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

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased slightly, Zhou Fangyuan finally asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Master Wang, there is something I don't understand. Our film crew came here to shoot, and the Taoist priests in the temple seemed... unwilling to interact with us."

But what did we do wrong?

The middle-aged Taoist priest remained silent for a moment, looking at Zhou Fangyuan with a complicated expression.

Finally, he sighed softly:

"Young friend, you truly do not know?"

Zhou Fangyuan shook his head: "Please enlighten me, Daoist Master."

"Your version of 'Journey to the West'...sigh..."

Master Wang slowly said, "The book doesn't portray the Jade Emperor and Laozi as very solemn."

Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, overturning the alchemy furnace and kicking over the Eight Trigrams Furnace... while the Buddha Tathagata in the book possessed boundless magical power and subdued the demon monkey.

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"Many people say that this book promotes Buddhism and suppresses Taoism. You came to this Taoist holy site to film such a story... The masters are naturally not pleased."

Zhou Fangyuan suddenly understood after hearing this.

So that's how it is! This is a huge misunderstanding!

"Master, you've misunderstood!"

He quickly explained, "Our filming of Journey to the West is absolutely not intended to belittle Taoism!"

Director Yang repeatedly emphasized the importance of respecting every culture!

Seeing the middle-aged Taoist priest's hesitant expression, he continued to explain: "Those plots in the book are necessary for the mythological story."

However, when we were filming, we had great respect for the Taoist deities and rituals.

"Look, we even carefully carried the equipment up the mountain, afraid of damaging it."

The middle-aged Taoist priest's eyes relaxed slightly.

Zhou Fangyuan struck while the iron was hot.

"To be honest, before I came here, a learned old gentleman specifically instructed me that when I arrived at Qingcheng Mountain, I should learn more about Taoist culture and experience the 'Tao follows nature' here."

Yesterday, on my way here, I saw the Taoist priest in the temple leaving grain by the roadside to feed the birds and squirrels. I was deeply moved. This is true spiritual practice.

Such wisdom deserves our utmost respect; how could we possibly belittle it?

Master Wang remained silent for a long time, then looked into Zhou Fangyuan's sincere eyes, and finally revealed a genuine smile:

"I see... I was narrow-minded."

He straightened his clothes and bowed respectfully to Zhou Fangyuan: "Young friend, you are very kind. I will inform my master about this matter."

Zhou Fangyuan left the kitchen with a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, and quickly went to the guest rooms on the second floor where the main cast and crew were staying.

Director Yang Jie was discussing today's shooting plan with several key members of the production team, but the atmosphere was somewhat somber due to issues with set design and extras.

Zhou Fangyuan knocked on the door and went in, recounting his conversation with Master Wang and his concerns that the misunderstanding stemmed from the "promotion of Buddhism and suppression of Taoism" in "Journey to the West."

There was a moment of silence in the room, then Li Hongchang suddenly slapped his thigh:

"Oh! So that's what it was about! We were so focused on it being a classic, a mythological drama, that we never thought of this connection!"

The screenwriter nodded in realization, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.

"Well... indeed, from the perspective of the Taoist priests, the Taoist immortals in our story are a bit... pathetic."

Although Director Yang Jie's brows were furrowed, his eyes brightened.

That's good; finding the crux of the problem is better than blindly guessing.

She looked at Zhou Fangyuan, her tone filled with approval and contemplation: "Little Zhou, you've done another great service."

Once this knot is untied, there will be room for things to turn around.

She paused for a moment, then said to everyone, "However, as Master Wang said, this is a knot in their masters' hearts, and also the accumulation of some views over a long period of time."

Even if misunderstandings begin to dissipate, the relationship cannot improve overnight.

We need to be patient, and more importantly, we need to demonstrate our respect through concrete actions.

Li Hongchang chimed in, "Director Yang is right."

Now that Fang Yuan has eased the tension between us and the Taoist priest, we must be more careful and show more sincerity in our every move.

Otherwise, all his efforts would have been in vain.

The other main creators nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with admiration and warmth as they looked at Zhou Fangyuan.

Although he knew that he still had a long way to go, at least Zhou Fangyuan had already carved a crack through that invisible wall to let in light.

After breakfast, the crew threw themselves into the intense preparations.

Director Yang personally led the camera crew to repeatedly inspect the planned main halls and outdoor locations to determine the best camera positions.

Wang Chongqiu and the lighting technician held up light meters and carefully studied the changes in light at different times of day, discussing how to supplement the lighting without disturbing the tranquil atmosphere of the Taoist temple.

In the afternoon, the props team began to refine the set design based on the determined camera positions and lighting requirements.

They carefully adjusted the angles of the tables and chairs, and added some necessary small props such as prayer cushions and incense burners.

Every movement was done with extreme care, for fear of bumping into or damaging the existing objects inside the temple.

When moving heavy objects, they would even use soft cloths as padding, and they would try to keep their voices down when talking.

The entire work scene was less of a noisy preparatory phase and more of a careful organization process.

Zhou Fangyuan was assigned to help set up the shrine area in a side hall.

He and another colleague tried twice to move a heavy antique-style incense table to a designated location, and both times it was quite difficult.

Just as he was pondering how to save effort, a figure in blue silently approached and supported the other corner of the incense table.

Zhou Fangyuan looked up and saw that it was the young Taoist priest who had led the way yesterday and then hurriedly left outside the dining hall.

The young Taoist priest didn't say much, but whispered, "Ladies, carry it from here; it will save you effort."

With the three of them working together, the incense table was placed smoothly in its position.

The young Taoist priest helped straighten a prayer mat, then looked around at the surroundings and, seemingly finding nothing amiss, nodded slightly to Zhou Fangyuan.

He seemed to have completed some task, and then quietly withdrew from the side hall.

This scene was witnessed by several crew members who were hanging curtains nearby.

They were unaware of what had happened that morning. They first stared in surprise, then exchanged incredulous glances.

The young Taoist priest who was avoiding them like the plague yesterday is now offering his help?

Although he remained taciturn, the change in his attitude was worlds apart.

Their gazes involuntarily focused on Zhou Fangyuan, who was wiping the incense table.

My heart was filled with curiosity and speculation: What method did this young man use to make this seemingly solid Taoist temple show such a slight sign of melting?

At this moment, there were several more Taoist priests quietly observing the film crew's work in the corridors and corners of the courtyard outside the hall than in the morning.

Their expressions were no longer simply one of rejection or scrutiny, but rather a mixture of curiosity and inquiry, and even a hint of barely perceptible softening.

They seemed to have noticed the crew's deliberate quiet movements and their deep respect for every plant and tree in the theater.

A subtle transformation is quietly taking place in the tranquil atmosphere of this thousand-year-old Taoist temple.