The only sun in Huayu

November has arrived.

The wind on the Gobi Desert grew increasingly fierce, like tiny knives scraping painfully against the face.

The filming of "No Man's Land" was like a finely wound-up machine, running more and more smoothly under Shen Shandeng's control.

During this time, Shen Shandeng also took a trip around Karamay when he had some free time and ate the original version of Dapanji (Big Plate Chicken).

This famous delicacy from the border regions that would later become known was only just beginning to take shape at this time.

By chance, Shen Shandeng met several first-generation oil workers.

They were in their teens or twenties back then, and are now retired.

This allowed Shen Shandeng to witness another magnificent life, an epic tale of building a city from scratch.

The inspiration in my heart surged ever stronger.

Shen Shandeng also visited the Black Oil Mountain Scenic Area. He saw the naturally overflowing crude oil pools and a statue of an old Uyghur man riding a donkey and playing the rawap, erected to commemorate the discovery of the oil field.

The desolation and weight of the landscape struck a chord within him.

"They dedicated their youth, their entire lives, and even their descendants."

This is not just a slogan; it is the real action of many people here, members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

They built a city in the Gobi Desert and transformed the Gobi into fertile land.

People in later generations always ask what the great mistake was?
Actually, it didn't make many mistakes.

It wasn't out of goodwill that China was allowed to join the WTO; rather, there was a severe financial crisis at the time, and the opportunity to make money was a factor.

China's achievements were not bestowed upon it by its enemies, nor was the sun summoned by its own voice.

in contrast.

The enemy has done as much harm as possible at every stage, but the Chinese are stronger and their leadership is better.

Therefore, when China wins one day, it should give them the same reward.

I hope they are equally powerful.

Seeing that the actors and crew were completely immersed in the role, Shen Shandeng decided to strike while the iron was hot and shoot the climax scene at the end of the film.

For this grand finale, the assistant director of Team C spent several weeks searching the city for the perfect light that could capture that subtle glimmer of hope amidst despair.

The night before filming began, Shen Shandeng, wrapped in a military overcoat and braving the cold wind, made a special trip to Yan Danchen's room.

After more than a month of getting to know each other, the two had become quite familiar with each other and no longer needed to spend half a day exchanging polite greetings.

"Sister Chen, am I not disturbing you? Shall we go over the scene again tomorrow?"

Outside the room, Shen Shandeng rubbed his hands together, exhaling white breath.

Yan Danchen quickly ushered him in.

At this point, she was no longer as glamorous as when she first arrived. Her lips were chapped and her skin was rougher, but her eyes held a newfound resilience and weariness.

She was just thinking about tomorrow's play when Shen Shandeng arrived at the perfect time.

"Director Shen, your arrival is just in time. I was indeed a little unsure of what to do."

Yan Danchen poured Shen Shandeng a cup of hot water, her brows furrowing slightly as she said, "Look, our film is shrouded in darkness from beginning to end. The humanity and the environment are suffocating. But the ending feels different, a bit bright? Doesn't that seem a bit out of place with the overall tone?"

Shen Shandeng warmed his hands with a hot water cup, smiled and said, "Good question. This is art, true art. It's not about being dark and uncompromising to be profound."

Yan Danchen was still puzzled: "But don't art films these days all aim for complete darkness and critique of reality?"

Shen Shandeng shook his head and said, "Sister Chen, think about those so-called 'art films' on the market now, especially those involving our own culture. What's the formula?"

He put down his water glass and began to give his opinions on the country.

"Isn't there always a need for a perspective? A perspective that allows the so-called 'modern civilized world,' which is basically the West, to see the 'ignorance' and 'backwardness' of our land, and then create some conflict, some so-called 'tension' and 'reflection'?"

Yan Danchen nodded: "There is such a creative concept, but it has always been quite controversial."

"Controversy? This is not a controversy at all," Shen Shandeng said with disdain. "This is just groveling, a narrative strategy of pandering to foreigners!"

"They find everything about themselves displeasing, so naturally, they simply set themselves up as foreigners, letting foreigners act as the 'eyes of civilization' to 'save' or 'examine' our 'pre-modern' land."

Yan Danchen remained silent, seemingly processing these words. Shen Shandeng gave a recent example: "Take the melamine scandal from two months ago, for instance."

"Let me state this first: those unscrupulous companies should be punished and shut down; there will be absolutely no leniency!"

"But when problems arise, the normal approach should be to rectify the industry, strengthen supervision, and prevent our own companies from causing further trouble, right?"

"But look at some of these media outlets, a small group of them, their thinking is so bizarre! Instead of thinking about how to solve the problem, they wish they could take this opportunity to let outside companies monopolize our dairy market!"

“It could even escalate indefinitely, directly labeling Chinese milk powder as ‘inferior’ and ‘Chinese standards as outdated.’”

"Having just broken the technological gap in China's dairy industry that had lasted for more than 20 years and overcome a technical challenge, what happened? Almost immediately after, this huge scandal broke out, and it's all over."

Shen Shandeng sighed, not out of pity for the company, but because he found the timing of the event so abrupt that it left him speechless.

It's just as coincidental as a period drama.

Shen Shandeng was particularly puzzled after watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Logically speaking, since Zhang Yimou showcased many elements of traditional Chinese culture, foreign audiences should be even more curious.

As a result, not only historical epics, but also movies, cultural exchanges in all aspects were intentionally blocked.

"What's most ridiculous is that some media outlets are even actively putting this stigmatizing label on themselves, eager to admit that this is nothing short of being extroverted and fawning over foreigners."

Shen Shandeng wasn't trying to whitewash anyone; what he disliked was the media's double standards: "Then look at other countries! Morinaga's arsenic-laced milk scandal killed hundreds of children, but did the company go bankrupt? They're still doing just fine now, aren't they?"

"And the US FDA and Food and Drug Administration are authoritative enough, right? They've even detected excessive levels of melamine in products from big companies like Nestlé and Mead Johnson!"

"And what did the senior officials in charge of food safety say? They changed their 'zero tolerance' attitude and quickly drew a 'safety line,' saying that anything below that level would be fine."

"Under the same standards, how much of the media do you see focusing on foreign countries?"

Speaking of this, Shen Shandeng thinks of the oil tankers that will appear in the future. If there were no comparison, he wouldn't bother to talk about it.

The tanker truck was discovered to belong to an outside company, and the company went from being heavily criticized to disappearing without a trace.

Yan Danchen seemed to understand a little. "You mean, double standards?"

“Exactly!” Shen Shandeng said, “It’s a double standard! Some people have fabricated a perfect, flawless ‘civilized world’ in their minds, and usually the West is the representative of this.”

"They turn a blind eye to or easily forgive the problems in the West, but they are incredibly harsh on us, as if they want to use a magnifying glass to find fault, and they magnify even the smallest flaws."

"The same principle applies to the art of film."

Shen Shandeng steered the conversation back to the film, saying, "They would create a fictional 'savior' from outside to illuminate our 'dark' land."

"The root cause is the same: subconsciously, people feel that Western things are good and civilized, while our things are inferior and need to be saved."

"They will also unconsciously portray Chinese people as dehumanized 'barbarians' full of bestiality, while foreigners are 'civilized people' full of divinity."

He looked at Yan Danchen with a serious expression and said, "Therefore, our novel 'No Man's Land' cannot have an outside savior, nor can we label ourselves as 'barbarians'."

"We can't portray all the Chinese characters in the film as beasts with nothing but animalistic instincts, while implying that the outsiders are angels."

In fact, the original "No Man's Land" didn't have a savior from the outside world; it simply showcased animalistic instincts.

It refers to the extreme personality traits of a person under extreme circumstances.

It has no direct connection with the outside world, but it has indirectly merged with it.

Furthermore, with the West stirring up trouble with ruthless methods starting next year, the film indirectly resonated with the outside world.

Shen Shandeng wanted to disrupt this resonance!

Yan Danchen listened in a daze. Shen Shandeng's artistic concepts were almost completely different from what she had learned in the academy and heard in the industry.

But it also carries a strong impact and persuasiveness.

She sensed that this young director was harboring immense energy, not only wanting to make films but also vying for a voice in the world.

This deeply shocked Yan Danchen!

It's as if we've glimpsed just the tip of the iceberg of Shen Shandeng's vast creative ambitions.

This man wanted far more than just a successful movie at the box office. (End of Chapter)