Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 76 [The Blue Clouds That Appear Once in Fifty Years] Please Read
That night.

In the banquet hall of a big hotel in Taipei.

The venue was packed with guests, said to be thousands of people.

And on the table in the middle of the stage, there is a huge ice sculpture with the number 150.000.000 engraved on it.

With a box office of 1.5 million, it not only became the annual box office champion in 1991, but also became the number one box office in the history of Taiwan’s films!

That’s right, it’s number one at the box office.

In fact, as early as when the box office exceeded NT$1.2 million, it had already surpassed the NT$1.19 million box office of "Ghost" released last year, breaking the historical box office record of Taiwan movies.

Now the box office has reached 1.5 million, breaking various box office records of Taiwan movies.

A truly phenomenal film.

But most of the directors in Taiwan are dismissive of this.

Just because this movie has such a high box office and broke various box office records, it is actually suspected of being a cheat.

The mainland and Taiwan are currently in a period of close cooperation. It is rumored that the top leaders of both sides are still discussing the possibility of continuing in-depth cooperation.

It seemed as if returning the next moment would not be a problem.

Under such circumstances, the release of the film "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" from the mainland had a certain political flavor, not to mention the subsequent wave of veterans watching the film.

After the incident was widely reported on both the mainland and Taiwan, many ordinary people who were forced to come from the mainland at that time also went to the cinema at an old age.

Most of these people go to watch it with their families.

The average age of those people is around 60 or 70 years old. Chinese people believe in having many children, which brings good fortune. If the whole family, young and old, goes out together, they should contribute at least seven or eight movie tickets, right?
At that time, at least one million people were forced to join the army.

These one million people have started families and businesses, and now they are in the third generation.

Even if only half of the people bring their families to watch the movies, the box office will definitely not be low.

So in the eyes of directors from Taiwan, this kind of film is purely a coincidence and has achieved high box office, so most of them are a little disdainful of it, but in the final analysis, it is still envy, jealousy and hatred.

Regardless of whether there are political factors involved, Li Yishu became an instant hit in Taiwan.

"Three, two, one!"

With the last sound, Li Yishu and Qiu Fusheng raised hammers together and began to smash the ice sculpture.

Reporters invited to the scene also captured this scene.

Handing the hammer to the staff member next to him, Qiu Fusheng said with a laugh: "Director Li, congratulations, you have won the first place in the box office of Baodao Film and Television."

"Just good luck."

Li Yishu is quite modest. He knows that the high box office of this movie is really due to the upcoming 1992 Consensus. It is not good for him to take advantage of it.

"Luck is also part of strength."

Qiu Fusheng said with emotion: "Director Li is from the mainland, and he doesn't know that many directors and actors in Hong Kong and Taiwan would burn incense and pray to Buddha for luck before filming. Director Li has such a long-lasting luck, which most people can't even hope for."

Hearing this, Li Yishu smiled but said nothing. According to the theory of fate in the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment circles, he is indeed the number one person in thousands of years.

The two chatted for a few words on the stage, and then Qiu Fusheng took Li Yishu off the stage and began to communicate with people from the Taiwan entertainment industry who gathered around.

Many of those who came today are well-known actors, directors, and producers.

Anyway, when Li Yishu looked around, almost all of them were familiar faces.

The older generation Qingxia, Yinmeng, Huizhong...

The new generation of Zuxian, Xiaoqiang, Yang Liqing...

For male actors, there are Qin Han, Little Tigers, and Aaron Kwok who came from Hong Kong Island. In the eyes of the actors, regardless of whether Li Yishu's film got the first place in the box office history by chance, now that it is him, the actors naturally hope to cooperate more.

Seeing these people, Li Yishu couldn't help but sigh that the stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan in the 1980s, 1990s were still very popular. Many of them are almost household names in mainland China.

Even though I couldn't remember his name, his face looked very familiar.

After getting to know a group of producers and directors, Qiu Fusheng also introduced Li Yishu to Qingxia, an actress who has been popular in Taiwan for more than ten years. "Director Li, this is Ms. Qingxia. She has always liked your movie."

Qingxia's look today is very beautiful. Because she cut her long hair when filming "Red Dust", she now has fluffy short hair that just reaches her chin. She is wearing a black haute couture dress and a pearl necklace around her neck, which makes her look more elegant and luxurious.

really beautiful.

That kind of beauty of a mature woman from the inside out.

From the girlish beauty when she was young, to the mature beauty now, and then to the natural beauty of aging when she appeared on variety shows later.

Qingxia can be said to be truly beautiful at every age.

No wonder she is hailed as a great beauty once in fifty years in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The value of this is much higher than the later thousand-year-old beauties.

Looking at her makeup, Li Yishu couldn't help but think of a photo she took at the Golden Horse Awards. "Hello, Ms. Qingxia. Nice to meet you. I really like your previous film Red Dust. Congratulations on winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress. You really deserve this award."

"Thank you Director Li for the compliment."

Qingxia smiled lightly and shook hands gracefully: "I also like Director Li's film The Mountain. When I accompanied my parents to the cinema to watch it before, they both burst into tears. Although they are not from Sichuan, they also glimpsed the shadow of their hometown in the film."

“Yes, that is the homesickness of a generation.”

Li Yishu sighed, saying that it was only after he came to Taiwan that he felt the indescribable emotions of many of the elderly people who came to Taiwan from mainland China.

The reason why "That Mountain" can get such a high box office is that the film brings a touch of nostalgia and remembrance to this group of people.

After they chatted for a while, Qingxia suddenly asked, "I heard that Director Li is already filming Farewell My Concubine?"

"Yes, the crew is waiting for me to go back and start filming."

"I wonder if there is a role suitable for me? I really like this story, but I was busy filming other dramas before and missed the opportunity to audition."

"I'm sorry to disappoint Miss Qingxia, but the roles have already been decided."

“That’s such a pity~”

Qingxia looked disappointed. Ever since she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for her role in Red Dust, she had the same idea as Zhang Manyu, which was to pursue higher awards.

This is also why, later on, relying on the popularity of "Crown Prince of East", even though he could have made commercial films to make money, he still went on to make a movie called "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land".

"If Miss Qingxia wants to cooperate, there will naturally be opportunities in the future."

Li Yishu smiled and said that among all the actresses from Hong Kong and Taiwan, Qingxia was his favorite.

Now that the other party has not retired from the film industry and is at the most mature and beautiful age in a woman's life, collaborating on a movie can be considered to make up for his regrets in his previous life.

"That would be great."

Qingxia's eyes lit up and she said, "Director Li, if there is any role that suits me in the future, I can play it. Just give me any salary."

Since she started filming Qiong Yao dramas in the 1970s, Qingxia has naturally accumulated a lot of wealth over the years.

"Haha, then Miss Qingxia, let's make a deal. If there is a role suitable for you, your pay will be cheaper."

"Of course. If the script is good, no pay is a problem."

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(End of this chapter)