I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chen Hong's choice was within his expectations.

If he were to write historical films, he would undoubtedly be second to none in today's entertainment industry.

Moreover, Chen Kaige seems to also like historical works.

It's worth noting that Chen Kaige went on to direct many historical films.

For example, "The Legend of the Demon Cat" tells the story of the Tang Dynasty.

"Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin" tells the story of the Qin Dynasty.

"The Orphan of Zhao" tells the history of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

Chen Kaige has always been known for "building a city for every movie he makes." The palaces and ancient cities he builds are not only grand in scale and realistic in scene, which can better restore the historical background of the movie, but also have extremely high aesthetic value.

Furthermore, these bases provided venues for the filming of subsequent film and television works, and also created attractive cultural tourism scenic spots.

In 1994, Chen Kaige created an old Shanghai street for the film "Temptress Moon"; in 1997, he built the Qin Palace in Hengdian for the film "The Emperor and the Assassin"; in 2007, he built the set in Huairou, Beijing for the film "Forever Enthralled"; and in 2009, he built the Zhao Orphan City in Xiangshan for the film "Sacrifice".

This wasn't even the biggest investment. In 2012, the local government and businesses invested billions of yuan and spent six years building the Tangcheng Film and Television Base for Chen Kaige to film "The Legend of the Demon Cat".

Chen Kaige spent six years building this Tang Dynasty city. He said that after building Chang'an, he also had to plant trees and watch them grow before filming.

Tang City is connected to the Han River in the east, overlooks Lumen in the south, leans against Xian Mountain in the west, and connects to the ancient city in the north. It is divided into five major areas: city gate, palace, streets, residences, and temples. It features eight major Tang Dynasty buildings, including the Imperial Palace, Mingde Gate, Thousand-Step Corridor, East Market, West Market, and Qinglong Temple.

According to official promotional materials, Tangcheng was built to national 5A-level scenic area standards. A report in the *Xiangyang Evening News* stated that Tangcheng's investment was close to 20 billion yuan.

Later, relevant data showed that the actual cost was 16 billion yuan, and Tangcheng was renamed Tangcheng Film and Television Base, becoming a future tourist attraction.

Back in 1997, when filming "The Emperor and the Assassin", Chen Kaige spent four years building the Qin Palace in Hengdian.

The Qin Palace cost 2.3 million yuan to build, covers an area of ​​800 mu, and has a building area of ​​11 square meters.

There are 27 magnificent royal palaces.

Many later film and television works, such as "Emperor Wu of Han", "The Long Song of Zhenguan", "The Empress of China", "Hero", and "The Legend of Mi Yue", were filmed here.

In 2010, Chen Kaige built an "Orphan City" in Xiangshan Film and Television City for the movie "The Orphan of Zhao". It covers an area of ​​152 acres, with a building area of ​​43000 square meters and a total investment of 1.2 million yuan. After filming, this place became Xiangshan Spring and Autumn and Warring States Film and Television City.

With increasingly larger budgets and higher spending, what about the reputation and influence of the films Chen Kaige has made?

Even if we can't say that each film is worse than the last, these films are at least far inferior to "Farewell My Concubine" from 1993, which didn't spend much on set construction.

A director's creativity is not directly proportional to his ability to build locations. Trying to be too big and numerous in terms of shot size may limit creativity and imagination.

Directors like Chen Kaige are often capricious, indulging in their past talent and influence in the film industry. However, when they think about building a royal palace on a grand scale for a new film, it may be the time when their creativity declines or even dries up.

Giant film and television bases like Hengdian and Tangcheng are a microcosm of the rise and fall of China's film and television industry.

It's important to understand that good movies aren't always filmed in grand settings; big productions can sometimes just be a cover-up.

By the time the large-scale sets are built, the director's creativity may have run its course. Fortunately, these attractions weren't built in vain; at least they'll become tourist hotspots in the future.

Cheng Sheng was very curious: if he wrote a script for Chen Kaige about Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty, would Chen Kaige build a Forbidden City?
Of course, this was just something Cheng Sheng was thinking.

There is already a Forbidden City in Kyoto. Even if Chen Kaige wanted to build another one, no one would invest in it. After all, there is a ready-made Forbidden City, so why build another one?
“Sister Hong, I agree to help Director Chen Kaige write a historical script, but there’s one condition: he has to agree. If he doesn’t, I won’t write the script for him,” Cheng Sheng said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Hong quickly asked, "What are the conditions?"

“Not a single word of my script can be changed. It must be filmed exactly as I wrote it, otherwise I won’t write the script for him,” Cheng Sheng said earnestly.

In another world, many people have heard the rumor that Chen Kaige has not made any masterpieces since "Farewell My Concubine". However, Chen Kaige spent his whole life finally proving that "Farewell My Concubine" was made by his father.

Rumor has it that the filming of "Farewell My Concubine" was a classic work created by Chen Kaige's father to establish his authority over his son.

To ensure the quality of the film, Chen Kaige's father personally took charge of the direction. Although Chen Kaige was the nominal director, his father's guidance was the key to making this film a classic.

This claim is not unfounded; it can be seen from certain details.

Chen Kaige's father, Chen Huaikai, is also an excellent director, even more so than his son, Chen Kaige.

His opera films rarely receive a rating below 8.0, especially the classic film "Crossroads," which was rated as high as 9.0.

Such achievements are enough to prove Chen Huaikai's exceptional talent in directing.

Chen Kaige is also a director who reached his peak right from his debut.

His directorial debut, "Yellow Earth," earned him numerous awards, and his subsequent film, "Life on a String," is hailed as a classic.

Although all of his works are classics, they are still a bit far from being remembered in history.

Until the filming of "Farewell My Concubine," a film with heavyweight figures in production, screenwriting, and acting.

Besides the main character's brother, Gong Li, and Zhang Fengyi, the outstanding performances of supporting actors Jiang Wenli, Ying Da, and Ge You are a real highlight.

Behind-the-scenes footage from the set shows that everyone treated a white-haired old man with great respect; he was Chen Huaikai, Chen Kaige's father.

Although he was not the director of this film, he made significant contributions to its overall structure, script, and opera elements.

During filming, I would also discuss acting techniques with the actors on set.

Although he was only the film's art director, the film is considered a classic precisely because of its high level of artistry.

However, while the film was indeed directed by Chen Kaige, the credit does not belong to him alone.

During filming, Mr. Chen Huaikai was already suffering from late-stage lung cancer. Even if he wanted to be a director, he was powerless to do so.

It can only be said that Chen Kai stood on his father's shoulders and enjoyed all the glory alone. (End of this chapter)