Chapter 00015: The North Film Studio
# The North Film Studio
Chapter 15
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 15: The North Film Studio
"Creak!"
The sun had just begun to set in the west as Chen Qi pushed open the courtyard gate, clattering as he carried his bicycle out.
Yu Xiuli, perhaps fearing he might starve, had not only brought a large bag of clothes but also a jumble of snacks.
His parents had gone to great lengths to exchange for various ration coupons and had even slipped him thirty yuan.
It wasn't yet time for people to return from work, so the Hutong was unusually quiet, with only an elderly man watching from a distance.
Chen Qi glanced back.
He had lived here for half a month, and though he didn't have deep feelings for the place, there was still a tinge of melancholy.
He sighed inwardly, "I guess I've finished the beginner's village. Time to move on to the next map!"
"Let's go!"
Without lingering, he hopped on his bike and rode off.
By the time he passed through the Dashilan area, his mood had already lifted, and he began humming a children's song: "Big Head Son and Little Head Dad, a pair of good friends, a happy father and son..."
He recalled how, as a child, he had always thought Big Head Son's mother was called "Grievance Mom," only to later realize it was "Apron Mom."
It was all because there were no subtitles back then.
Their neighbor was called Old Wang.
Ten kilometers wasn't exactly close, and it would take a while to ride.
In those days, anything outside Beijing's Second Ring Road was considered the countryside, but Haidian was different.
It was bustling with universities, and the area was lively with people coming and going.
The buildings were also quite impressive.
"Teacher Liang!"
When Chen Qi arrived at the North Film Studio gate, Liang Xiaosheng was already waiting.
"Be careful, be careful! Why are you carrying so much stuff?"
"My mom worries too much."
"Actually, we have everything here. Come down first, and I'll give you a quick tour."
Chen Qi got off his bike and pushed it inside, glancing at the gatekeeper, who didn't recognize him as the guy who had given him half a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes.
The old man just smiled foolishly.
The North Film Studio was quite large.
The first thing Chen Qi noticed was three buildings.
In the center was the main building, painted in red and white with a Soviet-style architecture, three and a half stories tall.
The Literature Department and the "Film Creation" editorial office were on the third floor.
There were also two auxiliary buildings: the recording and editing building, and the film processing building.
"Behind the main building is the soundstage. All the logistical facilities are over there. I'll take you to the guesthouse first."
Liang Xiaosheng led him around.
Chen Qi had been to the North Film Studio in his previous life, but many of the buildings he remembered weren't there yet.
For example, the Ming-Qing style street, built in 1981 for the film "Rickshaw Boy," which later expanded into a full street.
There was also the Rongning Mansion, built in 1986 for the film adaptation of "Dream of the Red Chamber."
At that time, the TV series version was also being filmed, with Chen Xiaoxu and Zhang Li deeply immersed in their roles...
And then there was the row of bungalows near the iron fence, which hadn't been built yet.
In 1997, Feng Xiaogang had temporarily lived there while filming "The Dream Factory."
"That's the dormitory building over there, and that's the bathhouse and cafeteria. The soundstage is to the north, and the guesthouse is just beyond it."
Liang Xiaosheng brought him to a seven-story building and smiled, "From the initial preparation of a film, all the crew—photographers, art directors, costume designers, prop masters—will stay here. They share rooms with eight people. Guess who gets a single room?"
"The director?"
"That's one. Who else?"
"The lead actor?"
"Regular actors also share rooms with eight people. Famous actors get double rooms. Only directors and screenwriters get single rooms. It's a tradition in all film studios across the country!"
Liang Xiaosheng suddenly felt a sense of pride, even though he wasn't a screenwriter.
"In our artistic circles, there's a saying: the director is the god of a film, and the screenwriter is second only to the god!"
Oh~~~
Chen Qi acted as if he was deeply honored.
In the later film and television industry, the biggest power was the investors, followed by their boyfriends, girlfriends, godchildren, and all sorts of other connections.
Having been tempered by this reality, Chen Qi remained unfazed.
As soon as they entered the guesthouse, a young girl came running down the stairs and greeted them:
"Teacher Liang!"
Chen Qi took a look.
She was thin and small, with naturally drooping eyes that gave her a somewhat melancholic appearance.
Her nose was quite large, and while she wasn't particularly beautiful, she had a certain charm.
She also looked somewhat familiar.
"Where are you off to?"
"I just finished a meeting and am heading home. Who's this?" The girl's voice was a bit sharp.
"This is Chen Qi. He's here to revise a script..."
Liang Xiaosheng introduced him warmly, smiling, "This is the youngest actor in our studio, only 18 years old. Her name is Cai Ming!"
Pfft!
Chen Qi almost lost control of his expression.
No wonder she looked familiar—it was Cai Ming! The Cai Ming who performed in skits.
Seeing 18-year-old Cai Ming standing in front of him felt incredibly awkward.
But the girl herself seemed completely unaware and extended her hand, "Hello! You're so young to be revising scripts. That's impressive. But I have to go now. Let's chat another time."
She skipped away.
"Doesn't she live in the dormitory?"
"She's a local. Her father is a university professor, and her mother is a chief physician. Why would she live in the dormitory? The dormitory is for single people, like me. I have a small single room."
Liang Xiaosheng sounded a bit envious.
Chen Qi continued, "Has she acted in any films?"
"She's been in three. She just got confirmed for her fourth."
"Oh, she's quite cute."
After saying that, he scratched his head.
The female stars he had seen were all like Zhu Lin, He Qing, and Chen Hong.
Those in the Hong Kong circle included Lin Qingxia, Zhao Yazhi, and Guan Zhilin.
Why did he have to meet Cai Ming? He wasn't Guo Da!
The room was number 302.
It was about ten square meters, with a single bed, a set of desk and chair, a wardrobe, a thermos and teacup on the desk, and an "East is Red" mirror hanging on the wall.
Below the mirror was a metal rack holding an enamel washbasin.
The kind of enamel basin every household had, with a big carp or peony pattern.
Each floor had a shared toilet, the kind found in school dormitories—old-fashioned with a long trough for urinals and a separate trough for toilets, divided by partitions.
Using the toilet felt like sitting in a row, sharing fruits.
Of course, there was no private bathroom, but Chen Qi was already quite satisfied.
In those days, having a single room was a luxury.
What more could he ask for? If he needed to go at night, the toilet was just outside, and he didn't have to deal with a chamber pot.
Chen Qi opened his large bag and started unpacking his clothes.
Liang Xiaosheng helped him enthusiastically and noticed he hadn't brought any books.
"I thought you'd bring some books to read. I was hoping to exchange some thoughts with you."
"The books at home are too old. I've read them countless times. I plan to buy some new ones. Actually, I prefer watching movies over reading. I know every film like the back of my hand."
"Really?"
"Of course. You can name any film, and I'll tell you who the lead actors are," Chen Qi said with a smile.
"Hmm..."
Liang Xiaosheng was clearly skeptical.
"Do you know the film 'Long Live the Wife' (a 1940s movie)?"
"Of course!"
"Who were the lead actors?"
"The man was called Xiao Shuai, and the woman was called Xiao Mei!"
"..."
The cultural garbage from decades later had struck this intellectual without warning.
Liang Xiaosheng's mind went blank for two seconds, completely unable to process the information.
After a pause, he tried again, "What about 'Our Land' (a Cuban film)? Who were the lead actors?"
"The man was called Da Zhuang, and the woman was still Xiao Mei."
Get out of here!
Liang Xiaosheng wanted to curse.
He gave up on the conversation and instead said, "As per tradition, we'll cover your food and lodging. But aside from the three daily meals, if you want to eat anything extra, you'll have to handle that yourself. Your daily living allowance is 2 yuan, and it will continue until your task is completed."
"Teacher Liang, can I ask how much my script fee will be?"
"That's still under discussion since the final draft hasn't been settled yet. Tomorrow morning, you can go directly to the cafeteria. After breakfast, come to the Literature Department in the main building. We'll have a meeting."
Liang Xiaosheng arranged everything and then added, "By the way, there's already a film crew on the third floor. The director is right next door to you. He's a senior in our studio and prefers quiet, so be mindful of that."
"Which senior director?"
"Director Chen Huaikai."
Wow!!!
Chen Qi's eyes lit up.
The father of the great director!
(End of chapter...)