Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

Chapter 86 Disrespect for Buddha Statues (Please Subscribe)

Huang Wenbin was mentally prepared for the Shaolin Temple to fall into disrepair.

The monks of Shaolin Temple lived a rather austere life during this period.

The people living down the mountain are not doing well, so naturally they won't come up the mountain to give alms. The dozen or so old monks have cultivated a few vegetable plots, and they occasionally take the vegetables down the mountain to exchange for firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

Therefore, Huang Wenbin had instructed director Wu Tianming to come a month in advance and also asked the crew to donate two thousand yuan to the Shaolin Temple so that they could repair the gate first, and leave the rest of the money for the monks to improve their meals.

Although the scenes in "The Cotton Robe" at Shaolin Temple are not numerous, they are all key scenes.

For example, in the opening scene, Supervisor Wang Cheng leads Qi Tianyuan to seize the position of Shaolin Temple abbot, and in the ending scene, there is the great battle at Shaolin Temple.

However, these scenes can be replaced with alternative temples.

However, some scenes involving martial arts training and daily life still need to be filmed on the Shaolin Temple mountain. It's not feasible to film all the scenes at Shaolin Temple outside.

Huang Wenbin wanted this courtyard gate and the scene of the martial arts training room.

Wu Tianming and Xu Xiaoming arrived early. They were equally shocked when they first arrived, but they've gotten used to it now.

Zhen Zidan and several other martial arts practitioners were greatly disappointed; the legendary sacred place for martial arts practice was actually dilapidated.

There were only a dozen or so thin old monks in the courtyard, who did not look like martial arts masters at all, and were so weak that they seemed like they could be killed with a single punch.

The abbot at this time was Shi Xingzheng, who would later become the famous Shaolin CEO Shi Yongxin's master.

Shi Yongxin did not become a monk until 1981, at which time he should still be in his hometown in Anhui.

Having worked with Chen Huaikai, Huang Wenbin now manages the various affairs of the production crew in an orderly manner, which impresses Wu Tianming and Xu Xiaoming.

In Hong Kong, most film crews operate in a free-for-all manner, with each crew having its own foremen. The director only needs to give these foremen instructions, and generally doesn't care how chaotic or noisy things get underneath.

Wu Tianming's previous film crews were mostly named by the government because the members were all employees of state-owned enterprises.

Huang Wenbin's approach was a combination of both, employing both flexible arrangements and direct orders, and he struck a good balance, ensuring that no staff members showed any resistance.

Fortunately, although the Shaolin Temple was dilapidated, several of its main halls were still intact, so they could use the space to sleep on the floor.

Those who have just arrived should find a place to rest first.

Huang Wenbin then called on Zhang Yimou to carry a camera and shoot some establishing shots, because how could the beautiful landscapes not appear in the movie?

Zhang Yimou went back to his hometown for New Year's Day, and after the holiday he went to Xi'an, and then came to Shaolin Temple with Wu Tianming ahead of time.

"Shoot more, even if it doesn't make it into the final cut, it's still a record of the times."

Huang Wenbin started by filming Shaolin Temple, providing visual materials for future generations to understand Shaolin Temple.

"These Buddhist temples are simply works of art; it's such a pity they've fallen into such disrepair."

Zhang Yimou kept sighing with admiration as he filmed.

After turning a few corners, I came across a rather quiet courtyard with a small two-story building.

Huang Wenbin looked up and discovered that it was the famous [Scripture Repository].

"Greetings, comrades." Two or three monks came out of the room, one of whom was Abbot Shi Xingzheng. He put his hands together and greeted them very politely.

Huang Wenbin replied, "We are not leaders, we are here to film a movie. Someone should have told the abbot beforehand."

"

"So you've arrived, esteemed guest." Shi Xingzheng knew that the other party was the generous philanthropist who had donated money, and his attitude became even more respectful. "Thank you for your generosity. You will surely have many children and grandchildren, and enjoy many blessings and long life."

The Shaolin Temple is so poor right now. The two thousand yuan that Huang Wenbin had the film crew donate saved their lives. Otherwise, they would have had to go down the mountain to beg for food sooner or later.

According to the original timeline, they were indeed nearing their breaking point. Fortunately, the 1982 film *Shaolin Temple*...

After its sudden rise to fame, the government allocated funds to repair the temple, and with donations from believers all over the world, it gradually emerged from its predicament. Later, under the leadership of Shi Yongxin, it gradually transformed into a business empire.

Master Xingzheng is 65 years old this year. Although his hair and beard are all white, he is still in good spirits and has sharp hearing and eyesight.

Don't assume that monks are all depicted in later films and television dramas with slicked-back hair. They're so poor they can't even afford to eat, let alone shave their heads. They shave themselves with a razor, leaving just a small stubble.

Shaving one's head requires certain conditions.

"What are you filming?" At this moment, a young monk nearby couldn't help but ask, "You're even filming the Buddha statue in the main hall! This is disrespectful to the Buddha!"

Zhang Yimou was startled and quickly explained, "We were just taking pictures of the scenery and buildings. The Buddha statue was just caught on camera; there was no disrespect intended."

The young monk was still somewhat displeased: "You people are chattering away in the temple, treating Shaolin Temple like a marketplace."

Huang Wenbin looked at the young monk with some displeasure. Where did this kid come from?

"Mao San'er, shut up." Shi Xingzheng noticed Huang Wenbin's displeasure and immediately shouted, "How could the Buddha break the precept against anger? How could he get angry over such a trivial matter? You noble people are taking pictures of the Buddha statue; this is to promote the Buddha's reputation and the Shaolin Temple's reputation. What a great favor this is!"

"Yes, we just want to spread the glory of Shaolin Temple," Zhang Yimou said with a dry laugh.

"What elegance is left? It's all tattered beyond recognition." The young monk couldn't help but curl his lip.

Shi Xingzheng glared at him angrily: "What did I tell you? Don't let anger get the better of you. Reflect on your actions in seclusion for three days!"

The young monk gave a soft snort and turned to go back into the house.

"I'm sorry, you two must have made a fool of yourselves!" Shi Xingzheng immediately apologized to Huang Wenbin and Zhang Yimou, and then explained softly, "He is a farmer's son from the foot of the mountain. His parents made him ordain as a novice monk to follow me in my practice. But Shaolin Temple has fallen into such a state of decline that I can hardly guarantee him a full meal here. So I just shaved his head and temporarily accepted him as a novice monk."

To put it bluntly, the temple is full of old monks, and Shi Xingzheng is in a hurry to find a successor. He can't let the Shaolin Temple's legacy end in his hands.

The young monk was aware of this, and thus became somewhat arrogant.

No wonder Shi Yongxin rose to power so quickly later on.

Huang Wenbin didn't want to get involved in these messy things, and simply comforted her, "Things will get better. Once our movie is released, the government will definitely allocate funds for you to rebuild the temple. More film crews will come, and life will get better and better."

The old monks stood there dumbfounded, showing no reaction to Huang Wenbin's words.

Shi Xingzheng realized that Huang Wenbin's words made a lot of sense, and suddenly said, "Then could you please take a picture of the Buddha statue and leave an image so that other Shaolin disciples all over the country can see it?"

"Can I take pictures of the Buddha statue?" Zhang Yimou hesitated, feeling that it might be disrespectful to the Buddha.

Shi Xingzheng smiled and waved his hand: "What does it matter? If Buddha knew, he would praise you, allowing him to let more believers see it."

"That's no problem." Huang Wenbin nodded. "Where is that Buddha statue?"

"The Buddha is inside," the young monk said, pointing to the room.

Huang Wenbin glanced inside; it was pitch black with little light. "Could you bring out the Buddha statue?"

The monks, including Shi Xingzheng, were somewhat puzzled.

"It's too dark inside, you can't see anything in the photos," photographer Zhang Yimou immediately explained.

So the monks went back inside and together moved the Buddha statue out.

This is a bronze statue of Weituo, which is about one meter tall. The workmanship is quite exquisite, but due to its age, the surface has turned black.

Zhang Yimou felt that filming just one Buddha statue wasn't very meaningful, so he said, "Masters, please all be in the shot together and say a few words."

"Enter what?" Shi Xingzheng and the others exchanged bewildered glances, somewhat at a loss for words. "What are you talking about?"

Huang Wenbin said with a smile, "Just chat and talk as usual, and he'll take some pictures of you in your everyday life."

Upon hearing this, Shi Xingzheng and the others understood and began to chat.

What we talk about isn't important, because we can't record audio simultaneously during filming now; we do the sound effects and stuff after filming is done.

After filming a short segment, Huang Wenbin left with Zhang Yimou.

Shi Xingzheng expressed his gratitude once again.

Zhang Yimou said with some surprise, "These monks are quite humane, not rigid at all."

"They're either starving or have run away from the mountain," Huang Wenbin replied casually.

Zhang Yimou thought so too.

After a half-day break, filming officially began for some martial arts training scenes.

These people were all athletes from the martial arts school. They had shaved their heads early and changed into the modified monk robes they had brought. They all looked energetic and imposing.

Looking at these young people, Shi Xingzheng sighed inwardly, wishing they were really Shaolin disciples.

"Brother Zhao, you're standing at the very front, so you're the leader of the team."

"Hey, Xin Xin, don't show your face. You'll be playing the role of a eunuch later."

There aren't many people who know martial arts, so they have to be used repeatedly.

Xiong Xinxin and Donnie Yen, who later became villains, were also at the back of the group, their faces covered, playing minor roles.

At that time, Shaolin Kung Fu was not as widespread.

Therefore, Huang Wenbin asked Xu Xiaoming to improve a set of Shaolin boxing that looked very cool, based on those Shaolin-themed movies in Hong Kong and some theories taught by Shi Xingzheng.

"Alright, let's officially begin filming, everyone take it seriously!"

Huang Wenbin clapped his hands, shouted loudly, and then handed the scene over to Xu Xiaoming.

Xu Xiaoming is a mature director with unique insights into scene direction and actors' performance.

He knows exactly how to perform martial arts moves in a way that looks good on camera and makes the audience cheer.

Huang Wenbin, Xu Xiaoming, and Wu Tianming had a clear division of labor: Huang Wenbin was responsible for the overall scheduling and arrangement, Xu Xiaoming was responsible for filming action scenes, and Wu Tianming was responsible for filming dramatic scenes and communicating with relevant departments.

The three of them worked together happily and there were no conflicts.

The scenes at Shaolin Temple were originally planned to be filmed in about a week, but because everyone was just getting used to each other, it ended up taking half a month.

Just then, Li Hanxiang and Li Heizi arrived in Yanjing by plane.