Exciting 1979!

Chapter 426 The International Impact of Wei Ming's New Science Fiction Work! Spielberg is filled with regret.

Inside the British Film Institute's Southbank Cinema, there is a famous café-gallery, a well-known gathering place for London's film industry and arts and culture scene.

This place often gathers actors, directors, movie fans, and cultural workers, making it a veritable "refueling station" for intellectuals.

Andrew Lloyd Webber just watched Spielberg's new film "E.T." with Sarah Brightman. It's a children's science fiction story that is deeply moving and very impressive.

After watching the movie, the two sat for a while in the coffee gallery, chatting about the plot and characters. Webber was reluctant to part with Sarah and wished he could see her every minute.

Although he is still married, he promised Sarah that he was working on getting a divorce. However, he is a successful man with some family business, and divorce is not something that can be resolved with just words.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely get a divorce before The Lion King is released." That way, The Lion King won't be considered marital property.

Sarah didn't want to talk about marriage and divorce, as it would make their relationship seem immoral. Besides, she had only gone to see a movie and had coffee with him; they weren't going to a hotel together.

So she changed the subject: "How's your writing of The Lion King coming along?"

"It's going very smoothly. We've already written several important arias, and we might be able to start rehearsals next year."

Due to the plot, although he could have Sarah play the female lead, her role would definitely not be very large. This opera can only have one core protagonist, Simba, and the core arias are all concentrated on him.

The two chatted about "The Lion King" for a while when someone entered the coffee shop. It was a couple, and each of them was holding a book with a cover that looked like an alien spaceship.

Sarah then realized that there were already people in the coffee shop drinking coffee and reading "District 9". In just over a week since its release, "District 9" has quickly climbed to the top of the UK bestseller list.

Sarah then shifted the topic to Wei Ming and District 9, as well as humanity's attitudes toward shrimp and E.T., two different alien species.

Seeing Sarah's animated expression as she talked about Mr. Why, Webber shrugged: "Well, I guess I should buy a copy of District 9, or I'll be out of touch with the times. Actually, I'm not that interested in science fiction, but I'm a little tempted after reading E.T."

“You have to try it. I’ve already finished reading it, and I felt very unsettled afterward. I also felt deep sympathy for the people of South Africa,” Sarah said. Melinda had given her a copy a week ago.

After finishing her coffee, on her way home, Sarah saw a march in support of Nelson Mandela, South Africa. She was tempted to join in, but considering her status as a public figure, she decided to stay in her car and cheer them on quietly.

It's unclear when the British began to pay attention to Mandela, but it certainly gained traction because of Wei Ming's article last year. After that, many journalists risked their lives to travel to South Africa to interview Mandela and obtained a lot of firsthand information, which made the image of this anti-apartheid fighter even more complete.

These demonstrations only emerged after the publication of District 9, as the people of London hoped that the great British Empire could do something for the poor people of South Africa.

Wei Ming certainly wouldn't believe that the British government didn't play a role in this.

During this period, the most famous people in the UK were two aliens: the ugly-cute E.T. and the ugly-skinned shrimp.

Spielberg, the creator of E.T., hadn't heard of District 9 yet, but he recently heard about the creator of District 9.

Since its release, "E.T." has achieved remarkable critical and commercial success. Who would have thought that a science fiction film with only one alien and a heartwarming core would garner box office revenue comparable to "Star Wars"?

This also became another box office peak for director Spielberg since Jaws and Indiana Jones.

At this time, he also began to look for topics for his subsequent works, the first of which was the sequel to "Indiana Jones" in collaboration with his old friend Lucas.

He also wants to make a special effects movie about dinosaurs. He hopes to bring dinosaurs to life on the big screen, not just the old-fashioned suits.

He discussed it with Lucas, and it's possible with current computer special effects technology.

At this time, a screenwriter who often collaborated with Spielberg recommended "Jurassic Park" to him. The English version of this book had already reached its second installment.

Spielberg was thrilled after watching it, feeling that this was exactly what he wanted: a dinosaur theme with elements of thriller and other box office hits. The key was that, according to the story, the dinosaurs actually had very limited screen time, which greatly reduced the difficulty of filming. It was a naturally excellent script!

However, Spielberg only found out after sending someone to inquire that the choice of the novel had fallen into the hands of MGM. What a waste! MGM would never make such a high-investment special effects blockbuster!

Wei Ming was unaware of this matter, and even if he knew, it wouldn't make a difference. Old Si could only wait and see if MGM had the courage to launch the project three years later.

On the day he received Melinda's package, he first went to work at the library. With the librarian's permission, he also put two original English copies of "District 9" into the English book stacks of Peking University Library.

It is said that the first person to borrow this book was Yu Minhong, a student from the Spanish Department of Class of '80. He saw the words "Mr. Why" written on the spine of the book and, without caring what it said, just took it out and borrowed it.

He didn't return it for a long time because other classmates borrowed it before he could return it after reading it. This made Yu Minhong very anxious. "You are the ones reading the book, but if it gets lost, I will be the one to pay for it!"
Moreover, the book he borrowed was a hardcover edition with many exquisite illustrations, and the price on the back was shocking to him, the son of a farmer.

Wei Ming also ran into Uncle Ping An at the library. Uncle Ping An was working on a TOEFL teaching project and was looking up information at the library.

Wei Ming had two Transformers in his bag, but he didn't give them directly to Uncle Ping An. Gifts should be given in person, so he arranged to have dinner at Uncle Ping An's house that evening.

"Okay, call Xiaohong over and have your aunt cook a couple more good dishes."

Uncle Ping'an and his wife now have higher salaries. Although they can't compare to their nephew's, they still won't go broke from eating too much.

When Wei Ming appeared downstairs at the girls' dormitory, he was immediately surrounded by female college students who admired him, and they began urging him to update his writing.

In their eyes, Wei Ming's last literary work was "In the Heat of the Sun" last year.

Wei Ming immediately revealed that a collection of essays will be published soon, and a novella will also be published in "Huacheng" magazine.

After Wei Hong came down, Wei Ming quickly pulled her away from the girls' group.

When Xizi learned that there were gifts, she happily performed a somersault for her cousins. Lele didn't let her brother have all the glory, and played a harmonica piece for Weiming.

But when she was blowing it, Xizi couldn't help but ask, "Big brother, what did you bring me? Is it White Rabbit candy?!"

Seeing Xizi start rummaging through Wei Ming's bag, Lele got anxious and said, "Can't you wait for me?"

Wei Ming pointed at Lele: "Enjoy, enjoy first."

Xizi couldn't appreciate it at all, and was so anxious that she scratched her head and cheeks.

As soon as Lele finished singing, Wei Ming and Wei Hong immediately applauded before taking out two beautifully packaged boxes.

Wei Hong was also curious: "Brother, what kind of gift is it?"

Wei Ming: "The toy, the Transformers I told you about."

Wei Hong's eyes lit up: "This is fun, absolutely fun!"

Because she had played it before, and the performance wasn't very good back then.

Wei Ping'an also knew about Transformers, and after hearing this, he came out of the kitchen to see.

"This is the toy? It must be quite expensive, right?"

Wei Ming waved his hand: "It's not much money. These two combined are probably only about your and your aunt's monthly salary."

Wei Ming wasn't trying to show off; he explained the high price simply to prevent Xizi from giving it to female classmates like Xiaomei, Xiaoli, and Xiaofang, something he had done many times before.

"What?! So expensive!" Lu Xiaoyan exclaimed in surprise as she brought out the dishes. "Is this toy made of gold or jade?"

Wei Ming laughed and said, "This was made specifically to earn US dollars from Americans. My aunt plans to conquer the American market first."

They immediately stopped eating and urged their two children to open the box and take a look. They found a beautifully crafted red truck and a yellow sedan. Xizi scoffed, "It's just a car model. Grandpa even bought me a tank model, this big!"

He was really gesturing quite a bit; no wonder it was a gift from the commander.

Wei Pingan patted him on the shoulder: "This toy is called Transformers. Just from the name, you can tell it's not that simple."

However, he didn't know how to play either. He looked at Wei Ming, who gestured to Xiao Hong: "Come on, show me."

Wei Hong pressed her fingers together, picked up Optimus Prime, and introduced it as she moved it: "This is Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. The Autobots are civilian robots from Cybertron. There is also another faction of military robots called Megatron."

"Megatron?" Xizi exclaimed "Wow!" upon hearing this, feeling that the name was really cool, even cooler than Optimus Prime. Tomorrow when she got to school, she would call herself Megatron!
However, he was distracted for a moment, and the toy in Wei Hong's hand had already transformed into a human form. She moved it somewhere, and a majestic, red, blue and white robot that could stand upright was completed. Wow, is this Optimus Prime?

Xizi fell in love with it immediately, and the best part was that it could actually transform, turning from a car into a person!

Then he pulled his cousin to teach him how to transform. Wei Ping'an watched in amazement and finally understood why it was so expensive. The technology involved was very advanced and required extremely high precision.

Lü Xiaoyan was also stunned, but she urged them to eat first and play after they finished eating.

At the dinner table, she asked, "I just heard Xiaohong talking about something, is there a story behind this toy?"

Wei Ming nodded: "I wrote the novel, and Ah Long drew the comics. Now the Shanghai Animation Film Studio has also made an animation. The comics and animations will be broadcast in American comic magazines and on TV stations, all to promote this toy."

"Wow, that's what you call doing business!" Wei Ping'an exclaimed. "Comics and animations can make money as promotional materials."

Wei Ming shook his head: "No way, animation production costs money, and airing on American television also costs money, and it's more expensive than producing the animation itself."

"What?!" Wei Ping'an and his wife were dumbfounded. How high must the cost be? They had to sell it at a higher price, otherwise how would they break even?

Lü Xiaoyan then asked, "Do you think it would be suitable to put this Transformers story in 'King of Fairy Tales'?"

Wei Ming thought for a moment: "I'm afraid it won't work. This thing has no substance or meaning. It's just two groups of machine giants fighting on Earth."

Nowadays, apart from magazines like "Story Club" that have completely abandoned any literary meaning and are purely for street vendors, other literary publications, including children's literature publications, still need to convey some meaning and connotation. Children's literature, in particular, has the responsibility of educating children about their values.

That's why "Black Cat Detective" is so popular. First, it's about good guys catching bad guys, and then you can learn scientific knowledge from it. Parents actively force their children to watch it.

Lü Xiaoyan was filled with regret. After finishing her meal, she didn't clean up the table. Instead, she dragged Xiao Hong to play with Transformers, leaving Xizi unable to get a turn.

While everyone was in a good mood, Wei Ming brought up the matter of "Under the Bridge" with Uncle Ping An.

"This time I'm playing Gong Xue's son again, but I don't have too many scenes. Filming will be concentrated and will probably be finished in a little over a month, probably during the summer vacation."

Upon hearing this, Lü Xiaoyan turned around and smiled, "Given the chance, you could be Zhu Lin's son for once."

This was embarrassing for Wei Ming, who shamelessly asked, "Auntie, so you agree?"

Lü Xiaoyan said, "I agree, but I don't have time to accompany him to the set. Anyway, Xiaoxue is not an outsider, so let her help take care of him."

Wei Ping'an had no objection, but he patted Wei Ming on the shoulder and said, "Don't forget what you promised to write a Hong Kong film script for Xizi."

Wei Ming was taken aback: "Uncle, you're not joking, are you?"

“Who’s joking with you?” Wei Ping’an said in a low voice. “I just wanted your aunt and Lele to get a chance to go to Hong Kong for a trip.”

Wei Ming could understand this reason. Old Wei had sent many letters to Wei Ping'an's home, describing pictures of Hong Kong's glitz and glamour everywhere.

However, given that Xiaoyan's father holds a high position, would it be easy for her to go to Hong Kong under the current policy? Wei Ming wasn't sure.

~
Soon, the latest issue of "Huacheng" magazine was released, and Wei Ming's new work "District 9" was highlighted in bold in the table of contents.

Liu Zhenyun, who was about to graduate, was dumbfounded after reading it. It turned out to be a foreign science fiction novel with Kafkaesque influences. According to the editor's note at the end, it was indeed written in English and then translated back into Chinese by Wei Ming.

This is too, too, too… He didn’t know how to evaluate it. He only felt that his world consisted of the area above his head and the area under his feet, while Teacher Wei already possessed the whole world.

Before his epic novel "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes," his works were mostly centered around rural life.

After that, he began to create works on the theme of the children of Beijing's high-class families, which was not something he was familiar with. He pioneered a new style of Beijing-style novels. An old guy named Ma Weidu was quite inspired by him, and another guy named Wang Shuo also began to create works in this style.

Now he's stopped writing about Jingye and started writing about foreigners and even aliens!
Jurassic Park doesn't count; that was written by Wei something, and Liu Zhenyun read "loneliness" and "compassion" in that novel. It is a truly serious work of literature.

No wonder Flower City magazine published it so openly; this must be the first science fiction story published in one of the Four Great Dan magazines.

Liu Zhenyun had many thoughts. He felt that with his level of understanding of the world, he could not evaluate this novel because he really did not understand it. He only knew that it was probably based on the political situation in South Africa, but he did not understand South Africa or aliens, so writing it would only make him laugh.

However, he wrote an article based on the changes in Wei Ming's creative themes, talking about the evolution of Wei Ming's literary works over the past four years, and concluding with the words: Congratulations Wei Ming, he is now a world-class writer!

This episode of "Huacheng" saw a surge in sales, even surpassing "Mom, Love Me Again," which was just a script and not as engaging. It also outperformed Yu Luojin's "Spring Fairy Tale" episode, as the two are on completely different levels of influence.

The show has a large audience and many reviews. Moreover, because it is a foreign science fiction theme, the threshold is naturally high. Some readers can still imagine what life is like for the children of Beijing's high-class families, but they cannot imagine what it means to separate people by race.

Furthermore, the plot of humans mating with shrimp-like aliens to gain physical abilities, which is highly praised abroad, has greatly impacted the worldview of domestic readers.

Therefore, this has become the most controversial novel among Wei Ming's literary works.

Some critics, despite not understanding the content, still insist on commenting. Aside from some episodes of "Transformation," they see nothing else, and their comments are mostly summed up as "the Chinese version of Transformation."

This is still a positive attitude; there are also some who don't like it, and their opinions are even more varied.

Some people think Wei Ming has become arrogant, that he hasn't even figured out what's happening on Chinese soil yet, and he's already starting to write about foreigners and aliens, that he's overstepping his bounds.

Some people have questioned whether Wei Ming's blatant satire of the South African government will affect diplomatic relations between the two countries, and have expressed hope that the novel will be banned.

As a result, someone told him: "Sorry, we do not have diplomatic relations with South Africa."

Some even believe that the novel is nonsensical, that Wei Ming's mind is no longer on literary creation, and that the novel seems like a perfunctory work. They also spend a lot of time expressing the author's regret and sorrow, saying that China has gained a businessman who can earn foreign exchange, but has forever lost a giant of thought who could have given a wake-up call to the ignorant.

When Gong Xue saw this comment, she was both angry and happy. Her anger was understandable, but she was happy because the other party valued Xiao Wei too much.

Wei Ming is staying at her place tonight; he spent the whole night at Tuanjiehu yesterday.

When Wei Ming came, he also brought a copy of the People's Daily.

"Is there any big news?" she asked.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "I saw myself in the international section."

"Huh?" Gong Xue quickly took it and found the international news section.

This is a news article about the UK, where 78 members of parliament issued a joint statement demanding the release of Nelson Mandela from South Africa, and more than 50 mayors from other cities joined a march in London where people were calling for Mandela's freedom.

The news report included a photo of the scene, in which the mayor, who was leading the group, was holding a book. Although Gong Xue couldn't make out the words on the cover, she recognized it as Xiao Wei's copy of "District 9".

Coincidentally, the reporter who wrote this article also recognized me.
(End of this chapter)