Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 171 First Visit to Golden Horse
The Chinese-language film industry has the Golden Rooster Awards, the Golden Horse Awards, and the Hong Kong Film Awards, which are collectively known as the three highest awards for Chinese-language films. However, if we were to rank them, the Golden Horse Awards would undoubtedly be the top choice today.

In the early days, neither the mainland nor Hong Kong had established similar audio-visual product competitions and awards. The Golden Horse Awards, established in 1962, became the most watched film event in the Chinese-speaking world, and its influence has grown even more since it opened up to the mainland a few years ago.

When Wu Yuchen arrived this time, the Golden Horse Awards organizers specially sent someone to pick him up at the airport, after all, he's an internationally renowned director!
While in the car, Wu Yuchen listened to the driver and the person picking him up enthusiastically introducing Taiwan, while he looked at the scenery along the way.

"Director Wu, this subway line just opened in Taiwan two years ago, isn't it beautiful!"

"Oh, not bad." Wu Yuchen looked at the driver with a bit of a puzzlement. What's so special about a subway line?
"Director Wu, this is Taiwan's first subway line," the driver said, not without a hint of pride.

"The first subway?!"

These words really surprised Wu Yuchen. Taiwan has always been known as one of the Four Asian Tigers and is listed as an economically developed region, but it only opened its first subway line two years ago.
"Yeah, let me tell you, the Liberal Democratic Party is incredibly slow at doing things. It took them eight years to finish a subway line. Japan is much more impressive. I took my family to Japan for vacation the year before last, and it was incredibly bustling!"

The driver was speaking when he suddenly asked Wu Yuchen, "I wonder if in mainland China you can still only take the bus now?"

It's clear that the driver wasn't entirely showing off when he said that, since most Taiwanese people nowadays perceive mainland China as poor and backward.

“Our Beijing city has had a subway for 30 years,” Wu Yuchen said casually.

“30 years ago?!” The driver turned his head and looked at Wu Yuchen in disbelief.

Wu Yuchen quickly pointed ahead, signaling him to drive carefully.

Wu Yuchen's words dampened the driver's enthusiasm for conversation, and he drove in silence for the rest of the journey.

In the hotel room, as soon as Li Xiaoran saw Wu Yuchen, she threw herself into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and gave him a deep kiss. Then, she asked with a smile, "Did you miss me?"

"Think about it, think about it every day! Think about it every night!" Wu Yuchen said, hugging her buttocks like a giant doll.

Li Xiaoran had already visited Taiwan beforehand because "The Legendary Twins" was released there recently. As for Fu Dalong, he was filming on another set and wasn't nominated, so he didn't come.

Wu Yuchen asked with a smile, "You've been here for so long, why don't you take me sightseeing? This is my first time in Taiwan."

"Okay! But don't get your hopes up too high. I used to think Taiwan was so prosperous, but most of the houses are short and dilapidated, not much better than here. But the snacks here are quite unique, I'll take you to eat something delicious!" Li Xiaoran said with a smile and a wink.

Wu Yuchen also noticed on his way here that the infrastructure level in Taiwan is indeed not good, and it is not worthy of the standards of the Four Asian Tigers. No wonder people on Hong Kong Island look down on Taiwanese people and regard them as country bumpkins.

Currently, among the three regions of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Hong Kong Island is definitely the most prosperous. Taiwan is slightly ahead of the mainland. However, let alone 10 years, in 5 years, the infrastructure level of many provincial capitals on the mainland will catch up with Taiwan. If you travel to Taiwan in 20 years, it will feel like you have visited a third-tier city.

Wu Yuchen spent two days eating, drinking, and having fun with Li Xiaoran. He found that while the infrastructure here was poor, other aspects, such as education and medical resources, were quite good. Prices were not expensive relative to wages, the overall happiness index was quite high, and the overall pace of life was not fast.

Of course, Wu Yuchen has also been paying close attention to information about the upcoming 35th Golden Horse Awards in the past two days. This year's Golden Horse Awards has five films that have received the most nominations and the most attention.

On the red carpet, Hou Hsiao-hsien led the way, followed by Leung Chiu-wai and Liu Chia-ling, along with the stunningly beautiful Li Chia-hsin, eliciting cheers from both sides of the red carpet. "Flowers of Shanghai," directed by a renowned Taiwanese director and boasting a stellar cast, naturally garnered significant attention.

Then, Liu Ruoying, nicknamed "Milk Tea Sister," walked down the red carpet among the cast of "The Personals," flashing a sweet, childlike smile as she greeted the audience on both sides. This Taiwanese film was nominated for several awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress, and was considered a frontrunner.

Next up was the Hong Kong film "City of Glass," starring the husband-and-wife team of Mabel Cheung and Alex Law. In particular, the male lead, Leon Lai, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, caused a lot of girls to scream as soon as he walked the red carpet.

Li Xiaoran couldn't help but say to Wu Yuchen, "Li Ming is so handsome!"

Wu Yuchen looked at Leon Lai, who was dressed in a white suit, looking like a refined young nobleman, his gentle smile truly captivating. There's really no one more handsome than Leon Lai!
Among the Four Heavenly Kings, in terms of appearance alone, the other three are indeed inferior to Leon Lai. Andy Lau and Aaron Kwok are both relatively short, while Leon Lai has the best height and looks.

Wu Yuchen then looked at Shu Qi, who was arm in arm with Leon Lai. Although she was trying her best to smile and greet the audience, no one on either side of the red carpet paid any attention to her.

These movie fans, and even Leon Lai's fans, never even considered the possibility of Leon Lai dating Shu Qi, because they thought they were completely mismatched! How could someone who started out in Category III films possibly be worthy of our beloved Leon Lai!

They only thought that Leon Lai was holding Shu Qi's arm because of their relationship as the male and female leads in the movie "City of Glass".

Following "City of Glass," the cast of "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" walked the red carpet, led by Joan Chen. Chen, who won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress in 94 for "Red Rose White Rose," was already quite well-known. However, this time she walked the red carpet as the director, while the real leading lady was Li Xiaolu beside her, who appeared somewhat timid.

She hadn't expected to win an award before she came. After receiving a call from Chen Chong, she bought two outfits from a carpet store on Xiushui Street in Beijing and came wearing a baseball cap, just wanting to broaden her horizons. However, Chen Chong couldn't stand it and bought her another dress.

Most people are probably familiar with the film *Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl*, a work of Yan Geling's "scar literature," which tells the story of a female educated youth who repeatedly uses her body to gain a chance to return to the city, ultimately committing suicide. These days, major film festivals love this kind of story, so despite being a new director and actors, the film garnered considerable attention and numerous nominations.

Looking at the "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" crew walking on the red carpet, whose reaction from movie fans wasn't particularly enthusiastic, Wu Yuchen thought to himself that in his previous life, this movie was the big winner of this year's awards, winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress, practically sweeping all the major awards.

However, with Wu Yuchen involved this time, the outcome might be quite different. When Wu Yuchen walked down the red carpet arm in arm with Li Xiaoran, enthusiastic cheers immediately erupted from both sides.

At this moment, Ren Xianqi, the red carpet host for the Golden Horse Awards, said into the microphone:

"Wow, the person walking on the red carpet now is amazing! He is Wu Yuchen, a renowned international director from China!"

Ren Xianqi worked as a host in his early years. He was the host of the red carpet at the Golden Horse Awards in 96, and he was invited back this year.

The female host next to him also chimed in, "Our director Wu Yuchen's films are all very popular, winning major international awards and being widely acclaimed in Europe and America! His films 'Frequency' and 'Phone Booth' both grossed over $100 million in the United States, which is truly remarkable!"

Last year, "Run Lola Run" helped Wu Yuchen win the Best Director and Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. It caused quite a stir in the world film industry as soon as it was released. Young people love the movie, and many film enthusiasts have watched it many times to learn from and observe the film's shooting techniques.

After Wu Yuchen established a great reputation in the United States, and with "If Love Has a Destiny" still showing in Taiwanese cinemas, movie fans naturally gave Wu Yuchen the warmest welcome!
Wow, Director Wu is so handsome in person, even better than in photos!

"He's so talented and handsome, I'm going to be a die-hard fan of Wu Yuchen from now on!"

"Wu Yuchen, I love you!"

"Lola! Li Xiaoran!"

"Director Wu, Xiao Ran, look this way!"

Reporters on both sides of the red carpet kept snapping photos of the two walking on it.

Wu Yuchen has even attended the Oscars, and Li Xiaoran has also attended the Berlin Film Festival, so handling this was naturally a piece of cake for them. They walked at a moderate pace, politely waving to both sides of the red carpet, and Li Xiaoran would also pause from time to time to cooperate with the media in taking some photos.

As the two approached, Richie Jen and his female co-star went to greet them: "Director Wu, Xiao Ran, welcome to the Golden Horse Awards! This is your first time attending our Golden Horse Awards, how do you feel?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Taipei is a very beautiful city, the citizens are very welcoming, and the Golden Horse Awards are very open."

Li Xiaoran smiled sweetly and added, "The scenery here is beautiful, and the snacks are delicious too!"

The female host asked, "Director Wu, I saw in the media that you were working with the big star Bruce Willis in the United States. Could you tell us about your new movie?"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and said, "This is a heartwarming film about communication between people."

The female host immediately asked, "You've worked with so many big stars like Sylvester Stallone, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Bruce Willis. What are your different feelings about that?"

Clearly, she knew what the viewers in front of the television wanted to see.

Wu Yuchen said casually, "There's no difference. They are all good actors, just like the actors I've worked with before."

Ren Xianqi could tell that Wu Yuchen didn't want to say more, so he smiled and said, "Thank you, Director Wu and Xiaoran!"

After entering the venue, people kept greeting or nodding to Wu Yuchen. Many people wanted to get to know this rapidly rising director who could make both art films and commercial films.

The red carpet host was Ren Xianqi, and the host of the awards ceremony inside was also a familiar face—the current king of variety shows, Wu Zongxian.

"Welcome everyone to the 35th Golden Horse Awards. Today, this place is filled with stars..."

Wu Yuchen smiled as he looked at Wu Zongxian on stage, who was occasionally cracking jokes and making a scene. He certainly had some talent, managing to create a relaxed atmosphere. However, he was more interested in whether his assistant, Jay Chou, had come backstage with him. The Golden Horse Awards are actually modeled after the Oscars, so naturally the award ceremony is similar, starting with a slightly more prestigious award like Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress to grab everyone's attention.

"Best Supporting Actress... Shu Qi from 'Portland Street Girls'!"

The moment the award was announced, Shu Qi was overjoyed and covered her mouth. By the time she went on stage to accept the award, she was crying uncontrollably. She started out in Category III films, but in the past two years, she has won the Hong Kong Film Award and the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress, which has truly brought her into the mainstream and earned her recognition from mainstream awards. Her status has changed, and she couldn't help but be excited.

Seeing her crying uncontrollably, Liang Jiahui, who presented her with the award, thoughtfully handed her a handkerchief. Shu Qi kept the handkerchief for seven years, and when she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress in 2005, she took it out to thank Liang Jiahui.

Wu Yuchen looked at Shu Qi with admiration. Her experience was indeed very inspiring. However, it would be a mistake to think that she could put the clothes she took off back on the basis of this award. The parents of the several boyfriends she dated in succession, including Leon Lai, Wang Leehom, and Chang Chen, all strongly opposed the relationship, and in the end, nothing came of it.

Although many people think she's somewhat unattractive, the fact that she's managed to win over several male gods shows that Shu Qi is quite charming. Moreover, there's a widely circulated saying in Hong Kong: "Shu Qi's mouth, Wan Qiwen's legs."

The technical awards, such as Best Music and Best Art Direction, were also won by several popular films.

"Best Editing...Run Lola Run, Wu Yuchen!"

Immediately, the entire audience burst into enthusiastic applause, and Wu Yuchen stepped onto the stage with a smile on his face.

One of the most celebrated highlights of the movie "Run Lola Run" is its imaginative editing, and this best editing award is undoubtedly well-deserved.

"Congratulations, Director Wu!" The award presenter handed the award to Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen smiled and thanked him, then said, "I came to the Golden Horse Awards today with specially prepared lines!"

Everyone in the audience focused their attention on Wu Yuchen, wanting to see what kind of thank-you speech he had prepared.

"But I won't say it now. I'll wait until I receive the later awards before I do!"

Everyone was taken aback by Wu Yuchen's unexpected turn of events, and then they all burst into laughter.

"It seems Director Wu is very confident in himself. Let's give Director Wu another round of applause!" After Wu Zongxian finished speaking, everyone below smiled and applauded.

After Wu Yuchen stepped off the stage, Li Xiaoran asked curiously, "What speech did you prepare?"

Wu Yuchen kept his eyes straight ahead and said with a soft laugh, "I wasn't prepared at all!"

Best Cinematography goes to *City of Glass*, Best Supporting Actor to Eric Tsang for *Happier, More Degenerate*, and Best Adapted Screenplay to *Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl*…

Finally, it was time for Best Actress, and Li Xiaoran, who was next to Wu Yuchen, immediately became nervous.

The Golden Horse Awards only had four nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress. Besides Li Xiaoran, the other three were Li Xiaolu from "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl", Liu Ruoying (Milk Tea Sister) from "The Personals", and Sandra Ng from "Portland Street Blues".

Of the four nominees, apart from Sandra Ng, the other three are not very experienced in the film industry. Li Xiaoran and Li Xiaolu can even be considered newcomers. Therefore, Sandra Ng is considered the most likely to win the award.

Under Sandra Ng's expectant gaze, the award presenter on stage took out the slip of paper from the envelope:

"The Best Actress at this year's Golden Horse Awards is..."

Suddenly, the veteran actor on stage pulled his glasses out of his pocket and said, "Excuse me, wait a minute, my presbyopia is making it hard to see!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and the camera focused on several candidates. Liu Ruoying took several deep breaths, while Wu Junru, unlike her usual comedic self, kept her eyes glued to the stage. Wu Yuchen also sensed Li Xiaoran's nervousness and gently squeezed her hand under his seat.

After the veteran actor put on his reading glasses, he held up the note again and said loudly:

"Best Actress...Run Lola Run, Li Xiaoran!"

"Ahhhhhh!" Li Xiaoran screamed excitedly, then hugged Wu Yuchen tightly.

Wu Yuchen was happy for her too, after all, this is the Golden Horse Awards, which is currently the most influential Chinese-language film. Winning the Golden Horse Best Actress award is something she can brag about for a lifetime!
The camera then focused on the other three women who had not won. Sandra Ng forced a smile and applauded. Rene Liu made no attempt to hide her disappointment. Li Xiaolu, on the other hand, didn't react much and even smiled and applauded Li Xiaoran, since she had little hope of winning and was completely unaware of what she had missed.

Wu Yuchen patted Li Xiaoran on the back and said, "Sister Ranran, that's enough. Stop hugging me. We're live streaming right now~"

Li Xiaoran also realized what was happening, quickly let go of Wu Yuchen, then hugged the other person, and walked onto the podium with a bright smile.

"Thank you to the Golden Horse Awards for recognizing me, and thank you to director Wu Yuchen for teaching me so much in every aspect..."

Wu Yuchen sat below, listening to her talk about "various aspects," unsure if she was implying something, but looking at Li Xiaoran's radiant smile on stage, he figured he was probably overthinking it.

It's not surprising that "Run Lola Run" won Best Actress this time. The film itself is a female-centric movie and a feminist film, becoming one of the representative films of independent women. In addition, Li Xiaoran's outstanding performance naturally garnered a lot of votes.

"Best Actor...Lossan Chonpei for 'Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl'!"

Upon hearing the result, Leon Lai, Wong Cho-sang, and Leung Chiu-wai, three Hong Kong actors, were all disappointed. Among them, Leon Lai was the one who most wanted to win the award, wanting to prove that he was not only an idol but also a powerful actor. However, he couldn't show his disappointment even though he didn't win the award, as he had to maintain his public image.

After that came the Best Director segment, with the television screen simultaneously showing four nominees: Hou Hsiao-hsien for "Flowers of Shanghai," Joan Chen for "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl," Mabel Cheung for "City of Glass," and Wu Yu-chen with a faint smile.

It wasn't that Wu Yuchen wasn't nervous; given the atmosphere, he definitely wanted to win an award—the Golden Horse Awards still hold considerable prestige. However, he appeared more relaxed because he's experienced many big events.

The award presenter was an old acquaintance of Wu Yuchen, Li An, who had recently approached him to solicit investment.

"It is an honor to present the Best Director award as a presenter. Among the nominees are my seniors and my friends, who have inspired and helped me in filmmaking. They are all excellent directors, and it was really difficult to choose."

However, Li An still pulled out the slip of paper from the envelope: "Best Director..."

As Ang Lee spoke, he looked up and smiled.
"Run Lola Run, Wu Yuchen!"

"Wu Yuchen challenged tradition in 'Run Lola Run' in terms of narrative, composition, casting, and editing, making pioneering contributions to Chinese-language cinema and even world cinema!" The official award narration rang out in the hall.

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted throughout the venue. Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief. Having previously won the Best Director award at the Berlin International Film Festival, he was much more composed this time at the Golden Horse Awards. He hugged Li Xiaoran, shook hands with those who came to congratulate him, and then walked onto the stage to accept the award.

After he took the stage, Li An smiled and congratulated him, then said:
"Director Wu, the people before me who received their awards were either so excited they cried or they looked very nervous. I was also incredibly nervous when I first got to the podium. You, on the other hand, seem so composed. Do you have any good tips to share with everyone?"

Wu Yuchen hadn't expected that before he could even give his acceptance speech, Li An would throw this question at him. However, his mind raced, and he calmly replied:
"Director Li, I was actually very nervous too, but I think it's normal to be nervous when facing such an important award. The difficult part is to overcome the nervousness and not appear nervous, and to offer a smile and congratulations when others win awards."

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's words, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Chen Chong, and Zhang Wanting, who did not win any awards, all smiled and applauded. The other audience members also joined in the applause to congratulate Wu Yuchen once again.

Li An stopped joking with Wu Yuchen and said, "Director Wu, you just said you prepared lines, can you bring them out now?"

Holding the trophy, Wu Yuchen addressed the audience:

"I want to share this award with everyone who worked on 'Run Lola Run,' thanking you all for creating such an incredible story with me. Thank you to Li Xiaoran for her wonderful performance, bringing everyone a fantastic journey through Lola's world. Thank you to Fu Dalong, Ni Dahong, Law Kar-ying, Zhang Jiahui… all these actors, you are all a part of Lola's life! Thank you to Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd. and Beijing Film Studio, without your support and help, it would have been difficult for me to complete this film. Thank you to the jury!"

Finally, on my journey in filmmaking, I've only just begun!

After speaking, Wu Yuchen raised the trophy in his hand. Li An, who was beside him, looked at Wu Yuchen and couldn't help but applaud, and the crowd below naturally cheered as well.

After Wu Yuchen stepped off the stage, he estimated that the next two awards might not be his. He had already taken two major awards from "Tian Yu" and it was impossible for him to win all of them.

As expected, Hou Hsiao-hsien's "Flowers of Shanghai" won the next round of judging, and the Best Film award was ultimately given to "Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl".

Wu Yuchen looked at Chen Chong, who was beaming with joy on the podium, and who had become the biggest winner with Best Film and Best Actor.

He wasn't disappointed. He wouldn't win the Golden Horse Award for "Run Lola Run" if he didn't win it. He'd come back next year with "Mr. Donkey" to conquer the Golden Horse Award!

(End of this chapter)