Generation Z Artists

Chapter 261 Poetry and Painting of the Jianghu
"SR, look this way!"

"SR, show me your face!"

Every moment Fang Xinghe walked down the red carpet dragging his large gun, the surrounding media were screaming.

When taking photos, it's all about getting good results, so cooperating a little won't make you look bad.

Fang Ge displayed the details of his armor in various poses, while also showcasing his own heroic bearing.

Until he reached the signed version, he drew his gun with one hand, the barrel sliding in his palm. He casually grabbed the middle of the gun and slung it over his shoulder, then turned around and struck a cool pose, freezing in place.

"Wow!"

Where have the American media ever seen this?

They were absolutely thrilled on the spot.

The fans screamed until their voices cracked—

"Star! Star! Star!"

This place is really weird. Why do they shout different slogans every time?
Brother Fang shook his head, planted the big gun on the ground, changed his posture, and continued to let the media take pictures.

Not far away, Shi Huang and several other senior brothers quickly brought over a half-body puppet with a base and set it up to the side, about 5 meters away.

"what?!"

The media and fans instantly went wild.

What is SR going to do?

"No way?"

"Is there some special program?"

"FUCK! Coming today was definitely the right decision!"

Anyone with common sense would realize that this is probably yet another unprecedented performance.

All sorts of cameras and video recorders were pointed at the stage. The photographers were focused on their work, and the fans didn't dare to breathe.

Ten seconds later, seeing that the time was almost up, Fang Xinghe suddenly moved!

They didn't use their hands, but their feet.

One kick to the end of the spear, the spear kicking style!
The 2.6-meter-long spear instantly changed from a vertical, static position to a rotating state. Fang Xinghe spun the spear in the same way, and the spear exploded into two dazzling silver flowers.

This isn't a short stick that's a little over a meter long; it's a 2.6-meter-long spear. You can't spin it vertically at all; you can only shoot diagonally over your head.

The audience at the scene couldn't understand the technical difficulty, but they could feel how cool it was.

With Fang Xinghe's current strength and agility, once he unleashes his full power, he'll be so fast that you won't even be able to see him.

The gun barrel grazed the autograph board from a distance, and the entire board swayed slightly from the whistling wind. What kind of power was that?
"Jesus!"

Many foreigners who had never seen much of the world put their hands on their heads and shouted that it was sacred.

But this is just the beginning.

After turning around three times and taking two steps, feeling that the distance was just right, Wu Shengfang suddenly stopped turning, gripped the butt of the spear with his right hand and balanced with his left hand, and darted out with a thrust of his spear!
With a loud "thud," the person was three meters away when the tip of the gun struck the puppet squarely between the eyebrows!

This shot was fired with one hand, hitting the target with incredible accuracy.

With tremendous force, the gun pierced through the silicone doll's head from front to back, the tip of the gun entering between the eyebrows and exiting from the back of the head, while the doll only swayed very slightly.

Such a bizarre scene left everyone speechless.

"Mom!"

A gasp erupted from the audience. Senior Brother Huang, both proud and disdainful, muttered with a sneer, "Ignorant foreign devils..."

Indeed, this destructive power is not the key point; what is most valuable is Fang Xinghe's control.

The fact that he could pierce through the body without shaking it meant that his strength was both penetrating and concentrated, without any dispersion, and that his spear technique had reached the level of a master.

The media present didn't understand what a master was, and simply described him as "cool," which was utterly laughable.

But Fang Xinghe didn't care.

Today's purpose is just to show off. As long as the video is broadcast, we can quickly contribute to the attendance rate of "Hero". Who cares if you understand it or not?

In fact, today's gun skills demonstration was just a small test.

If it weren't for the inconvenience in front of the Chinese Theatre, he would have really liked to bring his mount along. Riding a horse and brandishing his spear, he could have shattered the puppets with a single blow; that would have been even more spectacular.

However, the reality didn't allow it, so he had to save his ultimate move for Great Britain.

However, the current effect is already very good. When it comes to publicity, it's not a good thing to go all out at once. It should be done in waves, creating a continuous stream of impact, so that the media and the audience can keep having fun.

Look at them now, spouting all sorts of nonsense, calling themselves Christian saints, the scene is one of frenzy.

Why worry about not getting tomorrow's headlines?
Fang Xinghe loosened his grip, letting the butt of the gun dangle, and turned to leave.

An interview? What kind of interview?
Ask a question? What do you want to ask?

Fang Xinghe ignored them all, made his show of bravado and then ran away, maintaining his mystery to the very end, leaving everyone unable to release their emotions.

If you're feeling really stifled, then hurry up and watch a movie!
……

Thirty minutes later, Fang Xinghe, now back in casual clothes, arrived at the venue, and the premiere ceremony finally began.

The media was still in a state of agitation, so he was greeted by a barrage of flashbulbs.

They were taking pictures while shouting excitedly.

"Wow! SR looks so special no matter what she wears!"

Time was too short; Fang Xinghe didn't have time for a special look. He kept the wig on and changed into a magnificent robe belonging to Prince Yu.

Of course, given the established style of the Warring States period robes, no matter how luxurious the materials used, the overall style remained simple.

Fang Xinghe, that dog of a troll, really doesn't hide good stuff. He thought the inner lining was too cumbersome, so he simply removed it all, leaving only a wide-sleeved long robe. It was simply fitted at the waist, and when he walked, the large sleeves fluttered, his shoulders were half-exposed, and his chest muscles were faintly visible...

Suck!

All fifty-two women present swallowed hard.

It's also because Fang Succubus's physical skills are too good.

Wearing armor, he walked as if his feet were rooted to the ground, deliberately displaying the aura of a master and playing the role of a battlefield god of war.

Now, dressed in his robes, he strolls about with an air of nonchalance and freedom, like a banished immortal descending to earth, riding the wind through the void.

Comparing the before and after photos, it's hard to believe it's the same person, but they are indeed the same person.

This sense of contradiction made the media unable to stop once they started filming, and they went crazy for almost 3 minutes.

The premiere ceremony finally got down to business when Oprah Winfrey, who was specially invited, began hosting the event.

Don't ask why it's her again. In America, it's essential to have a few Black friends.

Even if you're not friends, acting like friends is enough.

"Alright, alright, friends, let's get started! I prepared this script for ages, and you guys have already messed it up by at least a third of it!"

A soft chuckle rippled through the audience.

In fact, with Fang Xinghe already providing such a huge buzz for them, the usual issues surrounding the premiere itself became irrelevant.

Next, it's highly likely that it's just a formality, and no one will really pay attention to it.

Oprah is indeed funny; she openly makes fun of people like that.

"OK, let's get through this pointless process as quickly as possible. God, all I want now is to see that damn movie!" "Hahahaha..."

The reporters chuckled good-naturedly, then began asking questions as pre-arranged.

The questions are nothing special. This is a storytelling segment. Whether the audience likes it or not depends mainly on who is telling the story.

Now, they really like it.

There's no need to go into too much detail, but broadly speaking, Fang Xinghe needs to clarify three things to help the public form a basic understanding.

The first key point is why I chose this film for my first movie.

Brother Fang decided to go up some altitude.

"I learned Taoist kung fu. I'm not particularly skilled, but I still feel a responsibility to spread Chinese martial arts."

When he earnestly said that he was "not particularly good," the audience burst into laughter.

He ignored it and continued with his grand narrative.

“We want the world to understand China, and starting with culture is a very pragmatic choice.”

Among all cultural categories, film, with its unique characteristics of light and shadow art, can be disseminated in the most direct and unimpeded way.

But in this regard, we started very late, progressed very slowly, and the market is very immature... So what can we do?
I can frankly admit that we can only, and must, play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses.

Kung Fu films are the most incredible part of Chinese cinema, and a unique genre in Chinese film.

As a newcomer actor aspiring to explore the boundaries of film, starting with kung fu movies is a responsibility to all fans, all viewers, and fellow human beings from all different cultural backgrounds on Earth…

Wow wow wow!

After Fang Xinghe finished explaining his reasons, all 1200 audience members, reporters, and film critics applauded enthusiastically.

The phenomenon that most entertainment stars are "nine-year-old fish" (meaning they are not prolific but often overlooked) is not unique to China.

The whole world is the same.

There's no need to delve into the deeper reasons behind this for now; after all, no one would disrespect a celebrity with profound cultural literacy who speaks logically and thoughtfully.

In any case, given the qualities that Brother Fang has demonstrated in this regard, he would rank among the top in the political and business circles.

You can only criticize his arrogance, not his skill; that's what reputation is all about.

The second key point is what makes Heroes special.

Fang Xinghe made a boast.

"It will be your life's work, the most magnificent, the most shocking, the most dreamlike. After watching it, you will fall into a long-term anxiety - when will you be able to see Fang Xinghe's second kung fu film?"
Four hours later, you will realize that this was bound to happen.

"wow..."

Reporters gasped in surprise, while film critics frantically took notes.

Stephen Hunter wrote frankly: "SR’s absolute confidence in Heroes is like his own personality—fiery, rebellious, and always positive—but is it really that good? I won’t take sides with our Washington Son, and I have reservations until I actually see it."

The third key point is the expectations for "Hero".

Fang Xinghe increased the strength of the Starry Sky.

Uh, no, that's not quite accurate. He brought an intensity to all kung fu movie fans worldwide.

"A global box office of $2.5 million is a failure."

But please note that this is absolutely not just my failure, nor just the failure of "Hero", but the failure of all kung fu movie lovers.

The global fanbase of kung fu movies is more than capable of supporting a $2.5 million box office, so if we fail to reach that goal, either the movie itself has a problem, or you have a problem.

I've produced an absolute masterpiece; you simply can't find a better kung fu film on the market, so it's impossible for it to fail at the box office.

If such a low-probability event does occur, then you should log in to the StarNet and apologize to me in my supertopic.

Fang Xinghe said this jokingly, and the media present burst into laughter, but Mantianxing was on high alert.

Should my brother bear the bitter consequences of box office failure?

What the hell! How can this be?!
All you baby's breath lovers in the world, charge at me!
The audience wasn't all die-hard fans; many were seasoned kung fu movie enthusiasts, and their opinions were at the other extreme—

A masterpiece in the absolute sense?

Very good, SR, you've piqued my interest!
I'll take a closer look and see if "Hero" is really as good as you describe.

Fang Xinghe took risky and unconventional measures, raising a banner in the hearts of kung fu fans worldwide, with a target under that banner.

Heroes will therefore face more stringent scrutiny, and if its quality is insufficient, the backlash will be extremely severe.

But if we can truly win them over, then an explosion in word-of-mouth will be inevitable.

Jeff was sweating bullets for Fang Xinghe; in his view, this was a gamble with his life.

Fang Ge, however, did not think so. He firmly believed from the beginning that with his participation, the new version of "Hero" would surely be recorded in the history of world cinema.

……

With all three key questions addressed, there wasn't much time left at the premiere.

In the final segment, Zhang Yimou made a live phone call from China.

"Director Fang, how's the situation on your end?"

Zhang Yimou will stay in China to host the premiere ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. Jet Li, Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi will assist him in completing his domestic tasks before heading to the Asian market.

In terms of timing, the US premiere will start first, and the domestic premiere will take place 12 hours later.

Therefore, those of them who stayed in China were very anxious. After all, Fang Xinghe was attending the premiere in the United States alone, feeling isolated and facing the biggest competition.

Mou Zi's voice clearly revealed this anxiety.

He panicked.

If Sony hadn't insisted that Fang Xinghe attend the premiere alone, Zhang Yimou would have loved to fly over on wings.

If they can't fly over, at least send another Jet Li.

Sony made this request because they did not want anyone to share Fang Xinghe's starlight.

Actually, they were overthinking it; no one can take away Fang Xinghe's starlight in reality.

With a filter and smoothing effect on the TV, you look handsome and she looks beautiful.

At the offline event, Fang Ge (Brother Fang) just stood there and exuded an aura of absolute dominance.

"Very good, everything went smoothly."

Fang Xinghe smiled, revealing his teeth, and slowly looked around the audience, exposing his flawless face and confident demeanor to every camera.

"Director Zhang, in three hours, you will hear the wild applause and deafening cheers in the theater. In my dictionary, there is only winning more or less, never losing!"

The media frantically recorded this scene. At this moment, countless people secretly hoped that "Hero" would fail miserably, so that they could go crazy over the other side's smug face and create a big news story.

However, as the film slowly began, a few minutes later, all my distracting thoughts disappeared.

Before Fang Xinghe, who plays the Crown Prince Yu, even made his first appearance, Zhang Yimou already gave North American audiences a good lesson with his world-class visual aesthetics.

Hissing and laughing sounds rose and fell; they finally witnessed the martial world firsthand.

A completely Chinese style, somewhat incomprehensible, dreamlike and magnificent yet leaving one wanting more, a poetic and picturesque world of martial arts.

(End of this chapter)