Chapter 00122: The Hot Commodity
# The Hot Commodity
Chapter 122
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 122: The Hot Commodity
In 1958, China's first television drama, "A Bite of Vegetable Pancake," was born.
At that time, TV dramas were usually one or two episodes long, and only those with three or more episodes could be called a series.
Last year, the total output of TV dramas nationwide was only 20 episodes, marking the infancy of the industry.
"I'm currently preparing a drama called 'Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp,' adapted from a novel. It's planned to be nine episodes long, which would make it the longest domestic TV drama to date."
"Nine episodes? That's a huge task! How much is your budget?"
"Well, around 100,000 yuan."
"..."
Wang Yang's expression turned subtle.
With movie costs skyrocketing, hundreds of thousands of yuan were nothing these days.
Yet, a nine-episode TV drama only had a budget of 100,000 yuan.
It was impossible not to feel a sense of superiority.
In fact, the film industry looked down on TV dramas at the time, viewing them as a big brother looking down on a little kid.
They knew TV dramas had potential, but they didn't take them seriously.
So later, when the film industry declined, some complained to the government: "Why didn't you stop the development of TV dramas in time?"
"We want to try something new, not like those model operas. But right now, the TV drama industry is lacking talent—directors, screenwriters, and actors are all in short supply. Our station can't rely solely on 'Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp.' I heard the screenwriter is a young guy, and he might have some fresh ideas. I want to give him a shot."
"He's not in Beijing; he's in Henan."
"That's fine. Just leave his contact information."
"Alright, I'll have him come back and meet you."
"Thank you, Old Factory Director!"
After Wang Fulin left, Wang Yang scratched his head.
That brat had become a hot commodity!
...
Hong Kong, Great Wall Company's employee dormitory.
Night had fallen, and the room was dimly lit.
Fu Qi lay on a sofa, holding a letter in his hand, his eyes closed as if deep in thought.
After a while, he opened his eyes and glanced at the letter again.
The last line read:
"I wish to wield a three-foot sword, lend you my strength, and achieve unparalleled feats!"
It was hard to imagine these words came from a young man from the mainland.
Mainlanders saw Hong Kong as a paradise, a place everyone longed for.
Yet this guy said: "Old master! I admire your leftist ideals. I'm willing to give my all to help you crush them!"
Who was Fu Qi?
He was a man who had seen blood.
But due to the changing national policies and the need to unite Hong Kong, he had to play along.
In truth, he was like a warrior in his twilight years, no longer dreaming of grand ambitions.
Along with the letter, the young man had sent two scripts, some storyboards, and concept art, showing his sincerity.
Snap!
The lights suddenly brightened as Shi Hui walked into the bedroom, smiling.
"Still reading that letter?"
"Yeah. Looking at it makes me feel like we haven't been forgotten, that there are still people supporting us."
"But what can we do? We're powerless to act."
"We may not be able to do big things, but at least we can do something small in the world of film..."
Fu Qi paused, then continued, "A few days ago, I went to Guangzhou to watch 'Romance on Lushan Mountain.' Although it's filled with unification propaganda, some parts are quite innovative. Can you believe it's a romance film?"
"So, you're tempted?"
Shi Hui sat on the arm of the sofa, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.
The two had spent their lives together, growing old side by side.
"You've read those two scripts too. They're nothing like mainland or Hong Kong styles. The structure and themes are more like something from America. I have no idea how he wrote them. He must be a genius."
Fu Qi sighed.
"I had someone estimate the budget. It would only cost a few hundred thousand, which we can afford. We've been struggling to decide what to film anyway, so why not this one? What do you think?"
"What about the director and actors? The company doesn't have many people left. Even Ah Jing has left," Shi Hui said.
"There's a new wave of directors in Hong Kong, and they're desperate for opportunities. We can borrow some from Shaw Brothers. As for actors, this kind of film doesn't need big stars. It's manageable."
"How about giving Liu Xuehua and the others a try?"
"Yeah, that could work!"
Great Wall Films, once so glorious, was now in decline, with only a few old-timers holding it together.
Bao Qijing, known for her roles in "The Way We Are" and "Crossing Hennessy," grew up on the sets of Great Wall Films.
Her father, Bao Fang, was a famous director at Great Wall, and her brother, Peter Pau, went to Hollywood and won an Oscar for Best Cinematography for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
Bao Qijing had been with Great Wall since she was a child, naturally joining the company.
Before officially becoming a leftist, she had to undergo re-education among workers and peasants, so she spent a few months working in a textile factory in Guangdong.
Now 31, she had stayed with Great Wall during its hardest times but had recently left to join Rediffusion Television, later known as ATV.
She was the only one from the middle generation.
Fortunately, Great Wall's acting class had recruited a new batch of trainees.
These newcomers didn't care about leftist or rightist politics; they just wanted to break into the industry.
Among them were four beautiful young women who were being groomed for stardom, one of whom was Liu Xuehua.
Yes, the future star of Qiong Yao's dramas.
She was of leftist origin.
After a few years of mediocre success, she jumped to Shaw Brothers, where she also didn't make it big.
She then went to Taiwan to film TV dramas, and that's when she finally hit it big.
Fu Qi and Shi Hui were discussing how these four women could star in "Deadly Turns" and "Dark Descent."
As for the director, they planned to borrow someone from Shaw Brothers.
Run Run Shaw, that old fox, always hedged his bets.
While publicly opposing the leftists, he privately turned a blind eye when his directors helped the leftists make films.
For example, Wong Jing's father, Wong Tin-lam, had used a pseudonym to direct films for Great Wall.
Shaw Brothers had two eccentric directors who might be a good fit: one was Mou Tun-fei, whom Chen Qi favored (though he hadn't told Fu Qi and the others), and the other was Kuei Chih-hung.
Kuei Chih-hung had a wild imagination and a unique style.
Films like "Hex," "Bewitched," "The Imp," and "Hex vs. Witchcraft" were rare Hong Kong cult classics.
"Mom! Dad!"
Just then, a little girl around 10 years old ran over and threw herself into Fu Qi's arms, whining, "What are you doing? Can you play with me?"
"We're talking about work. Go play by yourself for now."
"Hmph~"
The little girl pouted.
She was a pretty child, with delicate features and big, watery eyes that would surely grow into captivating peach-blossom eyes.
She was their youngest daughter, Fu Mingxian.
"Alright, alright, we'll play with you!"
Unable to resist her, the two indulged their daughter, doting on her endlessly.
Later, when Fu Mingxian wanted to enter the entertainment industry, Fu Qi simply called Run Run Shaw, and she was signed to TVB, eventually playing Guo Fu in "The Condor Heroes."
After a while, Fu Mingxian ran off again.
Shi Hui watched her daughter leave and suddenly said, "She's getting older. Should we take her to Beijing sometime?"
"As our daughter, of course she should see Beijing, see Tiananmen Square!"
Fu Qi didn't hesitate.
Living in this era, many things had already changed.
...
"Romance on Lushan Mountain" had been showing for over a month, and by later standards, it should have been close to ending its run.
But back then, the first round of screenings wasn't even finished.
By modern standards, it would have been a blockbuster, grossing over 4 billion yuan.
But back then, the industry was too crude to accurately track box office numbers.
In August, summer was still in full swing.
The "Tai Chi" crew had finished filming in Xiaodian Village and Yesanpo, officially wrapping up production.
(End of chapter.)