A widower's entertainment

Chapter 446 [The Drama Craze] (Please Subscribe)
The release of the American film "Father and Son" once again proves that Lin Youcheng, an Eastern screenwriter, truly possesses considerable screenwriting skills in both commercial and art films. With "Seaside City," "The Night the Comet Came," and now "Father and Son," these three films have made Hollywood film companies very clear that Lin Youcheng, an Eastern screenwriter, is not limited by subject matter at all.

MGM and Paramount Pictures are undoubtedly very much looking forward to the two low-budget sci-fi films they recently collaborated on with Lin Youcheng: "The Butterfly Effect" and "Source Code." They each have a film in hand. Of course, Warner Bros. also has a big-budget sci-fi film, "Interstellar," whose script has not yet been developed. In addition, it can be said that all seven major Hollywood film studios have a script written by Lin Youcheng.

As for Universal Pictures' "After This Our Exile," which is currently showing, it's worth noting that half of the eight major Hollywood film studios have already collaborated with Lin Youcheng. The remaining studios, such as Columbia Pictures, United Artists, Fox, and Disney, naturally also want to work with this Eastern screenwriter.

However, it is clear that the opportunity for cooperation has not yet been realized, and they have still not been able to obtain the script from Lin Youcheng.

This is something that other Hollywood film companies are very concerned about. After all, the scripts written by Lin Youcheng, an Eastern screenwriter, are genuinely good. So far, none of his films have lost money, and they have achieved success both at the box office and in art awards. How could other film companies not want to cooperate with Lin Youcheng?

If Lin Youcheng hadn't been abroad, the producer probably would have actually knocked on Lin Youcheng's door until it was broken.

Of course, there are quite a few film companies approaching Lin Youcheng now, but Lin Youcheng hasn't given a direct answer yet, because he is currently writing a script for a short film for his daughter, Lin Zhaomei, or rather, the two of them are collaborating on a script together.

However, as time passed, Lin Zhaomei also had to start school. After discussing with her father, she naturally decided not to rush into filming the short film, prioritizing her studies. After all, getting into the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy still required academic performance.

For example, Director Jia failed the entrance exam for the directing department of Yenching Film Academy three times. He passed the professional exam on his last attempt, but his academic score was too low, so he had to go to the literature department of Yenching Film Academy. This can be considered as a roundabout way to get into Yenching Film Academy, which actually proves that the directing department of Yenching Film Academy is really not easy to get into.

Lin Zhaomei wasn't in a hurry, naturally feeling that it wouldn't hurt to wait until the script was polished up, or even until she was admitted to the directing department of Yenching Film Academy before filming.

Lin Youcheng was naturally aware of this. In fact, for Lin Zhaomei, shooting a short film was more of an experiment. Polishing the script in the early stages was also the director's job. Moreover, he was very clear that for Lin Zhaomei, the most important thing right now was to study. She was going to be a sophomore in high school, and even if Lin Zhaomei tried to apply to the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy next year, she would still need a certain score in the general education section.

With the start of the new semester, Lin Zhaoxi is now a junior, while Lin Zhaoqing is also very excited to report to Yanjing Physical Education Teachers College. He is a student with athletic talent who entered the physical education major. If he doesn't become a scientist, he might become a physical education teacher.

As for Lin Zhaoman, he will be entering the third year of junior high school, which means he will take the high school entrance examination next year. Lin Zhaohuan will be entering the first year of junior high school, and Lin Zhaole will be entering the fifth grade.

Although all the children had gone to school, the courtyard house didn't quiet down, because there was still a little tyrant there who could cry whenever he wanted.

However, while Lin Youcheng was in the courtyard with his little darling Lin Zhaoyuan, the post-production of the TV series "Crossing the Guandong," co-produced by CCTV, was completed. It was about to be broadcast on CCTV and several other local TV stations. Of course, this was because the TV series was co-produced by CCTV, Beijing TV, Shandong TV, and Liaoning TV. Naturally, when the TV series was broadcast, other local TV stations had to be taken into consideration. It was considered a CCTV premiere, followed by a second run on these three local TV stations.

There's no way around it; it's all due to CCTV's status. Otherwise, CCTV could produce it on its own. Of course, this is also because Lin Youcheng, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, went to great lengths to write the script for the TV series, and Zheng Xiaolong was to be the director. CCTV also respected Lin Youcheng's opinion and found other local TV stations to co-produce it. Otherwise, CCTV could have produced it independently with its own capabilities, and there would have been no need for local TV stations, let alone Lin Youcheng's film and television company.

Regardless, the TV series "Crossing the Guandong" attracted much attention from the very beginning of its filming because it was based on a script written by Lin Youcheng, who is famous both at home and abroad. It was also produced by CCTV in conjunction with other TV stations, and featured award-winning actors such as Siqin Gaowa and Lü Xiaohe. It can be said that this series was highly anticipated.

The TV series "Crossing the Guandong" is about to be broadcast, and both industry insiders and audiences are eagerly anticipating it.

It was with this kind of anticipation that the TV series "Crossing the Guandong" was broadcast.

Without a doubt, the story of the TV series "Crossing the Guandong" is quite exciting from the very first episode.

Starting with the severe drought in Shandong in 1904, a Zhu family in Zhujia Village, Zhangqiu, was unable to raise a shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet as a bride price, causing the marriage of their eldest son, Zhu Chuanwen, to Tan Xian'er, a daughter of the Tan family, to be repeatedly postponed. The shi of millet they finally managed to gather was then stolen by bandits on the way to the wedding. The Zhu family's mother, Wen Ta Niang, was unable to arrange the wedding with her three sons, only to learn that her husband, Zhu Kaishan, who had been away from home for four years, had been executed after the Boxer Rebellion was defeated.

In despair, Wen's mother contemplated suicide, but learned that Zhu Kaishan was waiting in Northeast China to reunite with his family. She decided to take her three sons to Northeast China to find him. Xian'er, who longed to be with Chuanwen, secretly left home against her family's wishes, but missed the Zhu family. The Zhu family arrived at Longkou Port in Shandong, preparing to travel by water to Northeast China, only to find a large number of refugees stranded there, suffering from hunger, cold, and malaria, their fates uncertain.

The Zhu family finally boarded the last batch of ships, only to discover Xian'er, who had been pursuing them all along. Left with no other choice, the eldest son, Chuanwen, jumped overboard and went ashore, traveling by land with Xian'er to Northeast China. Chuanwen's mother, leading her second son, Zhu Chuanwu, and third son, Zhu Chuanjie, also traveled by water to Northeast China, and the family was separated from then on. At sea, due to the Russo-Japanese War, many ships were sunk by cannon fire. Chuanjie saved the merchant Xia Yuanzhang at a critical moment. Chuanwen and Xian'er encountered bandits on the land route, fleeing all the way until the ship finally reached shore. Xia Yuanzhang rushed into Lushun, a city littered with corpses, and discovered that his entire family, except for his daughter Yushu, had been killed. Chuanwen's mother, with her two sons, endured countless hardships to reach Yuanbao Town, where they met Zhu Kaishan. The Zhu family, separated for many years, was finally reunited.

Meanwhile, Chuanwen and Xian'er worked for a family elsewhere, spending the winter there. The Zhu family, reunited, hoped for a joyous New Year's celebration, but on New Year's Eve, an uninvited guest brought the devastating news that He Laosi had been murdered at the gold panning site. He Laosi was Zhu Kaishan's sworn brother, and to avenge him, Zhu Kaishan disregarded his family's objections and decided to risk his life to enter the gold panning site. In just two episodes, the plot twists and turns, making it incredibly exciting and thrilling. The cinematography and acting are superb, and the second episode's viewership on CCTV jumped to 40%, a truly remarkable achievement.

Of course, such ratings are also due to the fact that in 1994, the premiere of "Journey to the West" had a rating of 89.4%, which was an even more remarkable record.

However, with the first two episodes of "Crossing the Guandong" airing so far, viewers across the country have truly witnessed the story of crossing the Guandong during that turbulent era, which can be described as quite exciting.

Following this, there were several exciting and thrilling plots, including Zhu Kaishan's second visit to the gold panning field, Zhu Chuanwen's collapse and subsequent illness, and Xian'er's self-indulgence in selling herself as a child bride to save Zhu Chuanwen. These plots attracted audiences from all over the country.

In Tianjin, Xie Zelin and Zhang Aiqin finished their housework early and were waiting to watch the TV series "Crossing the Guandong".

Lin Youcheng also bought them a better television set. They knew that Lin Youcheng had written a TV series called "Crossing the Guandong". They watched it as soon as it aired. Whether it was to support their son-in-law or out of curiosity about the content, there was no doubt that the show had really captured their hearts.

"I wonder what will happen to Xian'er and Chuanwen!"

Zhang Aiqin poured Xie Zelin a cup of tea and waited for the TV series to air. She then chatted with Xie Zelin about the show "Crossing the Guandong".

"Yes, I wonder how Youcheng will write it, but Xian'er and Chuanwen, those two actors, acted really well!"

"Yes, Zhu Kaishan and Wen's mother also acted well. This drama is well-written, well-filmed, and the actors performed well!"

"I can't wait for Xian'er and Chuanwen to reunite with their families, otherwise I don't know what might happen along the way."

"Youcheng, this drama is really well written! I called him yesterday to tell him about it. All the neighbors are watching the drama he wrote!"

It's not that Xie Zelin and Zhang Aiqin were deliberately praising Lin Youcheng's TV series; rather, "Crossing the Guandong" genuinely attracted audiences of all ages across the country with its compelling storyline. And naturally, children would watch "Crossing the Guandong" with their parents.

Xie Zelin and Zhang Aiqin were discussing the plot while waiting for the next episode of "Crossing the Guandong" to air.

It's fair to say that at the same time, every household across the country was glued to their television sets, waiting for the broadcast of "Crossing the Guandong." There was no way around it; the show was just too captivating.

Obviously, the news media also reported on the immense popularity of the TV series "Crossing the Guandong," which truly generated an unprecedented response. Especially after Xia Yuanzhang and the shopkeeper across the street conspired to train Zhu Chuanjie in debt collection, the desperate Xian'er encountered the Wang family opera troupe and became an apprentice of the troupe leader, Wang Laoyong, to learn opera. The tyrant Chen Wuye detained everyone in the opera troupe, brutally beat Wang Laoyong, and forced Xian'er to... Meanwhile, two gold carriers were beaten to death for stealing gold at the gold mine. Zhu Kaishan, however, ordered everyone to remain inactive...

It can be said that the plot is becoming more and more exciting, with both happy and sad moments, and one climax after another, immersing the audience in the TV show. Every household is watching it, making it quite popular.

Many media outlets have praised and reported on this wonderful period drama, creating an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm. For example, the *Yanjing Daily* published a commentary praising it, stating: "...The TV series *Crossing the Guandong* focuses on the Zhu Kaishan family's migration from Shandong to Northeast China to make a living. Through their repeated escapes from death, their moments of happiness and joy, and their heart-wrenching separations, it tells viewers a series of true historical events and compelling stories, showcasing how an ordinary Shandong family tenaciously took root, thrived, and multiplied amidst a tragic and desolate fate in the vast and desolate landscape of Northeast China." The TV series has repeatedly broken viewership records. The whole family watches "Crossing the Guandong" together on time, witnessing the migration across Shandong during that turbulent era. It's a story of the joys and sorrows of an ordinary yet extraordinary family, a microcosm of that time, imbued with a profound sense of historical weight. The actors' roles and performances are authentic. Zhu Kaishan's every word and action is profound yet natural, conveying a wise yet resolute man, exuding masculine strength. His accurate and nuanced portrayal of expressions brings the character to life, making him even more outstanding. The young actors are equally brilliant…

As the Yanjing Daily commented, other media outlets and newspapers also published commentaries and discussions about the TV series "Crossing the Guandong". Of course, because the TV series was still airing, more media outlets and newspapers were reporting on the series' popularity and soaring ratings.

It was incredibly popular; everyone was talking about the TV series "Crossing the Guandong".

It can be said that with economic development, television sets have now entered people's homes. Television dramas are now the most popular form of entertainment for the general public. This is why the film market has been impacted to some extent. After all, people can watch television dramas at home. The drama "Crossing the Guandong" is so captivating and close to people's lives. After all, the history of crossing the Guandong is not that far away. How could such a wonderful and touching television drama not be loved by the general public?

Now, with the airing of the hit drama "Crossing the Guandong", the real craze has only just begun!
(End of this chapter)