Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 601: I will face a thousand pointing fingers with a cold eye, and bow my head to serve the people like an ox!
What should have been an ordinary university opening ceremony has now attracted the attention of the entire nation and Asia.

The main issue is that every measure proposed by industry capital and Lu Kuan, even if insignificant in his view, becomes a mountain or a bridge for the most ordinary practitioners and companies in the industry.

Whether it's a bridge or a mountain depends on the individual's and the company's perspective.

For example, the establishment of the "Xie Jin Honorary Award" is to give new directors an opportunity to be seen and to give the industry a low-cost opportunity to select material.

You only need to spend what you can afford to make a short film to participate, or you can get the most fair and impartial evaluation from the Beijing Film Festival jury, which is led by director Lu Kuan and whom he invites and assembles every year.

As more detailed rules are released, it becomes clear that this is a process that everyone can see, and its standard is not business or art, but "potential".

Regardless of genre—crime, comedy, science fiction, drama—as long as the project is solid and innovative, there is a chance.

Its significance is similar to a more powerful and well-resourced "film festival pitching session," but the success rate and career boost are incomparable, given that it is backed by Asia's top film and cultural media companies.

This is of great significance to the industry and its practitioners, but what about other companies in the industry?
Equally valuable.

"You can poach the people who are left over from the competition." This is not sarcasm, but a genuine convenience in talent selection. They can target the nominees and winners of the award to poach or seek cooperation, greatly reducing the information costs and decision-making risks for the entire industry in discovering new talent.

For example, the addition of an animation major to the Pan-Asia Film Academy and the recruitment of animators by Butian Pictures have had the most direct impact of exacerbating the "Matthew effect" in the competition for high-end talent and changing the career plans of relevant practitioners.

Once accepted by either of the first two programs, it means you've already stepped into the core project circle of the industry, and your career starting point is the end point that others have worked hard for for many years.

This will lead to all the promising newcomers scrambling to apply, since for animation talents, the teaching resources in collaboration with Pixar are a fatal attraction, equivalent to directly obtaining a springboard to the top platform.

If these two are like "single-plank bridges" that countless competitors are scrambling to cross, then the news that Lu Kuan will temporarily return to teaching on campus is no different from a cross-sea bridge.

A bridge that would give ordinary directors and even amateurs the opportunity to fly through the sky and into the sea.

Shortly after the opening ceremony, the official Weibo accounts of Beijing Film Academy and Pan-Asia Film Academy successively released notices. In addition to the above, Zhang Huijun immediately arranged teaching adjustments for the new academic year, the core of which was to maximize the use of Lu Kuan's "golden signboard".

The notice clarifies that Lu Kuan's teaching work at the Beiping Film Academy is "honorary teaching" and he does not undertake basic professional teaching.

Given the precious time available, the course, held 2-3 times per month, was designed as a large-scale open course for senior undergraduate and graduate students from all departments across the university, with the theme "Film Art and Market".

As we all know, the larger the topic, the more difficult it is, and the stronger the requirements are for the speaker's knowledge coverage and professional skills. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle the questions from students in class.

The course was completely unannounced; it was basically just Mr. Lu's simple preparation and improvisation. This will be the first time that the most authoritative director in the industry has shared and imparted his experience as a top-tier director and producer.

For example, taking "Ball Flash" as an example, he would use the film's complete production process as a case study to break down how to start from a science fiction concept, conduct cultural adaptation under a global perspective, choose technical paths, manage multinational teams, and formulate publicity and distribution strategies for different markets.

It also details why certain special effects were outsourced to Canadian companies instead of being developed entirely in-house, and the trade-offs between cost, quality, and efficiency involved.

For example, how did he manage such a large-scale project with a heavy cultural mission when he served as the chief director of the Beijing Olympics?

The content is not just vague "sentiment," but extremely practical:
How to communicate effectively with departments at all levels, how to transform abstract political and cultural requirements into concrete and compelling artistic language, and how to establish unified aesthetic standards and discipline within a large team.

This is invaluable for any director who wants to take on a major project.

And his forte as a time traveler: judging and forecasting future technological trends, and guiding students to think about the impact of these changes on the creation itself.

For example, he would raise cutting-edge issues such as "With mobile viewing becoming the norm, what fine-tuning needs to be done to the narrative rhythm and audiovisual language of films?"

The significance of this course lies in opening a window for students at the Beijing Film Academy, allowing them to think about issues from the overall perspective of producers and project leaders while delving into professional skills, and to understand that film is not just art, but also a commercial and cultural system engineering project that requires meticulous planning and execution.

Although it is designed for directing majors, wouldn't it also benefit directing majors, dubbing majors, and film management majors who are auditing the classes?

In this era where film still reigns supreme, putting everything else aside, the most important thing for an actor to do is to cater to the director's tastes. It's true that investors have more and more power, but movies that rely on pleasing investors are generally not top-notch productions.

Of course, the content Lu Kuan teaches at the Beijing Film Academy is very different from what he teaches at the Pan-Asia Film Academy, because many of the students at the Pan-Asia Film Academy are directors who already have mature works.

The latter course will focus on specific challenges, and as a project doctor, he will deeply intervene in the feature film projects that students are developing, from script, budget, concept art to post-production planning, and carry out one-on-one, extremely demanding, practical polishing, which is equivalent to providing the strongest "insurance" for students' projects.

Of course, the final profits will be shared by the academy's investors from China, Japan, South Korea, or Hollywood.

Through this curriculum design, Lu Kuan is "sowing seeds" at Beijing Film Academy, broadly stimulating the industrial thinking of the next generation;

At Pan Asia, the focus is on "intensive cultivation," providing high-intensity and high-density empowerment to the next generation of core directors within its own system.

One is a "cross-sea bridge" that benefits the public, and the other is a "high-speed elevator" that leads directly to the top. Together, they constitute his key moves to control the future landscape of the industry.

It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person; how difficult it is to nurture an outstanding director.

Even after so many years in the industry, there are only a few established directors for genre films available. Wanda Pictures, in particular, targeted Feng Xiaogang and Wu Ershan from Huayi Brothers, which was about to be dismantled, from the very beginning, which is also an example of the talent gap in directors in China.

Aside from the establishment of the "Xie Jin Honorary Award," the addition of animation majors, and Mr. Lu's decision to return to campus in the short to medium term, the most exciting news is the general format of the Beiping Film Festival and the deep involvement of the Pan-Asian Film Academy.

Because the above measures are all aimed at changing the relatively lower levels of the film industry and the personal actions of directors who are frustrated and feel that their talents are not being recognized.
Or perhaps it's a way for Mr. Lu to give back to the foundation he built in his early years, and to solidify the core of the Beijing Film Academy system, which now holds a "high position and great power" in the film industry.

However, with the backing of the Pan-Asian Film Academy and the industrial capital of Wenjie, the Beijing International Film Festival can have an impact that extends throughout Asia.

In particular, this was directed at a certain guy who had a biased stance from the beginning and was later banned from participating in competitions by the University of Tokyo.

Of course, this kind of confrontational news material is also what the media is most willing to hype up.

The Chinese cultural industry newspaper published a commentary titled "The Beiping Film Festival Pioneers a Dual-Track System, Aiming to Create a New Benchmark for the Value of Chinese-Language Films":
Our reporter Jimenqiao reports that at a grand ceremony held yesterday at the Beiping Film Academy, Lu Kuan, the principal of the Pan-Asia Film Academy, officially announced that the Beiping International Film Festival, which will open in 2011, will cooperate deeply with the Pan-Asia Film Academy and adopt an unprecedented "dual-track" operation model.

According to Lu Kuan, the Beiping Film Festival will be clearly divided into a "competitive section" and a "non-competitive section." The non-competitive section is open to films from around the world, with no premiere restrictions, and aims to become an important platform for international film screenings and copyright transactions, focusing on the market and exchange.

The most innovative aspect is its competition section: this section only accepts entries from Chinese-language films, provided that they meet the "Asian premiere" requirement.

This design cleverly links the film festival's core honors with the local character and originality of Chinese-language films. The Pan-Asian Film Academy will serve as an academic support unit, leveraging its network of top-tier mentors and graduates spanning China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States to assemble a jury with an international perspective for the film festival.

Its evaluation criteria are roughly "the film's intrinsic language, industrial completion, and depth of cultural expression," attempting to establish a clear and traceable evaluation system.

Analysts believe this move aims to establish the Beiping Film Festival as a value discoverer and quality certification center for Chinese-language films.

By setting an Asian premiere threshold, it directly encourages and even competes for the best new Chinese-language films to make their most important debut in Beiping.

This is not just about establishing a film festival, but about defining what constitutes a "good Chinese-language film" and seizing the discourse power. For the Chinese-language film industry, which urgently needs professional standards and international market recognition, this "new benchmark" backed by top capital and academic strength undoubtedly has a strong appeal.

The Cultural Industry News maintained a relatively mild tone, simply explaining the upcoming Beijing Film Festival to a broad audience. However, other newspapers were not so reserved.

The Chinese film business magazine "Film Business Observer" published an article titled "Asian premiere threshold hits the nail on the head, the rise of the Beijing Film Festival may reshape the three major film festivals," which directly pointed out the "cultural confrontation" implications of this move.

Currently, the Golden Horse Awards, the most influential film award in the Chinese-speaking world, explicitly requires that films "have not been publicly released in any version," meaning they have not been publicly screened in theaters, on television, online, or other platforms.

The rules for "Asian premiere" at the Beiping Film Festival have a much wider scope than those for "world premiere" at the Golden Horse Awards. While seemingly having lower requirements, they are actually more strategic.
It allowed the film to be released first in major Western markets such as North America and Europe, but it reserved the "first appearance" in Asia for Beiping.

This caters to the needs of some Chinese blockbusters that hope to break into the international market, while also ensuring that their premiere rights and influence within the East Asian cultural sphere belong to Beiping.

With this move, the Golden Horse Awards will be the first to be affected.

In the future, Chinese-language film producers will face a difficult choice:
The choice was the Golden Horse Awards, which has a longer history but could be quickly surpassed by the Beijing Film Academy and the Pan-Asian Film System in terms of resources and influence.

Or should we choose the Beiping Film Festival, which offers a complete ecosystem of resources, from jury endorsement to global distribution and funding support?
For the vast majority of films that increasingly rely on the mainland market, the answer seems self-evident.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Film Awards, which also require "Hong Kong premieres," and the Shanghai International Film Festival, a mainland-based event, will also feel immense pressure from audience diversion.

With its status as the capital, its vast capital, and its global influence, Beiping's film festival is poised for unstoppable growth. The long-standing dominance of the three major film awards in Chinese-language cinema is likely to be completely disrupted and restructured by the intrusion of this disruptive force.

……

Perhaps feeling that such intensity wasn't enough to attract attention, or perhaps to give Boss Lu's actions a "justifiable cause," Lao Hu's latest episode of "Lao Hu Doesn't Talk Nonsense" was quickly released online.

The last time he was so eager to update was when he was "overthrowing Liu". Now, although there are no explicit instructions, he has already started "killing Ma" in perfect unison.

However, the angles that should be discussed, such as the industry structure, market rules, and cultural discourse power, have already been thoroughly analyzed from macro to micro perspectives by peers such as Cultural Industry News and Film Business Observer, leaving little room for Lao Hu to elaborate.

Since the main path had already been taken, Lao Hu decided to find another way, return to his old profession, and focus on "people" themselves.

In this episode of "Seven Years of Game and the Reconstruction of the Discourse Power of Chinese-Language Films," he doesn't talk about the overall industry trends, but only about the grudges and rivalries within the industry.

This is a cold war that lasted for seven years, and now it has finally escalated into an open and systematic hot war.

The story begins in 2003. (Chapters 137-138)
Director Lu Kuan, then a rising star, competed for the Golden Horse Award with his acclaimed debut film, "The Violent Drummer." However, this critically acclaimed work ultimately failed to win any major awards.

Industry insiders generally believe that the film's strong critical consciousness and some over-interpreted metaphors touched the sensitive nerves of some members of the Golden Horse Awards jury at the time, leading to vote suppression based on non-artistic factors. This incident caused a huge uproar at the time and was regarded as a landmark event in the Golden Horse Awards' trend towards intellectualization.

From then on, director Lu Kuan used his seven-year absence to express a creator's silent but resolute protest.

In the past, this might have been seen as the individual persistence of a genius director, but times have changed, and he is no longer that lone artist.

He is the richest man in mainland China, the most powerful Chinese in Hollywood, the head of the most authoritative film alliance among China, Japan and South Korea, and the helmsman of the largest film and television conglomerate in Asia by market value.

He is the principal of the Pan-Asian Film Academy, which has nurtured international directors such as Na Hong-jin and Neill Blomkamp, ​​and the one who "corrected the wrongs" as "Ball Lightning" is about to break the Chinese film history box office record and reclaim the lost ground conquered by "Avatar".

Therefore, the counterattack is no longer about refusing to participate, but about establishing a separate entity and redefining the rules of the game.

The establishment of the competition section of the Beiping Film Festival, especially the rules for Asian premieres, is a meticulously crafted key designed to lock in the future of the Golden Horse Awards. This is an epic leap from personal dignity to industry power.

Its grandeur lies in the fact that the immense energy a person can generate through their own efforts can ultimately shake up the cultural landscape of an entire region.

From Jimen Bridge to the Tamsui River, director Lu Kuan has built his answer with a new film festival.

……

Hu Xijin's "Old Hu Doesn't Talk Nonsense" is now considered a top personal podcast on video websites, with each episode getting millions of views, and the comments section quickly filled up.

As Lao Hu clarified the past grievances, a bunch of fans started digging up old grievances for Boss Lu in the comments, from the Hong Kong entertainment circle to the Golden Horse Awards.

"When Washing Machine first debuted, he was tricked by the Hong Kong entertainment circle. To date, the only Hong Kong actors who have appeared in his films are Andy Lau and Tony Leung Ka-fai, whose political stance and professionalism are beyond reproach, and Anita Mui, who has long since retired and is dedicated to charity work. After the Hong Kong entertainment circle incident, he was further dampened by the Golden Horse Awards, which aimed to promote positive values. And look at him now! One can only sigh, 'Don't underestimate a young man's potential.'" (Free Chapter)

"I remember when Liu Yifei was still an American citizen, the Golden Horse Awards highlighted her nomination in big red letters to show her off, just to slap Lu Xun: 'You claim to be patriotic, right? Look at where the actresses you're using are from before you start talking.' As a result, the 15-year-old Liu Yifei refused the award and later renounced her American citizenship. I was a freshman in college at the time, and I remember it vividly." (Chapter 138)
"Why bring up something so far back? Didn't you see how the chairman of the Golden Horse Awards disgusted Wanda when they acquired AMC a while ago? Now those directors are still trying to use our stars to promote models like Lin Chi-ling. This is quite satisfying." (Chapter 576)
"You think you can leave after offending the abbot? Especially since you even offended the abbot's wife, 'Celestial Master,' back then. Look at that, how can things possibly end well?"

Of course, some people relish this feud, some are gleefully waiting to see Jinma stumble, and of course, there are also old friends like Nanfang and Apple who are stirring up public opinion and smearing Boss Lu from the sidelines, which is not surprising.

Speaking of which, since the last time *Nanfang Weekend* was severely punished by the authorities, resulting in the collective expulsion and dismissal of more than a dozen editors-in-chief and even the water dispenser attendant, it has been relatively quiet for almost a year, which is quite rare. (Chapter 576)
In the future, these enemy agents' propaganda positions also became smarter, openly praising while secretly criticizing, just like the clever Shen Hao's operation of inviting Lu and Liu out of the "Entertainment Couples Ranking," which was quite covert.

During the phenomenal box office run of "Ball Lightning" in mainland China, Shen Hao's newspaper, "Metropolitan Daily," relentlessly praised the film from beginning to end, never uttering a single negative word, because it was clear that there was no way to stop its overwhelming popularity.

But now, he has opportunely stepped forward, appearing to be "speaking the truth," and analyzed the issue in an article titled "Cultural Chauvinism or Industrial Hegemony?"

Director Lu Kuan's recent series of initiatives surrounding the Beiping Film Festival, ostensibly aimed at building a new industry ecosystem, are in reality a dangerous form of cultural exclusivity, leveraging capital and power.

We have to question: when "Asian premieres" become an entry barrier for Chinese-language films, and when the judging power of film festivals is monopolized by a single capital system, is this truly promoting the healthy development of the industry or stifling cultural diversity?

As an art form that transcends national borders, the vitality of film lies in openness and exchange. However, the rules established by director Lu Kuan based on so-called public outrage and personal grudges are essentially replacing old prejudices with new monopolies, binding the premiere rights of Chinese-language films to specific regions.

This is tantamount to interfering with the circulation of art through administrative thinking; the judging criteria dominated by the Pan-Asian system further compress diverse aesthetics into a mouthpiece for a single industrial system. This "those who obey me prosper" rule design is less about correcting past mistakes and more about using capital to command others.

More worryingly, this move will exacerbate the internal divisions within the East Asian cultural sphere.

In the wave of globalization, Chinese-language films should become a cultural link connecting the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, and even Asia, rather than becoming a bargaining chip in geopolitical games. If Director Lu Kuan truly cares about the future of the industry, he should promote a more open and inclusive competitive environment, rather than building a personal kingdom through resource barriers.

The vast universe of cinematic art should not be rewritten as a nautical chart for world capital.

We urge the industry to be wary of cultural chauvinism disguised as "innovation," because true cultural confidence stems from an open-minded and inclusive approach, not from a self-imposed territorial hegemony.

At first glance, the commentary in *Nanfang* is indeed misleading, because its argument precisely targets a universal and correct value:
A call for "openness, diversity, and inclusiveness".

The problem lies in the fact that it avoids the specific historical problems in Kinmen and Matsu that Lu Kuan's move was targeting, and instead talks about an idealized, frictionless "perfect market" and "absolute fairness" in an abstract way, thus shaping his strategic counterattack into a destruction of the ideal state.

But the problem is, that horse was far from being a practitioner of these three words; it was a trampler of them.

However, the general public does not have such a strong ability to distinguish, otherwise there wouldn't have been so many netizens who thought Liu Yifei was a transgender person back then, which immediately sparked countless discussions.

On September 11th, Lao Han called Boss Lu and jokingly said that he was now becoming the target of public criticism.
Not only did Nan Fang and others oppose the media fanning the flames, but some veteran comrades on the literary and artistic front also couldn't sit still, because Lu Kuan's unparalleled approach of using the Pan-Asia Film Academy to penetrate the Beijing Film Academy's commentary system made some people tremble.

These are the same people who consistently pull off bizarre tactics like making the Golden Rooster lay two eggs, focusing solely on melody at the Magnolia Awards, and using anonymous voting at the Hundred Flowers Awards to keep increasing the total number of votes...

Now, suddenly an academic clique is no longer content with maneuvering within industrial capital, no longer content with merely participating in the top-level design of the Film Promotion Law, and no longer content with the training of directors in the film industrialization chain. It has begun to target the "evaluation system"!

Although it hasn't yet touched the fundamental interests of established academics like the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, it's already a dangerous sign.

If they're not worried, who is?
Lu Kuan, who had just finished playing with the two little brats, laughed and said, "Never mind them, the advantage is in my hands now."

Old Han joked, "Hey! You can't say that!" "Why can't I say it?" Boss Lu went to his study and opened his computer. "Not only will I say that, I will also say that the current situation is 'to secure internal stability, one must first deal with external threats.'"

"This relative 'external' aspect is first the Golden Horse Awards. We first used the prestige of the Beijing Film Festival to steal their thunder, and then used two to three years to completely marginalize them."

"Wait until the old horse stumbles, then look back and see who's making a fuss at home."

"If they know what's good for them, they should just take good care of their 'chicken orchids' (a derogatory term for those who are arrogant and domineering). If they're thinking of interfering and making a fuss at the Beijing Film Festival again, then we'll just have to ask them to retire early."

"Then it will be a scene of eternal cold snow-capped mountains, with only the Emei Peak shining brightly!"

Hearing the richest man unabashedly use the bald man's "three classics" in one breath, Han Shanping couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha! No wonder Yi Fei wanted to join the Beiping Federation of Literary and Art Circles this time. You've been thinking about revolutionizing these people for a long time, haven't you?"

"Calling it a revolution is a bit of an exaggeration. It's just about optimizing the industry so that it doesn't become a stumbling block to the progress of Chinese films."

Boss Lu smiled. This was also part of the previous plan. Xiao Liu was to leverage her strengths and, in addition to her acting career, symbolically occupy some important positions, because she was born to be a close comrade-in-arms of the transmigrator (Chapter 482).

"Alright, let's talk about it again at the Taiping Book seminar."

"Okay, goodbye, Mr. Han."

Old Han thought for a moment, but ultimately didn't mention his daughter's admission to the Pan-Asia Film Academy, and then hung up the phone.

Today, it has come to the point where even if he wants to say something to this young man in a high position, he has to pay attention to certain details.

"Dad, why didn't you mention it at all? Maybe he would have agreed then?"

Han's daughter wasn't a spoiled brat, but seeing that her father hadn't said a word about it from beginning to end, she still felt a little wronged.

She wouldn't care even if she was rejected, but she still had a thought in her heart!
Han Shanping knew his daughter wasn't one to argue unreasonably, but he still glared at her and said, "What are you talking about? Do you even have the guts to do this? Don't embarrass yourself."

"Hey, you old man!" Han's daughter said indignantly, "How come I'm not cut out for this? I can't be worse than Guo Fan, who studied for four years and didn't even get a single movie role, can I?"

"Guo Fan? Ha!"

Han Shanping raised an eyebrow: "It's one thing to talk about other people, but if you really think you're better than that Xiao Guo, I advise you not to work in this industry, or you could just write your own scripts and submit them to other companies. Stop messing around."

"Why!"

Old Han habitually reached for a cigarette on the coffee table, only to have his daughter slap it away with a loud "What are you smoking for? Explain yourself!"

Han Shanping had no choice but to patiently teach his daughter, "To be honest, I don't know much about Guo Fan, but I've only heard Lu Kuan say that he's more suited to making movies than anyone else."

"Don't you idolize Lu Kuan? Isn't this enough of a compliment?"

"Making a movie?" The woman from the Han family sensed something was amiss.

"Yes, it's about making a movie, not filming a movie. Figure it out yourself!"

Old Han pretended to be profound and left her with a thought-provoking question. He then stuffed the cigarette into his pocket, preparing to go out for a stroll and light one to satisfy his craving.

Han's daughter leaned back on the sofa with a helpless hug, thinking to herself that from now on she would only be able to attend those open classes that only came two or three times a month with everyone else.

It's good, but so many people don't have the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with Director Lu!

How many people are in the first class of the Pan-Asia Film Academy? What's the difference between that and being taught step by step?
Especially when there are fewer people, teachers can share their innermost thoughts and best wishes, which is the essence of the experience!

The daughter of the head of the Dongda Film Academy originally had a simpler idea:
My father informed that person about the recent petitions and complaints from elderly comrades, and asked them to do their best to help if they could, while also mentioning his own situation.

"Success, success," she said without hesitation, "no, stand at attention or at ease."

Old Han didn't care about his daughter's situation at all, because it was insignificant compared to the current situation.

The reason he made this call and made those unrestrained jokes about Boss Lu was that he knew that no one's noise towards him was of any consequence, and it was not his place to intervene and avert any disaster.

Because the city government, the absolute organizer of the Taipei International Film Festival, has an unwavering stance, and its trust and support for this person is also unwavering.

Even though the older generation brought some pressure from above, as long as the first Beijing Film Festival can be successfully held, these noises will become mere resentment in the past, leaving only a laughing stock.

What Han Shanping didn't know was that Boss Lu's painstaking efforts to cause the Golden Horse Awards to stumble and help the Beijing Film Festival rise to prominence were also a "good thing" that benefited both the public and private sectors, and were also due to Lao Cai's subsequent development path.

Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, wouldn't the government take notice of Mr. Lu's move, which can effectively enhance the international influence of the capital?
Their attitude, as the situation unfolds, is not difficult to guess.

After going out for a couple of cigarettes, Han Shanping thought for a moment and then went back inside to have a heart-to-heart talk with his daughter, even though he knew she wasn't domineering and had always admired top directors like Lu Kuan.

But if he were to do something wrong, and it were to create another obstacle between him and Lu Kuan, things would be very bad. After so many years of being close comrades-in-arms, they couldn't afford to let a small problem cause their downfall.

In the dead of night, with heavy dew, the head of China Film Group and Han Jianu, who had just started her postgraduate studies in directing at Beijing Film Academy in 10, had some things that were best left unsaid to outsiders.

For example, whether it's the current public opinion, the complaints from veteran artists, or even the Golden Horse Awards' preparations for a major counterattack, what exactly is the higher-ups thinking?
This is the root of the problem.

In Lao Han's highly sensitive view, under the scrutiny of higher authorities, this is by no means a simple industry competition or personal grudge, but a "righteous" act that is highly in line with the national cultural strategy!
The long-standing manipulation behind Ma has gradually distorted this Chinese-language film award into an outdated symbol.

Instead of serving as a bridge to build consensus, it often becomes a platform for creating division and antagonism, which seriously deviates from the general direction of promoting cultural exchange and enhancing national identity.

Lu Kuan promoted the rise of the Beiping International Film Festival and competed for the premiere rights of Chinese-language films by using the "Asian premiere" rule. In essence, he was using market rules and industrial strength in the cultural field to build a new platform with the mainland as the core, which has a strong attraction and centripetal force.

This is not about being closed off or exclusive, but rather about providing a more constructive development path for Chinese-language films and even Asian films with a higher level of openness and more professional standards.

Their goal is clear: to gain control over the evaluation, pricing, and discourse power of Chinese-language films.

This strategy aligns perfectly with the nation's top-level design to enhance its cultural soft power and gain the initiative in international public opinion.

As the capital, the enhancement of Beiping's cultural influence is directly related to the national image. A Beiping International Film Festival with international reputation and industry appeal will become an important window to showcase the cultural confidence of Southeast University and spread the value of Eastern aesthetics. Its significance is far beyond that of a regional award.

Therefore, in the eyes of the higher-ups, Mr. Lu's actions this time were an attempt to cleverly resolve the interference of Zhengzhi through market-oriented and professional means and regain cultural dominance.

However, the Beiping Film Festival is still in the works and will not be officially held for at least another year, so it's not convenient for the higher-ups to comment.

This is also a consistent practice of the imperial court:
Maintain composure at the strategic level and observe the situation calmly at the tactical level.

They don't readily express their opinions on matters that can be resolved through civilian channels; they only intervene gently to set things right when necessary.

In this situation, all Lao Han can do is to support him with all his might, even at the cost of his principles, just as he has always done!

Of course, given the heated discussions from the outside world, Lu Kuan still made a brief response via Weibo, which was sincere and heartfelt.
-
In light of recent public attention, I would like to share the following points with my friends and the public who care about me:

First, it's about my return to teach at the Beijing Film Academy.

The recent online discussions about the various grudges and feuds during the "Whiplash" era have been so numerous that they could fill a novel.

I would like to clarify that my first film was made possible by the tremendous help of my teachers, including Mr. Tian Zhuangzhuang, Mr. Zhang Yimou, Mr. Zhang Huijun, and my friends and mentors at the Beijing Film Academy. I will always remember this support from my alma mater and my teachers.

Therefore, apart from the donations made in previous years, I believe it is a matter of course and an honor to use some of my time and experience to give back to my alma mater and cultivate future talents for Chinese films.

I dare not say I can do it exceptionally well, but I will certainly do my best.

As is well known, throughout art history, many outstanding artists have chosen to return to school or similar environments at some point.

This is not a retreat, but an effective way to return to the source, reflect and mature, and stimulate new vitality through the collision of ideas with young people.

For me, in the gaps between preparing for my next work, it is also a great pleasure to sort out my thoughts and accumulate inspiration through mutual teaching and learning.

I would also like to take this opportunity to inform my fans, who have always supported me, about the preliminary plans for my new film:

This will be a fantasy film, inspired by my visit to the British Museum this year. It is a personal exploration and attempt after my science fiction commercial films, and is tentatively scheduled to start filming in the second half of next year.

At the same time, I must admit that choosing to stay on campus for more than half a year at this point in time also included important family considerations.

Since the birth of our children last May, my wife Liu Yifei and my mother-in-law have put in unimaginable hard work to accompany them as they grow up.

Especially for Xiao Liu, who returned to work after giving birth at the end of last year, during the filming of "Taiping Shu: Cangmang", she not only had to face high-intensity action scenes and filming tasks, but also had to breastfeed her baby at night, making it almost impossible for her to get a full night's sleep.

I often receive video calls from her late at night from the film set. On the other end of the camera, her eyes reveal unconcealed exhaustion, but she deliberately keeps her voice soft so as not to disturb the child who has just finished eating and fallen asleep in her arms.

She would subtly turn the camera towards the crib, with an expression I can't describe—a mixture of extreme exhaustion and boundless tenderness.

At that moment, I saw not only an excellent and dedicated actress, but also a mother who devoted all her heart and soul to her work.

I never took this for granted, and I am deeply grateful for it, while also harboring great regret for missing out on many crucial developmental periods during my children's first year and a half.

I wasn't there when they first clearly called out "Dad" and "Mom";

I wasn't there for them when they were able to sit up steadily and take their first steps.

As a father, this absence is irreparable.

Therefore, after careful discussion with my wife, we jointly decided:
Before my children start kindergarten at age three, I will adjust my work schedule as much as possible and focus my life and family on things in China.

For the next six months or so, my work will mainly consist of teaching, thinking about new film projects, and conducting company strategic management. This will allow me to better coordinate with the filming schedule of the later seasons of "The Book of Peace" and provide her and the children with more tangible support.

This is about mutual understanding, support, and necessary sacrifices within a family.

To be honest, these past two days away from the hustle and bustle, spending time playing with my two children, have been not only a compensation for me, but also a spiritual cleansing.

Looking at the unreserved dependence and joy reflected in their clear eyes, and watching them stagger towards me, calling out "Dad" in their indistinct voices, the sense of guilt I felt from my long absence collided violently with the overwhelming happiness I felt at that moment, leaving me with a complex mix of emotions.

I realized that children's growth is not a uniform physical process, but a series of explosive and irreversible "leaps".

Their understanding is built through games, their personalities are shaped through interactions, and their initial trust and sense of security in the world are quietly established in these daily moments of companionship.

In just a few days, I witnessed firsthand their rapid progress in imitation skills and their remarkable improvement in concentration, from fleeting moments to sustained focus. These subtle changes were as impactful and inspiring to me as completing a complex film shot.

Since 2001, I seem to have moved too fast and too quickly. I am fortunate to have achieved some success and made some gains, but now I am more and more convinced that choosing to devote more time to my family is not a pause or concession to my career, but a "investment" with far-reaching significance.

Invest in nurturing the healthy personality of the next generation, and invest in the family—the most fundamental and warmest emotional connection.

This "sacrifice" of short-term work efficiency yields rich rewards on a life and emotional level that cannot be measured by box office figures.

I believe that this immersive experience of companionship will not only nourish my integrity as a person, but will also, in some indescribable way, give back to my creations in the future, making my works more humane and richer in life.

In remembrance of the renowned master Bergman, who passed away last year. Although you did not allow a funeral, depriving us of the opportunity to pay our respects, I will forever remember the advice you gave me three years ago. (Chapter 272)
The above is an exchange and communication with all my friends who care about me and my family. Thank you for your support.

Furthermore, regarding the competition between the Beijing International Film Festival and the Golden Horse Awards, and the much-hyped role I played in both, I can only say this sincerely:
For various reasons, the Golden Horse Awards are no longer suitable as a fair platform for judging the artistic and commercial value of Chinese-language films.

Chinese-language cinema needs a new stage that is truly grounded in the essence of film and transcends regional limitations and sectarian biases.

Please look forward to next year's Beiping International Film Festival.

That's all I wanted to say. Thank you!
……

Mr. Lu spent 99% of the time talking about family and children, only mentioning the news of Old Ma's death at the end as if he was just bored.

Compared to the uproar surrounding the Golden Horse Awards, this calm and collected demeanor speaks volumes.

This Weibo post, which was intended to ease tensions, quickly became the top trending topic, with countless fans tagging "[Vitamin Qian]" in the comments, jokingly calling it a washing machine version of "A Letter to My Wife".

This is indeed the first time I've seen Boss Lu publicly express his love on Weibo.

The entire piece didn't contain any mushy words, but it expressed sincere gratitude and appreciation for his wife's contributions to the family, and looked forward to the children's future growth. How could that not be considered a declaration of love?

However, "what is said with good intentions may be taken even more seriously by the listener." Even though Mr. Lu only mentioned the Golden Horse Awards briefly in his statement, the other party, who was thoroughly enraged, finally couldn't hold back and overturned the table!

This is no longer a simple "Chiang Ching-kuo's three attacks," but a full-scale declaration of war that is almost a complete breakdown in relations!

On September 12th, just as Lu and Liu were en route to the Media Center in Beiping to attend the "Taiping Shu" event, Huang Jianye, chairman of the Golden Horse Awards, known for his outrageous actions, posted several highly inflammatory messages on his personal Twitter and Weibo accounts:
"We firmly oppose all stigmatizing accusations and discriminatory rumors! Director Lu Kuan must immediately issue a public apology for his irresponsible defamatory remarks! Otherwise, we will call on the island's film industry and relevant authorities to impose a comprehensive boycott and ban on all films and television works produced by the Wenjie Group—"

"Including the currently showing film 'Ball Lightning' and its TV series 'The Book of Peace', which are attempting to break box office records!"

This sparked a huge controversy, which was originally confined to the industry and was instantly elevated to an unprecedented level of confrontation, shaking the entire Chinese film industry!

The time travelers' "transformation" of the backward culture has entered deeper waters, encountering the first tough reef.

Those netizens who were still caught up in the excitement and hadn't quite caught up when they looked back at Boss Lu's "Letter to His Wife," which had already jumped to the top of the trending searches, and compared it to the other side's frantic and distressed expression, suddenly a line of poetry from middle school Chinese literature jumped out at them—

I will defy a thousand pointing fingers with a cold eye, yet I will bow my head and serve the people like an ox!
(End of this chapter)