Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

By the time the crew finished packing up, it was already around 9 p.m.

Even though the replica of the Old Summer Palace was located in the middle of nowhere, Li Hanxiang still contacted the major factories and asked them to put out the fire before leaving.

Li Jiangbo glanced at the dedicated Li Hanxiang, then at the somewhat clueless Chen Kaige.

He sincerely hopes that our poets will learn from Director Li's approach.

Stop ruining this place and then that place just to make a movie.

By the time the film crew left, the fire had been mostly extinguished.

Although everyone was in a heavy mood, they still ate and drank as usual. As Li Jiangbo said, "Why not eat it if it's free? It's not like we're eating at your house."

In mainland China, it's not common to have a dinner party after filming wraps up. Even though it's 81, it's only been five years since the reform and opening up, and people's entertainment life isn't very rich.

Because of the presence of Hong Kong people like Li Hanxiang, customs are still followed in Hong Kong.

However, only familiar faces participated, such as Gu Changwei, Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Zhang Tielin, and Liang Jiahui.

As soon as everyone sat down at the table, they quickly forgot about their earlier feelings after just a few words.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Jiangbo and Li Hanxiang whispered to each other, while Lin Qingxia listened quietly from the side.

A moment later, the poet, holding a wine glass, walked up to Li Hanxiang and Li Jiangbo.

"Directors Li, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I'll drink it, you can do as you please."

Just as Li Hanxiang was about to refuse, he heard Li Jiangbo say, "Student Chen, Director Li is not feeling well and cannot drink. I will drink in his place this time."

After saying that, he drank two glasses and then turned the glasses upside down.

This drew applause and cheers from everyone present.

Whether it was because the filming took too long or because the group was taking advantage of the wrap party, they all came to toast Li Hanxiang and Li Jiangbo.

Following the example set by the poet, Zhang Yimou and Gu Changwei also came to visit.

The two men, each holding a wine glass, were both entangled with either Li Jiangbo or Li Hanxiang.

Li Jiangbo knew that Li Hanxiang had undergone heart surgery, so he stopped both of them from drinking.

He drank one cup after another, which drew cheers from the others.

Li Hanxiang looked at Li Jiangbo, who was trying to avoid drinking, and felt a surge of emotions. The little guy who used to hang out on the Shaw Brothers set had now grown into a towering tree.

Seeing how much Li Jiangbo could drink, the poet felt a surge of competitive spirit. He winked at Zhang Tielin and the others, signaling them to go and toast Li Jiangbo.

We are all young people, and we all have a competitive spirit.

They lined up to toast Li Jiangbo, and he accepted all the toasts.

He kept drinking, toasting everyone, but he remained calm and composed.

This left Lin Qingxia, who was standing to the side, stunned, and everyone else dumbfounded as well.

Once everyone realized that Li Jiangbo could hold his liquor, their competitive spirit died down, and they all conceded defeat.

Seeing this, Li Jiangbo put down his wine glass and started chatting with everyone.

As the conversation flowed freely, the poet picked up his wine cup, drank the wine in it dry, and then slammed the cup down on the table.

"Comrades, today marks the wrap-up of filming. It should be a joyous occasion, but looking at the scene today, I think the actual burning of the Old Summer Palace back then was probably even more terrifying than what we see today."

"Therefore, I'll improvise a poem, and everyone is welcome to give their comments."

After whispering among themselves, the group nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, the poet suddenly stood up, paced a few steps, and then recited:

"The Allied forces' iron hooves trampled the capital, flames burned the garden and destroyed Yuxia. A thousand-year-old treasure turned to rubble, this national humiliation is etched in our hearts, awaiting our renewed vigor!"

After reciting the poem, the poet sat down proudly, awaiting everyone's evaluation.

The dinner table was silent for a few seconds.

Zhang Tielin was the first to applaud, "Great poem! Great poem! It has power!"

Liang Jiahui nodded in agreement. Although he didn't understand it very well, he found it quite charming.

Gu Changwei and Zhang Yi exchanged a glance but said nothing.

They are photographers, not poetry scholars.

Li Jiangbo chuckled inwardly; Chen Kaige's nickname was truly well-deserved.

He knew perfectly well what the poet had done in later generations. You see, when everyone was running for the position of director of the Olympic Games, they were all preparing their plans, but he recited a poem that left all the directors and leaders present completely bewildered.

The result was as expected: the Imperial Advisor was selected, while he was eliminated.

What he didn't expect was that the poet's penchant for showing off had become apparent so early on.

Unlike later generations, this time the poem was original, while later generations recited Du Fu's poems.

Li Jiangbo didn't offer any comments; he neither had the time nor the inclination.

He asked Lin Qingxia, "Miss Lin, Miss Lin."

Lin Qingxia was watching the poets in the room with great interest when she suddenly heard someone calling her name.

She turned around and saw it was Li Jiangbo, so she asked, "Director Li, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask when you're going to Shandong?"

Lin Qingxia pondered for a moment and then shook her head. "I haven't decided yet."

Li Jiangbo nodded. "How about this, after I've talked to Director Zhang, I'll go with you. It's your first time in mainland China, and you're unfamiliar with the area, so I'm a little worried about you."

"How could I possibly accept that..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Jiangbo waved his hand to interrupt her, "Sigh~! I brought you here, so naturally I have to take you back."

"Alright then, thank you very much, Director Li."

While the two were chatting, the poet in the center of the room also saw their private actions.

He thought Li Jiangbo was commenting on his poems with Lin Qingxia, so he said loudly, "Director Li Jiangbo, do you have any insightful opinions on my poems? Tell me, I'm all ears."

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Li Jiangbo, waiting for his comment.

Li Jiangbo remained calm and composed, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip.

"Chen, your poem is indeed quite good."

Upon hearing this, the poet smiled smugly.

"But, but."

His tone shifted, and the poet's smile froze instantly.

"If we can set aside those grand vocabulary words and instead describe a specific scene, the power of poetry will be even stronger!"

Upon hearing this, the poet fell silent, while the others began to whisper among themselves.

Chen Kaige knew Li Jiangbo was right; he had only used a clever trick in his piece, but he hadn't expected Li Jiangbo to see through it so easily.

Seeing that the poet remained silent, Li Jiangbo smiled and said, "Chen, poetry and filmmaking are the same thing. Once you delve deeper, you'll discover many things you never noticed before."

"For example, when the Eight-Nation Alliance burned down the Old Summer Palace, you only saw the national humiliation and hatred, but you didn't see the valiant resistance of the people at that time..."

Li Jiangbo's comments were brief and to the point, not criticism, but simply a simple comment.

Finally, the poet raised his glass and said, "Director Li, I oversimplified things."

Li Hanxiang laughed and smoothed things over, "It's just a matter of perspective today, a matter of perspective. Everyone, let's continue drinking."

Everyone quickly raised their glasses and echoed the sentiment, making the atmosphere lively once again.

Lin Qingxia, standing to the side, looked at Li Jiangbo with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

This man is not only a filmmaker, but also a warm-hearted person with unique insights into poetry.

Moreover, the confidence he exuded when he spoke was something she had never seen in that other person, which made her think all sorts of things.