Returning to the 82 Mountain Village: An Encounter with the Journey to the West Film Crew at the Beg

Zhou Fangyuan laid the paper flat on his knees and placed the pen tip on the paper.

"Brother Qiang, if you break down the problem we're facing, there are actually only two issues."

Zhang Qiang looked up at him.

"First, the rope will rub against tree branches, rocks, and other rough and uneven places, and if it rubs against them too much, the rope will be ruined."

Zhou Fangyuan drew a circle on the paper, and then drew an arc above the circle to represent the edge of a tree branch or rock.

"Secondly, the ropes were tied directly to the actors' bodies, supported only by their cotton-padded coats."

A cotton-padded coat can prevent the skin from being constricted, but it can't prevent the body weight from sagging and swinging outwards. With a fall or twist, the force is concentrated on the ribs and shoulders.

He drew a simple human outline on the paper, with a horizontal line at the waist.

Zhang Qiang stared at the paper without saying a word, but something began to move in his eyes.

Zhou Fangyuan continued drawing.

He drew a small circle below the circle representing the corner of the branch, with several lines connecting the two circles.

"Could we...not drape the rope directly over the tree branch, but instead use a pulley?"

"Pulleys?" Zhang Qiang's eyebrows twitched.

"Yes, a simple pulley system. Our crew should have one, right?"

The rope passes through a pulley groove, with the actor at one end and the person pulling the rope at the other.

Yes, yes!

Zhou Fangyuan nodded, circling the pen tip around the pulley.

"The pulley has two uses. First, it saves effort, so the person pulling the rope behind can pull less, and the actors can rise and fall more steadily."

Secondly, it protects the rope from directly rubbing against tree branches and rock edges.

If the pulley grooves are smooth, rope wear can be reduced by more than half.

Zhang Qiang leaned closer, looked at the simple pulley diagram on the paper, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly nodded:

"This method... isn't complicated. The wear and tear mainly occurs at the fixed points; the rope itself isn't that easy to break..."

He didn't finish speaking, but the thick layer of frustration in his tone had thinned a bit.

Zhou Fangyuan flipped the paper over and redraw a new human figure outline.

"Then there's what the actors are wearing."

He first blackened several areas on the chest, back, and armpits of the outline.

"For the inner layer, use thick canvas, and it's best to add another layer of old tire leather. Tire leather is tough; even a knife can't cut it. It's essential for preventing cuts and cuts."

Zhang Qiang stared intently at the blackened areas, his gaze becoming even more focused.

Zhou Fangyuan then drew two thick lines on both sides of the human figure's shoulders, diagonally from the shoulders to the back, where they converged at a point in the middle of the back.

"The middle layer is the load-bearing structure. It can't be made of soft, flimsy things like cotton-padded clothes; it has to be made of military backpack straps, woven into a shoulder strap style."

He explained as he drew, moving the pencil slowly so that Zhang Qiang could understand each line.

"One point of force on the left shoulder, one point of force on the right shoulder, and one point of convergence at the back of the body. These three points distribute the weight, unlike before when a single rope was tied around the waist."

Zhang Qiang's eyes followed those lines closely.

Having worked with props for so many years, he understands structure and stress. By the time Zhou Fangyuan reached this stage in his drawing, he could already tell the difference between this thing and the cotton coat from before.

"And the outer layer?" he asked.

"The outer layer is a fastener."

Zhou Fangyuan drew a small square at the meeting point: "It's metal, specifically for hanging rope hooks. All metal edges must be rounded and free of burrs, otherwise the rope will be cut."

He stopped writing and looked up at Zhang Qiang.

"Brother Qiang, the two most crucial points are: the pulleys and the protective vest must be integrated for greater stability. Also, the vest must have two attachment points."

Zhang Qiang was taken aback: "Double attachment points?"

"Yes." Zhou Fangyuan drew two small circles on each side of the suspender-style structure, roughly at the position of the shoulder blades.

"One on each side of the front chest, or one on each side of the back; there cannot be only one clasp."

He pointed to the single-point force diagram on the paper, and then to the newly drawn two-point structure.

"With a single-point suspension, the person will start spinning as soon as they leave the ground, making it difficult to control and causing them to swing off. The rope can also easily strangle their neck. With a double-point suspension, the person is balanced on both sides and can stay stable."

Zhang Qiang stared at the paper for a long time.

The prop room was filled with the dim light of a work lamp, which shone on two crumpled pieces of paper and on his rough fingers.

He reached out and gently pressed on the shoulder strap structure that Zhou Fangyuan had drawn, as if to test its sturdiness.

"...canvas lining, tire padding, backpack straps, metal buckles, double attachment points." He repeated Zhou Fangyuan's list of items one by one in a low voice.

Then he looked up, and something lit up in his eyes.

"Fang Yuan, this thing... seems like it could really make a difference!"

His voice suddenly became more energetic, no longer the hoarse and low tone from before.

"Inner layer for cut protection, middle layer for stress distribution, outer layer for hooking, dual-point balance..." He repeated it again, as if trying to etch these words into his mind.

"Great job, Fang Yuan! This is so much better than our old, plain cotton coat! No, not just a little better, it's a completely different thing!"

Zhou Fangyuan looked at him, not in a hurry to reply, waiting for his excitement to pass.

Zhang Qiang looked down at the sketch on the paper again, and gestured with his finger in the air, as if he had already assembled the structure in his mind.

Then he suddenly stopped, looked up, and his tone became somewhat somber again:

"What about the rope? The batch of rope we have right now..."

"Use the rope first," Zhou Fangyuan said.

"Tomorrow, check all the ropes in the warehouse. Keep those that look fine on the surface."

Any ropes that are worn, aged, or damp will be discarded. At the current filming pace, we can't find more suitable replacements, but we must at least ensure that the ropes used are of acceptable quality.

Zhou Fangyuan paused for a moment, then said, "We'll find a way to get stronger thinner ropes later and replace them all."

Zhang Qiang nodded, this time without sighing or blaming himself.

He stood up, carefully folded the crumpled piece of paper, and protected it well.

"Okay," he said, his voice now steady. "This time I'll check every single inch from beginning to end. Ropes are ropes, protective gear is protective gear, and I won't let any rotten stuff get in again."

He turned around, and instead of staring blankly at the pile of old ropes and the cotton coat that had been damaged under the work light, he began to tidy up.

Zhou Fangyuan stood up, said nothing more, gently closed the door, and walked out.

The mountain wind blew in at night, chilling me to the bone.

He walked slowly but steadily along the path back to his dormitory.

After walking a dozen steps, Zhou Fangyuan looked back.

The prop room window was still lit by a dim light, and Zhang Qiang's shadow flickered on the window paper as he bent down and straightened up, rummaging through the ropes.

This man in his thirties, who oversees thousands of props of all sizes for the entire film crew, has done all sorts of delicate work, and now he's got his hands dirty with a few bundles of hemp rope.

Zhou Fangyuan didn't go back to persuade him to rest. He knew that Zhang Qiang wouldn't be able to sleep until he had gone through all the ropes tonight.

He turned around and continued walking back. The mountain wind rushed into his collar, so he pulled his collar tighter.

The light behind me had actually been on all night.