Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 259 Rebirth
Act III: Rebirth (2017-2025)
In the second half of 2017, the Hollywood blockbuster "Mulan" held auditions worldwide.

Liu Qianqian, who had always longed for a breakthrough, resolutely flew 14 hours from Beijing to Los Angeles after learning the news.

Without taking a break, she went straight to the intense two-hour audition.

With her outstanding abilities, she stood out from thousands of people and won the role of Mulan.

Filming for "Mulan" began in August 2018 in both China and New Zealand.

To better portray the character, Liu Qianqian devoted herself to character development from the preparation stage, embarking on high-intensity physical training and muscle-building exercises day after day.

Before the morning light had completely dispelled the chill of the film set, she was already sweating profusely on the training field. Her clothes were soaked with sweat time and time again, and then gradually dried in the sea breeze and sunshine, leaving behind rings of white sweat stains.

Each time she lifted the heavy training equipment, the soreness spread up the nerves in her arms and throughout her body, but her eyes remained as firm as a rock.

When practicing swordsmanship, she repeatedly studied the strength, angle, and speed of each movement, striving to accurately recreate Mulan's heroic figure on the battlefield.

To film equestrian action scenes well, she could ride horses and be suspended by wires again and again, without caring about the recurrence of her old injury or the danger.

To film a perfect flying slashing move, she can try and repeat it dozens or even hundreds of times.

Even if her arms are so tired that she can barely lift them, as soon as the director yells "Let's do it again," she will immediately be fully recharged and throw herself into the filming.

Looking at herself in the mirror, gradually becoming more toned and with more defined muscles, even though her beautiful appearance was altered by this rigorous training and she suffered a lot of ridicule from the Chinese entertainment industry.

She simply smiled slightly, her eyes filled with fearlessness and pride.

She knew that every drop of sweat and every scar at this moment was a mark of her soul merging with that of Mulan.

During the filming of a tense and intense war scene, the set was filled with smoke and the shouts of battle were deafening.

Being there, she truly felt Mulan's sense of mission to protect her country and her indomitable spirit.

From that moment on, she was no longer just playing a role, but became Mulan, carrying the passion and heroism of a thousand years ago, shining brightly on this battlefield of film and television.

It is this pure love and dedication to her acting career that has enabled her to always stick to her principles and never back down when faced with various difficulties and doubts.

He also generously showed off the effort and results he had put into the role – his muscles!
2020年9月4日，《花木兰》在小日子和美国上映，9月11日在华夏内地上映。

Due to the challenges of co-productions and certain external factors, "Mulan" did not achieve the expected success.

When Liu Qianqian was promoting the movie "Mulan" in North America in 2020, she expressed her liking for "The Girl Who Plays Go" and its author, and also mentioned that she had the opportunity to star in its adaptation.

However, these remarks have been targeted by some individuals with ulterior motives.

Even though Jiang Wen also liked this author's novels and took a photo with him, some people with ulterior motives turned a blind eye and only wanted to bring down Liu Qianqian.

Liu Qianqian also became embroiled in a public opinion storm in China for recommending this book.

Many people with ulterior motives and powerful forces have begun to guide public opinion, saying that Liu Qianqian's thinking is problematic, and then extending that Liu Qianqian herself is problematic!
That's right. Because they like this book, some people with ulterior motives have turned Liu Qianqian into a traitor in their logic.

However, the book was published in France in 2001, in China in 2002, and translated into 17 languages ​​and published in many countries.

The book has been selling normally, and the author has not been criticized. Over the years, everyone has felt that the content is normal and there is no problem.

Is there a problem as soon as Liu Qianqian makes a recommendation?

Were all the people who read this book before stupid?

A deluge of malicious accusations came crashing down on Liu Qianqian like a tidal wave.

Simply for recommending a book that I like to read, I was unjustly labeled by malicious people and slandered as a "traitor" or "national sellout."

At that moment, she felt like the whole world had turned upside down, and her heart was filled with grievance and confusion.

Every time she opens her phone and sees those vile comments and malicious speculations, her hands tremble involuntarily, and her chest feels as if a huge rock is pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe.

At night, she lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling, the sharp and sarcastic comments echoing in her mind, making her toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

She asked herself over and over again, "Did I really do something wrong?"

Even if opinions differ, simply expressing a love for a book—how does that become such a heinous crime?
I have always tried my best in everything and treated the people around me sincerely, so why should I be treated like this?

Countless times, she wanted to stand up and loudly refute the claims, to reveal the truth to the public.

Her past experiences have shown her that doing so is useless and will only cause more harm.

Those people don't care whether they've been wronged; they only care if the news is sensational, can attract attention, and generate traffic. In this wave of malicious public opinion, their voices are too insignificant and may be instantly drowned out.

This feeling of powerlessness was like a dull knife, repeatedly tearing at her heart.

Fortunately, things took a turn for the better.

On September 11, 2020, just as the controversy was escalating, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned Liu Qianqian in response to the controversy surrounding the film "Mulan" and made an official statement on behalf of the Ministry.

"You mentioned Liu Qianqian, the lead actress in the film, who previously expressed her support for the Hong Kong police. I think she is a modern-day Mulan, and I want to give her a thumbs up. She is excellent; she is a true daughter of China!"

This matter seems to have come to an end.

However, as Liu Qianqian finished filming "Mulan" and began to return to China to film TV series and reappear in front of the Chinese people, various interest issues within the Chinese entertainment industry also arose.

(P.S.: Filming for "The Story of Nanyanzhai" began at the end of 2017 and wrapped on June 15, 2018. After that, the cast of "Mulan" began, but it has yet to air.)
On January 5, 2023, the official Weibo account of the Sichuan Drug Rehabilitation Administration criticized the online novel "Unwavering Charm," sparking a wave of online reports against the novel, and "Go Girl" was also included in the list of criticisms.

On January 7, the official Weibo account of Legal Daily published a lengthy editorial criticizing "Go Girl" and launched a related Weibo topic.

More than two years later, with the help of some people, Liu Qianqian was once again involved in the incident, which sparked widespread discussion and remained a hot topic for some time. She was frequently mentioned afterward.

In fact, this kind of mudslinging has become obsessed. Today, those online trolls are willing to smear Liu Qianqian and smear her for just five cents.

Tomorrow, someone might betray their country and smear it for a single dollar.

This is a very important issue!
It's worth noting that during the 2008 earthquake, Liu Qianqian donated almost all of her previous film salary, 100 million RMB, but this offended many celebrities and companies.

After that, she dared not donate any more money and could only follow the crowd.

However, donating too much will be criticized, and donating too little will also be criticized.

Donating too early will get you smeared, donating too late will also get you smeared.

Even if the donation is made at the right time and in the right amount, it will still be attacked and smeared.

Even after exhausting all methods, they still couldn't harm Liu Qianqian's fundamental health.

Some individuals and forces also became anxious and launched a smear campaign against her on various fronts, including nationality, treason, and political stance.

In November 2024, the rumor-mongers even photoshopped Liu Qianqian's old photos and forcibly linked them to the LLD incident, attempting to completely destroy her through this means.

However, having experienced countless rumors and slanders since childhood, and with the growing calmness that comes with age, Liu Qianqian has seen through these so-called rumor-mongering tactics.

She simply believed that the innocent would clear themselves and that rumors would stop with the wise, and focused on being herself.

She just wants to quietly film each movie well, hoping to become a good actress and offer wonderful performances to her fans.

After experiencing countless ups and downs, Liu Qianqian has become more cautious in choosing roles.

She may have only valued the charm of a role in the past, but now she considers the team behind the work, the actors she works with, the script, and the potential risks in public opinion.

In terms of her acting style, she also incorporated more of her understanding of the complexities of human nature, no longer simply portraying characters, but trying to convey her insights into life through her roles.

In terms of values, she adheres to her love for acting and will never bow to unfair rules.

She knows that only by maintaining her own purity and inner self can she go further in this complex entertainment industry and use her strength to refute all doubts.

When Liu Qianqian returned to the Chinese film and television industry with three TV series, "Meng Hua Lu", "Go to the Windy Place" and "The Story of Rose", she once again reached the top and enjoyed immense popularity.

However, she quietly stopped and did not strike while the iron was hot, rushing to take on roles and film to consolidate her gains.

She was clear-headed and knew that things in the performing arts couldn't be rushed and required a slow and steady approach.

She has long since achieved fame and fortune, but the pure love and pursuit of acting in her heart is what she can never let go of.

Therefore, she did not want to be swept away by the tide of fame and fortune, and decided to calmly reflect on herself.

With unwavering steadfastness and purity, she remains true to her original aspiration for the performing arts, guarding the pure and clear land within her heart amidst the hustle and bustle of the world.

(PS: I wanted to write something different from the previous movie, so I didn't describe the plot or the scenes in the movie in detail.)

I originally intended to insert some symbolic elements and storylines to represent the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly during the growth process.

I'd only written a few lines when, for some reason, I couldn't help but veer off-topic... So... never mind, I won't revise it, let it be!
(End of this chapter)