Exciting 1979!

Chapter 445 Looking Up and Seeing the Big Dipper

"Give me a hug, just give me a hug."

At the costume fitting for "Journey to the West", Wei Ming was forced to carry Zhao Zifeng, and the two of them, one big and one small, watched Biaozi and Yanzi go to try on their makeup. I must say, this little chubby girl is really chubby.

Next, we're going to film a scene featuring the couple.

Because many interior scenes were filmed in one go, the two of them, the Nine-Headed Insect and Princess Wansheng, had to film a scene in the Wansheng Dragon Palace, which was actually a modified version of the East Sea Dragon Palace.

Biaozi wanted all his characters to be strong, so Wei Ming chose the Nine-Headed Insect for them.

Even Sun Wukong couldn't defeat the Nine-Headed Insect by himself, and later had to ask Erlang Shen for help. Even so, the Nine-Headed Insect still managed to escape from the hands of the two powerful figures. It is one of the few villainous demons in Journey to the West that was neither subdued nor killed.

Moreover, the script features a love triangle between the two of them and Xiaobailong. The film "Love in the Brush" has already been released, and Wang Bozhao, who played Xiaobailong, became an overnight sensation.

The movie did well at the box office, and many people went to see it because of Gong Xue's ancient costume look on the poster. However, Gong Xue didn't have many scenes. Wang Bozhao's Zhao Xuzhi was the soul of the role, which greatly enhanced the newcomer's career. If he hadn't already agreed to the role, he wouldn't have bothered with such a minor supporting role.

Zhao Zifeng is almost one year old now. She's quite tall and can walk with support. Wei Ming and she play outside together.

The little girl would hug and kiss Wei Ming from time to time, making him very happy. He wondered when Sister Xue and Sister Lin would get him such a sweet little girl.

When the Nine-Headed Insect and Princess Wansheng came out, Zhao Zifeng felt a sense of unfamiliarity when he looked at his parents. He didn't recognize them at all. When his mother tried to hug him, his first reaction was to hide in Wei Ming's arms.

Director Yang Jie and others laughed along with her. It took Zhao Zifeng quite a while to accept his mother's new look. As for his father, he still refused to accept it because it was ugly. Even though Wei Ming told them that the Nine-Headed Insect was not an insect but a bird, it still didn't look any better with nine bird heads.

Biaozi's appearance isn't as delicate as the original, but he looks like a ruthless character.

Wei Ming also noticed two young men behind Yang Jie. One of them was Lin Dian, a Hong Kong stuntman whom he had worked with before and a disciple of Xu Xiaoming. Lin was also the person Wei Ming had sincerely invited to come to the mainland to serve as a stunt coordinator.

Twenty-year-old Lin Dian didn't want to come. He wasn't afraid of hardship, but ATV was going to film "Chen Zhen," which would definitely be a huge hit, and he didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.

It was his master, Xu Xiaoming, who did some ideological work with him, explaining the great significance of "Journey to the West" and how a successful TV series would greatly benefit him.

Lin Di'an wondered what the bonus was. He wanted to work in the film industry in the future, so he used a pseudonym when filming this movie and didn't dare to make it public in Hong Kong.

However, this film can be considered a collaboration between ATV and the mainland. As an ATV employee, it was only natural for Lin Dian to come and help, especially since the remuneration offered was quite considerable.

But he only signed a six-month contract, and he will definitely return to Hong Kong after six months. He is afraid that if he leaves the industry for too long, people will forget about him.

In the past six months, he not only had to serve as the action director, teaching how to use wire work, but also had to train the "Journey to the West" crew's own team of martial arts instructors.

When he arrived, he found that he couldn't handle such a large production crew by himself, so he called in a helper from Hong Kong, the boy next to him who was even younger than him.

Wei Ming recognized him; he was the three-eyed kid.

Chin Ka-lok is only 17 years old this year. His older brother, Chin Siu-ho, started his career at Shaw Brothers and is now an actor, but he is still basically an unknown.

Using his limited connections, the older brother brought his younger brother into the stuntman industry. His first film was "Project A," but the project was canceled due to Jackie Chan's injury, so he had to find other work.

When Chin Ka-lok first entered the industry, he wasn't picky about jobs, and was then recommended to Lam Dian, which led him to come to mainland China.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, this future top stuntman in Hong Kong's martial arts scene became the assistant martial arts director for "Journey to the West".

When he first came in, he kept staring at Zhao Debiao. He had read "Heroes Have Emerged Since Ancient Times" and had also heard Lin Dian say how fierce Biaozi was. Seeing him today, he indeed had a domineering and bandit-like aura. It felt like even Sun Wukong and Yang Jian would be beaten down by him.

Chin Ka-lok has already begun to conceive of this rather important battle scene between gods and demons.

"Ah Le, come here, let me introduce you. This is Wei Ming, you should call him Teacher Wei. He works at a university." Lin Dian warmly introduced Wei Ming to Qian Jiale. He heard that Wei Ming was the chief consultant for this drama, which was one of the reasons why he was willing to come to the mainland.

Teacher Wei can be considered his strongest connection in mainland China; this powerful connection might still be useful even in Hong Kong.

Wei Ming smiled and asked the two of them questions of concern, such as whether they were adjusting well to life in Yanjing.

Actually, it's not too bad. Although the prosperity here can't compare to Hong Kong, with their income, living in Yanjing can give them a sense of superiority, something that two small-time Hong Kong hustlers can't experience back in their hometown.

Lin Dian knew that Wei Ming liked to treat people to meals. Sure enough, after Biaozi finished his makeup and costume fitting, Wei Ming invited them to have dinner at Donglaishun Restaurant and chat about the action design of Journey to the West.

Now that Chin Ka-lok is involved, Wei Ming thinks that the difficulty of Sun Wukong's movements can be increased, and it shouldn't be too difficult for Chin Ka-lok.

Chin Ka-lok knew that Wei Ming was the screenwriter of "Project A", a good friend of Jackie Chan, and a world-renowned literary giant. He never expected that he would meet such an important person up close today and find that he had no airs at all.

When Wei Ming offered him a toast, he downed it in one gulp and patted his chest, promising in the manner of an old Beijing native: "I will definitely make this film a success, Teacher Wei, just you wait and see!"

Wei Ming smiled kindly. A 17-year-old is indeed easily swayed by a little kindness from someone in a superior position.

It was noon, and they were still busy in the afternoon, so they didn't drink much. They mainly just enjoyed the flavor of the old Yanjing hot pot.

In the evening, Wei Ming and Biaozi arrived in Changping and witnessed firsthand how the scene of more than 600,000 yuan was reduced to ashes.

For this shot, Li Hanxiang and the Beijing Film Studio used every camera they could find, capturing the scene from every angle and in every direction. This was a scene that couldn't afford to go wrong.

Old Li's gaze was firm, but the people sent by the Beijing Film Studio looked distressed; this was all money.

However, there's no other way. This isn't like the Ming and Qing Dynasty street at the Beijing Film Studio, which can be reused for any Ming and Qing Dynasty period drama with some modifications. It's no problem to reuse it for films like "Teahouse" and "Rickshaw Boy." But this scene can only be used in this film.

After burning down the Old Summer Palace, the film crew will take a short break before moving on to the Chengde Mountain Resort, and Wei Ming is also preparing to head to Sichuan.

The Ministry of Culture contacted him today, probably because there was news from Venice. He was preparing to go there, and just as he came out of the Overseas Chinese Apartment, he saw someone standing at the door.

"Teacher Wei, Teacher Wei!" The other person was carrying a net bag with fruit and canned goods, and when he grinned, he revealed a mouthful of rotten teeth.

Old Sun, who was standing by the door, told Wei Ming, "They've been looking for you for three days now."

Wei Ming only stayed at the Overseas Chinese Apartment occasionally, and Feng Xiaogang came three times before finally meeting him once.

In his previous life, Wei Ming didn't interact much with Feng Xiaogang. If he had, he probably would have disliked him, since Feng Xiaogang was known for belittling the weak and flattering the strong, and for being foul-mouthed and sarcastic. Anyone of lower status than him was unlikely to hear anything nice from him.

Because they weren't familiar with each other, Wei Ming's attitude towards him was quite neutral and calm: "May I ask your name? What can I do for you?"

Wei Ming glanced at his watch as he spoke, indicating that he was busy and wanted to make a long story short.

Feng Xiaogang hurriedly said, "Teacher Wei, I want to come and seek refuge with you."

"Come to me?"

"Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Feng Xiaogang. You can call me Xiaogang or Xiao Feng. I work in the army doing art-related work and can also write articles. Recently, I wanted to switch to film and television. I heard from my old comrade that you are going to be a director and are recruiting. I thought to myself, what a coincidence! I am willing to be your slave."

As expected of Feng Kuzi, he was really humble before he became famous. Wei Ming narrowed his eyes: "You're Feng Ge's comrade-in-arms?"

"Yes, yes, Brother Qiao Fengfeng!"

Wei Ming remained silent for a long time, and Feng Xiaogang felt a little uneasy, wondering if his gift was too small.

After a moment's hesitation, Wei Mingcai said, "Do you know where I'm going to film? I'm going to Sichuan. It might take several months. You're in the army, right? You're disciplined and organized. Can you afford to wait that long?"

"It's alright, I'm an office worker, there's not much to do. I can take leave, I'll use all my leave. If that doesn't work, I'll just quit. I really admire you and want to learn something from you. I've read every one of your novels and every one of your articles." Feng Xiaogang perfectly portrayed the face of a lowly person who disregards dignity and seizes every opportunity to climb up the social ladder.

However, Wei Ming is a meticulous person, and he blurted out: "What article did I write in the December 1981 issue of Yenching Literature?"

Feng Xiaogang's eyes darted around: "I remember, it was about your experiences in Japan!"

Wow, this guy's got something!

Indeed, not everyone can be a good lackey.

Wei Ming added, "My crew doesn't really lack any talent. The film studio can basically provide me with all the necessary personnel. Adding you would be considered overstaffing."

Hearing that he was about to be rejected, Feng Xiaogang quickly tried to flatter him more. Wei Ming then said, "How about this, I'll only let you be a stagehand at most, but as a stagehand you'll probably have to assist the art director. If there are any extra roles, you'll have to play them too."

With that kind of appearance, he'd be perfect for playing a village rogue or a village guardian.

Feng Xiaogang was overjoyed and wished he could immediately bow down in worship.

"As for your job, I'll apply to have you transferred over to help out."

Feng Xiaogang happily used his sleeve to wipe the motorcycle cover for Wei Ming. Teacher Wei is such a kind person! He even wants to recognize him as his godfather!
Actually, he didn't dare to leave the army to work independently. These days, it's too difficult to be without a unit. He was still thinking of transferring to a film studio or similar unit.

"Alright, I have to go now. Also, I'm going to Chengdu the day after tomorrow, but I didn't buy your plane ticket."

Wow, as expected of Teacher Wei, he even takes a plane.

"It's alright, it's alright, I'll take the train myself, the train is safe."

"Alright, then you'll have to figure out how to meet up with the film crew at the Emei Film Studio in Chengdu."

"Okay, okay, Teacher Wei, you go ahead and do your work. Oh, and take this fruit with you."

Wei Ming waved his hand and had already disappeared.

Feng Xiaogang looked at Lao Sun, left the gift with the gatekeeper, and left a note with his name and company name written down.

Feng Xiaogang felt that even the sun had become brighter, and he was full of expectations for the future.

Wei Ming, on the other hand, had a mischievous sense of humor and wanted to see what interesting chemistry would occur when a film crew brought together Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang.

When they arrived at the Ministry of Culture, both Minister Zhu and Director Shi of the Film Bureau were there.

It turns out that *The Witness* had already been sent to the Venice Film Festival, and after reviewing it, they reacted quickly, immediately sending a fax to sincerely invite Mr. Why to participate in the festival. As for whether *The Legend of Sealed Book* will be nominated for the main competition, that's still undecided; the nomination list won't be announced for another few days. However, they're definitely going to get *The Witness*.

Shi Fangyu laughed and said, "It seems that this short film has really surprised foreigners."

Minister Zhu asked, "So, are you planning to go to Venice then?"

Wei Ming hesitated, "If my movie hasn't started filming by the end of August, then I'll go there."

Minister Zhu and Director Shi exchanged a glance, and finally Shi Fangyu said, "Then you probably can't go abroad so casually this time. There will be strict restrictions on the number of people accompanying you and the number of days you can travel."

"Ah, what's wrong?"

Director Shi said, "This matter hasn't been reported domestically yet. Even if you know about it, don't spread it outside."

It turns out that last month, when the national women's tennis team went to the United States for a competition, one of the four players, named Hu Na, left the team without permission before the match against the German team.

Wei Ming knew about this matter; he had read about it in the newspaper in his previous life. It was eventually exposed, which implicated all the team members and coaches.

Because Hu Na is practically considered one of the top female tennis players in Asia, and is also beautiful, she is regarded as the face of Chinese sports, this incident caused a considerable friction between the two countries.

The State Sports Commission urgently issued the "Regulations on the Management of Athletes Going Abroad" and suspended all sports exchanges with the United States.

The impact of this incident was even more severe than the entire crew of "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" being stranded in the United States a few years later.

With such a major incident and such a negative impact, let alone going abroad, Wei Ming may even face certain restrictions when going to Hong Kong in the future.

It's not that we lack trust, it's just that if Wei Ming also goes out and doesn't come back, that would be a huge problem. Ten Hu Nas combined wouldn't have the same influence as one Wei Ming.

Even if Wei Ming didn't have that intention, he was afraid that the other party might.

The leader wasn't afraid of Wei Ming being corrupted by money, but he was afraid of being tempted by beauty.

Of course, the two leaders didn't say this aloud; they just mentioned the seriousness of the matter to Wei Ming.

This just happened last month, and now the Venice Film Festival is opening this month. Shanghai Film Studio has already confirmed that even if "The Legend of Sealed Book" is shortlisted for the main competition, only one of the three directors can go.

Hearing what they said, Wei Ming simply said, "Then let's just forget about it. It's a tense time right now, so I won't cause any more trouble for everyone this time. If 'The Shepherd's Spring' is shortlisted for an international film festival next year, then I'll go out."

According to the filming schedule of this movie, he was aiming for Cannes, France, where the standards probably won't be as strict.

Hearing Wei Ming's understanding of the leaders' difficulties, both leaders breathed a sigh of relief. If he insisted on going to Venice, he would have to coordinate several departments, and if anything went wrong abroad, everyone on this line would be implicated.

"Then you should prepare well for your film. Xiao Wei, you are a born artist, you will definitely succeed in anything you do." Minister Zhu encouraged Wei Ming.

When he left, Wei Ming also mentioned to Director Shi the matter of transferring someone from the military to help out on the film set.

Hearing that he was a special talent, Director Shi said he would take care of this small favor.

That's right, a special talent for flattery and providing emotional value.

After leaving the Ministry of Culture, Wei Ming went to Tuanjiehu. He didn't return until evening. It turned out that Lin Jie was rehearsing "The Tale of Two Donkeys," a play that was about to go on sale.

Zhu Lin is the understudy for the female lead, Song Dandan, so she will have less work, but rehearsals cannot be neglected. Right now, she just wants to hone her acting skills and wait for the next script that belongs to her.

Speaking of this, Wei Ming remembered that he still owed the Beijing People's Art Theatre a script, so he decided to write it for them during his trip to Sichuan to film.

But let's love her first. Wei Ming's hand had just touched Sister Lin's lower abdomen when he felt a sharp pain.

She chuckled, and Wei Ming lifted the lid to take a look. It turned out to be the newly released book, "A Bite of China," which, considering it was a collection of essays, had an initial print run of 80 copies.

Next up is another book, "District 9," which has also entered the publishing process.

~
The next day, Wei Ming and Wei Hong were packing their luggage at the Overseas Chinese Apartment. It included not only their own luggage but also luggage that Yunyun had brought back to her hometown.

Wei Ming was a bit overwhelmed; there was so much stuff, even flying was a bit tiring.

Then he thought of Feng Xiaogang and called his workplace.

"Teacher Wei, your transfer order is so effective, we've arrived right away!"

"That's great! Do you have a lot of luggage?"

"Luggage? I don't have any. Will the film crew provide accommodation when we get there?" he asked.

Wei Ming said, "Food and lodging are included."

"Then I have nothing to bring, just my sincere devotion to Teacher Wei is enough."

Wei Ming rolled his eyes. He might need some time to adjust to such blatant flattery: "That's good. Help me bring some things."

On the day they left, Wei Ming and Wei Hong took most of their valuable luggage by plane, while Feng Xiaogang took a small amount of luggage by train, in a hard seat.

Wei Ming told him to keep the receipts, saying he would reimburse him later. Feng Xiaogang was overjoyed; this was a business trip paid for by the company!
Sitting on the green train, Feng Xiaogang could see the Big Dipper through the window at night, shining as brightly as Teacher Wei Ming.

Because he was wearing a military uniform, no one dared to cause him any trouble. He chatted with people all the way, looking very cheerful and full of longing for a better future.

He also had a copy of "A Bite of China." Although he had read all the articles in it, it was only when he put them all together that he truly realized how much of a foodie Mr. Wei was.

No, I need to improve my cooking skills so that Teacher Wei can't live without me.

Teacher Wei is currently having dinner with Wei Hong, Han Sanping, the leaders and director of the Emei Factory. It's authentic Sichuan cuisine, and everyone is enjoying their meal.

There were also actors on set, such as Shen Danping, who was assigned to the Emei Factory, and Pan Hong, whose luck was stolen by Zhu Lin.

This wasn't considered working as hostesses. They already knew Wei Ming, but weren't very close, and all hoped to get a role in Wei Ming's film.

Wei Ming's film is a co-production between the Children's Film Studio and a Hong Kong company. It has ample funding and promising prospects. However, since it was filmed in Sichuan, it inevitably needed the help of the Emei Film Studio, which used their manpower and resources.

Even Han Sanping wanted to join Wei Ming's team directly, and he jokingly expressed this idea when he left the dinner party.

"Old Han, what can you do here?" Wei Ming asked with a smile.

"How about I work as your lighting technician again?" Han Sanping joked.

Han Sanping is now the director of the art center at Emei Factory, so naturally he can no longer do such a trivial job as a lighting technician.

Since we've already assembled Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang, and Feng Xiaoning, why not add Han Sanping as well? This is the golden lineup of Chinese films since the 90s.

"In that case, I won't let the film studio send a production manager. How about you be my production manager, Lao Han?"

Han Sanping was waiting for him to say this: "Teacher Wei, my Director Wei, then it's settled. I'll report to the factory manager right away."

Wei Ming: "Then you'll have to treat this film as if it were your own from Emei Film Studio."

"You don't need to tell me. I told your advance team where to go for research, and I even sent them a car."

Wei Ming: "So where are they now?"

"Oh, it's in Xinjin County, which is near Chengdu. Chen Kaige and the others set off as soon as they saw Zhang Yimou. They've been gone for two days and should be back tomorrow."

Wei Ming nodded. The main setting of this movie is the rural area where the story takes place, with secondary settings in the town and county.

He hopes to capture the spirit of this era while showcasing the beauty of Sichuan's architecture and culture. He may select multiple locations to create scenes for the film, and may even need to build sets.

"Old Han, do you have any spare cars at the factory?" Wei Ming asked with a warm smile before they parted.

The next day, Wei Ming let Xiao Hong play by herself at the Emei Factory, while he drove the factory's car to visit Ma Shitu, the old man.

Another important purpose of choosing Sichuan as the filming location this time was to find someone. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been impossible to film in Jiangsu, where we could have been closer to Sister Xue.

Sichuan actually welcomed Wei Ming, as he had made contributions to Sichuan.

The movie "Heroes Have Been Born Since Ancient Times" made Jiuzhaigou famous throughout China. With the movie's release in Hong Kong and Japan, even foreigners know about this paradise on earth. Unfortunately, tourism is still in its early stages and it will take time for the results to become apparent.

Of course, the biggest contribution was the nearly 200 million yuan in donations, all in foreign exchange, which effectively addressed many of the damages caused by the disaster.

67-year-old Mr. Ma warmly received Wei Ming at the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. It was the first time he had ever heard of Wei Ming directing a film.

“You young people are really bold and daring. If I were twenty years younger, I would really like to film each of my ‘Ten Tales of the Night’.”

"No rush, keep it. There will definitely be a discerning director who can make it for you in the future." Wei Ming laughed and, after chatting about movies, literature, and the international situation, he got to the point and explained his intention to find his relatives.

Old Ma was happy to help: "Separation from your child is too painful. How about this, I'll introduce you to the provincial leader in charge of this area."

~
It was evening when Wei Ming returned to the Emei Factory Guesthouse.

Before he returned, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaoning had already returned from Xinjin.

Immediately afterward, Feng Xiaogang arrived at the gate of the Emei Factory, dragging his luggage. He exclaimed excitedly, "Finally, I've found my people!"

……

(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)