Chapter 00116: The First Love Film of New China (Seeking Votes, All Kinds of Votes)
# The First Love Film of New China (Seeking Votes, All Kinds of Votes)
Chapter 116
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 116: The First Love Film of New China (Seeking Votes, All Kinds of Votes)
In this era, there were no flashy preludes; the film went straight to the point.
The handwritten title and the list of creators appeared on the screen.
The screenwriter: Chen Qi! Ranked first.
The director: Wang Haowei! Ranked second.
Chen Qi's mood was quite peculiar.
He had been working on "Love on Lushan Mountain" since last year, involved in many aspects of the production.
It felt like his own child... well, more like a stolen child, but he had developed a deep affection for it.
Gong Xue pursed her lips tightly, extremely nervous.
She alternated between staring at the screen and glancing at the audience around her.
The audience was captivated from the very beginning.
A small car drove along a winding mountain road and entered the Lushan Hotel.
The ten-second shot didn't reveal the female lead immediately.
Then the scene shifted.
A man pushed open the door of a luxurious suite and said with a smile, "Miss Zhou, this is the room you requested."
At this moment, Gong Xue, playing Zhou Yun, stepped inside.
She wore a white fitted blazer with trousers, high heels, a small Western-style hat, and a delicate pearl necklace adorned her slender neck.
She carried a Western-style leather handbag.
"Wow!"
This step seemed to have simultaneously stepped into the hearts of the audience.
The entire theater gasped in unison.
Who had ever seen such a stylish movie character before?
"She's so beautiful! Her clothes are stunning!"
"She's an overseas Chinese from America, of course, the daughter of a capitalist would look good!"
"No, no, look at how elegantly she walks in those high heels!"
Zhou Yun entered the suite, joyfully taking in the familiar surroundings, but then her expression turned melancholic as she gazed out at the lake, reminiscing about five years ago...
The scene then shifted to five years earlier.
She changed into a purple shirt and red bell-bottoms, holding a map as she searched for the Pillow Stone.
She pulled out an instant camera and took a photo, which once again amazed the audience.
Tang Guoqiang, playing Geng Hua, accidentally entered her frame, and the two began an unexpected encounter.
The movie-watching process in those days was like this:
Various magazines, such as "Popular Cinema," would introduce new films.
If the audience was interested in a particular movie, they would note the release date and gather a few friends to watch it together.
Because watching a movie was a big deal!
Every time a new film was watched, its influence would linger in people's lives for a long, long time.
A young couple sitting in front of Chen Qi clearly fit this description.
They had some knowledge about "Love on Lushan Mountain."
The girl stared intently at the screen and said, "They say she changed over forty outfits. I'm going to count and see if it's true!"
"That's two already!"
"Three! Four! She really changes her outfit every time she appears. I'm so envious of her!"
As the plot progressed, every appearance of Zhou Yun elicited gasps and exclamations.
Her pomegranate-red top, white vest, purple skirt, white long dress...
It was like a fashion show, dazzling the audience and deeply touching their hearts.
Both men and women, in this era of change, with their conservative yet restless hearts, felt as if they had been struck: clothes could be this beautiful, and women could be this elegant and stunning.
"So this is what Lushan Mountain looks like!"
"I've only read about it in books before, but I never imagined it would be this beautiful!"
"Wow, look at that peak!"
Zhou Yun and Geng Hua agreed to tour Lushan Mountain together.
The camera followed their footsteps, presenting the audience with one breathtaking scene after another.
In 1980, when even a trip to the provincial capital was a big deal, seeing famous mountains and rivers thousands of miles away on the silver screen was something to brag about for a month.
About a third into the film, the scenes became bolder.
Under a small waterfall, the pool was crystal clear.
The camera focused on Zhou Yun's fair, bare feet, then moved up to her smooth, slender calves, and further up to a sleeveless white mini skirt.
The hemline, by the standards of that era, was shockingly short, even revealing her knees.
She played in the water, sitting on a large rock in the pool, and called out, "Come over here!"
"No, I'll just stand here for a while."
Geng Hua was too embarrassed to look at her, his eyes darting around, his face flushed.
Zhou Yun casually splashed water on her arms and laughed, "They say Confucius died over two thousand years ago, but why do I feel like I'm seeing him right now?"
Geng Hua had no choice but to approach, but he still didn't dare get too close.
Zhou Yun moved aside and patted the rock, "Sit down! I'm not afraid, so why are you? My father once told me the story of Su Dongpo and Foyin. What's in your heart is what you see. In my eyes, this is the beautiful scenery of Lushan Mountain, the spiritual spring waterfall, and I'm enjoying nature with a good friend like you. So what do you see when you look at me? Or do you have..."
"No, no! I'll sit down!"
Geng Hua cautiously sat beside her.
Zhou Yun smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling.
She playfully kicked the water with her fair feet, causing a splash that seemed to create a rainbow.
This scene was added by Chen Qi.
Because he wanted the female lead to become the white moonlight in the hearts of all male viewers, a cinematic first love that would be unforgettable for a lifetime.
The effect was remarkable.
In the large screening room, every male viewer was transfixed, as if under a spell, staring at the screen, trying to imprint Zhou Yun firmly in their minds.
The female viewers couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.
They had never experienced such a life before.
"This scene is well done!"
Chen Qi, watching it for the first time, thought it was decent.
He leaned over and whispered, "I remember there's a swimsuit scene later, right?"
"Tsk!"
Gong Xue elbowed him.
Oh my, the swimsuit scene! Even thinking about it now made her blush.
How had she mustered the courage to film it back then?
The relationship between the male and female leads heated up rapidly, and they grew to understand each other more deeply.
Their family backgrounds were gradually revealed: she was the daughter of a Nationalist general, and he was the son of a mainland general.
Due to their close relationship, Geng Hua was called in for questioning, and his sister, Geng Ying, tried to break them apart.
"If you really care for him, stay away from him!"
"My brother has a bright future ahead of him. He can't be ruined by a woman like you! You should go back to America and find some capitalist's son to pair up with!"
When Chen Qi wrote this scene, he used the most venomous language of the time to attack Zhou Yun.
The more beautiful and perfect she had appeared before, the more her suffering now would resonate with the audience.
"How could Geng Ying be so hateful!"
"This woman is so annoying!"
"Zhou Yun, don't leave! Look how heartbroken she is!"
"I think the sister has a point. Given the environment of those years, if Zhou Yun doesn't leave, Geng Hua's whole family will suffer. The sister is just looking out for the family's safety."
The star-crossed lovers were torn apart, and the flashback ended, returning to the opening scene, five years later.
Zhou Yun returned to Lushan Mountain, just as Geng Hua, who had been admitted to Tsinghua University, came for an academic exchange.
The two reunited after five years, one on this side, the other on that side, running in slow motion, waving, and calling out:
"Geng Hua—Hua—Hua!"
"Zhou Yun—Yun—Yun!"
Chen Qi couldn't bear to watch, but the audience was completely captivated, moved to tears, with some women even crying openly.
The two reunited, and the passion between them was even more intense than before.
Thus, the audience of over a thousand people saw Tang Guoqiang shirtless, wearing shorts, and Gong Xue in a swimsuit, swimming together in the Dragon Pool.
The audience had never seen such revealing scenes on the silver screen before.
This was a love story disguised as a scenic lyrical film.
The two were deeply in love, affectionate and tender, and it was described as "bold and daring," causing a huge sensation at the time.
Even now, it was no different.
The large theater of over a thousand people fell silent.
Men and women alike widened their eyes, as if what they had just seen was an illusion.
Then, like boiling water, the entire audience erupted in excitement.
"They, they... how can they dress like that in broad daylight?"
"So shameless!"
"Oh my god!"
Especially the young couples who had just met or were in the early stages of dating, their faces flushed red.
Some men didn't dare to breathe, while the bolder ones sneakily reached for their partners' hands...
Just as Zhou Yun and Geng Hua were deeply in love and discussing marriage, another obstacle arose: their fathers had been enemies on the battlefield!
Zhou Yun faced a second separation.
She wrote a farewell letter, intending to return to America alone, but Geng Hua's family intercepted her.
Geng Hua's father accepted Zhou Yun and began to persuade her:
"Write a letter to your father. Tell him that the motherland's Four Modernizations need national unity, ethnic harmony, and stability. I welcome him to come back and see the new era of our country!"
"Uncle Geng..."
"You shouldn't call me 'uncle' anymore."
"Then what should I call you?"
"You should call me 'father.'"
"..."
Gong Xue's Qiong Yao-style crying made its debut.
She lifted her eyes, looking like a frightened little rabbit, uncertain and hesitant.
Then a faint smile appeared on her lips, and in her eyes, tears like pearls, distinct and clear, fell with the trembling of her eyelashes.
There was no wailing, no exaggerated pain.
The tears fell without even touching her cheekbones, emphasizing beauty above all.
Hiss!
Both men and women leaned back, holding their breath once more.
In the end, Geng Hua's father accepted Zhou Yun, but his sister still held prejudices.
Thus, the scene that Chen Qi had specifically elevated appeared.
"I not only want to see Lushan Mountain, but I also want to see the Five Great Mountains, the Yangtze River, the Great Wall, Huangshan Mountain, the Yellow River... I want to travel around, and I want to go to Tiananmen! This is also my motherland! I am willing to stay, not just for Geng Hua, but because I feel that this land is full of great vitality. I want to experience the spirit of the new era here, and I want to contribute my own strength to build a beautiful future together..."
"Clap clap clap!"
"Well said!"
At this point, the entire audience couldn't help but applaud.
If before this, Zhou Yun was just an active, passionate, pure, and cultured overseas young woman, these few lines injected her character with profound ideological depth.
The character was clear and distinct.
A true white moonlight!
"Clap clap clap!"
As the film concluded, music played, and the two families took a group photo together, a happy ending.
The audience felt as if they had undergone a spiritual baptism, excitedly discussing the film, with some still clapping.
Watching a good movie was like enjoying a sumptuous feast, leaving people with a sense of happiness.
The young couple in front was even more enthusiastic.
The girl kept chattering, "I must watch it again. It's so good. I've fallen in love with Zhou Yun and Geng Hua. They are the embodiment of my dream love... Ah, look at everyone, they feel the same way... Look!"
She suddenly turned her head, looked back, and then turned around again, her pupils dilating, "You, you!"
"Let's go!"
Seeing the situation turning bad, Chen Qi grabbed Gong Xue's hand and ran.
Gong Xue tried to pull away a few times but eventually let him hold her hand, completely forgetting what she had said that night—men's words can't be trusted, and women's words even less so.
"No tickets for the next showing!"
"None for the one after that either. Buy tickets for tomorrow!"
"Can't you just screen it all night?"
"Easy for you to say! We don't have that many copies. Buy it or get lost!"
At the ticket booth, the staff was already very irritable, randomly scolding anyone who approached.
But the person being scolded still bought a ticket for the next day.
Everyone said "Love on Lushan Mountain" was good, and if you hadn't seen it, you couldn't hold your head high at work.
In the heat of July, the wave of "Love on Lushan Mountain" was just beginning!
(The end...
Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Have you all eaten zongzi?)
(End of chapter)