Exciting 1979!

Chapter 299 My First Meeting with Vivian Chow
Yuen Biao is still looking forward to the filming techniques of martial arts movies with mainland characteristics. However, as the big brother of Hong Kong's martial arts industry, Hung Chin-po is also very familiar with the Yuen Clan. As far as he knows, the action scene crew of this movie is actually from the Yuen Clan.

As for the skills of the Yuen Clan, Hung Chin-po felt they were just so-so. After seeing them so many times, they weren't particularly surprising. Moreover, it seemed that Yuen Cheung-yan was the one who took charge this time, and Hung Chin-po felt that his talent as a martial arts choreographer was not as good as his brother Yuen Woo-ping.

The film is in Mandarin and establishes the background story of overthrowing the Qing dynasty and restoring the Ming dynasty right from the beginning. This theme is also common in Hong Kong, making it easy for the audience to empathize with the story.

Because they learned their craft from their master from a young age, and their master was a Peking Opera martial arts master from Yanjing, the Seven Little Fortunes brothers learned to speak Yanjing dialect from their master from childhood, and listening to and speaking it was no problem for them at all.

The story opens with a scene by the river, clearly filmed on location, with stunningly beautiful scenery—something rarely seen in Hong Kong films.

Even if you could film in Taiwan, you couldn't achieve this effect without a top-notch aesthetic sense like King Hu's.

This was also Xu Xiaoming's first time filming in mainland China. Surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of the motherland, he felt his heart and mind expand.

The movie begins with Donnie Yen and several other martial arts team members playing Qing Dynasty lackeys arresting Wang Ermao, the son of the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society. The main villain, Tie Biao, is only shown as a back view of a double door, without actually making a move.

Cheng Long whispered to Hong Jinbao, "This must be the 'Biao Wang' guy. He looks even wider than your back."

Hong Jinbao: "It should be as wide as two Yuanhua."

The skinny Yuan Hua thought to himself that his somersaults were definitely not as good as his.

The staging of this scene was superb, with a large cast and a tense atmosphere. This is all thanks to the time spent working on it. In Hong Kong, filming time is usually very short, while in mainland China, it is common for a film to be shot in half a year. Even with Tsui Siu-ming's high work efficiency, this film still took four months to shoot.

Then the real protagonist, Wu Jing, a "big man" wearing a melon-shaped hat, makes his appearance.

Although he learned martial arts from his father since childhood and had a good foundation even before entering Shichahai School, unfortunately he didn't have any action scenes in this movie. He was just a talker, and his lines were dubbed in post-production, making him seem particularly slick at such a young age.

However, his appearance added a lot of laughs to the movie, and the audience laughed continuously. This is also the movie concept of Hung Chin-po and Jackie Chan: to integrate comedic elements into kung fu movies. No one can resist having a good laugh.

The truly outstanding performance in the first fight scene came from the cooperation between the two brothers, Big Leopard and Little Leopard, as well as the combination of the old and young, Granny Huang and Jiang Hai.

Hong Jinbao and Cheng Long then whispered among themselves about the performances of the three young actors.

“It’s no worse than when we were kids,” Hong Jinbao said.

Cheng Long felt that they were actually stronger than they were back then, and they seemed to come from a professional martial arts team. Every move they made was beautiful. In addition, with Yuan Xiangren's design, the children were able to defeat the big ones with weapons and props, which was quite interesting.

“There are many people in mainland China, so there are naturally many talented people,” Cheng Long said. “It’s not so easy for us to find such outstanding young action stars now.”

Hong Jinbao nodded. He had already achieved great success and would definitely not let his three sons follow in his footsteps. It was too hard. As for other people's children, why should I give them a chance? That's why you can't see such a capable kid in Hong Kong.

The rest of the story involves a chase and a fight, with humor and comedic moments interspersed throughout. The comedic character, Da Zhangfu, has a significant role, almost like a main character.

Just when they were trapped in a predicament and seemed unable to escape, the real heroine, the young wife, made her appearance.

"Good lad, you've even called your old mother here."

As the villain leered at Huang Qiuyan, Wu Jing flicked his braid and said smugly, "She's my wife."

The audience was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, but as they laughed, they were impressed by the young wife's superb skills.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. Yuen Biao said to Yuen Kwai, "This woman is a formidable fighter!"

Yuen Kwai glanced at Yuen Qiu in front of him: "And she's beautiful too."

The landlady, still young and fashionable, already had that kind of aura. She curled her lip and snorted, "What good is being pretty? Was she ever a Bond girl?"

She was referring to the 1974 international blockbuster James Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun," in which she played a female fighter with very little screen time, and ever since then she has jokingly called herself a Bond girl.

There are some female action stars in the Hong Kong film industry, such as Cheng Pei-pei and Hsu Feng before Yuen Qiu, and Yang Ziqiong and Hu Huizhong after Yuen Qiu.

At this time, the most outstanding was 21-year-old Kara Hui, who was good-looking and skilled in martial arts. She had worked with directors such as Chang Cheh, Li Hanxiang, Chor Yuen, and Lau Kar-leung. They saw this woman wielding a sword with both hands on the screen and felt that if she were brought to Hong Kong, she might become one of the two most beautiful women of her time.

After the young wife with superb martial arts skills appeared, her combination with her husband immediately captivated the audience, and she led the way in the subsequent tough battles.

Because Wei Ming intended for Biao Zi's Yan'er to play the role when he was creating the film, he gave her a lot of spotlight and brilliance. Director Xu Xiaoming also really liked Huang Qiuyan, who was hardworking and professional, and filmed her as beautiful, cool, and full of charm.

When Hong Jinbao noticed that Big Nose's eyes were glowing, he reminded his junior brother, "It seems that this actress's husband is Biao Wang."

Thinking of Zhao Debiao's physique, Shuanggulong chuckled: "I'm just admiring him."

If he himself had two bones, then Zhao Debiao probably had four bones, giving him the feeling that the other party was standing there and he couldn't be defeated even if he hit him.

The young wife is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also has a group of good friends in the martial arts world. Later, she uses her connections to help her friends in the martial arts world resolve a crisis. The whole process is full of fighting and excitement.

During this period, the main villain Tie Biao only made a few brief moves, and each time someone died, but he did not have the typical villainous face.

Although he looked fierce, he always kept repeating phrases like "the Emperor's grace is boundless" and "I am dedicated to doing my job well." When facing ordinary people who were not rebels, he would show his normal side, speaking very politely and reasonably, appearing as if he had received higher education.

Such a villainous character portrayal is still somewhat novel in today's world, and it also allowed several martial arts actors to showcase their unique skills in creating dramatic and dramatic characters.

If Biaozi's acting skills were a little better, like Hu Jun's, that would be even better.

The final battle takes place in the picturesque Jiuzhaigou, and just a few empty shots amaze the audience, arousing their longing for the beautiful mountains and rivers of mainland China.

As expected of filming on location in mainland China! Jackie Chan's eyes were shining too. Although he felt that the most important thing for kung fu films was to make the fights beautiful and innovative, it was undeniable that such stunning scenery significantly enhanced the quality of the film.

Moreover, the stunning final battle did not disappoint the fairy-tale scenery. Lord Tie Biao finally unleashed his full power, killing several important members of the main group by himself, and also injuring Little Wife, Little Leopard, and Big Leopard. His martial arts skills were almost flawless, and to the audience, it felt like the actor himself was really that good at fighting.

At this moment, Cheng Long's gaze towards Huang Qiuyan was no longer alluring, but rather tinged with sympathy. Being his wife must have been quite a hardship.

Of course, the audience certainly expects justice to prevail, so in the end, it was Da Zhangfu who used his wisdom to beat Tie Biao until he was disheveled and went insane, briefly losing his mind. Only then did he gather everyone's strength to pull this man with the highest fighting ability in the whole film into the lake.

Because Da Zhang discovered that Tie Biao's body density was far beyond that of ordinary people due to his overly aggressive training in external martial arts, making him look like a large block of iron, he kept his distance from rivers and lakes from the very beginning. Moreover, he preferred to ride in a carriage rather than a boat, and his footprints were deeper than those of ordinary people. All of these were hinted at earlier in the story.

So when the audience saw this scene, they all showed "Oh oh oh" expressions.

Tie Biao knew this weakness of his, so he practiced swimming desperately. However, unless a large iron block is made into the shape of a ship, it is difficult for it to float on the water even if you can swim.

When Tie Biao entered the water, it was as if he had sunk into a quagmire, greatly reducing his strength. Da Zhang and his companions desperately tried to prevent him from escaping the lake, and soon Tie Biao sank completely into the water.

The beautiful Five-Flower Lake has returned to calm. The End!

"Bravo!" Someone shouted in approval, and the entire audience immediately expressed their high regard and respect for the film.

Even Hong Jinbao, Cheng Long, and the others who came here with a critical attitude joined in applauding after seeing this scene.

As soon as the lights came on, people immediately recognized the two men in the lead, Jackie Chan and Hung Chun-po, who are now leading figures in Hong Kong action films.

After being recognized, the two left the scene immediately with the other seven members of the Seven Little Fortunes. Wei Ming, who was also present, quickly took out his camera and snapped a picture. Fortunately, he managed to capture Yuen Biao's face, Jackie Chan's nose, and Hung Chun-po's back.

He was the one who shouted "Bravo!" when he got back. After that, he immediately wrote a short essay about his own fictional story of Jackie Chan and Hung Chin-bo watching "Heroes Have Been Born Since Ancient Times," expressing his inferiority and leaving the theater dejectedly after giving his approval.

At the same time, Wei Ming's other brothers were also scattered in different cinemas to watch the audience's reaction and the attendance.

The hype was effective; at least it increased brand awareness and gave the movie a good start at the box office. Once the momentum was established, it was easier to make more boasts and take more action.

The next day, Wei Ming's short essay was published in a tabloid, titled "Pictures and Proof! The Seven Little Fortunes Observe 'Heroes Have Always Emerged from Among the Young' and Praise It Wildly, Admiring Their Own Inferiority!"

Meanwhile, Li Hanxiang also published an article in the Oriental Daily News, where he serialized "Thirty Years in Detail," discussing his script for "Wu Song" and the casting of the lead actor.

"I heard that a strongman who can shake an elephant recently came to the mainland, so I went to watch their movie yesterday. I don't know if this strongman named 'De Biao' can really shake an elephant, but he looks like he could really kill a tiger. I think I've found the most suitable candidate for Wu Song!"

Li Hanxiang, whose glory days were long gone, suddenly pulled this stunt, immediately putting Zhao Debiao and himself in the spotlight.

Of course, he wouldn't actually choose Biaozi; he was just helping to create hype and promote himself. As a result, "Wu Song" became a hit even before filming, attracting a lot of attention.

This time, it was Cheng Long's turn to go find his senior brother, Hong Jinbao.

"Senior Brother, this tabloid is saying such awful things. We are not ashamed of ourselves at all. I have inquired about it. The person who wrote the article has no name or address. It is probably the film company's doing. The North is going too far!" Young Jackie Chan was still impulsive, but he was also cautious. So he first consulted with his senior brother.

The eldest brother was more cautious than him: "But there are still 20% that they didn't do, so it's not appropriate for us to do anything about it."

"So you really won't do anything?"

Hong Jinbao chuckled. Don't let his size fool you, he's shrewd.

He patted his junior brother on the shoulder: "I saw on the news that they will be holding a meet-and-greet with the main cast at the Nanhua Theatre tomorrow night to perform kung fu for the audience. Several of the main actors will be there."

Cheng Long's eyes lit up: "Senior Brother, are you going to cause trouble?"

Hong Jinbao: "What do you mean by 'crashing the party'? I just embellished the story and told Master Liu Jialiang about it." Cheng Long immediately slapped his thigh: "Brother, you're the best!"

People like Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung studied opera and never considered themselves martial arts practitioners. However, there was an anomaly in the Hong Kong film industry: Lau Kar-leung. He considered himself a direct descendant of the Southern School of Hung Kuen and felt that he was more of a martial artist than a filmmaker.

Now that the Northerners have come to our doorstep and are so arrogant, can you, Master Liu, as a representative of the Southern martial arts world, just sit idly by?
~
On the third night after the movie's release, Wei Ming and Biaozi, after recording a TV program for RTV, rushed to the Nanhua Theater to attend a meet-and-greet with the audience.

That evening, Wei Ming, Biao Zi, Wu Jing, Zhen Zidan, and director Xu Xiaoming watched the movie with the audience at the Nanhua Theater. Wu Jing and Zhen Zidan also demonstrated kung fu routines, which were all very exciting.

However, the audience is most concerned about "King Biao" Zhao Debiao.

"Why doesn't this Mr. Zhao come down and show off a bit?" Liu Jialiang asked from below the stage, surrounded by his brothers and disciples.

Zhen Zidan immediately whispered to Wei Ming about this person's background. Wei Ming knew perfectly well that it was the Liu Family Troupe, and the person next to him was his sworn brother, Evil Sword Immortal.

Xu Xiaoming, a junior in the industry, was somewhat surprised to see his senior, Liu Jialiang, making things difficult for him. Lacking experience in handling such unexpected events, he immediately asked, "Master Liu, is there some misunderstanding here? Why don't we sit down and talk it over?"

Liu Jialiang said seriously, "I just want to ask, did this Mr. Zhao say that Southern Hung Kuen is not worth mentioning?"

Zhao Debiao recalled that he seemed to have been interviewed once, and the reporter asked him for his views on Southern martial arts such as Hung Kuen, Wing Chun, and Choy Li Fut.

His response was: "Never mind what kind of boxing you are. Before you claim to be powerful, ask my boxing skills first."

It may seem a bit arrogant, but it's what I really think. I've never even fought you, so how can I possibly judge you?

Fortunately, he had been trained by Wei Ming beforehand, and said to Liu Jialiang, "Master Liu, you must have misunderstood. I am not targeting Hung Kuen in particular."

Seeing Biaozi's sincere expression, Liu Jialiang became even angrier. What do you mean? Are you saying that everyone here is trash?

Liu Jialiang, in his forties and in the prime of his life, pointed at Zhao Debiao and said, "Kid, do you dare to accept my challenge?"

Wei Ming wondered if this guy had a new movie coming out soon. Otherwise, he's already a big director, why would he need to make such a fuss?

Wei Ming and Xu Xiaoming exchanged a few words and learned that Liu Jialiang's "My Young Auntie" would be released at the beginning of next month, the one that helped Kara Hui win the first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress.

Biaozi glanced at Wei Ming for instructions, and Wei Ming nodded.

So Biaozi jumped down and walked up to Liu Jialiang amidst the excited screams of the audience: "Alright, remember to sign the life-or-death agreement later. There are no rules in this competition. We will determine who is better and who is worse, and we will decide life and death!"

When Biaozi said those words with such terrifying pressure, Liu Jialiang, who had the dual purpose of creating hype and intimidating Liu, suddenly hesitated. He was afraid that he would be punched to death on the ring by this muscular man, but he couldn't lose face.

At this moment, his sworn brother Liu Jiahui, young and impetuous, bravely stood in front of his elder brother and said to Biaozi, "Why are you being so fierce? Please show some respect to my elder brother."

Biaozi grinned and laughed, his eyes burning with a desire to fight: "I'm not being disrespectful. My classmates and teachers at school all call me a martial arts fanatic. I can't find any opponents in Yanjing. They're all unwilling to fight me. The martial arts world in Hong Kong is much more interesting. Right now, I just want to be beaten to death by you all, or beat you all to death, that's all."

Hearing these somewhat insane words, Liu Jialiang completely chickened out. "I drive a Rolls-Royce now, is it really necessary to go head-to-head with this madman?"

So he snorted: "Hong Kong is a society that upholds the rule of law. What's with all this talk about fighting to the death? The most important thing for young people is to have martial ethics. You bunch of unruly northern barbarians, let's go!"

He called out and was about to leave when Biaozi reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Liu Jialiang jumped back as if he had been electrocuted.

"What are you doing? You're trying to ambush me!" Liu Jialiang rubbed his shoulder, his face contorted in pain. What a strong grip!
Let alone himself, even Liu Jialiang, his younger brother Liu Jiarong, and his sworn brother Liu Jiahui would probably find it difficult to take down this behemoth.

Biaozi was completely innocent; he had only lightly patted Biaozi's shoulder.

At this moment, Wei Ming stepped forward and said, "Master Liu, I am Wei Ming, the screenwriter of this movie. You suddenly came up and said something that is hard to understand. We are just confused. What exactly do you want? You have to make this clear."

"That's right, none of them are allowed to leave until they can explain themselves," Biaozi said in a gruff voice, baring his teeth as if he wanted to devour the Liu family gang members.

Liu Jialiang's momentum had weakened, and he stammered, finally saying, "I, I came to congratulate you. I saw the movie, it was very good, and I even brought a red envelope."

As he spoke, he actually pulled a red envelope out of his pocket.

Originally, this was intended as medical expenses for Zhao Debiao, but instead of a fight breaking out, they were so frightened by this violent madman that they could only give out the medical expenses as a congratulatory red envelope.

It was quite a lot, a full five thousand Hong Kong dollars, enough for a beat-up minivan.

"Oh, so that's how it is," Xu Xiaoming quickly went over to take the red envelope and smooth things over. "Master Liu, please come up on stage and say a few words, and give us some pointers on the strengths and weaknesses of our film."

Liu Jialiang looked at Biaozi, who was staring intently at him, and thought, "Well, this movie has no flaws at all."

Although so many people in the audience saw it, it doesn't matter. Liu Jialiang can just find a few tabloids to make up a story and he'll be able to get away with it. That's right, he's here to offer his congratulations!

The next day, news reports began to frequently feature praise and affirmation from veteran kung fu film director Lau Kar-leung for the film "Heroes Have Been Born Since Ancient Times." Lau Kar-leung also paid a considerable amount for the press releases, which completely silenced any dissenting voices. Wei Ming did not engage in any further underhanded tactics, as 5000 yuan was a substantial sum.

Moreover, the rough box office figures for the first three days of the weekend were released that day. Even Xia Meng, who was usually calm and collected, was a little unsettled after seeing them. When she called Wei Ming, her excitement was undisguised.

"The box office reached HK$310 million in just three days, far exceeding expectations!" With a ticket price of around HK$10, this means that 500 people in Hong Kong, with a population of 30 million, have already seen the movie.

Xia Meng originally expected to make a small loss of HK$300 million, and then make up for the cost and earn a small profit by relying on overseas copyrights. Unexpectedly, she made back the cost in just three days.

At this rate, it's not impossible for the local box office to break 10 million Hong Kong dollars. Currently, only two films in Hong Kong have grossed over 10 million Hong Kong dollars: "The Young Master" and "Security Unlimited"!

One is Jackie Chan's early masterpiece, and the other is a collaborative work by the four Hui brothers.

"Xiao Wei, I really have to thank you this time. You've made an indelible contribution to the box office of this movie!" Xia Meng said sincerely. She had only been dabbling in this project, but suddenly she felt that she actually had a talent for being a producer.

"This is also my movie, of course I hope the box office will be higher. Aunt Xia Meng, you should send a message to Beijing Film Studio as soon as possible. They are waiting for good news from Hong Kong to make their dinner."

"Okay, okay, I'll send it right away. I'll throw you a celebration party tonight!"

Wei Ming refused, saying, "Wouldn't that be like opening champagne halfway through? Let's wait until the final results are out. Besides, I have an appointment today."

He promised Lao Gui that he would go to Holiland for dinner today.

Old Ghost had already told Zhou Huimin beforehand that he must come to the store to help out tonight.

~
That day, Wei Ming drove his brothers through the Hung Hom Tunnel to Hong Kong Island. When they came out, they were in Wan Chai, and the Hung Hom Stadium was about to be completed.

Once they arrived, Wei Ming parted ways with them. Not wanting his affair with Lao Gui to be exposed, he had Xu Jinjiang drive them to find a place to have fun.

"I'll take the bus myself."

Upon arriving at Wanchai Ferry Pier, Wei Ming first found a middle-aged woman selling dumplings with her two daughters. He ate a bowl of Wanchai Ferry Pier dumplings. By this time, this Miss Zang was already quite well-known in the pier area.

After finishing his meal, Wei Ming leisurely boarded a bus and headed to the University of Hong Kong, where Holiland's flagship store is located.

As for the Western fast food branches, the plan is still to open them in the Central and Western District, where there are many wealthy people and middle-class workers, making the market promising.

Today, Zhou's mother and Liu Bin went out to check out new store locations, leaving Lao Gui to watch the store.

He was getting anxious as he waited and waited for Zhou Huimin to arrive, and then for Wei Ming to arrive, until he finally saw Wei Ming arrive.

"You've finally arrived, kid!" Old Ghost quickly welcomed him in.

Looking at the extensive menu, Wei Ming felt a sense of familiarity with Shaxian snacks. The variety was indeed complete, but they were mostly snacks that could be served and eaten quickly. Customers could usually finish their meals within ten minutes, so the table turnover rate was very high.

"Give me a bowl of egg waffle noodles, please, and let me taste it to see if it's salty enough."

After finishing his meal, Wei Ming looked at Lao Gui, who smiled and said, "Try our honey-glazed char siu again."

An hour later, Wei Ming clutched his stomach.

"Boss, I really can't eat anymore. How about we go for a walk?" Wei Ming said to Lao Gui. He had already eaten seven or eight kinds of food, and he had dumplings to fill his stomach earlier.

Old Gui was annoyed. What was wrong with Amin? She would usually be at the store helping out by now.

"If you want to leave, go ahead. I still need to watch the shop," he said angrily.

Wei Ming stood up, supporting his stomach: "Then I'll go first, I have important business to attend to."

Just as he stepped out of the store, a basketball rolled to his feet.

He picked it up casually and even twirled it between his fingertips.

"Thank you, this is my ball~" A female voice appeared behind Wei Ming.

Wei Ming slowly turned around, spinning the girl's ball...

(End of this chapter)