Exciting 1979!

Chapter 446 Finalist
"Who are you looking for?" a bearded man with glasses called out to the shifty-eyed Feng Xiaogang.

"Comrade, I'm from the 'Shepherd's Class' production team. I'm here to report to Teacher Wei Ming." Feng Xiaogang straightened his clothes.

Although the appearance was somewhat lacking, this outfit made Mi Jiashan less wary.

"Oh, come with me." Mi Jiashan led Feng Xiaogang to the guesthouse, and they introduced themselves.

When Mi Jiashan said his name, Feng Xiaogang didn't know it. But when he mentioned the movie "Song in the Whirlpool" which he wrote, Feng Xiaogang immediately exclaimed, "Oh! Pan Hong starred in it, right?"

Mi Jiashan nodded, a smug look on his face. "Pan Hong, my wife!"
Since her debut, Pan Hong has starred in many works such as "The Daughter of a Slave", "The Troublesome Laughter" and "The Glow Through the Clouds". Although her influence is not top-tier, she can be considered a second-tier star. In Emei Film Studio, she can be considered the leading lady.

Feng Xiaogang probably couldn't have imagined, even if he racked his brains, that Pan Hong's husband was this unassuming bearded man in front of him.

Of course, Big Beard is no ordinary person. Although he has not yet produced any outstanding works at the Emei Factory, he comes from a distinguished family. His father was once the top official in Chengdu, holding a position even higher than that of Han Sanping's father (the deputy mayor of a prefecture-level city).

Since they were both second-generation rich kids and worked at the Emei Film Factory, he and Han Sanping had a good relationship. His wife wanted him to contact Han Sanping to see if there were any suitable roles for him in Wei Ming's movies.

At this moment, Han Sanping was listening to Chen Kaige talk eloquently, while Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning listened attentively, occasionally managing to chime in.

When they saw that Mi Jiashan had brought someone over, and that he was from the crew of "The Shepherd's Class", they were all a little surprised.

Chen Kaige said, "Which unit are you from? I've never heard of you."

"I'm Feng Xiaogang, a student on loan from the army by Teacher Wei." As he spoke, Feng Xiaogang took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket and started offering them to others.

Upon hearing the name, Chen Kaige chuckled and looked at Feng Xiaoning: "Xiaoning, is this your brother?"

Looking at Feng Xiaogang, Feng Xiaoning wanted to say that she couldn't possibly have such an ugly brother. But to be fair, their face shapes were somewhat similar. However, Feng Xiaoning, who was not handsome, actually looked somewhat delicate next to Feng Xiaogang.

Zhang Yimou introduced the three of them and then asked, "So, which part are you in charge of?"

Feng Xiaogang said, "I used to be in charge of art in the army."

Chen Kaige laughed even harder: "Xiaoning, we do the same job, and you still say we're not brothers?"

Feng Xiaogang immediately stepped forward and grasped Feng Xiaoning's hand: "Brother Xiaoning, we're destined to be together. From now on, you're my brother!"

Not only did he get involved with Wei Ming, he also wanted to be associated with the film's art director, which was the most accessible and important film position for him.

Feng Xiaoning smiled awkwardly but politely, while inwardly screaming: "You idiot, let go of me!"

After a while, Wei Ming returned and saw Feng Xiaogang, saying, "Xiaogang's here. You all know each other, right?"

"I've met you, I've met you." Then Han Sanping introduced Mi Jiashan to Wei Ming. Mi Jiashan was also an art designer at Emei Studio, and he also wrote his own scripts. Emei Studio was planning to train him to be a director.

Both Han Sanping and Han Sanping will be going to the film academy next year to study directing.

Even without Han Sanping's introduction, Wei Ming knew about Mi Jiashan's background, so he was very enthusiastic and asked, "Old Mi, would you like to join my team?"

With him around, coordinating between various units will be much more time-saving and labor-saving.

Actually, Lao Mi didn't have such a strong desire. The team already had an assistant director and an art director, and Wei Ming was in charge of the script, so there was no need for him to use his skills.

However, for Pan Hong's sake, he still smiled and said, "Then Teacher Wei can just assign me any job, I'm free anyway."

"Knowing you're so capable, the set design will be yours, and we'll also give you the title of assistant director. We can also discuss the script together, is that alright?"

Mi Jiashan nodded, and was about to ask about the female lead when Zhang Yimou couldn't wait to show Wei Ming the photos they had taken in Xinjin County, including those of the county town, townships, and rural areas.

Wei Ming wasn't too satisfied with the rural areas of Xinjin, so he wanted to take another look. However, the county town was alright.

Wei Ming said, "Come with me to my maternal grandmother's house tomorrow. The scenery in Ya'an is quite nice."

Afterwards, Han Sanping helped Feng Xiaogang arrange accommodation. Before returning to his room, Wei Ming went to check on Xiao Hong, who was studying TOEFL materials.

"Hi, bro, you're back! Did you find your aunt?"

Wei Ming chuckled and flicked her head: "It's not that fast."

Even though the household registration information has been entered into the computer, it is not easy to find people who meet the criteria; it takes some time.

Finding relatives sometimes relies on the development of technology. In the future, technology will be able to identify children through facial scans of parents. Even if it is not a precise identification, it can at least narrow down the search area.

Wei Ming has probably only gotten a general idea of ​​what's possible this time; the rest he'll have to figure out for himself.

"We're going to Grandma's tomorrow, and you'll be staying there for a while. We need to scout locations, and it's not convenient to bring a girl like you along."

"Okay, fine." Wei Hong understood.

However, the next day, Chengdu was hit by a torrential downpour.

Wei Ming looked out the window: "Well, we can't get out now."

It is currently the rainy season in Sichuan, and Ya'an receives even more rainfall.

Han Sanping said worriedly, "I hope it won't rain as hard as last year."

Last year's massive floods still haunt many people in Sichuan and Chongqing. When talking about last year's floods, everyone looks to Wei Ming. Even the arrogant Chen Kaige has some respect for him. That was more than 100 million Hong Kong dollars in foreign exchange.

Wei Ming: "It shouldn't be that bad, but after the rain, transportation in many mountain villages might be a bit troublesome."

"Yes, I'm worried that jeeps won't be able to get through," Zhang Yimou said, explaining that filming requires transporting a lot of equipment.

Wei Ming looked at Han Sanping: "Old Han, does the Emei Factory have motorcycles?"

“I have one,” Mi Jiashan said, raising his hand.

Han Sanping: "The factory doesn't have them, but some private individuals do."

Next, they saw Mijia Mountain's motorcycles in the factory, which would later become the famous Jialing brand.

However, Jialing has just started a collaboration with Honda of Japan, and the joint venture vehicles with better performance have not yet been put into production. Mi Jiashan rides the CJ50 light motorcycle, which was independently developed by Jialing Factory a few years ago.

In Wei Ming's view, this thing was more like an electric car from later generations, and it looked rather flimsy.

However, these light motorcycles sell very well in Chongqing, since the city's terrain is hilly and there is simply no market for bicycles.

Chen Kaige said, "This thing probably can't handle heavy loads."

Mi Jiashan: "It's hard to carry heavy things, but it's no problem for me to carry my wife. Oh, my wife is Pan Hong, she weighs about 100 pounds."

Wei Ming: Xue Jie only weighs 90 pounds.

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang's small eyes widened in disbelief. His wife? Pan Hong? Him?!
He secretly made a mental note: making movies can lead to marrying a female star!
Zhang Yimou remained indifferent, saying, "What is Pan Hong? You know Gong Xue in the south and Zhu Lin in the north, right? She has nothing to do with me."

Wei Ming tried riding it in the spacious factory. It was indeed very light and the power was also acceptable.

After the rain subsided a bit, he took a walk around outdoors and tried some of the more complex terrain.

Finally, he made the decision: "Are these motorcycles still sold in Chengdu? I'd like to buy a batch for the film crew."

These motorcycles aren't expensive, costing less than a thousand yuan each, which Wei Ming could easily afford.

Of course, the Emei plant is responsible for the gasoline, mainly in terms of performance targets.

Mi Jiashan immediately helped Wei Ming make contact. Later, he learned that there were only three vehicles left in the Chengdu store. Knowing that Wei Ming needed them, the manager said that he could apply to transfer the goods from the Chongqing main factory.

In the hearts of the people of Sichuan, Wei Ming is seen as a great philanthropist.

Wei Ming said, "Take these three cars first, and then bring in seven more to make it a round number."

The next day, three motorcycles arrived, and the rain stopped. Han Sanping could drive, so he drove the factory's jeep with Feng Xiaoning, Mi Jiashan, Chen Kaige, Wei Hong, and a lot of luggage.

Wei Ming, Zhang Yimou, and Feng Xiaogang rode their motorcycles straight to Wei Ming's maternal grandmother's house. The sun was shining brightly that day, giving these young men, who were not yet thirty, a sense of exhilaration and a feeling of being able to explore the world at their own pace.

Feng Xiaogang, riding the slowest on the motorcycle, hung at the very back, watching the jeeps and motorcycles in front of him, and thought to himself: Making movies is really great!

This time, they not only plan to visit Ya'an and Baoxing, but also several beautiful villages in Sichuan that are quite famous as locations for their scouting trip.

Jiuzhaigou was also on Wei Ming's mind, but because the scenery was so beautiful it was almost too much, he hesitated about including it in the movie. It was too ethereal, and he wanted to make the movie beautiful, but not a scenic film.

They couldn't reach their grandmother's house in one day, so they spent the night in Pujiang County, where they refueled and even ate Pujiang kiwifruit.

In principle, the closer the filming location is to Chengdu, the better, as this will make it much easier to handle any problems that may arise or to transport any supplies.

For example, the Beijing Film Studio's "Xu Mao and His Daughters" was filmed in Jianyang County, which is near Chengdu.

However, the closer a place is to the political and cultural center, the less distinctive it is, and the less soul it seems to have, just like Wei Ming's hometown in Hebei.

The next day, they finally arrived in Baoxing County, Ya'an.

Han Sanping, who was driving, stopped in front of a large bridge and excitedly shouted to the motorcycles behind him, "Look, Wei Mingqiao!"

They arrived at Qingyi River, and at everyone's insistence, they took a group photo at the stone tablet by the bridge.

The group first went to the town where the maternal grandmother lived. To facilitate transportation, the uncle and aunt's husband built a feed mill in the town, but the family had not yet moved out of the village.

"Brother, Xiao Hong!" Long Xiaoyang had just seen off a mule cart carrying feed when he was pleasantly surprised to see this group of people, including cars and motorcycles!

Wei Ming said, "Is there anywhere to eat in town? Let's grab something to eat first."

"Alright, I'll take you to a privately-run restaurant; the food is really good." The trend of entrepreneurship has reached even remote areas of Sichuan, and privately-run restaurants are beginning to revive.

During the meal, Wei Ming introduced his cousin and his family to each other.

Long Xiaoyang had already received Wei Ming's letter, but the specific time was not set, nor was the purpose of the visit mentioned. Now that he knew it was for making a movie, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is it just a few of you making a movie?"

Wei Ming said, "There's definitely more than that. We're the advance team, here to find suitable locations and do some preliminary preparations."

As they were talking, it started raining again outside, but it wasn't heavy. Feng Xiaogang quickly went to the shopkeeper and asked for raincoats to cover the three motorcycles.

Long Xiaoyang thought for a moment and said, "Our village is definitely not suitable. It's dilapidated and there's no beautiful scenery. I remember there's a pretty village near Ya'an with some Qing Dynasty buildings. I can take you there to see it later."

"it is good."

Long Xiaoyang asked about his cousin Yunyun's situation again; he wanted to go to Yanjing again.

Although the feed mill is now on the right track, countless families have come to propose marriage to him, including many very beautiful women. But perhaps because he has seen the world, he no longer wants to be stuck in this small place.

Wei Ming could tell that too, so he said, "I'd like to bring my grandmother to Yanjing for the New Year. How about you take her there?"

"Okay, okay!"

The rain stopped in the afternoon, and Wei Ming asked Xiao Yang to find a place to stay in town to settle the main group down, as the village was struggling to accommodate them.

Although they lived in town, they still wanted to visit Wei Ming's grandmother together.

The group even pooled their money to buy ten pounds of pork as a gift.

So Wei Ming brought them along too. Long Xiaoyang volunteered to ride his motorcycle to take Wei Ming, something he had learned in Yanjing.

Grandma mainly takes care of her two grandchildren now, and doesn't have to do any work. Her son gives her more money than she can spend each month. She is now the happiest and most envied old lady in the village.

That's what she thought too, except when she thought of her youngest daughter, whose fate was unknown.

"grandmother!"

The person hadn't arrived yet, but the voice came first—three times.

Upon seeing her two grandchildren who had come from afar, the old lady smiled, revealing two gold teeth.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Grandma, I'm here to work. I'll leave Xiao Hong with you for a few days. Please don't find her annoying."

Wei Hong was playing with Pingping and Fangfang when she heard this and glared at her older brother.

"I don't mind at all. Xiaohong is the smartest kid in our family." The old lady also admires people with high academic qualifications.

Grandma cooked a delicious meal for dinner, but what everyone found most unforgettable was the chili sauce she made herself. Now that she has more money, she's more generous with the amount of minced meat and oil she puts in the sauce, making it even tastier.

Especially the two people from Xi'an, eating this chili sauce, hey, it's so delicious, it would be even better if there were two bowls of noodles.

Feng Xiaogang then thought of the chili sauce made by his grandmother and mother, which Wei Ming highlighted in "A Bite of China." He thought it was a bit exaggerated when he first watched it, but he didn't expect it to be so delicious.

Seeing that they liked it, the uncle quickly gave the children two jars of chili sauce to take with them when they left: "If you can't find anything good to eat on the road, you can use this to put in your steamed buns. It's really delicious."

Wei Ming will sleep here tonight, with Long Xiaoyang keeping him company.

Seeing that his cousin was interested in the Jialing motorcycle, Wei Ming said, "I'll give it to you after the movie is finished."

"Oh, really?!" Her voice was full of joy.

Wei Ming: "It was originally bought for filming. I think you and your uncle and aunt need it for business. I'll give you three cars and leave the rest to the Emei factory."

Wei Ming couldn't take these things with him, but considering that this was a joint venture film, he would still have to make up for the gifts he gave to his relatives later.

Next, Long Xiaoyang excitedly told Wei Ming about their business empire, and how they really needed a motorcycle, as the market had now expanded to other towns.

Long Xiaoyang: "Brother, do you think what I said is right? Shouldn't we take the initiative to help those who want to start aquaculture to expand their scale? That way, we won't lack business."

They used to sell quail feed, and later thought about selling chicken and pig feed, but many people raise these two animals on a small scale, with only a few chickens and one pig, so their demand for feed is very small.

That's why he thought, if there's no demand, then create demand for them.

Wei Ming praised, "Xiao Yang, the fact that you thought of this shows that you have the potential to become the richest man in Ya'an."

Accompanied by the chirping of cicadas and croaking of frogs outside the window, the two brothers chatted until late at night and fell asleep without realizing it.

The next day, Wei Ming and Long Xiaoyang returned to the town and went with the rest of the group to Fanshan Village, which Xiaolong had mentioned and which had a somewhat quaint atmosphere.

Nestled against green mountains and facing the Qingyi River, the village boasts well-preserved Qing Dynasty residences adorned with exquisite carvings. A dragon-shaped stone bridge, built during the Qianlong era, stands beside the village; its beautiful design continues to play a vital role to this day.

This place not only grows grains, but also tea, and the autumn tea harvest is almost here.

Wei Ming and his group walked around, looking at things and taking pictures. Because Long Xiaoyang's business had expanded to this area, the village's headman personally accompanied them.

The brigade leader, surnamed Fan, was quite knowledgeable. He knew that Wei Ming was a big shot, and if the movie could be filmed here, it would definitely be of great benefit. At the very least, they should help repair the broken road leading into the village.

The road was so full of potholes that it kept jeeps out of the village; they came in on motorcycles.

Faced with such a beautiful and quaint little village, the artists all expressed their opinions and thought about how to present it. It seems that they were satisfied with the result. The scenes needed in the movie can basically be realized here.

They took a lot of photos here. Wei Ming, Feng Xiaoning, Feng Xiaogang, and Mi Jiashan looked down at the village from the mountain and sketched.

All three are graphic designers, but their educational backgrounds are different, resulting in very different styles of artwork. However, apart from Feng Xiaogang, everyone agrees that Feng Xiaoning's artwork is the best.

Only Feng Xiaogang felt that although Xiaoning was good, Teacher Wei had captured the soul of this small mountain village.

After spending the past few days together, everyone had gotten used to Feng Xiaogang's style, feeling a mix of disdain and admiration. If you asked Chen Kaige to be so subservient, he would never agree to it, even if you beat him to death.

From this perspective, this kid is someone to be reckoned with.

However, Zhang Yimou admired Wei Ming even more. Despite having a "treacherous villain" like Feng Xiaogang, Teacher Wei remained humble and never bossed Feng Xiaogang around. He was polite and courteous to everyone.

If it were Wang Shuo, there would be countless insults waiting for Xiao Gangpao.

Although Fanshan Village is nice, close to Ya'an Station, and convenient for traveling to and from Chengdu, Wei Ming felt there might be better options, as they had only been out for less than a week.

So they continued their search for a suitable site in the Sichuan Basin.

However, once we arrived in Ya'an, we sent Han Sanping and Mi Jiashan back to Chengdu first. It was easier to move around with fewer people, otherwise, with so many people, some small places wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone.

The staff was reduced to five people, with one jeep and one motorcycle left. The motorcycle could be stored in the jeep, and it was only used to scout ahead when the car could not pass.

They later even went to Zigong and visited the Dashanpu dinosaur fossil excavation site that Wei Ming had seen before. The person in charge warmly received them and even said that they would build a dinosaur museum there.

Of course, Wei Ming also visited the home of Hehua and Xiaohulu, the real-life inspirations for "Mom, Love Me Again". Seeing Hehua's increasingly better mental state, Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and the others, who had been moved by the film, were not only happy for them, but also realized the impact of the film on people's destinies.

This is a real-life example.

While they were traveling around Sichuan, a not-so-sensational obituary appeared in some print media.

Renowned calligrapher Mr. Wu Yuru passed away in Tianjin on August 8.

Wei Ming didn't see it immediately, but Gong Xue did.

She, along with Xizi and the crew, have arrived in Suzhou, and filming will begin soon.

Upon learning of the passing of the old teacher who had once taught him, Gong Xue was deeply saddened and wrote an article to be published in Wenhui Daily in mourning.

Only then did people realize that Gong Xue's beautiful calligraphy in the movie was due to the guidance of a master.

This has also added to the popularity of the currently showing film "The Love in the Brush," with many people watching the film repeatedly just to see Gong Xue's calligraphy.

As a result, Gong Xue gained another title of talented woman, which made her quite embarrassed, but Zhu Lin had no psychological burden at all.

When her parents asked Gong Xue about her, she frankly said, "Xiao Xue is so talented. She can paint and do calligraphy. Why didn't you think of me learning these things back then?"

Zhu's father replied, "Didn't we send you to Shichahai to learn gymnastics when you were little? It's a talent, you know."

Zhu Ma also said, "That's right, otherwise how could you have danced so well later? It's all thanks to the foundation you laid back then."

Zhu Lin thought to herself, all that basic knowledge has been used in yoga, and all the yoga poses she learned have been used in the right way.

Thinking of this, Zhu Lin felt a little embarrassed. Even after all these years, he still craved it, but unfortunately, neither of them was by his side.

~
After traveling for more than half a month, Wei Ming and his group called Emei Film Studio on their way back and learned from Han Sanping that "The Legend of Sealed Book" had also been shortlisted for the main competition of the Venice International Film Festival.

Chinese animated films have won numerous awards, starting with "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother" and then "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King." This time, "The Legend of Sealed Book" has also been nominated. However, live-action films have not yet achieved many successes. In fact, the entire Chinese-language film industry, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, is still not valued by the European and American film circles.

This is due to a combination of economic and political reasons, as well as the fact that the program started late.

Another issue is cultural barriers. Given the general lack of common language and writing systems, it is necessary to offer something sufficiently novel in terms of audiovisual elements. This is why Chen Kaige's "Yellow Earth," with cinematography by Zhang Yimou, became the first film to win a major award at a European film festival.

"The Witness" is definitely novel enough, and you could even say it's bizarre!

……

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