Generation Z Artists

Chapter 150 Point of No Return

No matter how well someone knew Fang Xinghe, they never expected him to be so arrogant.

Explanation? Apology? De-escalation?

No, no, no, there's no need for that. Your brother Fang just wants to confront them head-on.

No one understood why he acted this way, but the one who started the fire got burned, and all the criticism and abuse were directed at Fang Xinghe. The public opinion, in a reactionary manner, erupted maliciously.

Yang Shuo, who was about to accompany his daughter abroad, launched into a tirade before leaving: "What's he so arrogant about? Does he have any achievements? He's not even number one in the literary field, not even in the top ten in the world. He's just trying to attract attention and talking big!"

The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. Yangshuo, which had already been disgraced, suddenly gained widespread approval.

Readers wrote to him in support of his criticism of Fang Xinghe and hoped that he could write a special article to criticize him more thoroughly.

Fang Xinghe, aren't you arrogant? I'll curse you until you stop being arrogant!

Yang Shuo didn't write anything, only giving a brief response during the interview.

However, many screenwriters, writers, and cultural scholars in the Beijing cultural circle wrote articles and launched a fierce attack.

Fang Xinghe's arrogance provoked their most intense anger—he rarely agreed to be interviewed, yet he didn't respond to a single word they said. That complete disregard was more humiliating than any other insult.

"Given Fang Xinghe's mindset, I can say right now that he is not good at being a director."

The person who said this was Dai Jinhua, a professor at Peking University and a cultural scholar.

She criticized Fang Xinghe's "Cangye Xue" last year: "It is sensational writing, not pure and honest, and lacks respect for literature."

This female professor was very aloof and disapproved of all commercial activities. She had a strong aversion to literature, film, and art that were biased towards commerce.

She represents a significant faction in the arts and literature world—let's call them the aloof and proud faction—which has now been provoked by Fang Xinghe.

However, amidst this outrage, a few avant-garde figures in the art world stood up to support Fang Xinghe.

Painter Chen said: "Art and natural science are completely different. The selection of materials for art majors should be flexible, rather than selecting high-scoring candidates who are better at answering questions within a certain standardized framework. Fang Xinghe is not wrong in this regard. Pursuing fair art education cannot cultivate true geniuses."

He still disliked Fang Xinghe, but since it was a rare opportunity for Fang Xinghe to take the blame, he was very willing to take this chance to promote his personal beliefs.

Following him, people from the music, fine arts, design and other art industries voiced their support, like a few sparks in the darkness.

The main point is that "educational equity must be guaranteed, but the standards for selecting art majors cannot be rigidly quantified."

The literary world, on the other hand, didn't get involved.

The reason is quite simple: writing is a difficult skill to teach. No famous writer is a graduate of a Chinese literature major, and writers have no vested interest in the field of education.

Other art forms are different; they all have dedicated schools and majors, and extracurricular training classes are a goldmine. They are also more motivated to fight for discretionary power, so they will definitely support Fang Xinghe.

At this time, the cultural sphere began to divide.

Even if their true feelings were to dislike Fang Xinghe, they had no choice but to stand firm on this issue.

Love and hate are not as important as power, right?
As a result, both the financial media and the Beijing elite gradually realized that even with Fang Xinghe's arrogance and tough stance, the situation was still not one-sided.

Every time they thought they could verbally destroy Fang Xinghe, an unexpected heavyweight would step forward to "speak the truth."

Painter Chen is just one example; the key lies in the tacit understanding among various art colleges.

Ordinary readers can't grasp the subtlety of this, and can only wonder: how come they can't defeat Fang Xinghe?

Dream on! Little did they know how much credit Fang Xinghe's act of taking the blame for Beijing Film Academy would earn them.

The day after the interview aired, the then-principal of Beijing Film Academy went to his "parents' home"—the school was jointly built by the capital government, the Ministry of Education, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, so all three were like parents.

"Although Fang Xinghe is a bit impulsive, he has a strong ideology and a positive stance, and is an excellent successor to our cultural cause."

The work report took an hour, and the whole time it was just self-criticism. Only at the very end did he mention Fang Xinghe briefly in casual conversation.

At first glance, this may seem like idle talk, but actually, this is the only important point today.

The leaders nodded and smiled, then went about their business.

Then the Ministry of Education and the Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce remained completely silent on the matter, not uttering a single word.

When the matter began to escalate, the Taoist Association communicated with relevant departments, saying, "We don't understand the art exam process, but traditional culture still needs him to carry it on."

The Religious Affairs Bureau doesn't have much power, but Taoism has a good network of connections, which puts a lot of pressure on the elderly people within the system.

Later, from time to time, people from art colleges such as the Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Central Conservatory of Music would stand up and "speak out for justice".

In fact, the Central Academy of Drama was green with envy. Their principal angrily cursed the Beijing Film Academy: "Damn it, where can you recruit such a good student? He's talented, famous, and sensible. He took the blame for the trouble the school caused, and the Beijing Film Academy got such a huge advantage for free..."

Anyone with eyes can see what's going on. Fang Xinghe could have easily issued a statement to explain things clearly and then watched the Beijing Film Academy struggle. But this kid started with a sarcastic remark, drawing all the attention to himself. He's so responsible.

Therefore, based on the interests in recruitment and training, and also based on their appreciation of Fang Xinghe, the leaders in the art colleges had a strong incentive to support him, and thus finally maintained official protection.

The media is still mostly criticizing and praising, but the higher-ups are not doing anything. So, the damage to Fang Xinghe is completely within their tolerance level, with only the media and the public offering a few criticisms.

The main battleground has spread all the way to the internet, but they haven't been able to do anything about it.

The trolls were powerful, and their repetitive attacks on "cheating in the art exam" were infuriating, causing resentment among many neutral netizens. However, Little Star didn't collapse; instead, they became more and more loyal.

At first, Mao Xiaotong argued with people every day: "He didn't cheat! The examiner gave him a high score on his own initiative!"

It's completely useless. It's not that it's hard to explain, but that the haters don't care about the truth.

Later, she stopped being reasonable and bluntly said, "Our Fang Xinghe deserves any privileges! Why doesn't your master have any? Is he a vegetable?"

A resounding victory.

Fang Xinghe's attitude was criticized by various people as arrogant and irrational, but in the eyes of the young fans, such an idol was just too cool.

Putting the truth aside, just tell me, wasn't it great?
Haters were naturally unhappy, but Fang's fans were ecstatic.

I'm not going to explain anything to you bunch of unreasonable idiots!

The internet has become a pure clash of emotions; Starry Night didn't win, but it didn't lose either.

However, the supporters in print media gradually realized what was going on and began to catalyze positive emotions among Fang's fans.

Xinmin Daily: "He seems to be born with an indomitable spirit, never admitting defeat. Criticism from thousands cannot shake his will, and immense pressure cannot break his fighting spirit. Some criticize him for not knowing how to compromise, but this is the spirit of youth, and it's the most precious quality..."

Beijing Youth Daily: "Don't say the road ahead is long, look up and you'll see the Milky Way..."

Ji Bao: "You dare not fight, you can't win an argument, and you can't out-argue others. I'm ashamed for you..."

Let's stop arguing and write some sentimental essays or lighthearted online novels, then we'll have a friendly competition!
Entering March, Fang Xinghe's high-level fans entered another period of rapid growth, while the number of casual fans and mid-level fans dropped sharply, and the number of die-hard fans and fanatics surged.

This unexpected incident prompted him to undergo one last large-scale purification before truly entering the entertainment industry.

Simply publishing books is no longer enough to purify your fanbase; fighting is.

This battle for fairness in the art exams, which Mantianxing defined as "a despicable person actively seeking trouble," forever branded Fang Xinghe with the stain of "cheating in the art exams," sowing the seeds of a potential threat to his status as a "top director," but it also injected a boost into his core support base.

When Mou Zi called Fang Xinghe, he was particularly moved.

"Xiao Fang, your first feature film will probably garner unprecedented attention, and the box office is guaranteed to be at least 2000 million... Hey, with your fans being so enthusiastic, it'll probably reach more than 2000 million at the box office, right?"

"There should be more."

Fang Xinghe quickly calculated and came to a conclusion. His first film held a completely different place in Mantianxing's heart, fueled by a sense of "fighting for pride" that fueled her affection for him.

Well, it can be compared to the promotion of "I owe Stephen Chow a movie ticket," and it may even inspire stronger emotions and motivation.

Conservatively speaking, it is highly likely that each person will contribute an average of two votes for those at level 3 or above.

Based on an average ticket price of 20 yuan, the number of fans alone could reach 5000 million.

This figure does not include Level 2 core fans. There are many uncontrollable factors at this level of fans, so it is impossible to calculate.

In short, the base number is definitely very high, but how high it can be depends on the subject matter, the quality, the timing, and off-site factors... there is still a lot of uncertainty.

In any case, the publicity had already been a huge success, and there were no more issues with distribution, so Fang Xinghe wasn't in a hurry at all and chatted leisurely with Mou Zi.

"You're a very busy person, is there something you need?"

"Ah? Hehe..."

Mouzi's smile was a bit... well, it was neither simple nor silly, and slightly conflicted.

"Sure, something came up. Um, have you seen 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'?"

"I didn't see it. I was promoting it outside when it was released."

"Um, then I'll send you a DVD, you can take a look? It's a kung fu movie, the fighting is really good, aren't you a martial arts expert?"

Fang Xinghe almost couldn't help but laugh. It was really strange that the middle-aged strategist was so shy.

He clearly had something to say, but he was too embarrassed to speak up directly. No wonder he was so easily manipulated by Zhang Weiping.

"Is it about the Oscars? You can't sit still anymore?"

Since Mouzi wouldn't speak, he had no choice but to offer a way out.

Sure enough, Zhang Yimou immediately perked up: "Yes, yes, yes, the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, that's inspiring!"

His real thought wasn't to boost morale, but rather that a true man should act this way, or what we might call "I can do it too."

When Anzi won this award, it truly caused a sensation around the world.

Newspapers were full of people praising her every day, which led to Zhang Ziyi being hailed as one of the top three Chinese actresses, on par with Gong Li and Maggie Cheung, and then Xu Jinglei and Fan Bingbing were used to leech off her for most of their lives...

In terms of achievements and influence, Xu Cainu and Shuang Bing were far behind the top three for a considerable period of time.

Among mainland actresses, Gong Li is in a league of her own, followed by Zhang Ziyi, then Zhao Liying, and then Zhou Xun. When the media was shouting "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China), it was purely a case of trying to gain attention by associating with others.

Fang Xinghe personally experienced this era, and his feelings were extremely clear.

At the director level, the situation is even more complicated.

Overall, Hong Kong and Taiwan have a greater influence than the mainland. Among mainland directors, poets are temporarily superior to directors like Zhang Yimou. The previous generation of great directors still has lingering influence, while the young director is just a nobody.

However, Anzi has basically secured the top spot, with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" dominating the entire Chinese film industry with a global box office of $2.14 million.

Not only was Mou Zi restless himself, he also began to instigate Fang Xinghe.

"Xiao Fang, you want to be the top director and leave us old veterans in the dust, so you definitely need to make your own kung fu movie, right? I have a great opportunity for you, how about we collaborate?"

Huh? The movie "Hero" has been approved?

Fang Xinghe knew immediately that Zhang Yimou was getting restless and was about to start filming his blockbuster commercial.

But where is my role in this?
"What project? What do you plan to ask me to do?"

With great enthusiasm, Mou Zi gave Fang Xinghe a lengthy explanation, finally making him understand what he wanted to do.

"Hero" is currently just an unformed idea. Only the theme of filming the assassination of Qin Shi Huang has been confirmed, and the two main actors have been cast—Jian Jie and Gong Li.

The third person Mou Zi sought out was Fang Xinghe.

"You'll be the assistant director, and help me review the script. There's a main character in the story who uses a gun, kind of the second male lead, and he has fight scenes with Jet Li. The fight scenes have to be really good, and you're indispensable for that..."

The director's sincerity is truly remarkable; he's treating Fang Xinghe as a core creative director.

A movie with an assistant director, screenwriter, and second male lead—who dares to say he's not a key member of the creative team?
When the global box office of "Hero" reaches nearly 200 million, it will surely be written into Fang Xinghe's resume, giving his film career a good start.

But... Fang Xinghe didn't want it.

He joked with a smile, "Director Zhang, you just praised my first movie and said it would be a huge hit, and now you've arranged it for yourself?"

Zhang Yimou was truly embarrassed and hurriedly explained, "No, no, it really has to be you. Where else could I find another second male lead who is so good-looking and fights so well? No ordinary person is worthy of fighting with Li Lianjie!"

That's true. Any director who wants to make a kung fu movie will immediately think of Fang Xinghe. Even the kung fu emperor has to be second – Fang Xinghe is the pure king of cost-effectiveness.

Among the best fighters, he's the most talented; among the talented, he's the most handsome; among the good-looking, he has the most fans. With all these advantages, he's not expensive... well, he's a newcomer.

Even if he were a newcomer with the box office appeal of tens of millions, he still wouldn't get the price of a kung fu emperor. The film and television industry these days is far from the stage where money is paid based on traffic data.

Fang Xinghe fully understood, but was unwilling to sell himself off cheaply.

"Let's forget about the assistant director and screenwriter, but the actors are fine. We can talk about it again once the script is finished."

Mou Zi was taken aback: "Are you afraid of what the media will say?"

Fang Xinghe spoke frankly: "I don't want to take this shortcut, nor do I want to be taken advantage of by your General Manager Zhang—you think I'm worthy of being the assistant director, but is he?"

Mou Zi choked on his words and gave a wry smile: "Wei Ping... well, he's not a bad person, he's just a bit of a chatterbox..."

Isn't he bad?

Fang Xinghe was genuinely amused and didn't try to persuade him, but simply refused.

"Director Zhang, there's no room for discussion. At most, I'll act as an actor for you, and we have to set a time for intensive filming. After that, I'll have to go back to my own business. You can reconsider whether it's okay or not."

"Alright, alright!" Mou Zi hurriedly agreed, not caring about anything else. "Then it's settled. We'll discuss the specific schedule in the second half of the year!"

Unable to get the assistant director bonus from Fang Xinghe, he managed to get his first acting role, which was also successful.

That's the Purple Star, inviting it is a real win.

And so, Fang Xinghe's first role was basically decided: the character of Zhen Gongfu in "Hero".

Regardless of the original script, it's perfectly normal for Fang Xinghe to be willing to join the project and for his character to be changed.
Fang Xinghe was willing to take the role for two reasons. First, he wanted to put theory into practice, and he knew there was a lot he could learn from Zhang Yimou's film crew.

Secondly, it's a good fit. There aren't many kung fu films with international influence, and even fewer opportunities to fight Jet Li. A fight would make him famous, which would be extremely beneficial for his future development.

Since I'm just an actor and it doesn't involve me working for Zhang Yimou, it won't damage the director's reputation at all.

Fang Xinghe doesn't even plan to touch the script; he'll let it be written however it wants, focusing on a pure approach.

Mou Zi probably didn't quite understand what was going on, but Zhang Weiping will definitely remind him later that work is work and personal relationships are personal relationships, and as long as the cooperation goes smoothly, that's all that matters.

After this matter was arranged, it seemed that word got through to the entertainment industry, and suddenly, a large number of projects came knocking on the door.

Fang Xinghe finally felt a sense of reality: the entertainment industry had finally truly begun...

(End of this chapter)