tough, yet righteous—to support him through his final days.

Therefore, his initial rejection of Lu Xiaoye, yet his eventual tolerance of her, is the true logic that allows the story to continue.

Rather than the 'rich people's tolerance' described in the original work.

Shit.

Chen Dafu opening up about himself came later; before that, he was merely a symbolic, superficially strong man who fully embodied the weakness of the bourgeoisie.

This is a very difficult point to handle in terms of performance details, which is why I wanted to ask you for help.

"thanks for your trust."

The old man had seen his share of ups and downs, and although he clearly loved the story, he still spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Your summary is exceptionally clear and precise, vividly illustrating the strong personality of a person. It's brilliant!"

This is indeed a particularly challenging role. I need to conceal Chen Dafu's complexity and portray his tolerance and generosity towards the lower classes in a relatively endearing way, right?

"Correct!"

It was so pleasant to interact with top actors; Fang Xinghe laughed heartily.

"As for whether the various metaphors in the film can be interpreted by the audience, you don't need to worry about it. You just need to grasp the core of the character, and I will handle the rest."

“I understand now. I think we could perform it like this: when Chen Dafu gets really excited, he will subconsciously blurt out a phrase or two in Shanghainese, mainly in a sharp tone.”

He usually speaks Mandarin and pays great attention to his image.

There's no difference in expression between the two states; only the eyes and tone of voice differ, leaving it to the audience to interpret...

"Yes, that's great."

Fang Xinghe did not intend to interfere with Grandpa You's performance ideas; this was the actor's right.

His job was simply to come up with ideas, supervise the process, review the materials, and if they weren't to his liking, he'd do another take.

However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Mr. You should be able to deliver a top-notch performance.

Acting opposite such a good actor is simply exhilarating.

During filming, once things really got heated, with everyone stimulating and building up their emotions, Fang Xinghe couldn't even imagine how exciting it would be.

The two continued their discussion for a long time about the character's tone and motivations.

After discussing the characters, Grandpa You finally couldn't help but remind Fang Xinghe.

"Xiao Fang, the script is excellent, and I think the film will be excellent too. But you should be aware that neither the script nor the finished film is very favorable to Shanghai, which may cause some difficulties..."

What difficulties? Did I accidentally become a real Shanghai auntie?
"It's okay, I'm not staying over there."

Brother Fang chuckled, completely at ease.

Grandpa You couldn't help but shake his head, thinking to himself: This kid is even more ferocious than the rumors say...

He emphasized slightly: "This is not a question of whether to stay or not. Shanghai is a major voting bloc and a city with enormous influence."

Hey!
Fang Xinghe was delighted.

You're being too tactful. Just say you're afraid I'll offend Master Hu!
Indeed, if this film were made according to Fang Xinghe's ideas, it would definitely offend both the current natives and new residents of Shanghai.

To put it more broadly, it could make everyone with high-value household registrations across the country feel uncomfortable.

But here's the problem—since you've decided to touch on this sensitive topic, you can't be afraid of offending people.

Residents of developed cities are the main force behind box office revenue, so what? At worst, my film will make less money or no money at all!
For an art film to become a classic, it must be sharp, cold, and deeply moving.

Is the urban-rural gap caused by the price scissors between industry and agriculture a reality?

Is the development strategy leading to a triple loss of resources, population, and wealth in the southeast coastal areas and inland cities?

They benefited from the relocation dividend, but instead of thanking the country, they always thought it was the result of their own hard work and considered themselves superior. Is this a common problem among these natives of big cities?

Jack Ma hasn't even started Lakeside University yet, but he's about to film "Gong Shou Dao"; Luo Taijun hasn't become famous yet, but he's about to openly fawn over Japan and despise China.

From now until the next ten years, the arrogance of this group of wealthy scholars and celebrities will be on full display.

But Fang Xinghe insisted on using this film to tell everyone: the bourgeoisie are paper tigers.

As long as you don't fall for their tricks and ignore those capitalist traps, it's really hard to say who will back down.

Yes, Lu Xiaoye is a typical symbol of the working class.

Chen Dafu, on the other hand, is a typical representative of the newly rich bourgeoisie.

Some people in later generations felt that "The Intouchables" was not suitable for adaptation in China, but they were wrong. It was more than suitable, even the most suitable.

Racial antagonism in the West is merely a superficial conflict; skin color is like a pot on which everything can be blamed.

However, isn't the core of the contradiction a small group of vested interests wanting to lock down social mobility channels so that they can achieve their goals for generations to come?
During China's feudal dynasties, there was no distinction based on skin color. Civil officials were still subject to the same restrictions as military officials, and powerful families were still subject to the same restrictions as those from humble backgrounds. What did skin color have to do with it?

Once you understand this, you can see from the current state of the world that racial conflicts are merely deliberately instigated to cover up the core class conflicts.

Chinese history is a collection of mistakes made by human civilization; we've experienced everything.

Therefore, modern Chinese society has reached a point where it is in a period of cultural confusion, a period of class consciousness differentiation, and a period of ideological chaos.

Fang Xinghe's novel "Untouchable" directly addresses the root of the contradiction—the mutual misunderstanding, mutual exclusion, and mutual integration between the bourgeoisie and the lower-class proletariat under China's system. Its theme is far more profound than "Black and White Friendship".

This topic is only touched upon superficially, leaving more room for reflection, and aiming for long-term goals rather than short-term gains.

If it's released now, not many people may understand it, but if we watch it again in ten or twenty years, those meaningful lines and dialogues will surely become classics.

The urban-rural divide and regional discrimination in China are a result of unbalanced development.

This imbalance, due to geographical factors, will never be resolved.

It is neither possible nor realistic to force Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet to develop their economies and catch up with the coastal areas. Therefore, the country ultimately chose to use transfer payments to ensure people's livelihoods and focus on their unique characteristics.

Fang Xinghe fully understands the causes of the current situation and knows how to solve it, so he does not vent his resentment indiscriminately in the film, but calmly and restrainedly reveals the situation and bravely and firmly faces it.

In the end, Lu Xiaoye has his own little family. His career is not very successful, but his life is happy and fulfilling.

He did not inherit Chen Dafu's estate and will never again be able to access that wealthy class or experience that extravagant lifestyle.

But his heartfelt joy was a resounding slap across Chen Dafu's face—the only happiness in your life was given to you by me, while my happiness was created by myself.

This sounds like a mainstream message: being rich is so much fun, right?
No, Xiao Fang doesn't think that way, Da Fang doesn't either, and many, many others don't agree.

This movie is made for these kinds of people.

(End of this chapter)