Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 60 The Termination of the War

For the entire Chinese entertainment industry, the hottest topic in July was the explosive box office success of "Transformers".

In June, a month after its release, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" grossed 1.26 million.

However, Transformers grossed 2242 million yuan on its opening day, July 11, setting a new record for the highest-grossing opening day in Chinese film history.

The number of viewers on the first day exceeded 10, with every screening sold out, and even the additional screenings were still in high demand.

By the end of July, Transformers had grossed over 2.4 million yuan.

This achievement leaves the recent hits like "Spider-Man" and "Pirates" far behind.

But at this time, what attracted even more attention from the entire entertainment industry was Cao Zhong and his "Nanjing Photo Studio".

This movie has garnered just as much public attention as Transformers.

……

On July 23, Beijing Film Academy published a statement on its internal website regarding the handling of the matter.

The statement offered a sincere apology for the school's problems and emphasized that future textbooks would be subject to rigorous review.

They promised that his biography would be included in the new students' textbooks in September.

The Beijing Film Academy deliberately omitted aspects related to art.

Cao Zhong knew there was a lot of maneuvering involved, but because it involved degrees and interests, he didn't interfere much.

……

The documentary "The American Version of Nanjing," released in July, tells the story of eight foreign friends who saved 250,000 people in Nanjing. This was the only time Cao Zhong, Wang Renjun, and Qi Jiuzhou went out during this period, apart from being busy with the film's release.

They watched a movie.

After reading it,

Wang Renjun, with a heavy heart, asked Cao Zhong, "Brother Zhong, what do you think of this movie?"

"It has its merits, but the perspective is purely that of an 'other,' telling the story of 25 people being saved by a few unarmed foreign friends. It's a description of suffering from a very small perspective, highlighting the compassionate hearts of the foreign friends. The latter half of the film is entirely composed of a group of 'actors' whose identities and ages are clearly mismatched with those of that time, giving emotional narrations, saying, 'You should be grateful for our help.'"

"Should we be grateful?"

“We should remember,” Cao Zhong said, “but this is the 70th anniversary of the DTS tragedy. At this juncture, to talk about their civilization and their humanitarianism, don’t you feel uncomfortable that the main point is being taken away from us?”

Wang Renjun and Qi Jiuzhou seemed to be deep in thought.

The film failed to gain traction and was pulled from theaters after just over ten days due to poor box office performance.

While people should remember this history, dry and uninteresting documentaries seem unlikely to achieve a comprehensive and effective coverage.

Before the film was taken off the screens, there was very little coverage of it.

After its run ended, people seemed to see the fate of "Nanjing Photo Studio" reflected in this documentary.

Surprisingly, there have been more news reports about it.

Furthermore, taking this film as a perspective, the discussion of "Nanjing Photo Studio" suggests that even if one were to watch the film, all one would see is sorrow, so why bother?

Cao Zhong was shocked when he saw this news description.

Cao Zhong has truly witnessed firsthand the power of journalists to say anything.

……

The Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei brothers from Huayi are getting increasingly panicked.

Although Cao Zhong's supporters have increased because of the two songs, he has also engaged in fierce online battles with the opposition.

However, there are also increasing claims that supporters are "angry young people".

Despite the intense verbal sparring between the two sides, the Wang brothers lacked confidence in its impact on box office revenue.

The failure of the documentary "The American Version of Nanjing" left Wang Zhonglei and Wang Zhongjun with a latent worry.

……

Bona's Yu Dong, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed.

First came the release of "Flash Point," followed by the release of "The Sun Also Rises." Bona Film Group's livelihood for the second half of the year rested on these two films. He felt that by following the lead of these top directors, he was sure he could make a living.

On July 26, the list of nominees for the 64th Venice Film Festival was announced, and Chinese-language films had a bumper harvest.

Just as promised by Marco Müller, president of the Venice International Film Festival, during an interview with reporters at the Shanghai Film Festival in June, all Chinese-language films were shortlisted.

As expected, "Lust, Caution", "The Sun Also Rises", and "Help Me, Eros" were all shortlisted for the main competition.

There are also films nominated for the Horizons documentary section and the feature film competition section.

Meanwhile, the news that Zhang Yimou had become the chairman of the jury prompted Jiang Wen to jokingly say in an interview: "Planning is up to me, and success depends on planning."

Hearing this, Yu Dong became even more excited.

Given Zhang Yimou's connection with Jiang Wen, he figured he might even be able to win an award, and then he'd be rolling in money!
……

Until October 7th.

Cao Zhong, who made controversial remarks at both the project's inauguration and launch ceremonies, has not given any interviews other than the release date and two songs.

Cao Zhong's supporters have been calling for reinforcements.

Although those two songs provided everyone with a great deal of room for strategic maneuvering, strategic stalemate, and strategic counter-offensive, Cao Zhong's scathing criticism was the best response to the media.

Amidst great anticipation,
On July 28, Cao Zhong published an article.

It instantly topped the headlines of major portal websites and forums.

But people were stunned when they saw Cao Zhong's headline.

Because the title contained no mention of bombardment or anything like that, but only four large characters: Decree to End the War.

Senseless,

Senseless!

Cao Zhong's supporters were stunned.

You've already invested in this movie?

Even Jia Zhangke, Su Mu, and others were stunned when they saw the title.

I don't know what's wrong with Cao Zhong.

However, after reading Cao Zhong's "Letter of Termination of the War," public opinion once again boiled over.

……

Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War

—This article is dedicated to the 300,000 wronged souls of Nanjing.

A heartfelt plea to my millions of compatriots:

Looking at the so-called "Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War" issued by Japan 62 years ago, every word is hypocritical and every sentence is false. It is as if they are trying to cover up their heinous crimes with ink and blood. Therefore, I have written this article to set the record straight and to commemorate this national humiliation with blood and tears.

Zhong directed "Nanjing Photo Studio" not to glorify hatred, but to preserve evidence. When you, the traitors, slaughtered the city, the Imperial Army's bayonets pierced the bodies of infants, and the smoke of gunpowder filled Nanjing. The Qinhuai River burned red for seven days, and the mourning on Zijin Mountain lingered for a hundred. Three hundred thousand lives were lost, women, children, and the elderly all becoming innocent victims—is this what you call "East Asian liberation"?

The Japanese emperor's edict stated that "the innocent suffering was truly unpredictable," yet there was systematic massacre, organized rape, and planned arson in Nanjing, the evidence of which is irrefutable! You officers actually take pride in the contest of killing 100 people and enjoy publishing it in the newspapers. How can this be excused by saying that it was "not in accordance with my will"?

Even worse, the imperial edict falsely claimed to "protect the national polity," yet your national polity has long been stained with the blood of Nanjing! "The immortality of China" belongs to the Chinese people, and "eternal peace" lies in peace! After the war, you still set up the Yasukuni Shrine to enshrine war criminals and tamper with textbooks. What is this if not "misleading the great path"?

Jin Zhong, as director, fulfills the responsibility of historian, using the screen as a monument and film as a tomb. Every frame is the last words of the victims, every sound is the blood testament of the survivors. We dare not forget the cold glint of bayonets on the walls of Nanjing, we dare not forget the corpses floating on the river at Yanziji, and we dare not forget the gunshots of the hunt in the international safety zone!
Zhong Jin solemnly swears: May this body become a mirror, reflecting the truth of history; may this shadow become a blade, severing the chain of lies. All viewers should remember—every word "endure hardship" in the Japanese imperial edict is a heart-wrenching pain for our compatriots; every word "end the war" is an unredeemed shame for 300,000 innocent souls!
May all our compatriots around the world, with their children and grandchildren, watch this film together. Let us not forget the soil soaked in blood and tears, nor the walls consumed by flames. Let us view history with clear eyes, defend the truth with unwavering resolve, and pray with righteous hearts for lasting peace!

Chinese sons and daughters are loyal

June 15th, Dinghai year
……

When Wang Renjun saw Cao Zhong writing a powerful article in the dormitory, his eyes were bloodshot, and he cried out in anxiety.

"Fuck it, fuck it! Fuck it, fuck it!"

战，
战，
Come and fight!

(End of this chapter)