Chapter 00145: Liao Gong
# Liao Gong
Chapter 145
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 145: Liao Gong
On January 1st of this year, the new Marriage Law came into effect, stipulating that the legal marriage age for men should not be earlier than 22 years old, and for women, not earlier than 20 years old.
The previous regulation, set in the 1950s, had the legal marriage age at 20 for men and 18 for women.
However, laws are one thing, and actual practices are another.
In rural areas, it was common for people to marry in their teens without registering their marriages officially, yet they still had children.
Decades later, this phenomenon still persists.
In these times, without the internet, identity information couldn’t be easily verified online.
It wasn’t uncommon for men who had made some money to marry a wife in one city and another in a different city, or even to openly bring several wives back to their village.
The village gossip was often tinged with envy, as it was seen as a sign of capability...
However, this varied by location.
For instance, in the capital city, especially for public figures, such practices were more complicated.
This year was also quite special.
…………
The China Film Association had been disbanded during the Cultural Revolution but resumed its work in 1978, renting the fourth floor of the main building of the Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio as its office.
The editorial departments of "Popular Cinema" and "World Cinema" were also located here, leading to a saying at the time: "Whether it's politically acceptable, send it to the Film Bureau; whether it's artistically good, send it to the fourth floor."
Just after the New Year, early one morning, 81-year-old Xia Yan personally came to the fourth floor.
He was the chairman of the Film Association.
In the Chinese cultural and artistic circles, there was a recognized ranking of the top figures: Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Lao She, and Cao Yu were generally considered the top six.
Xia Yan didn’t make the top six but was certainly within the top ten.
With Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, and Lao She having passed away, if the scope was limited to living figures, his status was even higher.
Xia Yan, now very thin, wearing reading glasses and leaning on a cane, sat silently waiting.
People began to arrive one after another, each startled upon entering and exclaiming, "Why have you come personally?"
"I didn’t expect you to be here!"
"I’ll call the secretary!"
His presence immediately elevated the meeting's status, and all the main leaders of the Film Association quickly gathered.
Xia Yan looked around and slowly said, "Since everyone is here, let me say a few words."
"Last year, the Hundred Flowers Awards received 500,000 votes, showing great enthusiasm from the public. However, some have pointed out that certain awards, like Best Cinematography, Art, Music, and Screenplay, were not accurately judged and perhaps shouldn’t be included in the Hundred Flowers Awards. Last year, during a meeting at the Western Hills, the Film Association proposed adding a professional award to complement the Hundred Flowers Awards. I agree with this. Moving the professional awards here and adjusting the Hundred Flowers Awards to only include Best Feature Film and Best Actor would be better."
"..."
As the elder spoke, no one interrupted, all listening respectfully.
He continued, "After several days of discussion with some comrades, we feel that this professional award should not be delayed and should be established this year. We’ve also tentatively thought of a name for your consideration. This year is the Year of the Rooster in the lunar calendar, symbolizing the rooster heralding the dawn and encouraging filmmakers to rise early and work hard. Therefore, we propose naming it the 'Golden Rooster Award.'"
"Great!"
"This name is excellent! The rooster heralding the dawn also symbolizes a hundred schools of thought contending!"
"This encourages us to strive forward and dedicate our lives to the prosperity of socialist cinema!"
As soon as the name Golden Rooster Award was mentioned, everyone praised it.
No one, including Xia Yan, could have imagined how this award would be criticized in the future.
Even as the Golden Horse Awards declined and the Golden Bauhinia Awards were banned, the Golden Rooster Awards failed to seize the opportunity to rise, instead declining alongside them, which was quite remarkable!
"When do you think would be the appropriate time to hold it?" someone asked.
"..."
Xia Yan pondered for a moment and sighed, "On May 23, 1942, Chairman Mao delivered his 'Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art,' stating that literature and art should serve the people. Nearly 40 years later, looking at the state of contemporary literature and art, I feel deeply ashamed. Let’s hold the awards on May 23, combining the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards, and make it a grand event."
"But time is tight; we don’t even have the award regulations yet!"
"That’s why I’m here, to tell you to hurry up and complete the task. Alright, I won’t delay your work any longer. Get to it immediately!"
After giving his instructions, Xia Yan left.
The Film Association staff immediately got busy, forming a special group to handle the matter, drafting award regulations, designing the trophy, selecting venues, films, and judges.
Time was indeed tight.
With the experience from the Hundred Flowers Awards, things were easier.
"Popular Cinema" would print ballots in the magazine, which readers would fill out, cut out, and mail back to the magazine office, counting as valid votes.
In the early days, the vote counts were genuine, truly reflecting the audience's choices, which was why the Hundred Flowers Awards were so prestigious in the 1980s.
Later, it became a mess, with no one knowing the real vote counts.
Domestic film awards, like football, were incredibly unpredictable.
…………
Near Beixinqiao San Tiao in the eastern part of the city, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and the China News Service were all located here.
Fu Qi came to the capital again, accompanied by Wang Yang.
Braving the cold wind and falling snow, they arrived at the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office compound.
After waiting in the office for a while, an elderly man entered, with a plump face, small eyes, and a humorous smile.
"Liao Gong!"
Wang Yang, not daring to claim any revolutionary seniority, greeted respectfully.
This man was Liao Chengzhi, the son of Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning.
"Oh? Xiao Wang is here too, what a rare guest!"
"Please sit down, or people will think I’m a bad host."
Liao Gong invited them to sit and said with a smile, "Usually, when Xiao Fu comes, it’s to discuss making films in Hong Kong. But with both of you here today, I can’t guess. The Beijing Film Studio isn’t under my jurisdiction."
"Please don’t joke, we’re here today to invite you to watch a film. We’ve brought the reel."
"Is it the martial arts film you mentioned?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Good, I happen to have time today. Let’s go take a look!"
Of course, this had been reported in advance, but he was just teasing.
The three of them went out to the compound’s small screening room.
Inside, Fu Qi handed the film reel to the projectionist.
With no outsiders present, Liao Gong was the highest-ranking official there.
This version was the final 108-minute "Tai Chi," longer than the common 90-minute films, mainly due to the extended final tower challenge scene.
"..."
The lights dimmed, the screen lit up, and the flickering images danced on the faces of the three men, with Fu Qi, at 51, being the youngest.
Liao Gong had once said that Chinese martial arts had two major schools: Shaolin and Tai Chi.
The leftists had made "Shaolin Temple," but before they could make a Tai Chi film, he passed away in 1983. Now, by a stroke of luck, this film had fulfilled that wish.
Being passionate individuals, they reacted to the film’s developments with clapping and occasional exclamations, standing up during the exciting fight scenes, and only at the end did they exhale with a sense of reluctant satisfaction.
Turning to Wang Yang and Fu Qi, Liao Gong praised them with a hint of surprise, "How did you manage to make this film? It doesn’t seem like your usual style?!"
(End of Chapter)