Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 611 Final Chapter: The Sacred Flame as Witness, the Era as its Prelude
August 8, 2008, 7:30 PM.

All 91,000 seats inside and outside the National Stadium "Bird's Nest" in Beijing were filled.

From the air, this massive building, woven from 42,000 tons of steel, glows with a warm red light in the night, like a nest waiting to be ignited, quietly lying dormant at the northern end of the central axis of Beijing.

Inside the main control room, a circular wall composed of forty-eight monitoring screens displays every corner inside and outside the venue in real time.

In the stands, dignitaries, athletes, media personnel, and ordinary spectators from around the world are taking their seats, and the buzzing of conversations is transmitted to the control room through hidden microphones.

Wang Sheng stood in front of the control panel, wearing a dark blue stand-up collar Zhongshan suit with a small Olympic rings badge pinned to his left breast.

At thirty-two, he's still excessively young in this industry.

"Director Wang, all departments have completed the final confirmation." Zhang Yimou's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

The man from Northwest China, personally selected by Wang Sheng to serve as the executive director of the opening ceremony, said in a steady voice, "Thirty minutes to go."

"Received." Wang Sheng pressed the call button. "Execute according to the plan."

He put down the walkie-talkie and his gaze fell on the center of the monitor screen, on the 14,000-square-meter LED scroll that covered the entire center of the stadium. At this moment, it was dim, like a sleeping behemoth.

Over the past three years and five months, the "Olympic Project Team" directly under the Strategic Department of Shengying Group has undergone seventeen revisions of the plan, hundreds of technical demonstrations, and thousands of rehearsals.

The sound, light, and electricity linkage system of 2,008 drums, the waterproof and load-bearing technology of the scroll LED screen, the ergonomic design of the aerial running track, the intelligent programming matrix for group performances... Every creative idea was brought to fruition with countless sleepless nights and technical challenges.

……

8:00 PM.

At the top of the Bird's Nest, 2,008 jars simultaneously lit up with a ghostly blue light.

The LED screen on the jar displays a huge number: 60.

"Boom-"

The first strike of the drum was as deep and resonant as ancient thunder.

Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven...

The light from the drum array flickered in rhythm, gradually changing from a deep blue to a warm yellow, and then to a fiery Chinese red.

Every strike landed precisely on the beat of a heartbeat, and every change in light captivated the entire audience.

The instant the numbers reached zero, all 2008 drums simultaneously erupted with a deafening roar, and fireworks burst forth from their surfaces, weaving into a giant countdown number in the night sky:
“5、4、3、2、1——”

"boom!"

At the same time, the ring of fireworks at the top of the Bird's Nest was lit, and 29 huge firework footprints "walked" along the central axis of Beijing, from Yongdingmen, Qianmen, Tiananmen, the Forbidden City and the Drum Tower, and finally gathered in the sky above the Bird's Nest to form a sky full of stars.

The whole world held its breath at that moment.

The scroll slowly unfurled.

The ink wash landscape "grows" from the LED screen, with dancers using their bodies as brushes to leave flowing ink marks on the scroll.

Papermaking, movable type, the compass, gunpowder, the Silk Road, Zheng He's voyages to the West... Five thousand years of civilization flow by in fifty minutes, but it is not a simple accumulation of symbols, but a connection of spirit.

When the enormous "Zheng He Treasure Ship" raised its sails in the center of the venue, and when the "Maritime Silk Road" composed of 600 dancers undulated in blue light waves, many foreign guests in the audience couldn't help but stand up and applaud.

It's not because of its magnificence, but because it conveys an unprecedented attitude: we tell history not to reminisce, but to show that this ancient civilization has never been interrupted and is confidently striding into the future.

The group's performance of the "intelligent matrix" left viewers around the world in awe.

The LED lights on the bodies of three thousand performers changed in real time, displaying patterns such as the Great Wall, the Olympic rings, and a world map, finally settling on the words "Welcome to Beijing." The precise, synchronized, and technologically advanced performance completely overturned the West's stereotypical impression of "Chinese mass gymnastics."

During the athletes' entrance, Wang Sheng insisted on a bold design: as each delegation entered, the scroll would display the country's iconic image in real time—the Egyptian pyramids, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, the Sydney Opera House in Australia… But when the Chinese delegation entered last, the scroll would not display the Great Wall or Tiananmen Square, but a jigsaw puzzle composed of smiling faces of ordinary people from all over China.

……

"The ignition ceremony shall begin."

Li Ning took to the air.

It's not running, it's flying.

He "ran" along the 500-meter-long, sloping circular track at the top of the Bird's Nest, his body at a 45-degree angle to the ground, as if defying gravity.

The torch in his hand drew a golden trail in the night sky, and wherever he ran, the trail lit up with ribbons of light.

The entire audience of 90,000 people stood up.

Four billion viewers worldwide are watching.

When Li Ning ran to the main torch tower, he turned around, faced the entire stadium, and extended the torch toward the fuse—

The flames spread rapidly along the band of light, like a fire dragon awakening, spiraling and rushing towards the top of the main torch tower.

"boom!"

The moment the Olympic flame was lit, the largest fireworks display to date burst forth above the Bird's Nest.

The words "Beijing 2008" remained in the night sky for a full minute.

The opening ceremony has ended.

……

On August 28, 2008, Shengying Media Group held a press conference at the Beijing Hotel.

Wang Sheng, dressed in a simple suit without a tie, sat in the center of the stage.

The audience was packed with Chinese and foreign media, their cameras and microphones pointed at him, as if they were waiting for a verdict from an era.

"Thank you to all the media friends for coming," Wang Sheng began, his voice carrying throughout the venue through the microphone. "Today I will announce two decisions."

The venue was so quiet that you could hear the clicks of camera shutters.

"First, effective immediately, I will no longer serve as the CEO of Shengying Media Group. The Group's day-to-day operations and management will be fully handled by the Group's Strategy Department. The Strategy Department operates on a committee system and reports directly to the Board of Directors and relevant government departments. I will continue to serve as the Group's Chairman, but will only participate in major strategic decisions."

The audience was in an uproar.

"Secondly, over the next three years, I will gradually withdraw from the front lines of creative work. I will no longer serve as a film director, but will only support new projects as a producer or consultant."

The flashbulbs were going off like crazy.

Reporters eagerly raised their hands, and questions rained down on them like cannonballs:

"Director Wang, you are only thirty-two years old, at the peak of your creative career. Why did you choose to retire at the height of your career?"

"Is it because after the success of the opening ceremony, they felt there were no more goals to challenge?"

What is the future development direction of Shengying Group? What are your personal plans?

Wang Sheng raised his hand to signal for quiet.

“There aren’t many dramatic reasons,” he said calmly. “It’s just that I feel Chinese cinema shouldn’t have only one Wang Sheng. Over the past twelve years, my team and I have done some exploration and built some foundations. Now, it’s time to let more young people stand in the center of the stage.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room: "As for myself... I'm tired and want to rest. Spend time with my family, read some books, and maybe write something. I'll continue watching movies, but whether I make them or not, I'll leave it to fate."

A reporter followed up by asking, "What is your opinion on the media's statement that 'the Wang Sheng era has come to an end'?"

Wang Sheng smiled, a smile that contained both relief and a hint of mockery.

“There has never been a ‘Wang Sheng era’,” he said. “Chinese films have simply caught up with a good era, the country is developing, the audience is growing, and the market is expanding. I just happened to be at that point in time and did what I was supposed to do. This era is still going on, only a different group of people are running it.”

"As for the end..." He stood up and straightened his clothes, "On the night of the opening ceremony, when the Olympic flame was lit, I knew that I had run the distance I was supposed to run on this track."

Thank you everyone. Goodbye.

He bowed slightly, turned and left the podium without looking back.

Behind him, the media area erupted in chaos.

The following day, all the newspapers had similar headlines on their front pages: "Wang Sheng Announces Retirement, Marking the End of an Era."

From Wedding Videography to the Olympic Opening Ceremony: Wang Sheng's Twelve-Year Legend

"With the Sheng Ying Group entering the post-Wang Sheng era, can the golden age of Chinese cinema continue?"

……

Even after retiring from public life, Wang Sheng did not completely disappear from the public eye.

In 2009, the science fiction film "The Wandering Earth," which he produced, was released. With its stunning visual effects and profound sense of home, it pioneered the Chinese hard science fiction film genre and grossed over $800 million worldwide.

In 2010, the "Virtual Production System" developed by Shengying Digital Base won the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

In 2011, the TV series "Awakening Age," with Wang Sheng as the chief planner, was broadcast. With its film-level production quality and profound historical insights, it became a phenomenal mainstream work that influenced an entire generation of young people.

In 2012, Shengying Media's stock price broke through 300 yuan per share, and its total market value reached 400 billion yuan.

Under the leadership of Song Xinmin, the Group's Strategy Department completed the acquisition of Cineworld, the second largest cinema chain in Europe, bringing the number of screens worldwide to over 10,000.

In 2013, Wang Sheng made a rare personal directorial effort to create a low-budget art film called "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains," which tells the story of three generations of an ordinary family in Hangzhou.

Despite lacking large-scale promotion, the film unexpectedly grossed over 300 million yuan at the domestic box office.

That was his farewell work as a director.

After that, he did as he said, appearing only as a producer.

In 2014, he produced the animated film "Ne Zha," and in 2015, he produced the realistic film "Dying to Survive." Each of these films became a phenomenon of the year, promoting the diversification of Chinese film genres and deepening their concern for reality.

In June 2015, the Chinese stock market reached an all-time high.

Shengying Media's stock price broke through 500 yuan per share, and its total market value once exceeded 580 billion yuan, making it the world's most valuable film and television culture company.

During that period, the media began to discuss "Wang Sheng's vision" again. He had invested in Tencent as early as 2000, laid out the digital base in 2005, bet on virtual production in 2008, and launched the animation strategy in 2010.

Every seemingly forward-thinking decision yielded huge returns five years later.

However, Wang Sheng himself rarely appears in financial news anymore.

People see him more often at artistic occasions: the opening ceremony of the Beijing Film Academy, the award ceremony of the Youth Film Festival, and occasionally people encounter him in cafes on the Left Bank of Paris, ancient temples in Kyoto, or under the aurora borealis in Iceland...

Gao Yuanyuan's Star Era Entertainment has become one of the most influential artist management platforms in China, with more than ten top-tier artists under its wing.

She and Wang Shengsheng's twins, Wang Xian and Wang Ruoruo, one studied economics at Cambridge and the other studied architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design.

After giving birth to her daughter in 2010, Fan Xiaopang gradually faded out of the film industry and turned to behind-the-scenes work.

Her daughter with Wang Sheng, Wang Ning, is seventeen years old and is studying in high school in the United States. She dreams of becoming a lawyer.

Li Xiaoran gave birth to a son in 2011; the father's name is left blank.

The child took her surname, Li, and was named Li Musheng.

Cecilia Cheung gradually retired from acting after 2015, and reporters photographed her with her three children.

Han Sanping officially retired in 2012. Before his retirement, he was appointed as the deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, completing his transition from a state-owned enterprise leader to a ministerial official.

After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy, his daughter Han Jianu continued to run the foundation that supports young directors and is known in the industry as a "financial woman".

Those who once surrounded Wang Sheng—Chen Liang, Monkey, Big Liu, Little Soldier, Xu Ling, Wu Yiyi… some of them still hold important positions in the Sheng Ying Group.

Some have started their own businesses, while others have faded out of the industry.

……

Time flowed by like that.

In 2018, China's annual box office revenue exceeded 60 billion yuan, and the number of screens exceeded 60,000, making it the world's largest film market.

But a voice has begun to emerge in the industry: the market has grown, but good works have become fewer.

Genre films are becoming formulaic, original scripts are scarce, exorbitant salaries for popular stars are squeezing production costs, and capital is chasing short-term returns... The "golden age" that was once full of raw energy and creative passion seems to be fading away.

The Sheng Ying Group remains powerful, but it is no longer the "revolutionary" it once was.

It became a beneficiary of the existing system, a giant that needed to be challenged.

The strategy department under Song Xinmin's leadership has become increasingly cautious, placing more emphasis on data models than creative intuition in investment decisions.

Wang Sheng occasionally attends board meetings, but rarely speaks.

After 2019, Shengying's stock price fell from its peak, and its market value evaporated by nearly half. However, thanks to its strong cash reserves and diversified business layout, it remains the most resilient company in the industry.

However, Shengying, which once shouted "content is king", now has "cultural tourism real estate sector" and "digital technology service revenue" as the most eye-catching parts of its financial report.

On his 47th birthday in 2023, Wang Sheng revisited the suburban resort where he filmed the "veil kiss" advertisement in 1996.

The area is now a high-end residential area, but the lawn remains, meticulously manicured to resemble a golf course.

He sat on the bench, watching the sunset, recalling Li Xiaoran's blushing face, Chen Liang running breathlessly with the camera, and Han Sanping's words after watching the sample footage: "Kid, this is interesting."

Twenty-seven years have passed.

……

March 2026, an ordinary Saturday afternoon.

On Douyin, a short video quietly climbed to the top of the trending list.

The poster was a woman in her fifties with the ID "BJ Sister Chen".

The video title is simple: "Find out our wedding video from thirty years ago and see what we were like back then."

The video quality is rough, with a faded VHS tape converted to digital, but the content is surprisingly good:
At a wedding in the 1990s, guests wore suits and dresses that now seem quite retro.

Amidst cheers from relatives and friends, the bride and groom kissed. Then, the camera panned to a young, tall, thin cameraman with handsome features, wearing a vest with the words "Shengying Media" printed on it, who was squatting on the ground adjusting the camera position.

The video is only fifteen seconds long, but the comment section exploded:

"Holy crap! It really is Wang Sheng! Wang Sheng from thirty years ago!"

"1996... wasn't that when he first started his business?"

"So Shengying really did start by shooting wedding videos?"

"Look how young he was back then, his eyes were shining."

"I suddenly teared up. The origins of 'Havoc in Heaven' and 'The Wandering Earth' that we're watching now are actually here."

"Those were truly wonderful times; everyone believed that tomorrow would be better."

"I miss the golden age of Chinese cinema, and I miss Wang Sheng, who dared to think and act on anything."

The video was quickly shared over a million times, and #WangShengThirtyYearsAgo# topped the trending search list.

The media followed up, unearthing more early materials: a video of Wang Sheng's speech at the Beijing Film Studio fundraising conference, a film scan of the first "veil kiss" advertisement, old photos of the opening ceremony of "Family Harmony Brings Prosperity"...

A wave of nostalgia that transcends generations was ignited by a chance video.

Young people were surprised to discover that before the rise of traffic algorithms and capital games, Chinese cinema was once so vibrant. A group of children from film studios pooled their money to buy equipment, and a young director led an even younger team to create works that influenced a generation with rudimentary conditions.

There was no big data to guide the creation, no fan economy to hold the casting hostage, only a belief in good stories and respect for the audience.

Middle-aged people reminisce about their youth, those nights watching "Family Harmony Brings Prosperity" on TV and laughing until they cried, those days relishing the lines from "Crazy Stone," and those moments of excitement watching "The Battle at Lake Changjin" in the cinema.

"What we miss is not just Wang Sheng, but the era that believed in creation, in dreams, and in the ability of an industry to change the fate of many people," wrote a comment that received 100,000 likes.

(End of this chapter)