1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

Inside the Shaolin Temple film studio, the lights blazed on the ancient temple set that had been set up, and the air was filled with the smell of paint and dust.

Wearing training pants, Yuan Heping personally instructed Li Lianjie on the play, demonstrating a set of basic boxing techniques that Jueyuan used when he first entered Shaolin.

His Cantonese commands were mixed with broken Mandarin: "Waist! Be steady! Throw your punches crisply! Don't be hesitant!"

Li Lianjie focused intently, repeating the movements over and over again. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, landing on the soft matted floor and leaving dark stains.

The smaller photography studio next door presented a completely different scene.

Xie Jin directed the lighting technicians to adjust the angles, striving to create a warm and soft indoor lighting effect.

Gong Xue, dressed in a simple floral shirt, sat in her makeshift home, patiently explaining the play to Feng Liwen.

Feng Liwen is still a child at heart. After the initial excitement wore off, he became a little impatient with the repeated reshoots and pouted.

Gong Xue wasn't annoyed. She took a White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth, saying softly:
"Liwen, let's try again, just like you called for Mom that day, okay?"

Feng Liwen sucked on the candy, licked his lips, and only then did his emotions calm down.

Two film crews, one martial arts and one literary, one strong and one gentle, were operating simultaneously in different corners of the Yan Film Studio, their gears meshing and producing different sounds.

Amidst this tense yet orderly filming schedule, an even larger wave surged in from the outside, instantly sweeping across the entire Chinese film industry.

The Ministry of Culture and the China Film Association jointly issued a notice: the Popular Cinema Hundred Flowers Awards, which had been suspended for many years, will be officially resumed!
The news spread like wildfire, reaching all parts of the country through the People's Daily, Guangming Daily, and the latest issue of Popular Cinema magazine.

This year's Hundred Flowers Awards are of extraordinary significance, being the first since the reform and opening up, and the selection process has been completely liberalized.

The decision is no longer made by a small number of expert judges, but rather the power is given entirely to the audience.

The last page of every issue of Popular Cinema magazine features a light yellow selection form listing the year's most popular films and actors.

There are blank squares next to it, allowing the audience to use a pen to check their favorite feature film, best actor, best actress, and best director.

Suddenly, post offices across the country became exceptionally busy.

Letters containing "Popular Cinema" magazine flew into every household like snowflakes. Later, more envelopes with stamps and addressed to "Yanjing Hundred Flowers Awards Selection Committee" flew to Yanjing from all directions like birds returning to their nests.

During breaks in the factory workshop, the workers gathered together to argue about who to vote for.

In the university cafeteria, students, holding their rice bowls, would argue heatedly over who their favorite leading lady was.

Even the old man at the alley entrance, wearing his reading glasses, would point at the stills in the magazine, muttering about which actress acted so well and was the most convincing.

As a major center for film production, Yanying Film Studio was naturally thrust into the spotlight.

The factory committee held a special meeting, requiring all workshops and departments to mobilize and actively participate in this cultural event for the people.

That being said, everyone knows that behind this participation lies a silent competition between various factories and production teams.

The factory canteen is bustling with activity during lunchtime.

Cheng Xuemin, carrying an aluminum lunchbox, had just sat down at a table with Xie Jin, Huang Jianzhong, and his brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao when he heard several girls from the administrative department chattering at the next table:
"Of course I'd vote for Zhu Lin! 'Tai Chi' is so well-made! And it earned the country over two thousand US dollars in foreign exchange. Who else would I vote for if not Zhu Lin of 'Tai Chi'?!"

"I think Gong Xue's 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' is also very good. Zhou Yun is so stylish and brave! And she even went abroad to the Bolin Film Festival!"

"Oh dear, it's so hard to choose! Zhu Lin also has Li Xiuzhi from 'The Herdsman,' she's so virtuous..."

"What do you think of Liu Xiaoqing, one of the three beauties of our factory? Her performance in 'Little Flower' was quite well-received!"

"No, no, this year it has to be Zhu Lin! Didn't you hear it on the radio? Zhu Lin is the most popular choice right now!"

Xie Jin shoveled a mouthful of cabbage and vermicelli into Cheng Xuemin's mouth and said in a low voice, "Did you hear that? Right now, the whole factory, no, the whole of Yanjing, is talking about this."

Zhu Lin has a double guarantee this time, with "Tai Chi" and "The Herdsman," she's really riding high.

Huang Jianzhong nodded, his tone tinged with pride: "Tai Chi is the big hit of the year, its impact is enormous."

Li Lianjie and Zhu Lin are currently the golden couple in the eyes of the audience. I think they'll probably win Best Actor and Best Actress.

Cheng Xuemin chewed on his steamed bun, his mind perfectly clear.

He recalled vague memories from his past life. If it weren't for the emergence of "Tai Chi," this year would have been the year when Liu Xiaoqing of "Little Flower" and Zhang Yu of "Romance on Lushan Mountain" competed for attention.

The popularity of "Tai Chi" is so strong that it seems to have left other excellent actresses in the dust, making them appear as if they were born at the wrong time.

Just then, a staff member from the factory office came running over, his face flushed with excitement: "Director Cheng! Director Xie! Director Huang! Good news!"

I just received an unofficial message from the selection committee: among the votes received so far, "Tai Chi" and the votes for Zhu Lin and Li Lianjie are... far ahead!

The news exploded in the cafeteria like cold water poured into hot oil.

Although everyone had expected it, the initial confirmation still caused a stir.

Some people applauded, some cheered, and many more were discussing it.

However, not everyone is happy about this.

In a room in the actresses' dormitory building at Yan Film Studio, Liu Xiaoqing snapped the latest issue of "Popular Cinema" shut. The cover of the magazine featured a still from the film "Tai Chi."

Her chest heaved as she stared out the window, her jaw clenched tightly.

How much suffering did she endure for "Little Flower"?

He carried a stretcher until his shoulders were raw and rolled in mud and water, all to portray that stubbornness and realism.

She thought that the resumption of the Hundred Flowers Awards was the best opportunity for her to shine, but who would have thought that Zhu Lin would suddenly appear and dominate her so completely!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She grabbed a glass from the table, then hesitated and put it back down with a heavy thud.

Also in the dormitory of the Shanghai Film Studio, Zhang Yu looked at the stills of Gong Xue in "Romance on Lushan Mountain" in a magazine and sighed softly.

Originally, the factory intended for them to act out the Lushan Romance!

At the time, she didn't think much of the script, which she considered somewhat scandalous, and felt that a romance film would definitely be criticized.

But who knew!

Gong Xue became famous overnight thanks to this film, and it was rumored that the studio was going to spend a lot of money to poach him from the Shanghai Film Studio!
How could Zhang Yu say she doesn't regret it!
If she had played the female lead in "Romance on Lushan Mountain", wouldn't she have become even more popular and her position in the factory would have been unshakeable?

Opportunity, sometimes it's just a matter of being just a little bit off.

Zhu Lin, who was in the eye of the storm, was unusually calm at this moment.

She was on the set of "Shaolin Temple" and had just finished filming a scene. She went to the sidelines to rest when her young assistant excitedly ran over and told her the news about the ballot she had heard.

Zhu Lin just smiled faintly, took the water bottle, took a sip, and said, "It's a good thing that the audience likes it. But filming is filming, don't think too much about it."

She knew in her heart that the honors were given by the audience, but she still had to take each step steadily and firmly on her path.

More than the Hundred Flowers Award, she was concerned about the next scene and how to make her fight with Yu Chenghui more outstanding.

Because she didn't want to be just a pretty face, she not only played the lead role in "Shaolin Temple," but also had a cameo role as a minor supporting character.

There are no lines, but there are action scenes!
So, Zhu Lin also wants to improve. She can't have filmed two martial arts movies, Tai Chi and Shaolin Temple, and then, as the lead actress, she doesn't know how to do any action scenes!

If this gets out, it'll be so embarrassing and shameful!
Cheng Xuemin saw all of this and, after finishing work in the evening, he made a special trip to the set of "Mother".

Gong Xue had just finished filming an emotionally charged crying scene, and her eyes were still red. When she saw Cheng Xuemin, she managed a weak smile.

"Gong Xue, you've worked hard." Cheng Xuemin handed her a clean towel and asked, "Have you heard about the Hundred Flowers Awards?"

Gong Xue took the towel, wiped her eyes, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I've heard! Sister Lin truly deserves the title, and 'Tai Chi' is indeed very good."

She paused, her tone filled with genuine regret, "I just feel... it's a bit of a pity about 'Romance on Lushan Mountain.' I put a lot of effort into the role of Zhou Yun."

Cheng Xuemin nodded, indicating his understanding: "Timing is a very strange thing. However, good actors are not afraid of not having roles, and good works are not afraid of not having viewers."

"Mom, Love Me Again" is your new opportunity. Director Xie told me that you and Li Wen felt particularly good acting together."

When Feng Liwen was mentioned, Gong Xue finally smiled genuinely: "That child is so bright. His call of 'Mom' melted my heart."

Upon leaving the "Mom" film crew, Cheng Xuemin ran into Wang Yang, the former factory director, who was returning from outside.

Wang Yang beamed with joy, pulled Cheng Xuemin aside, and whispered, "Xuemin, good news! Our factory is practically guaranteed a spot in the Hundred Flowers Awards!"
But there's even better news: I heard that the General Political Department has submitted "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain" for consideration, and the Ministry of Culture has basically decided on the annual award for outstanding medium-length and long novels!

"You're going to be amazing again this year!" Cheng Xuemin wasn't too surprised to hear that.

With the start of spring, the national outstanding literary awards will also begin to be selected!

Last year, Cheng Xuemin won five or six excellence awards by himself?

In fact, even Cheng Xuemin himself couldn't remember!

At the time, all I was thinking about was making a lot of money and earning a lot of savings so I could buy a house for my wife.

But little did they know, they would accidentally mess things up.

The selection process has begun again this year, and now a selection for medium-length and long novels has been added.

In this case!
Cheng Xuemin had no idea how many of his novels would be selected for awards this year!

Anyway, the "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain" that the old factory director mentioned now is definitely a done deal!

After all, last year, even the old leaders called on the entire army, the entire population, and all units to read it.

Therefore, winning the award is entirely reasonable.

Actually, Cheng Xuemin was more concerned about something else, saying, "Old factory director, the Hundred Flowers Awards selection is a good thing, but don't let it affect the mentality of the actors in the factory. Especially... some other comrades."

The old factory director, Wang Yang, was a shrewd man and immediately understood that Cheng Xuemin was referring to actresses like Liu Xiaoqing, who were equally talented but might be just there to make up the numbers this time.

He patted Cheng Xuemin on the shoulder: "I understand! I've already asked the workshop directors and directors to take precautions."

Competition is competition; there are winners and losers. Let's try again next time! Our factory will have plenty of good notebooks to produce in the future!

As time went on, more and more letters were sent to Yanjing. Several large cardboard boxes in the office building where the selection committee was located were soon filled, and the staff began the tedious work of counting and tallying the votes.

Meanwhile, the undercurrents and undercurrents within the film industry are becoming increasingly apparent.

Cheng Xuemin even received a phone call from Shanghai, from an old acquaintance at the Shanghai Film Studio, whose words carried a hint of sourness:
"Xuemin, congratulations! Your Yanying Film Studio has really stolen the show this time! One film, 'Tai Chi,' has stolen all the limelight from us for the whole year!"

It seems the Hundred Flowers Awards will have to depend on the whims of your Yan Film Studio from now on!

Cheng Xuemin could only laugh it off: "Brother, you're too kind. The Hundred Flowers Awards are chosen by the audience, which means they approve of it. Each of our factories has its own unique characteristics, so let's all work together to improve!"

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Xuemin shook his head.

He walked to the office window and looked down into the rehearsal hall. Li Lianjie and Yu Chenghui were rehearsing the scene of Jueyuan breaking into the Pagoda Forest at night under the guidance of Yuan Heping. The shadows of sticks flew and shouts rang out.

The hustle and bustle outside and the excitement of the selection process seemed to be shut out by the focused light and shadow.

He knew that while awards and honors were an affirmation of the past, the foundation of the film studio would always be the next good work.

"Shaolin Temple" had to be a success, and the idea for another script in his mind became clearer and clearer.

The fervor surrounding the Hundred Flowers Awards will eventually fade, but the legend on the silver screen is just beginning to be written.

What he needs to do now is to calm down and make this film, "Shaolin Temple," into another peak.

As for the awards, let time and the audience decide.

During the filming of "Shaolin Temple", Cheng Xuemin basically let go and rarely interfered!
With the help of directors Huang Jianzhong and the Yuan brothers, the process proceeded step by step.

Cheng Xuemin spent every day on set, staring at the monitor, and occasionally exchanging ideas with Yuan Heping and Jianzhong about camera angles and rhythm.

But his mind was clearly preoccupied with other things.

During breaks, while others smoked and chatted, he would often walk to a corner alone, take out a thick kraft paper notebook and a fountain pen from his military satchel, and quickly write something while resting it on his knees.

Sometimes I would suddenly stop writing, my brow furrowed, staring at a point in the distance, my fingers unconsciously tapping the hard cover of my notebook.

Xie Jin was curious once, so he leaned over and took a peek. He saw that the paper was covered with words, and the title had a few strong characters: Redemption!

"Xuemin, you've started a new script again?" Xie Jin handed him a cigarette and asked curiously, "What's the subject this time? The title sounds rather heavy."

Cheng Xuemin took the cigarette but didn't light it. He scratched his head with the end of his pen, his eyes filled with a mixture of excitement and caution.
"Old Xie, what do you think... if we make a movie that's entirely for foreigners, without kung fu or Eastern mysticism, just a story about people and hope, would that work?"

Xie Jin paused for a moment, then clicked his tongue: "For foreigners? Not showing kung fu? This... is a bit risky. Right now, the market only recognizes your 'Tai Chi' and 'Shaolin Temple' style."

"I know." Cheng Xuemin took a deep breath, closed his notebook, and looked at the grand scene in the studio where the monks were rehearsing their staff formation. His voice was deep but clear as he said:

"But we can't keep relying on our past skills forever. We need to earn foreign exchange, and we also need to broaden our cultural avenues."

I want to test the waters, to create something... that will touch the softest spot in Westerners' hearts.

What he was talking about was the world he was painstakingly building in his notebook.

An early sacrifice and localized adaptation of "The Shawshank Redemption".

He clearly remembered how, in the original timeline of 1994, this film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, lost to Forrest Gump at the Oscars.

Yet, thanks to its unshakeable reputation, it became the uncrowned king in the hearts of countless movie fans over the following decades, hailed as "a must-see movie for men."

Its themes of freedom, hope, friendship, and institutionalized oppression have transcended cultural and temporal barriers, resonating globally.

Cheng Xuemin's pen tip swept across the paper, trying to capture that essence.

The core premise of Cheng Xuemin's wrongful imprisonment is preserved, but the background is transplanted to Hong Kong, to a prison for serious criminals with the shadow of World War II.

The plan is to combine the film's historical background with Hong Kong during World War II.

Cheng Xuemin knew that the success of this film lay not only in the suspense of the prison break, but also in its precise touch on the deep human desire for freedom.

In that era when the Western world was also undergoing social change and individual values ​​were being re-examined.

Such a story about an individual fighting against a massive system and ultimately winning freedom through wisdom and hope undoubtedly has enormous potential appeal.

However, the challenges of adaptation are also obvious.

How could a Chinese film crew in the early 80s understand and present a story with a completely Western background?

How do you capture that cold, oppressive, and turbulent prison atmosphere?
How do we find actors who have both an international presence and the ability to accurately express complex inner emotions?
Several faces of Chinese or mixed-race actors who would later become famous flashed through Cheng Xuemin's mind, but at this moment, they were all still uncertain.

More importantly, how to convince the factory and higher authorities to invest resources in filming a movie that seems completely different from the current mainstream of "martial arts earning foreign exchange"?

These questions, like a tangled mess, weighed heavily on Cheng Xuemin's mind.

Perhaps we should just go to Hong Kong to film it? Go directly to Hong Kong and find those hawks there to film it?

After much deliberation, Cheng Xuemin decided to revise the script first.

Unlike previous works that were mostly copied and paid homage to, this time it's an adaptation. The story's setting has to be moved from the United States to Hong Kong during World War II, which will require some thought.

"Working on that new notebook again?" His wife, Feng Jiayou, placed the fruit on the corner of the table and asked softly with concern, "I heard... it's a foreign story?"

Cheng Xuemin looked up, rubbed his sore eyes, pulled his wife over, pointed to the plot summary in his notebook, and said:

“Look, wife, this man has been wrongly imprisoned, and his life may be over.”

But he refused to accept his fate. He spent twenty years digging a tunnel, finally escaping to the seaside, where he found freedom.

Feng Jiayou followed his finger and looked. Although she was unfamiliar with life in a Western prison, the words "injustice," "perseverance," and "freedom" still gave her a jolt.

She looked into the almost obsessive light in her husband's eyes, the same light she had seen when he created "Tai Chi, Garland at the Foot of the Mountain," but it seemed more intense and... adventurous.

"Can this story be filmed? Will the factory agree?" she asked with some concern.

“There will definitely be difficulties,” Cheng Xuemin said firmly, squeezing her hand. “But it’s worth a try. We can’t just rely on our past achievements in martial arts films.”

To truly go global, you need something compelling, something that resonates universally. I want to test the waters with this film, *Redemption*.

……

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