Generation Z Artists

Chapter 295 Role Model of the Times: Fang Xinghe
"Quick, quick, try it on! If it doesn't work, I'll adjust it!"

Fang Xinghe's pendant stylist, Xiong Ying, was busy running around, making a strong impression, and was overjoyed.

The young woman is 24 years old and has only recently graduated. She rushed to Starry Sky Entertainment with her head in her hands, insisting on applying for a job as Fang Xinghe's stylist.

While other jobs require overcoming numerous hurdles, the close-knit role of a stylist demands passing through ten.

However, she made it to the second round of interviews thanks to her natural sensitivity to art. Afterwards, Fang Xinghe saw her name, asked a few questions about her resume, and then hired her, who had the least work experience, as his personal stylist.

Get to know her—she was Gaia's chief designer, and she became very famous in later generations.

Although she can only play support now, playing support for Fang Xinghe also requires artistic talent. She happens to be able to understand Fang Ge's thinking very well. The rest is nothing more than operation and experience accumulation.

When it comes to accumulating experience, there's nowhere better than being by Fang Xinghe's side.

All the world's high-end luxury brands bow and scrape to Brother Fang. On average, four relevant directors attend each event. You should learn from him; there's plenty of knowledge to be gained.

From then on, Xiong Ying began her paid travel companion life, doing nothing but altering clothes at most.

Until this time, when Brother Fang asked her for a youth Zhongshan suit, she finally had a chance to shine.

Made of pure black cotton, with a well-tailored cut and a slightly fitted waist, the collar and lapels are embroidered with silver thread, which makes it both dignified and not old-fashioned, befitting his identity as an artist.

After the change, Fang Ge still scored 99 points – there really wasn't much room for improvement.

People who like him adore him, while those who don't criticize him for lacking the charisma and angularity of Jin Chengwu. It's really just a difference between a super-intense face and a versatile, androgynous face.

"That's awesome, boss!"

Xiong Ying and her senior sisters kept praising him, but Fang Xinghe's thoughts drifted far away, following the mirror.

On April 23, the Cannes Film Festival organizing committee announced the list of nominees for the main competition in Paris, and "Better Days" was among them.

The previously unresolved honors and rewards suddenly accelerated.

On the 25th, an official notice was issued, requesting Fang Xinghe to attend the award ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 4th.

Today marks the first time Fang Xinghe has come into contact with a national-level honor.

The convoy set off from the villa at around 6 a.m.

When they arrived at the Great Hall of the People to wait, the entire film crew was present.

"congratulations!"

From Wei Ping to Mou Zi, from Li Jie to Jie Zi, regardless of whether they had something to do or not, they were all invited to attend the ceremony to celebrate Fang Xinghe's success.

"Joy and rejoice together!"

Fang Xinghe was the only recipient of the May Fourth Youth Medal, but everyone received the corresponding honor, just not today.

Inside the solemn and dignified venue, award recipients and spectators from all walks of life glanced furtively at Fang Xinghe, surprised by his complex emotions.

This year's May Fourth Youth Day is very special. Apart from Fang Xinghe, the other 18 award winners are all disaster fighters who have made outstanding contributions in the fight against the epidemic.

For example, Xu Shuqiang, the deputy commander-in-chief from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital; Zhang Jin, a nurse from the general medicine department of Chaoyang Hospital; and Xiao Yi, the respectable squad leader of the People's Liberation Army.

Fang Xinghe was the only one selected for his work in cultural tourism, and he was also the only minor among all the award winners.

Oh, no, he was a minor when he did big things. On April 1st of this year, Brother Fang officially came of age and was promoted to Brother Fang.

The award ceremony was very solemn and serious. Each person's identity and field were identified, their outstanding contributions were summarized, and the core spirit of the award was extracted. Then, they went on stage to receive their awards and take photos, and solemnly saluted the audience across the country.

In fact, the entire process was rehearsed yesterday. In such an important official occasion, basic mistakes are not allowed.

However, when Fang Xinghe actually stepped onto the stage, he was still extremely excited.

Admittedly, the May Fourth Youth Award does not have as many viewers as the Oscars, nor does it have as much influence as the Oscars, and the economic value of the award itself is incomparable.

However, in Fang Xinghe's heart, ten Oscars are not as glorious as today.

It was a feeling that was hard to summarize in words. It wasn't the allure of having a separate page in the family tree, as netizens later made jokes about it, nor was it the vanity of receiving the highest official recognition, nor the pride and smugness of having something that others don't and dominating the entertainment industry.

Forcing an explanation only makes things worse.

In short, the moment before going on stage, Fang Xinghe's mind flashed back to his parents from his previous life and Xiao Fang's mother. The three smiling faces, filled with relief, were like light shining down from heaven, making his eyes involuntarily moisten slightly.

On stage, the leader read out the reasons for his award.

"Fang Xinghe, a writer, screenwriter, director, and actor, is an outstanding role model and standard-bearer on my country's literary and artistic front. He has won the hearts of people all over the world with his numerous literary works and the Oscar-winning film 'Hero.' He has made outstanding contributions to the establishment of Chinese consciousness, the export of Chinese culture, and the rectification of the name of Chinese history, demonstrating the spirit of my country's new generation of young people who are not afraid of rumors or fleeting clouds..."

"Hereinafter granted..."

"May Fourth Youth Medal!"

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Fang Xinghe steadily ascended the stage step by step.

After shaking hands with the award presenter, he turned to face the audience, bowed slightly, and then, fighting back tears, left the world with a rare, vulnerable expression with slightly red eyes.

Fang Xinghe receives the May Fourth Youth Medal!

That day, all official evening newspapers reported on this grand occasion with the same headline.

The evening news program also gave him a special 8-second shot, making everyone spread the news as if it were a big holiday.

In an instant, the already depleted Star Value rose by 3 points. It wasn't much, but given how high the threshold for domestic fans has been raised to today, it was already quite remarkable.

In the following two days, people from all walks of life sent congratulatory messages to Fang, May Fourth Youth, and Xinghe.

In a special article published in Ming Pao, Hong Kong, the late Mr. Jin Yong wrote: "Some people are destined to be remembered in history, such as Wang Bo, Su Dongpo, and Xinghe. Their talent is like a sword aura that traverses the night sky. You can see it as soon as you look up and feel awe. Even if you don't look up, they still stand tall in the sky, witnessed by heaven and earth, and astonished by gods and Buddhas."

At the end of the article, he issued a reminder to the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

"I don't think the conflict between you is as great as your sense of national responsibility. As fellow Chinese, as descendants of the Yellow Emperor, when you go abroad to work, people won't distinguish between you and me. We share the glory and the loss. It's time to end this ridiculous infighting."

Chen Danya, Wang Yali, and other friends were overjoyed and immediately called to ask, "Little brother, has the Hong Kong entertainment circle given in to you?"

Fang Xinghe glanced at the script of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" on the table and chuckled to himself.

"It's just that Mr. Cha is unwilling to continue being so stubborn. The Hong Kong entertainment circle? They are not so easy to admit defeat."

Third Master also called to advise: "If you don't like someone, continue to criticize them; I certainly won't stop you. But as the face of the national cultural front, you can no longer publicly criticize the entire Hong Kong and Taiwan region. To condemn them all in one fell swoop is not in line with our policy..."

The intention was to get Fang Xinghe to respond publicly, to save face for both places, and to smooth over the previous declaration of a boycott in public.

Before Fang Xinghe could even speak, Wang Shuo answered Mr. Jin on his behalf.

"So they've finally learned to be scared. Good, the scoundrels need the wicked to teach them a lesson! Fang Xinghe may not be anything special, but he's still better than these scoundrels from Hong Kong and Taiwan who make movies. If you ask me, why don't you follow the rules of your gangster sluts, come to the mainland and respectfully serve tea to Fang Xinghe, and we'll settle this matter publicly!"

Fang Xinghe's first thought was: Why does this guy try to ride the coattails of every trending topic?
My second thought changed: this method really works.

Since the bored Shuozi had already drawn up the line for him, he didn't respond further, playing dead and waiting to see what Hong Kong and Taiwan would say or do something new. The result…

Nothing at all.

Hong Kong and Taiwanese media are still grumbling and criticizing him, but among the celebrities in the entertainment industry, big and small, nobody is saying anything about him anymore.

There are no positive ones, and even fewer negative ones.

If I don't speak first when spring comes, which insect will dare to make a sound?
The People's Daily, in a rare display of lyricism, congratulated Fang Xinghe on winning the award. Ye Shen, known for his fiery temper, wrote the article.

“从1999年2月17号第一眼看到小方的文章开始直到2003年2月6号走出《英雄》放映厅截止，中间间隔了整整3年又354天。

In the blink of an eye, that tender and handsome boy grew into a tall man over 1.8 meters tall, riding a white horse, wielding a large spear, charging and fighting on the battlefield like a true man.

I could hardly believe that the heroic yet violent young general was Xiao Fang, but I also had a vague feeling that this was the real Xiao Fang.

He was born with a proud soul, one that was born to fight.

He is awe-inspiring, but not terrifying, because he is the modern embodiment of the spirit of resistance rooted in the blood of the Chinese people. Each of us can feel a familiar feeling from his anger, which is as strong as ever.

I remember one of the judges encouraging him that year: Fang Xinghe, keep your anger in check.

Now he has everything, but he is still angry.

But he was no longer just angry; he started taking action—

You spineless media people, I'll speak out against injustice!

You filmmakers are incompetent; I'll make the bad movies!

You guys are bowing and scraping for the Oscars, but I'll write an article first and then make a public statement, I'll win the award by stepping on Hollywood's head!
Actually, I don't care whether "Hero" wins an award or not. I'm just proud of his speech at the awards ceremony. This is the new generation of writers on our Chinese land. This is the latest representative of our Chinese people!
......"

She kept babbling on and on, like a mother and her mother.

You can tell how inspiring he is just from his words, and that inspiration comes from Fang Xinghe.

Most readers who finished reading the article felt inspired. Jilin Provincial TV specially extracted several of Fang Xinghe's acceptance speeches and repeatedly rebroadcast them after the evening news, causing the ratings to soar and remain number one for several consecutive days.

The media was naturally furious, and the domestic liberal camp was even more furious.

They all sourly labeled him: "Congratulations to the autocratic and corrupt system for producing another autocratic tyrant. Why don't you recruit him? Once Fang Xinghe becomes an official, even the dogs passing by will get kicked if they don't tuck their tails between their legs."

Some so-called progressive returnees confidently asserted: "Fang Xinghe is hated by everyone in the United States. The award for 'Hero' was entirely due to his obsequious flattery of the current government. It's ridiculous that he's being praised in China. He's just a dog of the current US government, leashed around his neck. He curses freedom because he's not free. When he steps down in his eighties, just wait and see how he'll be dealt with!"

The public opinion arena is chaotic, chaotic every single day... you'll get used to it.

The glory that "Hero" deserves is not yet over.

On the 8th, Zhang Yimou received a presidential decree approving his award of the honorary title of People's Artist, but no special commendation ceremony was held.

—It was handled by the publicity department.

On the 10th, the crew of the TV series "Hero" was awarded the title of "Role Model of the Times" by the publicity department, which really set off a huge wave across the country.

Fang Xinghe originally didn't know what the difference was between these honors, but after two conferences and the leaders' deliberate explanation, he finally understood the difference.

Let's put it this way: the May Fourth Youth Medal is the highest level of national honor he could receive at his age.

The national honor system can be broadly summarized from top to bottom as follows:

The highest level is the Order of the Republic, which recognizes outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the building and defense of the nation.

They must be at the level of Grandpa Yuan and Grandma Tu.

A little below that are national honorary titles, such as People's Scientist, People's Hero, etc., which begin with "People's".

It is a lifelong honor with legal status, so you can imagine how difficult it is to obtain and how prestigious it is.

Zhang Yimou got incredibly lucky, securing this honor thanks to the $7.5 million box office success of "Hero" and its national-level cultural export.

Giving this award to Fang Xinghe would be inappropriate; their ages and experiences are too different.

The reason why Zhang Ziyi didn't win this award at the 08 Olympics was because it was an internal political task, and no matter how well he performed, there was no quantifiable evidence to support his claim.

Then, in the era of dumplings, Nezha's box office was indeed explosive, but its mere 150 billion yuan domestic box office was really not worth exaggerating compared to the size of our economy at that time.

Therefore, it had to be this era, it had to be China's first blockbuster, it had to be exported overseas at a level of over 6 million US dollars, it had to be the first time to conquer the Oscars... all these factors combined to create this typical example.

The medals on par with national honorary titles are the August 1st Medal and the Friendship Medal.

The former is only awarded to military personnel, and the latter is only awarded to international friends, so they are naturally unrelated.

As an aside: Jiezi could barely qualify for the latter, but his score, as those who know, know, he'd be lucky to even get a team award.

There are about four medals that are slightly below these three.

These are the May Day Labor Medal, the May Fourth Youth Medal, the National Model Worker, and the National Moral Model.

Fang Xinghe was not a front-line worker or laborer, so the highest honor he could receive was the May Fourth Youth Medal.

Finally, let me mention the role models of our time in "Hero".

This is not a national-level honor; it is a "major advanced model" selected by the propaganda department, which can be awarded to either individuals or groups.

However, it also possesses extremely high standards and authority, exuding strong characteristics of the times.

Moreover, it has a very special feature—its purpose is to set a learning example for the whole society.

Therefore, after the awards ceremony, the publicity department organized a large-scale, concentrated publicity campaign by media outlets at all levels.

At the same time, it calls on the whole society, especially cadres and young students, to learn from role models and create a social atmosphere of "learning from the role models in 'Heroes' and striving to become advanced."

Nothing else really happened, except for those middle and high school students who were involved in fandoms; they woke up to find the sky had fallen.

I can understand holding a large meeting in an auditorium, but what's with studying Fang Xinghe?

The stars in the sky are celebrating the New Year with great joy, while the fans of Baifanfeng and Meteorite are disgusted and grimacing.

Damn it, I can't live like this anymore!

We already have to face the hateful faces of the "Starry Sky" gang every day, and now it's even worse. They've gone straight and become an "advanced group that has always been learning from Fang Xinghe," while we're still stuck in our underground stalls, constantly facing blockades and attacks from teachers and parents. What a nightmare this is!
In an instant, Fang Ge's fan base exploded, overwhelming various fan groups across China.

Incidentally, it also gained 2 Star Glory points...

Hey, isn't that a coincidence? My new movie is about to be released!
Come on, all of you, come into my bowl!

　My chapters got stuck in the review process yesterday, so today it's two chapters.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)