A widower's entertainment

Xinghua Hutong, Beijing.

With the movie "Our Millionaire", Lin Youcheng, the father, had a much easier time. Although he still had to take care of his daughter, he no longer needed to worry about the filming.

Lin Youcheng is now sitting in a recliner in the courtyard, leisurely basking in the sun.

The youngest daughter, Lin Zhaoyuan, was playing house alone in the yard.

There was nothing that could be done. Lin Zhaoyuan was too young to go to school, and her older siblings were too old to play with her all the time.

"Looks like you're having a tough time on set?"

Xie Shuhua placed a plate of cut fruit on the small wooden table next to Lin Youcheng and asked, "Is filming very hard?"

"It's tough, but I'm okay. The one who's having the hardest time is Zhao Mei. She's the director, so she has to worry about so much."

Lin Youcheng ate some fruit and said with a smile, "However, Zhao Mei is very capable. She filmed this movie, and she filmed it very well."

Lin Youcheng genuinely believes his daughter is amazing because she actually managed to film "Our Millionaire." He was on set watching the whole thing and knows that Lin Zhaomei did a great job. Although the finished film hasn't been released yet, Lin Youcheng is already very proud of his daughter, Lin Zhaomei.

Xie Shuhua could hear the pride in Lin Youcheng's words about his daughter, Lin Zhaomei, and said with a smile, "Zhaomei, she has always been very capable."

"Yes, she has always been very capable."

Lin Youcheng smiled broadly, his lips curving upwards. He was naturally very proud of his daughter. Who else could be like her, getting into the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy in her second year of high school, and even ranking first in her major? Later, she made a short film that won the Best Short Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

While his father provided the necessary conditions, Lin Zhaomei's own abilities were the main reason for her success.

As Lin Youcheng and Xie Shuhua chatted, their gazes couldn't help but fall on Lin Zhaoyuan in the courtyard. Time really flies. Lin Zhaomei was only a little older than Lin Zhaoyuan before, just a six-year-old little radish, and now she can already make her own movies.

Time really flies!

Lin Youcheng felt a pang of emotion, and couldn't help but think that their "Our Millionaire" crew had been filming for nearly four months, and before they knew it, it was October 1997.

Speaking of which, Hong Kong has already returned to China.

Although they were still on set, the crew naturally watched the news broadcasts of the Hong Kong handover ceremony, a major event that attracted worldwide attention. The ceremony took place at midnight on June 30, and Hong Kong officially resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong at midnight on July 1, establishing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It must be said that this is truly a momentous event that the whole country is celebrating.

Lin Youcheng had a thought, and then asked with some curiosity, "Has anyone come looking for me lately?"

“Some people have come by, and they all know you’re on set, but they haven’t bothered you. For example, Cha Hai-sheng and his wife have come by. Cha Hai-sheng’s wife is pregnant, and she’ll be a father soon.”

Lin Youcheng was somewhat surprised to hear this, but then he felt that it was all normal, since Cha Haisheng was already married and would naturally have children in the future.

"Then we'll be attending his wedding banquet next."

Xie Shuhua smiled and nodded, then added, "Zhang Wei has come more than once."

Upon hearing Xie Shuhua's words, Lin Youcheng guessed that Zhang Wei had come to see him again because of the manuscript. However, he had just returned from the film set and didn't have any ideas for writing anything at the moment. He still wanted to thank him.

"By the way, the movie 'Human Wonders' has been released in China and is very popular. I heard there are long queues outside the cinemas."

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard Xie Shuhua's words; he knew about this matter as well.

The movie "Human Wonders" is currently ranked number one on the domestic film box office charts, simply because it is so wonderful.

Directed by Li An, and with this film winning Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival—starring Leslie Cheung and Zhang Manyu—and adapted from his classic novel "Human Wonders," the film was a huge box office success after its release in mainland China.

Yes, it really is incredibly popular.

There's nothing else to it, but the storyline of this movie is just too novel and unique. It features a fantastical life full of ups and downs, as well as an incredibly moving love story. In addition, the movie won an award at Cannes, and despite not having any particularly special plot, it was released in mainland China very smoothly.

It can be said that this film is not only being released in mainland China, but also simultaneously in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. After all, the nature of this film is very different. The two lead actors are from Hong Kong, while the director, Li An, is from Taiwan, the screenwriter, Lin Youcheng, is from mainland China, and it is a story set in mainland China. It is rare for such a film to be released at the same time.

Of course, this also includes overseas releases; it can be said to be a global release.

The novel "Strange Tales of the Human World" touched countless people back then, and now that the movie has been released, and Li An has made such a good film, it is naturally very popular.

"How about we go to the movies together tomorrow?"

Lin Youcheng smiled and said to Xie Shuhua that he was thinking of asking the family's nanny, Sister Zhou, to help look after the child while they went to see the movie.

Xie Shuhua understood Lin Youcheng's meaning, but shook her head and said, "Let's forget it and do it another day. It's hard to buy tickets at the movie theater now."

"So exaggerated?"

Lin Youcheng was quite surprised.

Xie Shuhua nodded and said, "It's that exaggerated. It's all over the newspapers. You didn't go to the cinema, so you wouldn't know. People were still queuing up late at night." Lin Youcheng was also quite surprised to hear Xie Shuhua's description. Well, they were filming on set and had no idea that the movie "Human Wonders" was so popular after its release.

Clearly, Lin Youcheng was unaware that the film "Human Wonders" was truly the most ferocious monster in the current film market. With the support of Cannes Best Actor Leslie Cheung, Berlin Best Actress Zhang Manyu, renowned director Li An, and the original novel by literary giant Lin Youcheng, the uncut, high-profile version was released and is now about to break 100 million yuan at the box office, with an average output of about 3.6 million yuan per screen and more than 14 million viewers. It is currently the hottest phenomenon in the film market.

Right now, everyone is following Lin Qi's extraordinary life story, and they are all moved by the love story between Lin Qi and Jiang Xi. Just like the big ship that will land in mainland China next year, it can even be said that the momentum of "Human Extraordinary Events" is no weaker than the box office hit of "Titanic" after it landed in mainland China in another timeline.

There's no other reason than that "Human Wonders" is truly a unique film in the current mainland Chinese film market.

Most mainland Chinese films are patriotic, but director Li An's "Human Tales" has the romance of an international blockbuster, a legendary story, and a delicate and moving love story. How could it not drive mainland moviegoers crazy?

It could even be said that there was no need for director Li An to make this film; mainland audiences would have bought a ticket for the story of "Human Wonders." But now that director Li An has made this highly legendary story so wonderful and entertaining, how could mainland audiences not go to the cinema to see this blockbuster?

It's worth noting that "Strange Tales of the Human World" is a novel that won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, and it was once hailed as the final installment of Lin Youcheng's four-part love story series, a tale of love stories that he was most adept at writing. The mismatched love between Lin Qi and Jiangxi truly moved countless people to tears back then. Now that they have the opportunity to witness this touching love story in the cinema, how could anyone possibly miss it?

It can be said that when Jiang Xi saw Lin Qi turn into a child in the movie theater, looking at the boy in front of her, the person she once loved and still loved, and asking, "Do you remember me? I am Jiang Xi," all the audience members in the theater were deeply moved.

This truly is the best representation of the stories written by Lin Youcheng.

The boy looked at him, not recognizing him at all, but said, "Jiangxi is a very nice name. My name is Lin Qi."

The boy, Lin Qi, looked into Jiang Xi's eyes, and she looked into Lin Qi's eyes as well. The two were reunited.

……

Eight-year-old Lynch said, "I feel like there are so many things I can't remember... It's like I once had my whole life, but I can't remember what it was like."

Six-year-old Lynch stood on the roof and said, "I can see everything. I can see the battlefield, where many people are buried. I can see the sea, and the ships. I can see..."

……

Jiang Xi took Lin Qi back to her home to take care of him. Lin Qi sat on the floor, rocking back and forth, staring into the distance, drooling, like a helpless old man. At that moment, Jiang Xi stopped and took out a handkerchief to wipe the drool from Lin Qi's chin.

The elderly Jiang Xi led three-year-old Lin Qi as they walked, and walked...

Then Lin Qi grew smaller and smaller, and began to toddle, almost unable to stand. Jiang Xi supported him from the side, afraid that he would fall...

Finally, in the dappled shadows of the room, Jiang Xi sat in an old chair, sunlight falling on her white hair and aged wrinkles. Lin Qi, now resembling a newborn baby, lay on her lap. Baby Lin Qi gazed at Jiang Xi, staring into her eyes, and raised his finger, grasping her thumb with his tiny hand.

In that instant, Jiang Xi knew clearly that he recognized her.

Then he closed his eyes, as if in a deep sleep, his eyes blinking, and then gently… closed them forever.

……

It's safe to say that by the end, every audience member in the theater was moved and shed tears, and this overwhelming emotion naturally translated into a surge in box office revenue.

This movie is so breathtaking and beautiful.

The film possesses a level of emotional impact rarely seen in domestic films, or even in foreign films. For this reason, after its release, cinemas across the country rescheduled screenings until late at night. In Shanghai cinemas, screenings were as early as 9:00 PM and as late as 22:50 PM, with "sold out" being the norm. Only 300 copies were available, and tickets in Guangzhou, originally priced at 50 yuan, were being resold by scalpers for 200 yuan. Group tickets became corporate perks, and many viewers watched the film five to seven times, or even more.

It's important to know that the ticket price wasn't cheap. At that time, the income and consumption level of ordinary people in Beijing was quite low. Even employees of public institutions only earned a few hundred or a little over a thousand yuan a month, while movie tickets ranged from ten to thirty or forty yuan. For many people, this was not cheap, and even somewhat extravagant.

Despite this, audiences flocked to the theaters, with many watching multiple times. Even on rainy nights, people lined up in the rain to buy tickets. Couples, families, and company groups filled every show. The rampant piracy of VCDs did not dampen the enthusiasm for cinemas.

There was no other reason than that "Humanity" was such a special film in 1997, a fantasy about turning one's age into a child. It was like a ray of light suddenly appearing, dazzling and captivating everyone.

As Xie Shuhua said, newspapers and news outlets are also reporting on the popularity of the movie "Human Wonders".

Domestic Film News – “The film ‘Human Tales’ has broken box office records again, exceeding 100 million yuan, and the box office continues to rise. Daily box office in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou has exceeded one million yuan, and group tickets account for more than 40%, setting a new record for the film market.”

Wenhui Daily reported: "The 1554-seat premiere screening at the Shanghai Grand Cinema sold out two days in advance. The 30-yuan tickets were in high demand, so the cinema added midnight screenings. Audiences brought snacks and lined up to wait for their turn, a rare sight in Shanghai cinemas."

Yangcheng Evening News – “Pirated VCDs in Guangzhou are priced at 20 yuan but have not impacted cinemas. The film ‘Human Wonders’ still has the highest screening rate after two months of release. Cinemas say no film has ever been able to maintain such a long run.”

Film Art – “The film ‘Human Wonders,’ directed by Li An, written by Lin Youcheng, and starring Leslie Cheung and Zhang Manyu, is being shown across my country, with long queues at cinemas becoming a popular viewing experience.” The accompanying photo shows a scene of people queuing to buy tickets at a cinema.

……

Undoubtedly, this is just the beginning, because the movie "Human Tales" is so attractive that after watching it, audiences will line up at the cinema, especially couples. Moreover, Leslie Cheung's posters are plastered all over the dormitories, and people are crying loudly in the cinema. It can be said that handkerchiefs are being wrung out in tears everywhere.

There was nothing else to it but that everyone in the theater saw that touching story, as if something had struck their hearts.

Director Li An's film offers a completely new experience for mainland audiences. Viewers didn't notice how quickly time flew by, completely captivated by the plot. From the visuals and acting to the storyline and music, everything drew them in.

It could even be said that this was the first time mainland audiences had experienced what a true blockbuster was like.

This immense popularity has propelled "Human Wonders" into the heart of the mainland Chinese film market, making it a powerful and unstoppable force! (End of Chapter)