Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 461 The Institute of Literature and Art Gradually Expands
This projector is a "Changjiang" brand 16mm projector manufactured by Jinling Film Machinery Factory. Compared with 35mm projectors, it is smaller, more convenient and flexible, making it excellent for home use. It is also the first choice for rural film projection teams, making it convenient to operate in rural areas.

This is the golden age of Jinling Film Machinery Factory. The workshops are producing projectors day and night, but they still cannot meet market demand. To get one, you need a special permit.

"From now on, when the films come out, we can bring them directly to your home for you to review. If there's any movie you want to watch, I'll have them find you some reels of film to take home," Wang Yang inquired.

Liu Yimin did not choose film; he had little interest in most films at the time.

"Yimin, as we agreed before, we'll pay a portion upfront, and once it becomes a real possibility that we can make money in the international market, the factory will give us an extra share."

"Okay, Director Wang, the factory will make preparations for the director and the cast first. I think Jet Li is a good choice for the lead role. We also need to choose good film production and shooting equipment, with the highest possible clarity and color," Liu Yimin said.

“I understand. The factory has been upgrading its equipment on a large scale in the past two years.”

Wang Yang and Liu Yimin exchanged ideas and decided to take the script to the Film Bureau for review, hoping that the bureau would provide some of the filming funds in advance. Wang Yang felt that if "Huo Yuanjia" was to be made well, it would be necessary to prepare more than 1.5 million yuan in funding.

"Director Wang, the most important thing is to use this as a starting point to train more screenwriters with similar scripts."

"I'll have someone take the script back to study in a bit, Yimin, you don't mind, do you?"

"I don't mind. The script will be published in 'Script Monthly,' so you'll be able to see it then."

The script was divided into three parts: one was given to the Beijing Film Studio, one was submitted to the "Script Monthly" magazine, and one was given to the old leader.

Liu Yimin asked Wang Yang to send someone to help deliver the equipment to the courtyard, while he himself went to the Ji'an Institute.

By the end of August, the summer office period in Beidaihe had ended for all departments, and everyone had already returned to Yanjing.

At the Ji'an Police Station, Liu Yimin, led by Secretary Li, walked into the courtyard. The old commander was practicing Tai Chi in the courtyard. Upon seeing Liu Yimin, he stopped and took a towel from another guard to wipe his sweat.

"Yimin, you've worked hard in Taierzhuang for over a month. When that reporter from the Central News Agency left, he praised you to our Xinhua News Agency comrades. He was very impressed with you and practically became a fan of your books."

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Sincerity begets sincerity. The fact that Xie Zhonghou told Jiang Da about this book shows that he is not a die-hard. In particular, he is a journalist who has been in Hong Kong for a long time and has access to much more information than the average person."

The old leader took the script of "Huo Yuanjia" from Liu Yimin, looked at it for a while, and asked, "Is the novel not finished yet? I prefer reading the article. Scripts always seem too thin to non-professionals."

But once it's made into a movie, it'll definitely draw massive audiences both domestically and internationally.

"The novel is being written. If you want to read it, you'll have to wait about ten days to half a month."

The old leader put down the script and unconsciously made a few martial arts gestures with his hands: "Martial arts is a killing technique. It's a pity I never got to see Huo Yuanjia's style back then."

"Your skills are quite good too," Liu Yimin said.

"Haha, when you were young, you could take on several people like me, but I'm not as good as Boss H and other bosses."

Liu Yimin practiced Tai Chi with the old leader for a while before leaving Ji'an Institute.

Inside the courtyard house, Liu Yimin learned from Zhu Lin that Xu Chi's wife, Chen Song, had passed away.

He passed away in mid-August. At that time, Liu Yimin was in Taierzhuang. Xu Chi told Zhu Lin not to disturb Liu Yimin's work on the film set.

After Chen Song's body was cremated, a small memorial service was held in Yanjing. Afterwards, Xu Chi and several of his children sent his ashes back to his hometown in the south for burial.

How is Comrade Xu's mental state?

“Very bad!” Zhu Lin said.

Chen Song was a good wife in the traditional sense and had always been Xu Chi's pillar of support. After her death, Xu Chi's spirits immediately collapsed.

Liu Yimin went into the study, preparing to write a letter to Xu Chi.

That evening, Zhu's parents also came to the yard. Zhu's mother was carrying a turtle in her hand, and Zhu Lin smiled at Liu Yimin.

Looking at the turtle now, Liu Yimin no longer found it repulsive; instead, he felt an unusual sense of familiarity with it, as if it were born to be his prey.

"Dad, eat." Liu Yu, supporting herself on her arms, walked shakily to Liu Yimin's side, holding a piece of pear syrup candy in her right hand.

Looking at the deep yellow pear syrup candy, Liu Yimin pulled Liu Yu onto his lap and said, "You eat it, Daddy doesn't."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu put the pear syrup candy to her lips and gently licked it with her tongue: "So sweet."

The pear syrup candy was a quarter of the normal size; Yang Xiuyun was worried that a whole piece would choke the two little ones.

Liu Yu's eyebrows curved like crescent moons, her face full of enjoyment. Her legs swung aimlessly as she gazed at Liu Yimin's chin, occasionally letting out a chime-like laugh.

Liu Yu's eyes are similar to Zhu Lin's, and now her face is a bit chubby, which adds to her cuteness.

Liu Lin held a straw in his hand, using it as a stick, and teased Fugui, the yellow dog under the tree. Liu Lin didn't have much fat on his face, and his eyes were always darting around; it seemed there was nothing in the world that he wasn't interested in.

Looking at her two grandchildren, Yang Xiuyun couldn't contain her satisfaction. When Liu Fuqing left Beijing, his eyes were red as he held the two children.

But when it comes to actually asking them to stay in Yanjing, they become unwilling, reluctant to leave their hometown.

Not long after Wang Yang submitted the script to the Film Bureau for review, the Film Bureau immediately organized a special team to discuss the filming of "Huo Yuanjia".

Liu Yimin was also called over, and Xia Yan sat down next to him.

Xia Yan patted the script in front of him and said, "My opinion is to fully support the filming of 'Huo Yuanjia'. The comrades from China Film Group are here too. You can discuss whether such a work is competitive internationally?"

"Mr. Shen, if we want the script for 'Huo Yuanjia' to go international, the focus must be on the fight scenes, and those aspects must be filmed brilliantly. We believe that if this script is exported, it can make money. The entire series revolves around Huo Yuanjia and his fights, making the narrative focused and easier for foreign audiences to understand," Ding Daming, general manager of China Film Group, quickly stated.

“I think so too. I’ve read a lot of foreign film magazines and found that foreigners are particularly fond of violent movies these days,” Xia Yan said.

Liu Yimin added, "Tough guys are loved by all countries. For example, the book 'The Redemption of Black Slaves' portrays a tough black man who saves himself."

The consensus that "Huo Yuanjia" should not only be filmed, but should be filmed well was reached before the meeting. It can be said that everyone reached a consensus on this point when they saw the script.

This meeting focused more on the allocation of pre-production and filming funds, as well as the profit distribution of China Film Group's overseas distribution.

The Film Bureau allocated one million RMB from the special fund, and the Beijing Film Studio contributed seven hundred thousand RMB, for a total budget of one million seven hundred thousand RMB.

However, Beijing Film Studio and China Film Group Corporation (CCG) did not reach a consensus on the profit distribution of CCG's overseas distribution, with each side disagreeing on a five-point difference. CCG wanted to increase the original distribution by five points, while Beijing Film Studio wanted to increase it by ten points.

One wants to add the lowest amount, the other wants the highest.

"Director Wang, the script is good, but who knows how it will turn out? You can't just give us a blank check based on the script!" Ding Daming, general manager of China Film Group, said, his neck red.

Wang Yang said angrily, "Our Beijing Film Studio produces only high-quality films."

"How about this, we can set up tiered profit-sharing agreements based on overseas performance. For example, if we earn five million US dollars overseas, we'll split the profit by five percent; eight million is one tier, and ten million is another."

All eyes were on Liu Yimin. Upon hearing Liu Yimin's suggestion, everyone except Wang Yang and Ding Daming thought it was feasible.

The two wanted to have a little banter, which was related to the profit-sharing issue of the movie in the future. However, with Xia Yan's intervention, the two reached an agreement on the specific figures.

The offers were $5 million, $9 million, and $13 million respectively, with a base of five percent and an additional percent for each tier. Regarding the director, Beijing Film Studio nominated Zhang Xinyan, the director of *Shaolin Temple*. Zhang Xinyan was the director of Great Wall Films in Hong Kong, a left-wing film company, pro-mainland, and competing with Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, many left-wing film companies in Hong Kong are now in decline.

"The Beijing Film Studio should send the script over for them to review. In addition, we in mainland China should also increase our efforts in training directors, and strive to enable film studios to take on scripts and produce their own films." Xia Yan slapped the table.

After leaving the Film Bureau, Wang Yang prepared to contact director Zhang Xinyan: "Yimin, I believe that Director Zhang will definitely be willing after reading the script."

Liu Yimin whispered a few more words to Wang Yang, and the two parted ways at the entrance of the Film Bureau.

When Liu Yimin returned to Yenching University to teach, the freshman ceremony had already passed. Countless freshmen who attended the ceremony expressed their regret by posting big-character posters in the triangular area because they didn't see Liu Yimin.

The Chinese Department was bustling this year, with the highest admission scores in the country. Not only that, but more than a dozen students also transferred to Yenching University through the assessment.

After finishing his lectures, Liu Yimin returned to the Institute of Literature. Now that the institute has more staff, Liu Yimin felt that the training period for domestic university teachers was too short, so he decided to extend it by one year.

Li Liangrong successfully extended his study time by six months. Meanwhile, sitting in the room were Liang Yong'an, a young teacher recommended by Fudan University; Dai Jianye, recommended by Central China Normal University; Yi Zhongtian, recommended by Wuhan University; Hai Zi, whom Liu Yimin specially obtained from the University of Political Science and Law; and three other young teachers from Zhengzhou University and Hebei University.

Among the lecturers recommended by Zhengzhou University, there was only one female lecturer named Gao Daiqing. Like Dai Jianye and the others, she was engaged in traditional literature.

Liu Yimin looked around and said with a smile, "This is the first time I've seen so many people in this office."

Hearing Liu Yimin's words, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief and clapped and shouted "Director!"

"Let's get acquainted. Don't be nervous, everyone. This place is just like your school. Our Institute of Literature and Art provides all the food and accommodation, and even gives subsidies. Your school will continue to pay your salaries as usual, so you don't need to worry about making a living. But you need to train hard here."

Starting this year, the training for young teachers at the Institute of Literature and Art has become more standardized. Senior professors from the Institute, such as Wu Zuxiang, have begun to give targeted lectures to them, both lecturing and guiding them in research.

Most importantly, there is also an evaluation form. The recommended lecturers all have to take an evaluation form back with Liu Yimin's evaluation of them.

Liu Yimin asked Yan Zhen to find a private meeting room and held a meeting for them.

"You all know each other, right?" Liu Yimin asked, looking at the group.

Dai Jianye grinned and said, "We've met. We introduced ourselves on the first day."

"What's your name?"

"Chief, my name is Dai Jianye!"

“Please state your names. You don’t need to mention your research interests or courses you teach; that’s all in your materials,” Liu Yimin said.

Everyone took turns announcing their names, and Liu Yimin carefully observed this group of young teachers.

After Yi Zhongtian finished his introduction, Liu Yimin said to him, "You seem like a bit of a troublemaker."

Yi Zhongtian had barely touched the bottom of the stool when he immediately stood up: "Director Liu, you can't judge a book by its cover. I will definitely study hard here and do cultural research seriously. When I return to Central China, I will also become a good teacher like you."

Seeing Yi Zhongtian blush, the others laughed again.

Liu Yimin waved to him, gesturing for him to sit down: "Comrades, I'm usually quite busy with work, so please ask me all your questions today."

“Director Liu, our institute has only been established for a short time. We are actually quite curious as to why there is such a teacher training program?” Dai Jianye raised his hand and asked.

"Well said. Our goal is to cultivate a large number of outstanding young teachers in the field of literature, as a reserve force for the domestic literary education field. Everyone knows the importance of education; it is related to the development of our next generation."

Most of you study traditional literature, and the Institute of Chinese Literature is a research institution dedicated to studying how to protect traditional culture and how to develop Chinese culture. In short, it aims to cultivate Chinese scholars who love Chinese culture.

I will guide you in conducting research, producing results, and preserving our culture. Then you can return to your respective universities, conduct research, produce results, and preserve our culture again.

Liu Yimin earnestly explained the importance of traditional Chinese culture to them, making them realize the heavy responsibilities they bore. He also mentioned his experiences overseas, including the corruption of money and the manipulation of CIA funds.

"Director Liu, in the past two years I've also discovered that there are many good things about foreign countries that we should learn from," Yi Zhongtian said after a moment's hesitation.

"There are things we can learn from them, but we shouldn't belittle ourselves when we learn from them. Since the Republic of my country era, progressive scholars in our country have been comparing themselves with the West and learning from the West. But I think they have also gone astray in this comparison."

When intellectuals make comparisons, they always tend to compare China with the entire West. They compare China to the so-called gentlemen of the British, to the romantics of the French, to the meticulousness of the Germans, and to the industry of the Americans, making us seem like we're riddled with flaws, like an old man suffering from a chronic illness.

Liu Yimin's words made everyone present start to think, and in the end, it really did seem to be just a matter of a short while.

Many of these people have studied newspapers and magazines from the New Culture Movement period, and they use this kind of comparative method.

In the 21st century, various forms of literary and public intellectual writing emerged. While these contributed to social development to some extent, they also fostered a sense of inferiority.

"Teacher Liu's words really enlightened us." Dai Jianye let out a long breath, and the joking expression on his face disappeared.

Hai Zi wondered why he had been called in, since he was a philosophy professor, not a Chinese literature student.

“Our Institute of Literature isn’t just the Chinese Literature Department; we study the entire social sciences. Besides, your poetry is quite famous!”

Compared to the others, Hai Zi was dressed rather sloppily, with long hair and a stubble beard, clearly a man of extraordinary spirit.

Last year, Hai Zi published "The Sun of Arles" and "Asian Copper," two poems that made him famous in the literary world.

"Comrades, as teachers, we have many more things to do. Are there any other questions?" Liu Yimin asked.

The others shook their heads. Liu Yimin stood up and said, "That's settled then. Yan Zhen and Li Liangrong, you two help them adapt to Yenching University. If they have any questions, just come to me. Also, find your own advisors. I'll try to find some time each month to teach you all."

After the meeting, Yan Zhen caught up with him: "Director, Director, should we ask the department for a bigger office? Also, how much subsidy should we get? We didn't get a living allowance in previous years!"

When Wang Liqun was there, he was paid by Hebei University. These teachers had families to support, and their expenses in Yenching were high, so the institute decided to give each of them a monthly allowance.

"Let's issue it as a graduate student stipend, since they're doing research at the institute," Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, the department has found us a finance person. Would you like to meet him?"

"No need, just cooperate."

Liu Yimin walked into the office and chatted with Wu Zuxiang and others about training teachers for the Institute of Literature. The group was very enthusiastic and felt that there were several promising talents among them.

"I used to think that students from Yenching University were the cream of the crop, but I underestimated our brother departments in China. That Dai Jianye always greets me with a smile. I feel like we have a special connection," Wu Zuxiang said with a chuckle.

"Professors, you may make your own choice."

Wang Yao squinted at Wu Zuxiang: "But I want to snatch it!"

Liu Yimin chuckled and left the office, saying, "Go ahead and take it." He then went to Yan Jiayan and got a large office from him, just enough to accommodate several teachers who came for training.

“Offices in the department are also in short supply, Yimin. This office isn’t very big, please understand.” Yan Jiayan placed the water glass in Liu Yimin’s hand.

"Professor Yan, thank you so much."

The Institute of Literature is affiliated with the Department of Chinese Literature, but it is actually quite independent of the department. If someone were to ask Yan Jiayan for an office, he might not necessarily agree.

(End of this chapter)