I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 261, Filming wrapped on "The Young Students," Wang Jingsong was completely numb.

For teenagers.

The future is hopeful; the Republic of China has overthrown the deeply entrenched sycophants that have clung to the Chinese land.

Sun Yat-sen ushered in a new era.

They overthrew the emperor and threw him into the trash can.

And now.

He stepped forward again, attempting to restore the monarchy.

Unlike the Xinhai Revolution, Yuan Shikai chose an island nation as his "teammate".

They even drafted twenty-one humiliating treaties that ceded national sovereignty.

Like the emperors of the old era, the country was not important; what mattered was the position of rule. Everything else was just inconvenience.

It is precisely for this reason that they were able to sign this pathetic and despicable treaty without any pressure.

Liang Qichao's works were banned. Students of Hunan First Normal School were ordered by the local governor to write a pro-Japanese edict and to present congratulatory messages for Yuan Shikai's birthday and enthronement ceremony.

You should be able to do it.

The students remained silent.

However, it did not disappear in silence.

We shouldn't do this.

Perhaps we should even do something.

At this time, the young people had the fearless spirit of newborn calves.

On the day of Yuan Shikai's enthronement ceremony.

All the propaganda brochures were replaced with banned books, specifically Liang Qichao's books.

That thought-provoking flame.

Even knowing that this action would anger the reigning emperor.

And I did indeed witness a classmate fall down and be shot on the spot.

The emperor's dignity must not be dishonored.

I am angry.

But I am not confused.

There was not a trace of confusion.

I am just a boy who loves reading.

If I were born in a peaceful era, I would probably just be an ordinary librarian, working from nine to five, spending the rest of my time immersed in the library, indulging in romance and leisure.

What a wonderful era this is, what an enviable era.

But that's not the case in the present world where I live.

Emperor.

When I was born, the country was still ruled by an emperor.

I can see it without reading the book.

A beggar, poor, destitute and numb, dressed in rags, with numb eyes and skin as thin as a rake, and with a long braid.

I can easily distinguish who is a member of the Eight Banners, who is a member of the imperial family, and who is a poor person.

The wishes of the poor are simple.

Having enough to eat and wear is their ultimate dream.

They invented many interesting dishes, such as Zheluo Rice, Rotten Meat Rice, and Staring Food.

They found amusement in the situation and made fun of the names of the invented dishes.

But ultimately...

It was leftover food from the Eight Banners soldiers and imperial nobles who had eaten their fill of fat.

Ah, why are they unwilling to share their surplus with the poor?
Why is it that farmers, who are the ones who grow the food, are the ones who have the hardest time getting enough to eat?
I tried to find the answers in the book.

But books never give me the answers.

But I was able to summarize it.

The country was shattered, and the nation was humiliated. These things had nothing to do with the royal family and nobles. The reason they were able to sign these agreements so easily was because the peasants were the ones who paid the price.

Who are the people who hold this country together? I only know that.

Grain is grown by farmers.

When a country is weak, it is they who suffer.

They are the ones fighting the war.

They were the ones who were killed.

They were the ones who starved to death.

At this moment, Li Xuan felt as if there were two worlds before him: one was himself living in the modern world, a world he could not see or understand.

One is the view of China as seen by students in 1913.

"Yuan Shikai, I'm sorry to the Republic of China!"

At this moment, Li Xuan shouted loudly.

The youth's ambition influenced those present.

Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin.

Cai Sen and Xiao Zisheng.

They roared in the same anger.

Yuan Shikai, I'm sorry to the Republic of China!
Facing the gun barrels, facing the inevitable white terror that is about to arrive.

At that moment, Wang Jinsong saw courage and awareness.

How a character is portrayed depends on how he responds when faced with choices.

Wang Jinsong seems to have grasped the filming style of youth films that he used to work on set.

Indeed, if they had been born in a peaceful era, they might have really been just a group of outstanding students with distinct personalities, just like in the script.

They are self-reliant and have their own strengths and weaknesses.

They also had their own youthful years.

But the era they faced was different; it was an era of national ruin, a time of national upheaval and the rise and fall of nations.

The alternation between invasion of China, feudalism, and democracy.

The edge of chaos and confusion.

In such times.

In an era where death could occur at any moment.

Yuan Shikai's gun was already pressed against the students' backs.

He's really capable of shooting; he doesn't care if you're a student or not.

But the students really dared to stand up.

They are truly courageous in standing up for what is right.

Wang Jinsong understood it clearly.

He truly understood.

What kind of shaping is this?

The young people who stepped forward can enjoy their youth in times of peace, but in times of war...

They can also study for the rise of China.

These students in front of me.

It really came to life.

The impact on the production crew and on everyone else.

Nothing is more than that kind of 'anger,' which draws them into the rhythm from the script, from their feelings, and from their temperament.

Let everyone truly experience everything that this era brings.
Living in an era of national crisis and turmoil, we young people had to shoulder responsibilities.

An era that needs 'great men' is a tragedy.

But to choose to become a great person in a sorrowful era is to be great.

Born in a sorrowful age, choose the noblest aspirations in a sorrowful age.

That kind of sentiment.

It struck a chord with the students.

Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen's admiration for Li Xuan reached an absolute level; one could say it was an unparalleled feeling of reverence.

They then fully realized the gap between themselves and Li Xuan.

The gap is too big, an absolute gap.

I could feel it too.

The true charm of this script.

Through acting and immersion, let everyone truly feel why they are great, rather than through books or oral accounts.

Their awareness and charisma.

His ability to understand scripts is so strong, it's as if he truly lived in this era—and it's precisely because he truly lived in it that he can act so well, direct so well, and truly bring out this feeling.
Really, incredible.

This gave them a sense of being there.

Is this the director's skill? It's terrifying.

At this moment, many students from Hunan First Normal School also gathered around.

For most people, filming is still a novel and exciting activity.

In particular, the film tells the story of their alma mater.

Some of the guest teachers and professors included Jiang Bing, a professor of Marxism-Leninism, who had studied in the Soviet Union and genuinely experienced 'Communism', rather than the later Soviet revisionists who went completely astray. Their thoughts were all quite upright and patriotic.

When Jiang Bingyi heard that someone was filming his story, the story of "The Young Pioneers," he was actually quite curious.
Actors can be divided into good actors and bad actors—but in any case, the word "actor" is considered to represent a rather low level of education by most serious professors.

Can they really understand the spirit of young students?
And I've also heard that the person in charge of this project is a young man. Can he really understand it?
It's very suspicious.

When I saw the director and lead actor, I just felt that he was too young, to an extreme degree, and he didn't seem to have that "red sun" vibe.

It wasn't until the first 'transformation', when criticizing Yuan Shikai's attempt to become emperor, that feeling of transformation was felt.

That's what made him slightly more impressed.

That's acting, the skill of impersonating someone else.

Actors, who play other people's professions, feel like they've completely become another person.

But in any case, this work is still worthwhile, and it's good that the venue wasn't closed off, allowing students to watch it in an 'edutainment' way.

At this moment, the Marxist-Leninist teacher was explaining it to us.

Because university campuses are open to the public, not only university students but also children in the surrounding area are experiencing this 'edutainment' feeling with novelty.

Jiang Bing then described the cruelty and brutality of this era of war: the restoration of the Beiyang warlords, the invasion of small islands, and the struggle over political lines.

Everything is gray, not particularly positive.

But at this time.

The central focus of the introduction is Li Xuan, and Li Xuan and his group of Beijing Film Academy students who played the roles of the students who saved the country back then.

This scene, with the recitation of "The Young China," serves as a summary of the first half of "The Young Students."

"The responsibility to cultivate the future youth of China rests on the shoulders of the Chinese people. What are those old and decrepit people worth mentioning!"

"What are those old and decrepit people worth mentioning? Their days of parting from this world are not far off, while I, a young man, am newly arrived and have my own destiny with this world."

"If we, as young people, have a bright future ahead but no clear future behind, and are destined to be treated like cattle or horses, slaves or servants in China, then the cruelty of being cooked and whipped will befall us, the young people."

"If China dominates the world and becomes the world's leading power, then the honor and prestige of commanding and looking after others will be enjoyed only by us young people. What does it have to do with those who are on their deathbeds and living among ghosts!"

Mingming, the Marxist-Leninist professor just talked about this pessimistic period of history. Li Xuan was reciting "The Young China" and two people, Luo Jin and Zhu Yawen, naturally followed along with Li Xuan.

The captivating charm of Liang Qichao's magnificent writings.

No wonder Liang Qichao was an idol to so many students back then.
Passionate, boiling with excitement.

The ability to output sound brings an immersive emotional experience to the recitation.
Even members of the production crew, including Wang Jinsong, began reciting: "I am no longer a boy, but I can still be infected by the passionate heart of a boy!"

The boys in the photos, and the boys off-camera.
Everyone was immersed in this feeling.

At this moment, Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin began to take over.

"It is understandable that they would simply ignore it!"

“If I remain indifferent, it is unspeakable, and it will make all the youths of the country truly become youths.”

"Then our China will be the nation of the future."

The sight of the actors representing the Three Friends of Xiangjiang standing together made this Marxist-Leninist teacher feel somewhat dazed.

They were reciting.
That unusually intense feeling.
More and more people were drawn in, including other 'classmates', at which point Gao Yuanyuan and Jiang Yan made contact.

"Its progress is immeasurable. If the youth of the whole country are also old, then our China will be a country of the past, and its demise can be awaited with bated breath."

More and more people, all the student actors, are naturally in the camera's view.

The teenagers centered around Li Xuan.

A burst of passionate energy.

"Therefore, the responsibility of today does not lie with others, but entirely with us, the youth."

"If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth are wealthy, the nation is wealthy; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong; if the youth are independent, the nation is independent; if the youth are free, the nation is free; if the youth progress, the nation progresses; if the youth surpass Europe, the nation surpasses Europe; if the youth are the most powerful on Earth, the nation is the most powerful on Earth!"

"The rising sun shines brightly, its light is boundless!"

"The river flows out and flows into the ocean!"

"A dragon rises from the abyss, its scales and claws flashing!"

"The young tiger roars in the valley, and all beasts tremble in fear!"

"The future is vast and the days ahead are long."

"How beautiful is my young China, as timeless as the heavens! How magnificent are the youth of China, as boundless as the nation!"

With aspirations for the future and the blazing sun, Wang Jinsong discovered that the emotions expressed in their recitation directly infected those outside the film set. Even the old professor who always seemed to have some complaints about the crew joined in the recitation.

"The Young Students" were in their prime.

Who rules the fate of this vast land?

at this time.

Wang Jinsong felt from the beginning that they were too young to be making this TV series.

At that moment, I felt...

It might be a bit early to film other projects, but for this one...

This boy's age.
It's just right!

At this moment, he looked at Li Xuan again.

This unparalleled ability to infect emotions stems not only from the genuine feelings he conveys, but also from his unmatched vocal talent; no one else could achieve such a powerful impact.

It's not just the people in the play.

Even people off-screen can be moved. You know, people off-screen don't have this sense of conviction and immersion, but they are all moved by Li Xuan's live recitation.

If the editing doesn't go wrong, it's unimaginable how this segment would turn out on TV.

I can't imagine the capabilities of my students.

It's terrifying...
Wang Jinsong was still somewhat dazed at this moment.
He's completely different from Li Xuan when he first entered the university; he's on a completely different level.

This infectious energy. This ability to draw others into one's own atmosphere.

He thought about it.

Best Actor.

At least, they look very similar.
So young
He hiked through Hunan, formed a student army, and opened a night school for workers.
The next part of the story involves leaving the ivory tower.

This laid a foundation.

Learning is the path to national strength and national salvation, and the ideas inherited from Liang Qichao and Yang Changji are passed down through education.

Towards the path to becoming a powerful nation.

The main storyline of the first part of "When We Were Young" is based on this plot.

Students and teenagers are the future.

And learning is the path to a strong nation.

But it wasn't just them who influenced me; it was also Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the nation. Sun Yat-sen's experience taught me that internal reforms within an imperfect framework are futile.

Liang Qichao wanted to use learning to strengthen and save the country in the feudal empire, but he failed.

His spirit is commendable, but failure is failure.

We must inherit the torch of our predecessors, but also learn from their mistakes.

And at this time.

Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.

After traveling this thousand miles, I understood the truth.

I vaguely understood.

Sun Yat-sen, who abolished the imperial system, also had flaws in his framework. The people who overthrew the feudal imperial system with him were actually a group of local tyrants, a few big warlords and a group of small warlords. They were allowed to overthrow the feudal empire.

They did succeed, but while these warlords were indeed powerful enough, what were their stances?

They were simply changing emperors, from powerful emperors to lesser emperors. But what difference was there between a lesser emperor and a feudal emperor for the common people and for the country?

Although we still have the democracy brought by Sun Yat-sen as our guiding principle and talk about putting the people first, a guiding principle is one thing, but if we unite with the wrong people, the final result will be very different.

Reforms won't save it.

Just like Sun Yat-sen back then, he felt that reform could not save the feudal imperial system.

Just like me now, reform cannot save the Republic of China.

The way large warlords rule over small warlords will only lead to a cycle of tragedy repeating itself.

The final outcome was the Constitutional Protection War at the end of 1917.

Three thousand Beiyang soldiers were defeated in the war, but the teenagers staged a brilliant "empty city strategy," using 200 unarmed students to disarm the 3000 fleeing soldiers.

At this time, this year's students also officially graduated from the First Normal School.

Yang Jichang has also completed his mission.

My mission is over.

I am responsible for the talent in education.

West of Hengshan Mountain, east of Yuelu Mountain, men strive to become heroes among men.

The story ends here; this group of students founded the New People's Society.

The teenagers' youth has ended, and they are using their own ways to repair the ravaged country—that's a matter for the future.

They may part ways on this path.
But the principles and beliefs they uphold are by no means false.

A heart full of sincere patriotism.

What wonderful young men!

Wang Jinsong only realized what was happening when Li Xuan clapped the clapperboard to signal the end of filming.

It's over.

Looking back on this journey.

As a homeroom teacher.

Even as a homeroom teacher and acting consultant, he came here this time.

It seems to have no effect; it really has no effect at all.

Not only Li Xuan, but the performance of the other students also left him, as a teacher, at a loss.

Perhaps their acting is still a bit raw, which is almost inevitable. After all, most of them are still students in the general sense and have not actually acted before. Therefore, there will be flaws in their acting and script understanding.

But it seems that someone has solved the problem of [input].

This genius director has not only influenced the actors, but he has also directly influenced Li Xuan. Now, when he closes his eyes, he sees that era of war and chaos. If he weren't too old and embarrassed, he would really like to go up and shout, "Who will rule this vast land?"
The once-aged passion was reignited by the fire of youth.

It was my responsibility as a teacher to ignite the flame for the next generation; it was my duty. Instead, I was set ablaze by the flame, and the fire I set burned even brighter and fiercer! Suddenly, I felt a strange sense of historical responsibility on my shoulders.

In this peaceful era, with the country developing and prospering, saving the nation is a historical event.

Most people have lost touch with reality. Most people's understanding of this part of the story is already very vague, including Wang Jinsong. He admitted that he couldn't solve the crew's "input" problem, but the problem was solved by the extremely talented Li Xuan, who directly guided them into the play as the director and lead actor.

When immersion and engagement are sufficient, the most basic expressiveness, without any embellishment, can deliver an 80% feel—most people's acting is only 70%, and actors fresh out of university are considered impressive if they don't get criticized.

That's incredible—it means his understanding of this culture and this history is phenomenal.

Wow, she got a high score in history and culture class too! Such a deep sense of immersion!

The Marxist-Leninist professor from Hunan First Normal University praised this cultural worker more than once, saying, "He is truly cultured! This is so rare!"

I definitely have to support "The Young Pioneers".

at this time,

Wang Jingsong began to waver slightly; it seemed that this "The Young Students" might...
Maybe there really is something that can be done?

[Just Like Young Students: Simulation Completed]

[Reward: The Art of Leadership]

[Leadership Art: When you are the director, the overall acting ability of the actors on set increases by 1, and their immersion ability also increases.]

Great skill!
As a director, this skill is both simple and powerful.

At this moment, Li Xuan 'detached' from the role.

Everyone else seemed deeply immersed in their own thoughts, suffering from severe psychological trauma—it's unavoidable, that's the price of immersion, and the difficulty of detaching oneself from it.

"Are you really okay?" Wang Jinsong looked at Li Xuan and said with some complicated feelings, "You're clearly the one who's most deeply immersed in this."

"I'm fine."

Li Xuan said with a smile.

"I'm used to it when I'm filming."

"Okay, I've never seen anyone like you. The first time I saw you act, you already shocked me to the point of numbness. I never expected your acting to be done like this."

At this point, Wang Jingsong didn't want to think too much. He sighed; this had really numbed him.
The downside of immersion is psychological harm.

This is also incomprehensible. Only highly emotional people can easily immerse themselves in a story, but highly emotional people can also easily become saddened by empathy.

Li Xuan seemed different; he was extremely emotionally immersed and involved, but without any spiritual direction.

No problem at all.

Each time one enters a role, it requires a mental and physical check to ensure entry. In a sense, this makes one a "disease-fighting expert."

Now we can have some peace and quiet for a while.
Or, to put it another way, next, when their own work is released, they will be as a 'television actor'.

Works such as "The Plot", "To Live", and "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang" followed one after another.

Whether he can transcend the title of "Four Little Heavenly Kings" remains to be seen.

Crossing this threshold represents not only one's social standing and status.

Now, Li Xuan is also paying attention to the latest news.

If I don't get promoted this time.

I'm afraid I'll have to wear the label of "low-budget Huang Xiaoming".

Once the label is affixed.

Once a stereotype is fixed.

The consequences were predictable.

(End of this chapter)