1979 Golden Age

Before Wu Shaozu contacted him, Leader Zhu was transferred.

The new leader’s surname is Wang.

He has no local experience and has been working on theory at the research institute since graduating from university. He has also served as deputy editor-in-chief of Red Flag magazine.

Speaking of which, since Chen Qi traveled through time, he has come into contact with and frequently interacted with quite a few senior cadres. Now they have all changed positions, and even Ding Qiao is going to be the leader of that group.

Leaders come and go, but Xiao Chen remains forever!

“Boom boom boom!”

"Come in!"

That day, Chen Qi was summoned to the Ministry of Truth, knocked on the office door, and met Leader Wang.

He is in his 50s, with thick eyebrows, wearing a grey cotton jacket that has been washed till it looks bleached. He looks serious, reminding people of a dean of studies or an old scholar from ancient times.

"Comrade Chen Qi!"

Leader Wang didn't even call Xiao Chen by name. He addressed him formally, motioned him to sit down, and got straight to the point: "I want to talk to you today. I've read a lot of information about you and Dongfang Company. You have a special mission and you've done a good job. Keep up the good work in the future!"

“Thank you for your encouragement, we will definitely do a good job!”

Chen Qi was a little stuck; he had not expected the new leader to be so straightforward.

"You should know that we will set up a leading group for major revolutionary historical themes, and from this year on, we will highlight mainstream films and control ideology. What do you think?"

Since the other party was direct, he couldn't beat around the bush. Chen Qi thought for a moment and said, "The problems in our film system are obvious. Without a desperate reform, the root of the problem cannot be eliminated. In my opinion, first of all, who will pay for the funding of mainstream films?

The film studios are poorer than each other and can only rely on support and subsidies from the state.

Secondly, will anyone watch it after it’s filmed?

The film environment is obvious to all, and the audience likes to watch entertainment films—

"Do you have any good ideas?" Leader Wang suddenly asked.

"It's not a good idea, it's just a temporary solution, for example, encouraging government agencies and enterprises to rent out theaters, the box office will be very good."

Leader Wang pondered for a moment and said, "If you film "The Founding Ceremony of the Nation", will you also use this method?"

“This is the only method available at this stage.”

"Shanghai's film companies are interested in bringing Hong Kong films to Shanghai. What do you think?"

"I think we can give it a try. This will help us to gain a firm grip on the Hong Kong arts community and provide another testing point for mainland reforms."

Leader Wang was like an examiner, asking questions one by one, and Chen Qi had to be serious and answer them in a serious manner. However, he did not express his opinion on these questions, as if he was only listening to Chen Qi's opinions.

After asking a few more questions, Wang raised his eyebrows slightly, making his face look more serious, and said, "You have been stationed in Hong Kong for many years and often go to the United States. You are more familiar with the West. Do you think our movies should learn from Western movies?"

Wow!

Chen Qi's heart skipped a beat. This might be the core element of today.

1987, it was the late 1980s.

Leader Zhu never asked Chen Qi any ideological questions and was very lenient with him.

Of course he is not afraid of anything, and he speaks the truth: "The American film industry is indeed a step ahead of us. I started the exchange program to the United States just to learn their technology and model. But I strongly emphasize to the students that it is ok to learn anything, but you must not come back with a head full of Western ideas!"

"Oh? Why is that?"

Leader Wang blinked his eyes and for the first time showed a more humane expression.

"Last year, a photographer of mine took a fancy to a novel called Red Sorghum and wanted to make it into a movie. I didn't think it was good because it contained too many feudal and ugly things. Now is the time for China to connect with the world and for the world to get to know China.

What we show to Westerners is extremely important.

I always thought we were great!"

"Great? How do you define it?" Leader Wang asked.

"I'm just talking nonsense, please criticize me if I'm wrong!"

Chen Qi did not know the specific data and did not list them one by one, but what he said were all public facts:

"Take the first 30 years since the founding of New China as an example. We eradicated illiteracy, suppressed bandits, banned drugs, reformed prostitutes, carried out land revolution, popularized rural medical care, eliminated various parasites, liberated serfs, built water conservancy projects, and established an industrial system!

We developed the atomic bomb! The hydrogen bomb! We launched a satellite into space! We fought against foreign aggression and fought the Korean War to establish our nation! We also won all the border wars! We got a seat on the UN Security Council!

If it were the United States or any other country, they wouldn’t be able to do it even if they were given a hundred years! So why aren’t we great? "

A moment!

Leader Wang's serious and deep eyes suddenly lit up.

He has done theoretical research for decades, and has watched the country progress step by step, which has given him the deepest feelings. Some people always regard the first thirty years as static, as if China did nothing and was just poor, and then opened up the country and things got better all of a sudden.

How is that possible?

What he never expected was that these words came from the mouth of a 26-year-old young comrade who was generally considered to be "very Westernized."

"Okay, let's stop here today. You go back first."

Leader Wang did not express any opinion. After Chen Qi left, he sighed, "It's rare! It's so rare. The young are really formidable!"

Chen Qi passed the new leader's ideological assessment.

He was more concerned about the issue of Hong Kong films entering Shanghai, and felt that it was almost certain.

Because this year there will be a trial reform: Didn't China Film Group settle accounts by copy in the past? This year it was cancelled, and the production studios can discuss with China Film Group on how to distribute the films, including agency distribution, one-time buyout, and proportional profit sharing.

The studios have always wanted distribution rights, and now they are making a lot of cult classics and entertainment films just to make more money.

As a result, in just two years, in 1989, the settlement was restored to per copy, but the unit price increased from 9,000 yuan to 10,500 yuan. The reform was declared a failure!

It's bound to fail. The system is so chaotic that if the studios plunge into it, they will just be served as dishes for local film companies.

In 1988, a screenwriter of the General Political Department Drama Troupe wanted to make a play for the 40th anniversary celebration, which was "The Founding Ceremony of the Nation". He was friends with Zhang Xiaotian and Zhang Tianmin, screenwriters of Changchun Film Studio. When they talked about this, they said, "Such a good theme is too small for a play, it should be made into a movie."

At first, Changying and Xiying worked on it together.

As a result, several people took the script to the Xi'an Film Studio. The director Wu Tianming was on a business trip, and a deputy director received them and said, "Is there anyone who reads this kind of thing now?"

As for the distribution reform mentioned above, everyone was rushing to make entertainment films, and no one wanted to shoot mainstream films. Finally, Changchun Film Studio decided to produce it independently, and that’s how “The Founding of the Nation” came about.

In early February, the capital city was still cold.

A van picked up people at the train station, drove into the Beijing Film Studio in a low-key manner, and stopped in front of the bungalow of the Oriental Company.

The car door opened and four people got out.

The team was led by a deputy director of Changchun Film Studio, and the other three were director Li Gankuan, screenwriter Zhang Xiaotian and Zhang Tianmin (.—.)