The literary era since 1979

Chapter 158 I Almost Lost Control
When seeing off Wu Zuxiang and others, Fang Yan heard the news.

Wang Fulin's idea of ​​filming "Dream of Red Mansions" has been supported by China Central Television, and he is actively carrying out preliminary preparations.

If nothing goes wrong, this great news will be publicized during the first national Redology Society conference in the second half of the year.

"Maybe you can help then."

Zhang Guangnian talked as he walked.

"You're joking."

Fang Yan shook his head and said, "My knowledge and understanding of Dream of the Red Chamber is still very superficial, so how can I participate in such a grand production?"

Zhou Weizhi smiled and said, "You may still be immature in Dream of the Red Chamber, but you have unique insights into drama, especially in performing arts. If you really shoot a TV series, you may have a place to use your skills. In short, learn from Comrade Zuxiang."

“I will strive to make progress!”

There was a firmness in the dialect tone.

Zhou Weizhi praised it for a few words, then changed the subject, saying that the most urgent matter now was the documentary "A Bite of China".

Since CCTV had already launched the projects of "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "Journey to the West", there was no extra manpower, financial resources and material resources to support the filming of "A Bite of China".

"This burden can only be carried by our comrades in the film system." Zhang Guangnian walked around the central lake, carrying the burden on his back.

Zhou Weizhi said: "Comrade Fang Yu and others have always wanted to invite you to film and cultural activities, to communicate in person and give guidance..."

"I dare not give instructions, but I can help with the advisory."

Fangyan waved his hand and said, "Give me a little advice."

"Just a little bit? Hahaha!"

Zhou Weizhi and Zhang Guangnian burst into laughter at the same time.

After saying goodbye to the two, it was still early, so Fangyan walked around the central lake, and suddenly, he heard a burst of singing.

Keiko Matsuzaka was humming a song by the lake. She noticed someone coming out of the corner of her eye. She turned around and their eyes met.

"Hello, oh no, kouniqiwa."

"Fangyan Sang, Kou Ni Qi Wa."

After saying this, the two of them stared at each other.

Chinese and Japanese are like chickens and ducks speaking different languages. I tried to use English to express my dialect, but it was still useless. I couldn't understand a single word.

Gradually, they all fell silent. The atmosphere was quiet and a little awkward. The wind was so noisy today.

Askasi!

Keiko Matsuzaka couldn't say anything, nor could she leave.

I was rude to Fang Yan at the previous welcome party, so I can't leave rashly this time and be rude to him again.

As if it was a first date, I glanced at her furtively.

I saw Fangyan looking around, as if looking for a translator.

After searching in vain, he took out the "Pocket Japanese-Chinese Dictionary" from his bag, and according to Bai Ruoxue's instructions, he searched for a while, then wrote down the words one by one in the notebook, clumsily putting them together.

Although the grammatical order was wrong, the sentence was short and for Keiko Matsuzaka, she could barely guess the meaning by looking at the basic vocabulary.

"Are you alone?"

"Uh-huh."

Keiko Matsuzaka nodded, then pointed at the pen in his hand, then pointed at herself and made a writing gesture.

Fangyan handed it over with understanding, followed the sentence she wrote, and looked up the dictionary again, just like learning a foreign language with Bai Ruoxue.

After some effort, I finally managed to translate it haltingly, "I want to go out for a walk alone."

When Keiko Matsuzaka saw him pointing at the pen and paper, she felt that this kind of communication, although strange and difficult, was fresh and fun.

Fang Yan, however, wanted to leave quickly and end the awkward conversation. He couldn't wait to write "Sorry to bother you" and then say "See you tomorrow" as Bai Ruoxue had taught him to say goodbye.

"Eh?"

Keiko Matsuzaka felt her hand being grabbed and her eyes widened.

Dialects are like pinching a ball of electrified cotton; it feels soft and like an electric shock.

Nowadays, touching a strange woman's hand a few more times may be considered as being a hooligan in public.

What's more, this is an occasion for cultural diplomacy.

The two of them retracted their hands and faced each other. Fang spoke in Japanese dialect while Keiko Matsuzaka spoke in Chinese.

"Simi Masai!"

"Can not align!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Matsuzaka Keiko and Fangyan looked at each other and couldn't help but burst out laughing, their bright eyes and white teeth were dazzling.

Then take a pen and write on paper.

"Fang Yan-san, I'm extremely sorry for my disrespect last time."

Fangyan didn't expect that he would have to spend so much time translating for such a small matter. He waved his hand and told her not to take it to heart.

Keiko Matsuzaka's eyes flickered and she smiled, intending to sing him her best song to make amends.

Fangyan listened quietly without doing anything that might offend him. Although she was pretty and had a nice figure, he couldn't look at her for too long.

Monster, I want you to help me practice!

The more this happened, the more interesting Keiko Matsuzaka found it. Her eyes sparkled, she was passionate, and her big wavy hair danced in the wind.

Gentle breezes blew across the water, ruffling the willow trees.

"Teacher Fang!"

At this moment, the singing attracted Bai Ruoxue, Suzuki Yoko, Hashimoto Yui and others, and the ambiguous atmosphere gradually disappeared.

Fang Yan let out a sigh of relief, the savior has finally arrived!
After chatting with them with a smile, I found out that after the film exchange activity tomorrow, we will be organized to visit Yuyuantan Park together.

...............

March is the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

In 72, more than 1000 of the 180 mountain cherry trees brought from Japan were planted in Yuyuantan Park.

"I haven't seen you for three days, and the world is full of flowers..."

"The sky is also intoxicated by the cherry blossoms, and the clouds are staggering."

Suzuki Yoko recited haiku, glancing at Fangyan from time to time. He stood beside Xia Yan with a serious face, listening to the two sides discussing the Japanese films to be introduced into the country this year.

"Torajiro's Story", "The Fiery Fifth Movement"...

Basically, they are all works of Shochiku Film Company.

Shochiku has deep roots in China. "The Chase", which caused a sensation in China, is the representative work of this company.

Even in the future, Chinese directors such as Jia Zhangke will cooperate with the Japanese film industry through filmmakers from Shochiku.

Fangyan supported Xia Yan and had a great conversation with Zhong Dianfei, Xie Tieli and other film industry leaders. Matsuzaka Keiko learned the identities of all the people he had talked to from Awara Komaki, and she covered her mouth and stared at them intently.

"Teacher Xiao Fang!"

"Stone Bureau."

Fang Yan was pulled aside by Shi Fangyu and other leaders of the Film Bureau to talk about the production ideas of "A Bite of China".

Someone proposed a plan to create a cuisine for each region, select four representative places: Yanjing, Shanghai, eastern Guangdong, and Sichuan, and shoot a film similar to "China's Food Culture".

"So what about Minjian? What about Ludong?"

Fangyan frowned and gave two examples.

Among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, most of them came to Nanyang from eastern Guangdong and Fujian. How could it survive without Fujian?

As for eastern Shandong, Shandong cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines, and there are many people on Taiwan whose ancestral home is eastern Shandong, so how can we miss eastern Shandong?
"Xiao Fang's opinion is worth discussing."

Xia Yan and others nodded, thinking it made sense.

Then, someone suggested to gather famous chefs from all over the country to show their "exquisite cooking skills" and "complex cooking" using the narrative structure of "cooking masters" or "food celebrities".

To promote the four major cuisines of ancient and modern times, Sichuan, Shandong, Huaiyang, and Cantonese, it would be best to use the Manchu-Han Banquet and delicacies from land and sea to highlight the vastness of China and create a "grand narrative."

"After preliminary investigation and screening, our factory comrades..."

As the director of the news documentary film studio, Qin Ming made a serious report.

The plan is to have the four famous chefs of the state banquet take the lead, including Cantonese cuisine master Chen Sheng, Sichuan cuisine master Luo Guorong, Huaiyang cuisine master Wang Lan, and the eldest disciple of Shandong cuisine master Fan Junkang, who will personally lead the team.

"It's a pity that Comrade Fan Junkang passed away a few years ago. Otherwise, we could have recreated the scene of the founding banquet."

Xia Yan couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, these are the four famous chefs chosen by the great man and the president." Shi Fangyu glanced sideways and asked Fangyan's opinion.

"I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."

Fangyan pursed his lips.

"Speak! Speak out!"

Xia Yan gave a voice of encouragement.

Shi Fangyu and others also listened attentively. The documentary "A Bite of China" was proposed by Fangyan, and when it comes to the understanding of Chinese food culture, no one present knows it better than him!
“Should we also go among the masses?”

Fangyan explained seriously.

The reason why "A Bite of China" became so popular in its previous life was that it broke away from grand narratives and became more down-to-earth. It was neither a "food crash course" program that taught people how to cook delicious dishes, nor did it try its best to show off China's cooking skills.

It's about food, but the camera is focused on the lives of ordinary people, and they are all home-cooked dishes with local characteristics.

It carries the feelings towards food, shows the lives of ordinary people behind the delicious food, and showcases the Chinese culture contained in the delicious food.

Looking at him standing in the middle of the crowd, speaking clearly and logically, Bai Ruoxue was trying to do two things at once, distractedly translating for Matsuzaka Keiko.

"Siguoyi, the dialect is Sang."

Keiko Matsuzaka stared at Fangyan.

"Xiao Fang wants to make a 'people's' food documentary?"

Xia Yan smiled knowingly.

"Chinese cuisine and food culture are created by the people," Fang Yan said. "I think what should be shown overseas is not only the cooking skills of Chinese banquets, but also the daily diet. Homesickness is the smell wafting from the stove at home. Home-cooked dishes and the taste of hometown are more like the taste of home."

“We need both highbrow and lowbrow elements.”

"No, it should be: there should be both gourmet food and home-cooked dishes."

There was a lot of discussion among the people, and most of them supported it.

Shi Fangyu also felt that this suggestion was very constructive, as it saw the big picture from the small and fully displayed the profound Chinese food tradition.

“This is just my personal opinion.”

Fangyan added.

The difficulty in filming "A Bite of China" these days is that there are many shooting locations and the crew has to go to various parts of the country to shoot.

Shi Fangyu waved his hand and said that the bureau was planning to appoint the Central News Documentary Film Studio to be in charge, and that film studios from all over the country would provide support and cooperation at that time.

Fangyan then said the second point, which is equipment and funding.

There is currently no precision high-definition filming equipment in China, and now is the era of film movies, and a roll of film is very expensive.

In the 80s, there was a Japanese man named Masashi Sada.

The filming of the documentary "Talking about the Yangtze River" used 113 million feet of film and incurred a debt of 28 billion yen.

"We are trying to find a solution to the funding problem."

Shi Fangyu said this and the bureau has already taken it into consideration.

In addition to financial allocations, we have already negotiated with people from Shochiku that following "A Game of Chess That Is Not Finished", "A Bite of China" may be another Sino-Japanese co-production.

Shochiku can provide part of the equipment and funds.

The condition is that after the documentary is completed, Shochiku will be responsible for its distribution in Japan and allow Japanese TV stations to broadcast it.

“Originally Shochiku wanted more, wanting to expand to Southeast Asia, but we didn’t agree right away.”

One of the leaders said.

"Then Southeast Asia..."

Fangyan couldn't help but be curious.

Shi Fangyu said that the higher-ups hope to let a Hong Kong TV station be responsible for producing "A Bite of China".

Fangyan smiled without saying anything, thinking of ATV which would send "Heroes of the East" to Guangdong TV Station in the future.

Shi Fangyu had a serious look on his face. In order to live up to the expectations of his leaders and comrades, "A Bite of China" was no longer just a question of whether or not to film it, but a question of how to film it better.

"Teacher Xiao Fang, this chief consultant..."

The other people in the Film Bureau all looked at him.

Although Fang Yan wanted to be the "general consultant", he knew his own limitations and recommended:

"How about asking Mr. Wang to be the boss?"

"Mr. Wang!?"

Shi Fangyu and others were surprised at first, but quickly agreed with this opinion. They looked at Fang Yan with admiration in their eyes.

Xia Yan was quite pleased and said, "I think the chief consultant should be none other than Old Wang. He knows the most about eating, and he knows the most about eating. As for Xiao Fang, he can just be a consultant. What do you think?"

"It is my duty, Mr. Xia!"

Fangyan thought about it and felt a little excited.

(End of this chapter)