Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 116 [To demolish or not to demolish, the daughter of my hometown]

Jinan Old Railway Station is just a nickname, referring to Jinan Station of the Jinpu Railway. It is a typical German-style Germanic station building designed by the famous German architect Hermann Fischer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It was once the largest railway station in Asia, was included in the architecture textbooks of Tsinghua University and Tongji University, and was listed as the first stop in the Far East in the "Far East Travel" published in West Germany after the war.

At that time, it was only a few hundred meters away from the Jiaoji Railway Station designed by the Germans in the early 20th century.

The coexistence of two large-scale European-style stations in close proximity is extremely rare in major cities in China.

Li Yishu had never heard of this train station, but from Gong Li's words, she learned that this train station was probably similar to those old-style train stations in Europe.

Moreover, it is in German architectural style, which will be very helpful for Lee Yi-su to enter the Berlin Film Festival.

He also didn't think that he could achieve success with just one film.

Just give it a try. If it fails once, try a few more times. And no one stipulates that Lee Yi-su must win the Berlin Golden Bear Award.

In addition to the Golden Bear Award, there are also the Jury Prize, Best Director Award, Best Actor Award, Best Screenplay Award, etc.

Li Yishu said, "Okay, let's temporarily choose this train station. I'll go check it out in person later and shoot there if it's suitable."

"Yishu, if you really want to take photos at this train station, you'd better go there now."

Gong Li said: "Before I came to Yanjing, I heard that the Ministry of Railways approved the project of the new Jinan Passenger Station last year. The demolition of the old Jinan Railway Station started this summer, but it was delayed due to some things. They plan to demolish it all at once before the end of the year."

(It was actually demolished in July 1992, but it was modified.)
“It’s going to be demolished?!”

Li Yishu's expression changed slightly and asked, "Why do you want to demolish such a good architectural heritage?"

Gong Li asked in confusion: "Isn't this considered an architectural relic?"

"Why not? The Republic of China is a thing of the past. If it is history, then it is an architectural relic."

"But…"

Gong Li hesitated and said, "How should I put it? There are big differences in Jinan and Shandong about the demolition. Some people support it, thinking that it is a symbol of Chinese colonialism and that the colonial-era building should be demolished. Others think that the building needs to be properly preserved so that we will not forget the shame."

At this point, Gong Li sighed and said: "Actually, I don't want this train station to be demolished. After all, it is one of my childhood memories. But what the supporters say does make sense."

"hehe…"

Hearing this, Li Yishu sneered, "If that's the case, then those foreign buildings on the Huangpu River should be demolished! Shanghai used to be a foreign concession, isn't this even more of a shame?"

"Anyway, the controversy is huge. If you really want to shoot it, go over there and talk to them as soon as possible. You are now a well-known director in the country, so they should give you some respect."

"Brother Tie won't give me, a young director, face."

Li Yishu shook his head slightly. Now Tie Lao Da is the well-deserved big brother. He not only has his own enterprise, but also his own railway troops.

Even though reforms were carried out later, the name Tie Lao Da was no joke.

Gong Li said: "But it shouldn't be a problem to dismantle it later, as we only have one or two months to shoot anyway."

“Does this train station have to be demolished?”

Li Yishu suddenly asked back, "Can't we build a new one somewhere else?"

"I don't know that."

Gong Li shook her head and said, "But I heard that it will be rebuilt on the original site."

"That's it..."

Li Yishu touched his chin. Since it was not necessary, there was still room for maneuver.

"Sister Gong Li, pack up, we will go to Jinan in a few days."

"So urgent?"

"If we don't tear it down in a hurry, how can we find a place with a lot of buffs?"

"BUFF? What does that mean?"

"I plan to take this film to the Berlin Film Festival, which was originally held in West Germany..."

Li Yishu gave a brief explanation, and Gong Li suddenly realized that this was the idea she was going for.

But when you think about it this way, there is really a lot that can be done.

Although the Berlin Film Festival invites different jury chairmen and juries every year, and there may not be German judges, since it is a film festival held in Berlin, Germany, there must be German staff. If the train station where "Central Station" was filmed was a German building, and it was located in the far east, I believe it would attract the attention of many Germans.

end of June.

After Huo Wenxi flew to Yanjing, before she could figure out the situation, Li Yishu took her directly to Jinan by plane.

“Is this Jinan Railway Station?”

Li Yishu looked at the European-style building in front of him, scattered in the busy square, surrounded by tricycles, 28-inch bicycles, and pedestrians leading donkeys and carrying shoulder poles.

The combination of Chinese and Western visual effects brings people a different sensory experience.

“Yes, this is Jinan Railway Station.”

Gong Li's eyes twinkled as she said, "When I was little, I loved coming here to play because every time there was a market, there would be a lot of people in this square and it was very lively. But now there are fewer people because the market management has become stricter and some vendors are no longer allowed to set up stalls here."

In the past, because there were few people taking the train, it would seem a bit wasteful to leave this large square empty, so it was used as a place for weekly markets.

In Shandong, going to the market seems to be an indispensable ritual in people's daily life. There are big markets everywhere, whether in the city or in the countryside.

Although Gong Li is from Northeast China, she grew up in Shandong. She arrived in Shandong when she was only six months old and went to Yenching University after graduating from high school.

It can be said that Gong Li is already a Shandong native, so she is very familiar with and likes the market activities here.

Even if you didn't buy anything, but just walked around the market and looked at something new, it could bring a different lifestyle to people who didn't have much leisure time at that time.

"Let's go in and make some contact." Li Yishu said, looking at Huo Wenxi beside him and said, "Wenxi, it's still the same, just like in Hefei."

"I understand, boss!" Huo Wenxi, who had this experience once, immediately grinned, revealing eight white teeth.

Gong Li was confused: "What do you mean the same as before? Did you go to Hefei again?"

"Well, I went to Hefei to do some business before, and borrowed Wenxi's identity as a Hong Konger."

Li Yishu didn't say much, but just took the lead and walked towards the train station.

At this time, a young couple who seemed to be a couple not far away noticed Gong Li. The girl rubbed her eyes and seemed a little bit unbelievable. After she told the boy next to her, the boy looked over and recognized Gong Li at a glance.

The two chatted for a few words, and then hurried over and shouted, "Gong Li!"

Seeing someone recognized her, Gong Li smiled and said, "Hello."

"It's really you!"

The girl's face lit up with joy, and she said hastily, "I like you so much, Ms. Gong Li. I've seen you perform in Red Sorghum before, and you performed really well!"

Gong Li smiled slightly: "Thank you for your love."

The girl quickly asked: "You, are you going to take a train?"

“No, we came here to take the picture.”

"Framing?"

The girl was stunned. The boy next to her seemed to understand and asked hurriedly, "Ms. Gong Li, are you going to shoot a movie here?"

Gong Li nodded: "Yes."

"That would be great!"

The boy's eyes lit up and he said, "This train station is going to be demolished soon. If you can take some photos here, you can at least have a video as a souvenir in the future."

"We would like to, but it depends on whether the railway station is willing."

"Of course I will. How can I not be willing to do such a good thing?"

After a brief chat for a while, Gong Li said goodbye to the two. It was not the first time she met enthusiastic fans, and most of the time she would chat with them for a few words.

But the situation here seems to have been seen by more people.

Gong Li is much more famous in China now than Lee Yi-su. Plus, she is from Jinan, so local people are quite familiar with and fond of Gong Li, the international film queen who came out of her hometown.

Not long ago, after Gong Li won the Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival, the Jinan Daily was the first to reprint Gong Li's award-winning photo and published a large number of articles about Gong Li's outstanding performance in the newspaper.

At the end of the article, the author expressed praise for this international film queen who came from her hometown, and affectionately called her "the daughter who left her hometown in Jinan and bravely stepped onto the international stage."

(End of this chapter)