Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 302: The Tangshan Earthquake premiered with people

December 2005, 12, Tangshan Sports Center, Hebei Province.

The sports center gymnasium, built in 1983, covers an area of ​​about 20 square meters. It has hosted the 3nd Men's Table Tennis World Championships and the th Hebei Provincial Games, and can accommodate up to spectators at the same time.

Today, this is the scene of the premiere of "Tangshan Earthquake" with tens of thousands of people.

The construction of the premiere stage and super-large movie screen on the lawn of the track and field stadium began at the beginning of the month.

With the full cooperation of Tangshan government, more than one hundred professional engineers built a stage about 45 meters wide, and the giant movie screen reached an astonishing 35x15 meters, which was quite shocking.

At the same time, in order to achieve the best effect for today's film, which invited more than 3000 audiences from Tangshan to watch the movie live, the crew specially rented two of the latest DP- equipment from Barco in Belgium.

The bulb power is 1.5kw-7kw xenon arc lamp with a light output of 30000 lumens. The new optical path and lens design can make the night as bright as day without exaggeration.

Barco is the company that provided technical support for the water-themed creative project of the Athens Olympics and is very powerful.

At 5:30 in the evening, the thrilling premiere officially opened to the public.

Excited citizens lined up to check their tickets, and the editorial teams of Blog.com, Wenjie Video, and Travel Channel broadcast the entire process live until the movie started and ended.

After today's premiere, the crew will soon begin a roadshow in South Korea, Japan and the United States.

A week later in North America, "Aftershock" will meet North American audiences on 1400 screens of Miramax and Lionsgate.

Considering the subject matter, genre, and cultural background, the opening numbers are only at the level of a B-level movie, which is quite satisfactory, and it seems difficult to ask for more.

Overall, Boss Lu fulfilled his promise to Secretary Zhao.

From the initiation of the film project to the mid-term promotion and today's premiere, various methods have been used to thoroughly promote this city's business card.

At the entrance, a middle-aged man in a suit and a tall figure who looked like a bodyguard were escorting a pretty young girl forward.

"Please make way, we have tickets for the VIP area."

Lu Zheng helplessly watched the bodyguards clearing the way ahead, and whispered a bitter smile to Jing Tian beside him: "Tiantian, why are you doing this in such a cold weather?"

Jing Tian didn't care about the crowds and disorder in front of her. She turned around and smiled at Lu Zheng, her eyes curved into two crescent moons.

"Uncle Lu, I think your strategy of tempting him with benefits won't work. Let's just stick to our sincerity and work hard to achieve our goals!"

Lu Zheng, who was slightly balding, did not answer. He rubbed his head with his hand, which had been losing hair badly recently, and looked quite helpless as if his white hair was getting shorter due to scratching.

If you don't tempt a person like this with benefits, do you still expect to move him with emotions?
Does he look like a person with a lot of emotions?

The three of them finally entered the venue through the VIP area and walked towards the best seats for viewing the movie and the ones that were also protected from the wind.

"Eh? Sister Zhou Xun?"

Jing Tian's clear voice called out to Zhou Xun who had just changed his clothes and was about to enter.

She suddenly turned around and saw that it was the Golden Rose who spent a lot of money at the charity night.

Thinking about the speculations on the Internet about her background, and then glancing at Lu Zheng and the bodyguards behind her, it was obvious that she was not an ordinary girl.

"Hello, Jing Tian, ​​would you like to watch a movie?"

"Yes! I'm here to support Teacher Lu!"

Perhaps feeling that her words were too pointed, Jing Tian hastily added, "No, no, no, I'm supporting 'Tangshan'. Of course, I'm also supporting you, Sister Zhou Xun. All the roles you play are great!"

Zhou Xun smiled, just like Boss Lu before him, observing the truthfulness in her expression.

Zhou Xun was naturally aware of the online rumors about Mandragora, Golden Rose, and a little girl who called herself Kapok.

Looking at Jing Tian's snow-white skin, bright eyes and white teeth under the bright lights of the stadium, Zhou Xun couldn't tell what level of player she was.

But in her opinion, no matter how high the level is, it can't deceive the discerning eyes of that experienced washing machine, right?
Like Mei Yanfang, Zhou Xun was a 24K pure Sissi Party member and felt quite sorry about the tragic drama at the birthday party.

But she doesn't mind communicating more with Jing Tian. Maybe she can provide Xiao Liu with some valuable information?
It just so happens that she has to stay home.

"Tiantian, where are you from?"

"I'm from Chang'an."

"How can one become an actor with such good conditions? Acting is a very hard and tiring job."

Jing smiled sweetly and said, "I don't know either, I just thought... let's give it a try!"

The two women walked forward side by side and soon prepared to sit down, their seats not far from each other.

In other words, the best area in this area is occupied by city leaders, crew members and various guests, and Lu Zheng got the ticket from Han Shanping.

Zhou Xun wanted to ask a few more questions, but when he looked up, he saw Lu Kuan, Han Shanping and Secretary Zhao walking out from backstage. The premiere was about to start in more than ten minutes.

"Director Lu, don't leave tomorrow, okay? I want to express my sincere condolences to you on behalf of the city!"

"I really can't do it tomorrow. I have to go to Nippon Benz for a roadshow."

Secretary Zhao held Boss Lu's hand tightly and said, "The situation tonight is special. We didn't drink any wine. We are sorry for not treating our guests well."

Han Shanping smiled and said, "It's a good thing you didn't drink, Secretary Zhao, otherwise you would be fine. I would definitely be passed out by now."

Several people were laughing while chatting, but Secretary Zhao's words were not just superficial greetings, they were truly from the heart.

From the perspective of the Tangshan government, this financial expenditure on the film project is clearly worth it.

This can be seen from the publicity effect, the successful creation of the city's business card, and the fact that a commercial street that has been put into operation has begun to recover funds.

From his perspective as a senior official, he has received so much praise and love from the people, as well as recognition from his superiors, which can be considered a great honor.

Secretary Zhao's secretary, Xiao Li, came over and whispered a few words, probably preparing to go on stage to speak. Then he said goodbye to Lu Kuan and Han Shanping and left.

The crew-haired man tilted his head casually: "Hey, Mr. Lu, Jing Tian is here too."

Boss Lu was speechless at the poor acting.

But one should not hit someone who smiles at him. Since the person comes to support him, he cannot just speak coldly to him. He should just treat it as normal interpersonal communication.

"Welcome, both of you. It's going to be windy soon, so please keep warm."

"It's okay, Mr. Lu! I have this!"

Jing Tian lifted the hem of her long down jacket, and found that her knees and other parts were covered with hot packs.

This kind of artifact for girls is far from popular now. Its predecessor, the heating patch, appeared in the 70s and is only just beginning to be used on a large scale in China.

It was not until the next year that domestic daily chemical companies discovered this business opportunity and warm baby products began to enter the mainland market.

From these insignificant little gadgets, it is clear that Jing Tian has a superior background. Perhaps only a certain hacker here knows about it.

Jing Tian was about to say something to the young director when Zhou Xun suddenly spoke up at the perfect moment:
"Tiantian, what is this?"

Jing Tian turned around and said, "This Japanese body warmer can generate heat when you stick it on your body."

"Oh yeah! I have two more here, I'll give you the Zhou Xun sister!"

The rich and beautiful woman enthusiastically took out two identical items from her down jacket pocket, and the Japanese packaging revealed their origin.

Boss Lu nodded to Lu Zheng and also walked to the backstage. He would speak after Secretary Zhao.

The warm-hearted girl diligently put a heat pack on Zhou Xun's lower back, and when she looked back, the man had already walked away.

Huang Rong, an excellent actress in Boss Lu's eyes, naturally would not reveal any flaws. He praised Jing Tian for her beauty and kindness, and quickly diverted her attention.

The two of them had a very good chat, exchanged numbers, and agreed to keep in touch.

Zhou Xun: Xixi, I have given so much to your family.

At 7: in the evening, it might be an exaggeration to say that it attracted worldwide attention, but it was definitely a national premiere of "The Tangshan Earthquake", which officially began.

Deputy Director Zhang of Radio, Film and Television and leaders of the Culture and Arts Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Art delivered speeches in succession, followed by Secretary Zhao’s passionate speech.

Although the officials were very excited today, they were able to distinguish the priorities. After a brief three-minute speech, they invited Lu Kuan to the stage.

The young director held the microphone in his hand, his voice steady and penetrating: "Good evening, fellow villagers, welcome everyone!"

"At the end of February this year, the creative team of 'Tangshan Earthquake' issued a military pledge to the people of our city and the 2 compatriots who died in the earthquake 30 years ago."

"It took four months of filming, four months of post-production, and one month of intensive promotion."

"Today! We have returned to Tangshan with immense confidence and pride. We invite all the fellow villagers present here, and all the audiences across the country who are watching this film, to review this report together!"

"Here! On behalf of the producers including Wenjie Holdings and China Film Group, and on behalf of the entire crew of 'Tangshan', I solemnly report to the 750 million people of Tangshan!"

"I invite everyone to witness this historic moment today, to witness China tonight, and to stay awake for love!"

In an instant, the gymnasium was filled with thunderous applause, like rolling winter thunder, stirring the hearts of every Tangshan citizen.

The lights in the stadium gradually dimmed, and the big screen in the gymnasium suddenly lit up.

Just like a black-edged stretched shot in an old movie, a black-and-white picture of the era slowly unfolded before the eyes of more than 10,000 spectators on the scene.

A bird's-eye view fully displays the unique architectural style of Tangshan in the 70s.

The iconic Tangshan Coal Mine Medical College on Xima Road has walls that are either bare or coated with cement mortar;

The brick and tile houses with flat and sloping roofs have a regular layout and are simple and practical.

As the large jib passed by, slogans representing the times, such as "Grasp the revolution, promote production" and "Learn from Daqing in industry and Dazhai in agriculture", came into view.

In just a dozen seconds, the scene was brought back to the summer of thirty years ago.

The picture quickly focuses from a bird's-eye view, and accompanied by a sudden burst of cicadas, the big screen changes from the black and white full of the sense of the times to color.

The string of numbers 1976.7.28 suddenly appeared and then gradually disappeared.

Just this brief moment of explanation has already begun to prick the nerves of the people of Tangshan who are watching the movie.

The opening, a time-space interweaving of less than thirty seconds, begins in a black and white 70s that seems to have entered a vacuum, and ends with a sharp cicada cry.

It was as if a mirror was broken in an instant, and the colorful and vivid real world suddenly appeared before the audience.

Very few of the audience present were professional, so naturally they could not see the fleeting camera language and progressive narrative.

They just felt like a drowning person who suddenly emerged from the bottom of the water, and the muffled sound in their ears turned into the chirping of cicadas, the sound of water, and the sound of wind in the forest.

Came alive instantly.

This is getting into the role.

Their attention and five senses have been firmly grasped by the interwoven montage of images and sounds.

But even if we ask extremely professional film directors and film critics to evaluate the opening thirty seconds, few people in today's world can explain it clearly.

If you want to understand it, you may need to understand Bergman's words first.

The master does not narrate.

What follows is a long shot of Zhou Xun.

That is the scene where the young director is caught in a dilemma of self-examination and no matter how he shoots it, it just doesn’t feel right.

The picture focuses on the chirping of cicadas and then a lush locust tree.

A young woman appeared in the camera, she was petite and thin, far from being graceful.

Even though she was wearing a light blue floral dress, which was considered luxurious in that era, she looked very dry and withered when viewed from the side and back.

Jing Tian whispered in Zhou Xun's ear: "Sister Zhou Xun, you lost weight for the movie, right?"

"Yes, people didn't have enough to eat at that time, and Director Lu helped me lose weight to 85 kilograms."

Jing Tiantian nodded and stopped talking, watching Zhou Xun on the screen take action.

It begins with this long shot tailor-made for her.

It begins with a medium shot of the character from the side, followed by a handheld camera following her into the boiler room in the flat-bed building.

At this point, the audience's perspective changed from the side and rear to the back.

Zhou Xun held an exquisite fragrant wood folding fan in her hand, and her skirt swayed gently as she walked gracefully. Her raven-colored hair was neatly tied behind her head, with a moon-white pearl hairpin pinned on it.

The faintly black pearls were obviously fake, but the young woman's skin, which was slightly sweaty, was real.

She fanned herself with a folding fan in her left hand, and scooped boiling water from the stove into an enamel basin with her right hand.

This is for wiping the body of my sister-in-law who is in confinement.

She was constantly choked by the gray smoke from the boiler room, had funny black ash on her fair wrists, and her skinny back tensed up when she coughed.

The opening two-minute long shot does not contain a single word or face in the entire movie, but it explains everything in detail.

To exaggerate a little, the audience seems to not care who that face is.

Alternatively, you can have the character cover his face.

It’s Zhou Xun, it’s Liu Yifei, it’s Fan Bingbing, no matter who it is.

unimportant.

The image of a petty-bourgeois young woman who is ignorant of worldly affairs, who is out of place in such a shabby and ordinary courtyard, and whose dress and posture are far from that of an ordinary peasant woman, has already come to life on the paper.

This character image was created by Zhou Xun only relying on costumes, makeup, and his own body language, and was also told in a masterful way without narrative, such as Boss Lu.

We are one step closer to seeing mountains as not mountains and water as not water.

The long shot ended and Zhou Xun turned around, but the audience's perspective was not focused on her face at all.

In the past two minutes, this face seemed to have been frozen in everyone's mind.

Zhou Xun clamped the folding fan under his armpit and carried a basin of hot water into the house with difficulty.

The furnishings and props in the house are 70% faithful to the scenes of the s, without a single detail that would distract the audience, showing how much effort was put into it.

The creaking sound of the door opening woke up Song Jia, who was in confinement. She looked up with disheveled hair, and when she saw that it was her sister-in-law, she fell into a deep sleep again.

"Get up and wipe your face."

In the first line of the movie, Zhou Xun's words clearly reveal his fatigue and unfamiliarity.

I am tired both physically and mentally.

Zhou Xun and his father Li Xuejian are both from Beijing. His father was originally a medical professor, but was persecuted for his dedication to the study of traditional Chinese medicine.

Two years ago, in order to protect himself, he also trusted his son-in-law's loyalty and sincerity.

With the help of a matchmaker, he married his daughter Zhou Xun, an English teacher, to a battalion commander of the 38th Army who was ten years older than him, just like countless fathers of that era who married workers, peasants and soldiers to find a way out.

Zhou Xun is 24 years old this year. At a young age, she lost her wealthy and fashionable life and came to a strange city.

It would be a lie to say that she is not depressed when facing her husband Hu Jun, who is ruthless, extremely chauvinistic, and has been separated from her.

Sister-in-law Song Jia let out a cry, struggled to get up from the bed on her elbows, and turned sideways to look at her sister-in-law.

In her eyes, everything about Zhou Xun is beautiful.

The camera moves from Song Jia's shoulder to a close-up of Zhou Xun's actions.

She soaked the old cloth in water very unskillfully and wrung it out with great effort. The veins on her arms, which were bulging due to her thinness, were particularly noticeable.

Zhou Xun, who was in a bad mood, muttered a few words, then came over and gently wiped his sister-in-law's sweaty face, neck and body.

"Turn over."

Song Jiaping has a hot-tempered personality - he is a farmer's son who has to fight for food during a famine, so how could he not be hot-tempered?

But facing this sister-in-law who seemed to have descended from heaven, she was happy to accept her words even though her tone was harsh.

In her heart, her elder brother is not worthy of such a woman.

The sharp edges of the coarse cloth seemed to scratch Song Jia, and her exposed back twitched.

"It's okay! It's okay, sister-in-law!"

Song Jia kept comforting him, even before Zhou Xun carefully retracted his hand.

"Tomorrow... I'll go see Dad and see if he has any medical gauze."

"This cloth is indeed too stiff."

A soft word from his sister-in-law was more comfortable than any soft cloth. Song Jia, lying on the bed, felt very comfortable.

As if he had put in a lot of effort, Zhou Xun took the water out and poured it out, then closed the window tightly.

"Sister-in-law, the room is too stuffy."

Zhou Xun looked at her expressionlessly, and usually he would just shake his head and not say much.

Perhaps because he felt that he had hurt Song Jia when he wiped her body just now, he felt a little sorry, so he said a few more words today: "You are in confinement, you can't be exposed to the wind."

"Open it once in a while."

"Oh!"

Song Jia didn't care how profound the scientific principles were in her words. It seemed that as long as Zhou Xun was willing to talk to her for a few more words, it would be great.

The child suddenly burst into tears. Song Jia held her son in her arms and tried to comfort him. She smiled and said to Zhou Xun, "Sister-in-law, why don't you give it a try?"

Zhou Xun quickly waved his hands: "No, no, I'm clumsy, don't drop the child."

After finally finishing everything, Zhou Xun sat down on the table beside the bed and opened an English novel "Jane Eyre".

She was so engrossed in watching that she unconsciously raised her hand to lift up the few strands of hair that were disturbed by her ears.

Her fingers were white and bony, and her nails were neatly trimmed. Even the two chilblains that Song Jia wished could grow on his hands looked cute.

This was left by Zhou Xun during the Chinese New Year, and it is the mark of a petite bourgeois girl trying to integrate into the life of ordinary people.

Song Jia didn't dare to make loud noises to disturb his sister-in-law who was reading. He couldn't help but imitate her and accidentally hit the headboard with his right elbow.

She groaned and retracted her hand to cover her mouth. Zhou Xun looked up at his sister-in-law curiously: "What's wrong?"

"No...it's okay."

Song Jia's embarrassed expression with his big white teeth bared made the audience laugh.

At this point in the movie, everyone's tense mood finally relaxed a little. The opening number 7.26 was like a huge tree weighing down everyone's heart, but as they watched, they were attracted by this series of life-like plots.

Disaster films that excel at special effects don't have much extra script space to portray vivid characters.

However, "Tangshan Earthquake" vividly portrays the two extremely contrasting characters of Song Jia and Zhou Xun in a very short space.

Their personalities are very different, but each is beautiful.

When the big earthquake hit in the early morning, one can imagine the dramatic effect being dramatically amplified by the different fates of the two characters.

Tragedy is when beautiful things are torn into pieces for people to see.

Even though he did not deliberately sensationalize the film, the tragic plot set in this film is familiar to every viewer and is unavoidable.

As night fell, Wang Baoqiang pushed the door open and came back. Zhou Xun finally felt relieved and showed a relieved expression.

It’s not that she doesn’t like being with her sister-in-law, nor does she think it’s troublesome to take care of her.

I just feel like there's always a barrier between me and them.

"Then I'll go back first."

Mr. Hu was a battalion commander in the 38th Army, and his family was eligible to accompany the army, but he and Zhou Xun had always lived apart.

Today is the day she goes to visit her relatives in the army, and a military vehicle will pick them up later.

Wang Baoqiang walked her out the door in a simple and honest manner, speaking in standard Tangshan dialect: "Sister-in-law, please slow down."

Zhou Xun waved his hand without saying anything and walked away in the sunset.

"Where's the baby? Let me take a look!"

Baoqiang washed his hands carefully outside the door. After a day of work, his warm little home became a haven for rest.

He teased the child for a while, then put him to bed to sleep. He took out a pen and paper from the cabinet, cut a long strip of paper, and wrote and drew.

Song Jia was curious: "What are you doing?"

Bao Qiang said honestly, "I'll calculate my work points and see if I can exchange them for some eggs to supplement your nutrition."

"If there's any extra... can you exchange it for some milk for my sister-in-law?"

During the Chinese New Year, Song Jia accompanied Zhou Xun to the street and saw that she seemed to glance at the milk being sold a few more times.

That should be her normal daily necessities, right?

The simple and kind-hearted rural girl felt sorry for Zhou Xun because of the emotional discord between her brother and sister-in-law, and seemed to want to give her all her heart to be good to her.

Baoqiang suspected for a moment that his wife had become insane after giving birth to a child: "We don't have the conditions! Your own milk is almost running out!"

Sha Gen's tongue-tied look is hilarious. In the movie, he looks older, thinner and darker, a real rough guy.

The supply of milk is very tight right now, and it is usually given priority to special groups such as young children and patients. It is difficult for ordinary families to order milk.

The food company in the city does raise two dairy cows, but their milk production is limited. The milk produced every day must first be used to feed two calves, and the rest can be sold.

Song Jia curled her lips helplessly. She just mentioned it on a whim.

A lively and active rural girl seemed to have been confined in the confinement area for a long time. Seeing Baoqiang writing and drawing, she suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, what do you say about me writing a letter to my sister-in-law?"

"I'm not very good at talking, and I always want to persuade her to get along with my brother and live with the army."

Bao Qiang gave her a helpless look and said, "My eldest brother has a bad temper. He asked my sister-in-law to stay home and take care of you during the confinement period. You'd better not cause any trouble."

"I don't need anybody to take care of me! I'm fine!"

As if to prove that what he said was true, Song Jia got out of bed and sat down at the table, snatching the paper and pen from his hand without saying a word.

"Just write it down if you tell me to. Teach me!"

"I don't know much either!" Bao Qiang couldn't persuade the arrogant Song Jia, so he could only let her do what she wanted.

As the sky gradually darkened, Song Jia skillfully lit a kerosene lamp. Even though there were electric lights, people in this era still tried to save as much as possible.

"ah!"

Suddenly a dragonfly flew in through the window gap, and she picked up the dragonfly, which was still flapping its wings.

As soon as he opened the window, Song Jia was surprised and asked, "Why are there so many dragonflies outside?"

"Is it going to rain soon? It's been cloudy all afternoon."

Baoqiang didn't take it seriously. The two of them huddled in front of the kerosene lamp, talking to each other and putting together a letter to Zhou Xun.

In their simple eyes, this seems to be the correct way to communicate with cultural people?
A two-part shot is presented on the big screen, showing the simplicity and warmth of the house with occasional laughter and a baby crying.

Through the window sill, outside the house there is a gloomy sky, a strange and enchanting sunset, and a gradually silent night sky.

The opening date puts pressure on the audience's emotions, but Song Jia and Zhou Xun's portrayal soothes their mood.

But this scene's two-part contrasting narrative is pulling the audience's emotions little by little into the hell of disaster.

The people of Tangshan in the audience were all nervous and faced this death countdown helplessly.

How much they don’t want to see the night deepen outside the window, and how much they want the picture to freeze in this warm little home!
In the cold wind of the Sports Center Square, on the 35mx15m large screen, the camera suddenly pulled away, placing the night scene of thousands of lights in Tangshan in the center of the screen, and then froze on the big clock on the top of the train station.

Three forty in the morning.

The city was immersed in deathly silence.

The night was like a heavy lead plate, pressing down on the audience in front of the big screen, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

The daytime heat has not yet dissipated, and the sultry air seems to be solidified, sticky and without a trace of wind.

The whole city seemed to be locked in an airtight steamer, making people feel irritated and uneasy for no reason.

Without any warning, the earth began to tremble violently, as if a giant beast that had been sleeping for thousands of years was roaring angrily. The quiet night sky was pierced by strange blue lights, like a sign of the end of the world.

The ghostly blue light flickered, illuminating the city that was about to fall into eternal destruction.

The disaster scene, meticulously crafted by the world's top special effects team, left more than 10,000 spectators speechless as soon as it was released.

Jing Tian couldn't help but grab Zhou Xun's arm. Barco's top-notch projection equipment seemed to make her feel that the ground under her feet was shaking slightly.

At this time, in the Golden Harvest giant screen theaters across the country, the audiences who paid high prices to experience the 4K high-definition screen were even more excited, and they felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing before their eyes.

There was a loud "boom".

The giant structure of reinforced concrete twisted and deformed, making a creepy "creaking" sound, as if it was wailing in despair.

The walls turned into fragile eggshells and shattered in an instant, and bricks and rubble poured down like raindrops.

From a bird's-eye view, the rows of gray and white buildings crumbled like fragile paper, stacking up into ruins of varying heights.

The streets and alleys were instantly covered in smoke and dust, blocking out the sky and the sun, like a surging black tide, greedily devouring everything.

"Xiao Jia! Xiao Jia!"

Wang Baoqiang heard the child crying in a daze. When he opened his eyes, Song Jia had already hugged the child in his arms with incredible speed.

"Go! Go!"

The two of them were about to rush out in panic. Song Jia passed by the table and subconsciously grabbed the letter in his hand, but before he could open the door...

With a loud bang, the broken floor rolled down. The couple squatted down with their child in their arms to hide. The low cabinet in front of the door saved their lives.

Accompanied by the background sound of summer thunder, the screen image was replaced by the subjective perspective of Song Jia and Wang Baoqiang, and fell into darkness.

There was only the sound of the child crying, which was heartbreaking.

In the cold wind, countless identical tear-wiping movements appeared, like a plague spreading in an instant, and everyone was moved.

From the macroscopic initial appearance of the earthquake to Song Jia's small family, the camera was suddenly pulled from the ground to the sky by a large jib.

In just a few minutes, the flat streets were completely buried, leaving only a mess and desolation.

The streets and alleys were devastated, and the broken walls were dim in the darkness, like ferocious monsters, baring their fangs and claws, telling of the cruelty of the disaster.

A barefoot little girl suddenly appeared in the picture, running away helplessly.

Mud and water mixed with tears kept flowing down the dirty little face.

She stood alone on the ruins, clutching a piece of floral cloth torn from her mother's body, and cried desperately at the thundering and lightning sky: "Mom! Mom!"

The close-up shots here have been processed with a weakened recording, coupled with the shrill sound of lightning and thunder in the background, which is equivalent to a simplified version of polyphonic montage.

The audience can only faintly hear the little girl's heart-wrenching cry, and the wailing and grief of more baby birds will be drowned out by the howling wind and rain.

Looking at her clearly recognizable lip movements, the word "Ma Ma" which can be understood and heard by all mankind but cannot be heard or understood clearly, destroyed the tear glands of all the audience.

Rain mixed with blood spread across the ground, dyeing the once vibrant land red.

The bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no cock crowing for thousands of miles.

The tragedy is unbearable to watch.

Countless faces of people who survived the disaster appeared in the camera. These were the shots of the earthquake survivors and the extras running and saving themselves.

After a wave of terrifying aftershocks, the survivors who had regained consciousness were silent for a moment. Someone shouted first, "Help! Help!"

As if awakened from stillness, everyone began to move in the gradually heavier rain.

This is also the true plot created by screenwriter Liu Heng after visiting hundreds of eyewitnesses.

After a real big earthquake, few people cried bitterly, except for children.

Most people become numb due to the extreme emotional impact. Under such extreme pain, people will also activate their psychological self-protection mechanism and temporarily suppress the instinct to cry.

The scene was in chaos. People in shorts and vests took tools if they had them, and carried tools with their hands or shoulders if they didn't, supporting the wounded and digging out survivors who were crying out in pain.

The camera pulls away and the sound fades away.

At this point in the movie, the main narrative line of the Lu Kuan version of "Tangshan Earthquake" is temporarily put aside, and the perspective is given to the perspective of another female protagonist, Zhou Xun.

Zhou Xun escaped the disaster.

After returning home in the evening, he was concerned about his sister-in-law's discomfort from being rubbed with coarse cloth, so he went to the clinic and told his father Li Xuejian to send two pieces of gauze to Song Jia when he was free.

Around six o'clock, to avoid a bad influence, she changed into a set of Dacron clothes and, like other local women, got on a military vehicle to visit her relatives in the army.

It is more than 300 kilometers from Tangshan City to the 76th Army headquarters in Baoding, but in it was only possible to travel by ordinary roads with poor road conditions.

The air in the carriage was poorly ventilated and it was filled with family members visiting relatives. The sticky touch in the summer made her extremely uncomfortable.

Zhou Xun felt the bumpy ride inside the military vehicle, so he held on tightly to the handrails and fell asleep unknowingly.

I don’t know how long it took, but the moving vehicles came to an abrupt stop and a loud noise was heard.

Zhou Xun sat in the car where everyone was talking, watching the army's unique broadcast and high-lumen searchlights, and knew that they were approaching the 38th Army's base.

"what happened?"

"Oh my god! Do you feel the ground moving?"

An older sister mentioned something in the darkness, and the drowsy people in the early morning finally reacted.

The driver, Xiao Anhui, jumped out of the car and spoke in broken Mandarin: "Sisters-in-law, wait a moment. The troops have set up a cordon. I'll go take a look."

Soon, the camera showed everything that happened in the military camp.

The 113th Army was stationed in Rongcheng, Baoding. The commander of the 339nd Battalion of the th Regiment of the th Division, Hu Jun, received the following order from his superiors:

At around 3:40 am, an earthquake occurred in Tangshan, Hebei Province. The situation is unknown.

According to the unified deployment of the military headquarters, your unit is now ordered to set out immediately, rush to the rescue overnight, and assemble in Dangyu Town, Zunhua, 50 kilometers south of Tangshan, to accept unified orders from superiors!

There was no expression on Hu Jun's resolute and dark face. He made a few phone calls and ordered the entire battalion to assemble in an extremely fast manner.

There is nothing special about the organization of the 350th Army. It also follows the principle of three-three system. One battalion has three companies under its jurisdiction, and the troops directly commanded by Mr. Hu are about people.

Xiao Anhui got the news from the sentry post and ran back to the car with a sad face. The military families had already gotten off the car in shock.

Just now, there seemed to be an aftershock from the earthquake wave coming from the direction of Tangshan, and everyone felt the shaking under their feet!

"Earthquake! Earthquake! Earthquake in Tangshan!"

"Sisters-in-law, hurry up and get in the car. I'll take you in and settle you down in the army first."

"We still have to rush to disaster relief!"

Little Anhui looked terrified. He was in his early twenties and had not experienced much.

But all the military families from Tangshan present had already started crying and wailing.

"Go home! We want to go home!"

"Yes! Go home, go back!"

Xiao Anhui was so anxious that he almost cried. This was an order from the army!

But the elder sisters and sisters-in-law who care about their relatives don’t care about that.

We must go home, and die together!
Go home, these two words that are so easy to say, now seem to have become a luxury.

Zhou Xun had been jolted along the way and his face was already pale.

At this moment, the thin figure stood behind everyone. Thinking of his father and Xiaojia's family, his heart ached.

She is not an uneducated rural woman. The tremors were so obvious more than 300 kilometers away. What about Tangshan?

The camera gave a close-up of Zhou Xun. Her protruding finger joints were tightly gripping the side of the car, and her whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

Her hair was messy, but she obviously didn't have the leisurely mood to tidy it up like she did in the afternoon.

By comparing the two, we can see the inner impact that the characters are facing.

Hu Jun was sitting in the passenger seat of a military vehicle. When he arrived at the camp gate, he jumped out of the vehicle upon seeing this.

"Xiao Anhui! What's going on? Drive the car in! Don't block the road!"

"Battalion Commander! Me!"

Little Anhui was young and naive, and he burst into tears: "They want to go back to Tangshan! I can't persuade them, wuwuwu!"

As the cries started, the outside of the barracks suddenly became a scene of crying, and the fragile defenses of all the soldiers and their families from Tangshan and the surrounding areas were broken.

As the battalion commander, Hu Jun couldn't bear to see the morale of the troops collapse, so he slammed the hood of the military vehicle!

Everyone's eyes were on him.

There is a carefully choreographed shot and lighting scene here.

A spotlight from the barracks' searchlight hit Hu Jun at a 45-degree angle, illuminating his face and upper body.

A slightly soft auxiliary light is also placed on the side to enhance the three-dimensional sense of the character.

The ambient light is very dim, creating a depressing and tense atmosphere, highlighting the difficulty and severity of the disaster relief task to the viewers.

The cool blue-gray light enhanced the sense of tension and solemnity. Hu Jun was like a tall black tower, encouraging everyone in a steady voice. This was his duty as a soldier and battalion commander!
"We are the iron guards of the Republic and the people's most solid support!"

"From the moment we put on this military uniform, we swore an oath of life and death to go through fire and water for the peace of the people and to fight for the dignity of our country!"

"Our loved ones are waiting for us! Our families are waiting for us! The people need us!"

His voice suddenly rose, and instead of using high-sounding words to boost morale, he pointed at the military families who were still sobbing quietly.

"Look carefully! My sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law from Tangshan are watching us right next to us."

"My sister, brother-in-law and one-month-old nephew may also be buried under the rubble now, and their lives are unknown!"

"Don't I want to cry? Don't I feel heartbroken?!"

Hu Jun said solemnly: "Everyone has!"

All 356 soldiers in the battalion, except those who stayed behind, have gathered here.

Hearing the battalion commander's order, he quickly adjusted his state and looked at him solemnly.

"Our 38th Army was personally crowned the Long Live Army by the General. Are there any cowards among us?"

"No! No! No!"

The soldiers responded to their superiors' questions in unison with the passionate morale of fear, honor and belief.

Hu Jun nodded: "Okay! I order you now! Stop crying, let go of your fear, and rush to the disaster area immediately!"

"Yes!"

He walked closer to the military relatives, and they all came forward crying and wailing.

The situation was critical. The sooner they arrived, the sooner disaster relief could be started. Hu Jun had no time to comfort them.

"Get in the car and go home!"

His sharp eyes glanced at Zhou Xun behind the crowd and said, "Follow me."

"If I don't go, I'll take this bus back."

Zhou Xun's face turned pale. Hu Jun's words just now made her feel chilled.

Your sister, brother-in-law and nephew may have died, but what about my father?

You comforted the soldiers' families and boosted their morale, but you never thought about us father and daughter in your eyes or heart.

Since they look down on our background, why would they agree to marry us?
Zhou Xun turned around resolutely and struggled to climb up the military vehicle, which was taller than her, with her delicate body.

The night wind after the catastrophe was noisy, and the whistling sound past her ears was like the horn of the ghost country, piercing her heart with an extremely cold feeling.

The camera did not show Hu Jun's expression.

The audience just watched Zhou Xun sitting in the last row of the military vehicle, a cold tear rolling down her cheek, accompanied by the roaring engine sound, fading away with the dusk.

(End of this chapter)