Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 71, Section 70: Refining Another Protective Talisman
The last day of July ended with a heated argument between Feng Xiaogang and Xu Fan.

Wang Sheng was completely unaware of this, and even if he had, he would probably have just laughed it off.

At this time, he devoted himself to two unexpected "political tasks"—a speech at the All-China Youth Federation Forum and the creation of the theme song for the event welcoming the return of Hong Kong Island.

The speech was relatively easy for him. Combining the practices of Shengying Media, he talked about how technology can empower traditional cultural industries, how marketization can activate state-owned resources, and then looked forward to the future of the film industry. The framework was clear, the content was rich, and with some inspiring slogans, it was a speech that met the requirements and reflected the "responsibility of youth".

He spent half a day brainstorming the ideas, then spent an entire night writing them down, revising them several times until he was satisfied, at which point he set them aside.

Copying songs is even easier.

"Chinese".

Wang Sheng recalled that the song, with lyrics by Li Anxiu, music by Chen Yaochuan, and sung by Andy Lau, was released just before Hong Kong's return to China in 1997. It became a hit across the country and a classic.

The lyrics, such as "Five thousand years of wind and rain have hidden so many dreams", "Same blood, same race", and "Hand in hand, we walk forward with our heads held high", perfectly match the themes of welcoming the return, national unity, and creating a shared future. The melody is also highly infectious and easy to sing.

After setting his goal, Wang Sheng immediately began to take action.

He found some paper and carefully copied down the lyrics word by word from memory.

After copying the song, Wang Sheng followed the method he had come up with when producing "For You" and "Let's Get Married," and collaborated with the recording studio staff on how to compose the music.

……

Recording studio.

Wang Sheng hummed the melody of "Chinese People" line by line.

He tries his best to keep the pitch and rhythm stable, and when he encounters a complicated or turning point, he hums it several times.

The teachers listened intently, their pens moving rapidly across the musical staff, occasionally pausing to confirm a note or beat with Wang Sheng.

And so, they spent most of the day in the sweltering recording studio.

Sweat soaked Wang Sheng's white shirt, and the foreheads of the other workers were also covered in beads of sweat.

They meticulously refined each melody, often going through it dozens of times, until Wang Sheng felt it was right and the teachers confirmed that the score was accurate.

For the next few days, Wang Sheng practically lived in the recording studio.

Based on the score, the craftsmen began to use the limited sound sources and synthesizers in the workshop to gradually create the accompaniment.

This process was even more grueling. The MIDI sound quality in the mid-90s was far inferior to that of later generations, and creating high-quality accompaniment required immense patience and skill.

Wang Sheng's requirements are not high; he just needs to be able to roughly hear the key.

After three or four days of almost non-stop polishing, the accompaniment has finally taken initial shape.

Although limited by equipment and unable to compare with later, more sophisticated productions, it was still considered a highly complete and magnificent backing track for its time.

The melody is smooth, the rhythm is powerful, and the arrangement also tries to reflect the grand narrative and national characteristics that Wang Sheng requested.

With the accompaniment ready, the next step is to record a vocal demo.

Wang Sheng wondered which genius would listen to the song after it was submitted, so he decided to perform it himself.

Once, twice, three times...

Wang Sheng, a perfectionist, recorded the audio multiple times until the instructors and he himself felt that this version had rich vocal emotion and the fewest flaws, before finally settling on it. The instructors then performed a simple mixing, combining the vocals and accompaniment together.

When the final demo played from the tape recorder's speaker, Wang Sheng let out a long sigh of relief.

Although it's a bit rough around the edges, the song's uplifting and inspiring feeling is completely captured.

He knew that the song had become a success.

The next issue is the carrier.

In 1996, digital audio files were not yet widespread, and the most common medium for music demos was magnetic tape.

Wang Sheng had Master Qian transfer the final synthesized demo onto a brand-new blank TDK cassette tape, and neatly wrote the song title "Chinese People," along with "Demo" and the date "August 6, 1996" on the tape label.

Holding the cassette tape that carried such heavy expectations, Wang Sheng went straight to Han Sanping's office without delay.

"Factory manager, are you free right now? I've finished the demo of the theme song," Wang Sheng said as he entered.

Han Sanping was reviewing documents when he heard this. He looked up in surprise: "So fast? It's only been a few days!"

"Time is tight and the task is heavy, we dare not delay." Wang Sheng handed over the cassette tape: "It's recorded on the tape, please listen to it."

Han Sanping took the small cassette tape and immediately picked up the phone on the table: "Hello, Lao Gao? Come to my office right away. Wang Sheng brought the demo of the theme song. Let's listen to it together!"

Soon after, Secretary Gao arrived as well.

In the corner of Han Sanping's office was an old-fashioned single-cassette recorder. He carefully inserted the cassette and pressed the play button.

After a slightly noisy electrical hum, the intro begins, followed by Wang Sheng's youthful yet deeply emotional vocals:

Five thousand years of wind and rain have hidden so many dreams.
The yellow face and the black eyes remain a smile

The eight thousand miles of mountains and rivers are like a song
No matter where you come from or where you are going...

At first, Han Sanping and Secretary Gao listened attentively, but as the song progressed, their expressions gradually changed.

From initial scrutiny, to surprise, and then to being moved.

When he heard the words, "We share the same blood, the same race, and the same future and dreams; let's explore them together," Secretary Gao couldn't help but nod slightly.

When the powerful chorus, "Hand in hand, we walk forward with our heads held high, letting the world know that we are all Chinese," burst forth, Han Sanping involuntarily sat up straight, his eyes sharpening.

As the song ended, the tape recorder clicked to the end. A brief silence fell over the office.

Han Sanping and Secretary Gao exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and excitement in each other's eyes.

"Good! Good! Great!"

Han Sanping broke the silence first, saying "good" three times in a row. He stood up and excitedly patted Wang Sheng on the shoulder: "Good lad! Your song...you wrote a brilliant song!"

Secretary Gao could not hide his excitement either, and pushed up his glasses: "Comrade Wang Sheng, this...this is not just a good song! The lyrics and the melody perfectly capture the core spirit of welcoming Hong Kong's return to the motherland! They express the pride and cohesion of the nation! The political significance of this is...immense!"

“That’s right! Lao Gao, you’ve hit the nail on the head! If this song is submitted and accepted by the event organizing committee, it will be sung on the eve of the handover…”

Han Sanping looked at Wang Sheng with burning eyes and said, "You've done something extraordinary this time! This is practically a golden talisman!"

(End of this chapter)