Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

I enjoy wandering, and I also love the time when dusk and night meet.

—Sanmao, "The Story of Twilight" (1979)

……

Shanghai Film Studio, Guesthouse.

Screenwriter Zhang Huaxun sat in the corridor, smoking incessantly.

The movie I just watched, "Drunken Master," which was released last year by Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan, kept replaying in my mind.

The martial arts scenes, the tension of the action, the commercial atmosphere... all of these stirred his emotions and left him unable to calm down for a long time.

This movie was not shown in mainland China, but the Shanghai Film Studio obtained a copy and screened it in a theater that could hold 400 people, but the theater was packed with over a thousand people.

Even retired superstar Zhao Dan came to watch the film despite being ill. Afterwards, he loved the movie so much that he told the people next to him, "If I were thirty years younger, I would also make a movie like this."

Zhang Huaxun also had this idea in his mind: Could I make a movie like this?

He was born in 1936 and was admitted to the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy at the age of 22. After graduation, he was assigned to Beijing Film Studio.

After that, he became an assistant to the famous director Cui Wei and participated in the filming of films such as "Little Soldier Zhang Ga" and "The Journey Through Wind and Rain". Although he gained a certain reputation in the industry, he never had the opportunity to direct a film on his own.

He had a strange premonition that the times were undergoing a dramatic change, and the arts and literature world would gradually awaken.

If we don't seize the opportunity now, we might be left behind by the times.

Before this, there had never been a true martial arts film in the history of Chinese cinema!

If he can set such a precedent, he will definitely make a name for himself in film history.

This idea is both very risky and extremely tempting.

But how do you write the script for a martial arts film like this?

What should I write next?

He was at a loss for what to do, so he thought of two new friends.

He came to Shanghai Film Studio at the beginning of the year to revise a script called "This Is Not a Legend" and stayed at the studio's guesthouse.

The script was later renamed "White Lotus" and released in 1980.

Several other screenwriters were staying with him at the guesthouse, two of whom were his new friends: the famous writer and screenwriter Lu Yanzhou and Chen Rong.

Lu Yanzhou, born in 1928, is the eldest brother. He published his first work as early as 1954, and has produced numerous masterpieces since then.

At this time, he was invited by Shanghai Film Studio to adapt his own novel, "The Legend of Tianyun Mountain".

Another writer, Chen Rong, was born in 1935. She was writing a novel called "It Will Always Be Spring" and adapting it into a screenplay as she wrote it. She had two sons, one named Liang Zuo and the other named Liang Tian.

Because the turbulent era has just passed and the arts and culture scene only began to gradually reopen last year, the entire film industry is severely lacking in scripts.

As a result, many film studios would directly "grab" writers of all sizes and bring them to guesthouses, treating them to good food and drink, and making them keep writing and revising scripts!

His mind was becoming increasingly agitated, and he could no longer contain himself. He stubbed out his cigarette and went to knock on Brother Lu's door.

"The door isn't locked, you can come in."

Lu Yanzhou's voice came from inside.

He pushed open the door and saw Lu Yanzhou wearing a tank top and shorts, hunched over his desk, writing furiously.

"Oh, it's Xiao Zhang. What can I do for you?" Lu Yanzhou looked up at Zhang Huaxun and said with a smile, "Are you feeling bored with writing? Want to chat and relax?"

Zhang Huaxun didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "I have an idea, but I'm really unsure about it, so I wanted to discuss it with you and Sister Chen."

"That's easy!" Lu Yanzhou chuckled, immediately stood up, and shouted towards the door, "Chen Rong, come up here for a moment, we have a meeting!"

A short while later, a middle-aged woman in her forties slowly walked up and said irritably, "Brother Lu, what kind of meeting are you calling now?"

"It wasn't me who wanted to hold this meeting," Lu Yanzhou said with a smile, pointing at Zhang Huaxun. "It was Xiao Zhang. He said he was a bit undecided and came to ask for our opinion. Well, this is a good opportunity to have a meeting."

Lu Yanzhou was a meeting enthusiast; no matter what the matter was, he would always make it look like a meeting.

"Your room smells of smoke, it's so uncomfortable to stay here," Chen Rong complained casually.

"Let's go to the cafeteria then." Lu Yanzhou thought for a moment, then clapped his hands and said, "We can eat and chat at the same time, and everyone can relax a bit more."

These days, the separation of men and women is still quite strict. If the three of them were in the room, who knows what kind of gossip would spread.

"That's good!" Zhang Huaxun was also a little hungry. "This meal is on me."

The three of them went back to wash up, changed into more formal clothes, and headed towards the cafeteria.

"What are your thoughts on the movie we showed this afternoon?"

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, after ordering three dishes, Zhang Huaxun couldn't contain himself and asked directly.

Chen Rong put it bluntly: "The script is actually a bit loose, but the scenes feel completely natural. The fight scenes are incredibly captivating and spectacular. No wonder he's a Hong Kong action star; he's truly extraordinary."

"That's what commercial movies are all about!" Lu Yanzhou shook his head slightly, savoring the scenes from the film. "They don't preach any grand principles or require reflection; they're all about entertaining the masses, so the masses naturally love them to the core."

Zhang Huaxun then asked, "Do you think we could produce a film like that?"

"Huh?" Chen Rong looked surprised; she really hadn't expected this possibility.

Although Lu Yanzhou was somewhat surprised, his vision was quite far-sighted. After thinking for a while, he said, "Although the arts and culture sector has just been loosened, economic development requires spiritual civilization to keep up. Sooner or later, the domestic environment will pursue commercial films; this is an irreversible trend."

"My opinion is relatively conservative." Recalling some past experiences, Chen Rong gently advised, "The main problem is that the gap between us and Hong Kong films is too big. They've been developing for so many years, while we... even if someone really wanted to make this kind of film, which studio would fund it?"

"Let's put that aside for now!" Zhang Huaxun waved his hand and tapped the table lightly. "I think this has great potential. Domestic films have become somewhat stagnant, almost all of them are cut from the same mold. If films want to develop and catch up with Hong Kong and even Western countries, they must find a new path. I've summarized it in three words: new, unique, and strange."

"Without innovation, it's impossible to attract attention."

Unsurprisingly, there was no way to escape suspicion.

Without something unusual, you can't leave a lasting impression!

Lu Yanzhou and Chen Rong thought for a moment, then exchanged a glance, both agreeing that Zhang Huaxun's words made a lot of sense.

"So, do you have any ideas?" Lu Yanzhou asked.

"Yes, I do." Zhang Huaxun slowly revealed his thoughts: "If we're going to create something new, the script's theme has to be unique. I plan to use treasure hunting as a starting point. To make it stand out, the best way is to use the beautiful landscapes of China, like my wife's hometown, Leshan, which has a very unique Buddha statue. If we can tell a bizarre and fantastical story around this Buddha, it will definitely be popular."

"Using famous mountains and rivers to tell stories is indeed a good method." Chen Rong nodded in agreement.

The next second, she suddenly froze and stood up abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Huaxun and Lu Yanzhou were both startled.

"I remember now, Director Shi had someone send over a batch of magazines this morning," Chen Rong quickly explained. "It's the new 'Film Creation' from the Beijing Film Studio. Two of the new scripts published there perfectly match your ideas!"

"Really?" Zhang Huaxun was taken aback. He thought his idea was unique.

"I'll go get it!" Chen Rong didn't even finish her meal and hurriedly ran back to her room to retrieve the still-warm copy of "Film Creation".

Back in the cafeteria, she flipped to the table of contents of the magazine, pointed to the two scripts, and said, "These are the two."

Lu Yanzhou and Zhang Huaxun leaned closer to take a look and discovered that the two scripts were "Shaolin Temple" and "The Cotton Robe," but the author was the same: Huang Wenbin.

"Huang Wenbin, that's a very unfamiliar name. I've never heard of him before," Lu Yanzhou said, shaking his head.

Chen Rong recognized the name and explained, "This person is a young man who only emerged last year. He has published several high-quality short stories, and his novel also caused quite a stir last year."

"What is it?" Lu Yanzhou has been writing screenplays for the past two years and has indeed paid less attention to the literary world.

Chen Rong said, "We'll talk about that later. You guys take a look at these two scripts first."

Zhang Huaxun first flipped to the script of "Shaolin Temple," quickly read it through, and was immediately stunned: "This script is even better and more complete than I imagined. Was it really written by a young person?"

He flipped through "The Cotton Robe" again and exclaimed, "This book is a bit inferior to 'Shaolin Temple,' but the quality is just as good, and it perfectly meets my three principles of 'new, unusual, and strange.' Where did this kid come from? He's so amazing!"

"Indeed, the script for Shaolin Temple is quite solid." Lu Yanzhou also finished reading it quickly and clapped his hands, saying, "It's just that it doesn't quite fit the current trend of thought; it's just a pure entertainment film script."

"This is exactly what I wanted!" Zhang Huaxun loved the notebook more and more as he looked at it, even forgetting about his own idea about the Leshan Giant Buddha.

Chen Rong suggested, "Since this person published it in 'Film Creation,' then it must have some connection with the Beijing Film Studio. You're also from the Beijing Film Studio, so you could try to get the script."

"Sister Chen's suggestion is absolutely right!" Zhang Huaxun became more and more excited as he thought about it, and immediately stood up: "No, I can't stay here any longer. I have to ask Director Shi for a few days off. I need to finish this script first."

Then, he apologized to the two men and ran to find Shi Fangyu, the director of the literature department at the Shanghai Film Studio.

After reading the script for "Shaolin Temple," Shi Fangyu was very interested and said, "If you get this script, you can come and film it with us, and I'll let you be the director!"

"After all, I'm from the Beijing Film Studio!" Zhang Huaxun said somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's alright, Beijing Film Studio might not dare to approve this project." Shi Fangyu smiled, then called over a disheveled young man, "Xie Hong, you go with Lao Zhang to Beijing Film Studio. You must secure the script for 'Shaolin Temple.' If you can't get 'Shaolin Temple,' you must get 'The Cotton Robe.' I'll approve eight thousand yuan in funding for you."

Regarding script royalties, in the 1960s, the script royalties for feature films were between two and six thousand yuan per film; for short films, it was around one thousand to three thousand yuan.

After a period of turmoil, the arts and culture scene is just beginning to recover, so it certainly won't be that high.

Therefore, it was indeed a generous gesture for Director Shi to spend eight thousand yuan at once.

"Don't worry, Director, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Xie Hong patted his chest excitedly.

Zhang Huaxun felt somewhat embarrassed, since he was, after all, a member of the Beijing Film Studio.

"There's no time to lose, you should go to Yanjing now," Shi Fangyu urged. "Get the script as soon as possible and start filming as soon as possible."