Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 364 Election

Upon hearing his superior's words, Chen Kaizi's face instantly flushed red with embarrassment, but he dared not utter a word. He could only pick up his thin proposal and slink away.

Wu Yuchen also noticed that Kai Zi, who came out, looked somewhat gloomy and walked with a different air than when he entered. Instead, he appeared rather disheveled, so Wu Yuchen knew that Kai Zi's outcome was not good.

However, recalling some rumors he had heard in his previous life, Wu Yuchen wasn't surprised. The Olympic Organizing Committee wanted a complete and feasible plan, a meticulously detailed program. Chen Kaige, with his unrealistic and impractical pronouncements, wouldn't be considered by the Organizing Committee no matter how well he wrote his speeches or how passionately he spoke. He was naturally rejected.

Just then, a staff member walked up to Wu Yuchen and said respectfully, "Director Wu, it's your team's turn next."

"Okay, could you please help us move the two models inside first?"

"It should!"

Looking at the staff moving the model, Wu Yuchen smiled. Kai Zi only took 20 minutes to come out, which saved them time to set up the props.

Wu Yuchen wore a beige casual suit with a black shirt underneath and jeans, looking both composed and relaxed, and very energetic.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yimou wore pants with the Olympic logo and a red jacket, hoping for good luck, as red symbolizes a successful start.

When the leader saw the two of them come in, he smiled and said, "Director Wu, Director Zhang, I'm really looking forward to your Bird's Nest model!"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "I hope everyone will be satisfied. Our team has made thorough preparations for this opening and closing ceremony, and this book should be able to resolve all the questions you may have..."

As Wu Yuchen spoke, staff distributed a complete copy of their prepared proposal, in both Chinese and English, to each judge. It contained a comprehensive explanation of the 22 items to be examined by the Organizing Committee, with corresponding contingency plans for each stage – demonstrating meticulous consideration. The judges, after only a cursory glance, couldn't help but show their admiration.

The leader nodded in satisfaction. Although the man spoke confidently, he had done a great job! And to run for office, one must have this kind of confidence!

Logically speaking, the first round is only about the presentation and evaluation of the creative aspects, but Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou's team are clearly much better prepared than other teams and have gone much further!

In the previous life, Zhang Yimou's team naturally couldn't produce this much at this time, but because of Wu Yuchen's influence, they had been communicating with Wu Yuchen frequently over the past six months, which was equivalent to directly telling them the final answer and effect. Therefore, the plan was much more complete than that of the same period in the previous life.

The leader smiled and said, "Director Wu, Director Zhang, if you're ready, let's begin!"

Wu Yuchen began by reciting a line:
"Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?"

This is our welcoming ceremony!

A striking formation of 2008 drum players, ready for action, unleashed a powerful and resounding beat. White lights on the drums flashed sequentially, forming a countdown. Amidst the thunderous drumming, the entire audience shouted the countdown aloud as the numbers changed, reaching 20 PM sharp. The 2008 performers then sang while striking the drums, reciting "Isn't it a joy to have friends coming from afar?" expressing their welcome to Olympic athletes and guests from around the world!

Both Wu Yuchen and Chen Kaizi began with a recitation, but this time the judges were delighted with Wu Yuchen. Unlike Chen Kaizi, whose recitation merely expressed his joy and had nothing to do with the proposal, Wu Yuchen's recitation was directly related to the theme and was an integral part of the proposal. Using a very representative quote from Confucius to express welcome to the people of the world naturally satisfied the judges.

Listening to Wu Yuchen's explanation, Zhang Yimou smiled. Regarding this idea, their team had actually struggled with it for a long time. Some suggested using drums, others fans, and still others a long spear, but Zhang Yimou wasn't satisfied with any of them. After suffering a setback with the BJ8-minute film, he repeatedly emphasized that it needed to be new and couldn't fall into old patterns.

Wu Yuchen suggested the percussion instrument "fou" to him, and it was only through the act of singing while striking the fou that the project came to fruition, giving Zhang Yimou the right direction. There were many similar instances in the plan, and he said that Wu Yuchen's contributions were genuine and truly helpful. Therefore, he felt no resistance whatsoever to co-directing the Olympics with Wu Yuchen; he was only grateful.

Wu Yuchen's explanation immediately drew the judges into this fantastical scene, and the subsequent welcome fireworks, the dreamlike Olympic rings, and other segments unfolded as he spoke...

After Wu Yuchen recounted the welcoming ceremony segment, Zhang Yimou stepped forward and began to speak about the first part of the cultural performance, "Splendid Civilization." He described how the Four Treasures of the Study—pen, ink, paper, and inkstone—gathered the essence of heaven and earth, showcasing five thousand years of Chinese civilization on the tip of a brush and painting, condensing it into a treasure of humankind.

All the judges listened attentively. During this time, Zhang Yimou not only talked about his creative ideas, but also talked about the general implementation of some plans based on the Bird's Nest model, how the lighting should be done, what effect should be achieved, and that contingency plans had been made. He also specially hung some special effects lights on it to complement the design.

At this moment, Zhang Yimou became very excited, gesturing wildly and completely stirring up the emotions of the judges.

As the leader watched the scene unfold, Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou spoke fluently and concisely, conveying the creative concepts they wanted to everyone present. Their ideas were practical and specific, and they described the various creative designs vividly and in detail.

Then think back to Chen Kaige reciting a poem and singing a "magnificent article" before, he was so arrogant that he was completely out of control. Compared with Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou's team who are down-to-earth, it is too obvious and there is no comparison at all!

"Our theme is 'Dreams, Pursuit, and Flight,' aiming to showcase grand sentiments, profound culture, boundless imagination, and profound romance. Therefore, we designed a colorful phoenix feather as a connecting symbol, with the torch itself shaped like a colorful feather; then we introduced this phoenix to the five continents and sent it to the five continents for a global relay."

To complement the design of the Bird's Nest, the torch stand will be shaped like a giant bird with its head slightly inserted into the stadium, and the beak of the giant bird will be where the torch is finally lit.

When everyone entered, they saw there was no torch to see. It was empty!
Then the feathers burned and transformed into a phoenix, flying around the arena. That was the torch. It was passed on for a year or two, a phoenix flying all over the world. Then, when it was finished, when it flew to that position, the torch holder unfolded from below like a fan, and it caught it; that was the torch.

In Eastern mythology, the phoenix is ​​an auspicious symbol, and in Western mythology, it is also a mythical creature. Using a phoenix to light the Olympic torch can be described as "heaven granting human wishes," and "the giant bird returning to its nest" can be seen as a return to nature, which is only natural. Hearing Wu Yuchen mention feathers and the phoenix, the leader smiled: "I was just saying why the 'Bird's Nest' isn't called the 'Phoenix Nest.' What a coincidence, we're on the same page! You've put that idea into practice."

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was describing the creative concept behind the final and very important lighting ceremony of the opening ceremony – Phoenix Returns to its Nest!

In the past, the creative idea used for the Beijing Olympics torch lighting ceremony was Li Ning running through the air to ignite the flame. But according to some revelations afterward, the "Phoenix Returns to Its Nest" design was actually the main idea at the time.

However, just nine days before the opening ceremony, the "Phoenix Returns to Its Nest" torch lighting plan was secretly filmed and leaked by a reporter from South Korean SBS television. The revelation came as a bombshell, catching the organizing committee completely off guard. Besides the Beijing organizing committee publicly expressing regret and disappointment, the International Olympic Committee was equally shocked and incredulous.

For a world-renowned event like the Olympics, everything from the performances to the way the main torch is lit is a top secret, with the aim of keeping the world in suspense and giving people a surprise on the opening day.

Therefore, the content of the opening ceremony of each Olympic Games is kept highly confidential. From the general director and program planning team to all performers, staff, media, and even venue construction workers and equipment technicians, everyone must strictly adhere to the principle of confidentiality. This has been the practice for many previous Olympic Games; nothing like this has ever happened before, yet the shameless South Korean media did just that!

Left with no other option, Zhang Yimou and his team immediately activated the backup plan, which was a rather mediocre aerial torch-lighting performance compared to "Phoenix Returns to Its Nest." While it was still a satisfactory outcome, many netizens couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if a more spectacular "Phoenix Returns to Its Nest" performance had been used.
Now, with a better "Phoenix Returns to Its Nest" solution, Wu Yuchen naturally proposed this first. Zhang Yimou fell in love with it as soon as he heard it and worked with his team to design the idea. The judges on site listened and nodded with smiles.

Finally, Wu Yuchen concluded: "Our team wanted to use the opening ceremony to express to the world 'who we are' and 'we are one family with you,' so that 'One World, One Dream' can gain global recognition and resonance here!"

After speaking, Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou exchanged a glance, and then bowed to the judges.

"Great!" the leader exclaimed loudly, then led the applause. The other judges quickly followed suit, clearly satisfied with Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou's presentations.
Hearing the applause and seeing the judges' reaction, Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou were both very happy, feeling that their careful preparations had not been in vain!
"Director Wu, Director Zhang, our judging panel has seen your proposal, and it truly surprised us! Thank you both for your hard work!"

There are still many teams waiting behind them, so the judges can't keep the two of them chatting. The leader could only offer a few words of encouragement and then let the two of them go out first.

After the two left, the group of judges started exchanging ideas:

"Truly, the collaboration of two of China's greatest directors is something else!"

"It not only presents our Chinese culture through various creative means, but also showcases the new look of China in the new era, demonstrating our confidence. The theme of 'One World, One Dream' also brings China closer to the world!"

"In my opinion, their plan should be adopted as the final plan right now. They are extremely well-prepared and excellent in every aspect!"

"I was so engrossed in listening that I forgot to breathe! It was absolutely brilliant! It far surpasses all the previous proposals!"

"Moreover, they didn't just have creative ideas; they also considered the implementation and practicality of the plan. They're truly remarkable!"

The leader watched the judges chattering away, then interrupted them with a smile after a moment:
"Director Wu and Director Zhang have indeed brought us an extremely brilliant plan, but everyone should still maintain a fair and impartial attitude when reviewing the later plans. Perhaps there will be even more surprises?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, but they had already given the previous solution a high score. Several people felt that even if there were several other solutions later, and even if they had some highlights, it would be difficult to surpass this one!

After Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou walked out with smiles on their faces, they were immediately surrounded by a number of reporters:
"Director Wu, you seem very confident about the election, judging from your smiling face."

"Director Wu, are you confident that you will be the chief director of this Olympics?"

"Director Wu, Director Zhang, what are your thoughts on this election?"

Wu Yuchen was in a good mood, so he stopped and said a few more words: "Of course we need to have confidence. After all, Director Zhang and I have been discussing this plan for more than half a year. Now we have done our best, so even if we are ultimately eliminated, we will have no regrets!"
As for this election, everyone involved is actually very talented. How could you possibly cover all five thousand years of brilliant Chinese culture in fifty minutes? Even a god couldn't. Therefore, each team may have a different focus. As for who will be chosen in the end, I completely trust the organizing committee's decision!

Zhang Yimou also said: "When it comes to Chinese culture, it is not lacking in profound history, but many people always feel that Chinese people are serious and that we lack romantic feelings. In fact, romantic feelings are the most important part of Chinese tradition."

Therefore, our proposal this time contains a lot of personality, passion, and romance to showcase the face of the Chinese people today, permeating every detail. We cannot let the world view us Chinese with outdated ideas!

Afterwards, Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou got into the car they had arrived in amidst flashing lights and drove away in style, while the live broadcast of the scene was also broadcast by reporters.

There are 13 teams in total, each with 50 minutes, plus breaks and preparation time in between. Therefore, the election will last for two days, with 8 teams on the first day and 5 teams on the second day.

Moreover, this is only the first round. Five teams will be selected to enter the second round, and then the final winner will be chosen in the second round.

A week later, the results of the first round of selection were announced, and Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou's team were ranked first among the five selected teams!

(End of this chapter)