Chapter 00186: Tai Chi Sets Another Record
# Tai Chi" Sets Another Record
Chapter 186
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 186: "Tai Chi" Sets Another Record
"Judge Bao" was being filmed steadily and without any major issues.
Chen Qi stayed holed up in his room, working on his own script.
Occasionally, he would visit the set to check on things and meet with the main creative team.
Li Po had grown a thick beard, darkened his face, and donned a set of official robes in the style of traditional opera.
With his dignified stride, he truly resembled Jin Chaoqun, the iconic actor who played Judge Bao.
One of the defining features of Jin Chaoqun's version of "Judge Bao" was its heavy use of traditional opera elements, which, despite being rigid and formulaic, produced an exceptionally good effect.
Chen Daoming, in his twenties, looked every bit the part of a scholarly gentleman with a few strands of long beard attached to his face, resembling Gongsun Ce, the wise advisor to Judge Bao.
However, Chen Qi wasn’t particularly interested in him.
While Chen Daoming had some acting range in his younger days, after playing Emperor Kangxi, all his performances seemed to carry the same tone, which Chen Qi found unbearable.
"Brother Qi!"
"Call me President Chen!"
"President Chen!"
On this day, Zhang Guangbei finally seized the opportunity to approach Chen Qi when he came to visit the set.
With a loud *thud*, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I was blind and didn’t recognize your greatness before. I apologize for my earlier rudeness!"
"Enough, you’ve already said that once. Do I seem like the petty type? If I were, would I have given you a role?"
"Yes, yes! You’re as magnanimous as a prime minister!"
Zhang Guangbei’s expression instantly shifted, and he broke into a wide grin.
There was no helping it—Chen Qi was someone he couldn’t afford to offend back then, and now he was even more untouchable.
"By the way, has your amateur acting class started yet?"
"Yes, yes! Classes began in early March."
"Doesn’t that interfere with your filming schedule?"
"Many of my classmates have jobs, so the school holds classes after work hours, like a night school. There’s this guy named Li Chengru and another named Zhu Lin—wow, they’re so envious of me! Hehe, I’m the only one with a role to play!"
Zhang Guangbei was quite the character.
Chen Qi shook his head and offered some advice: "You’re playing Ma Han, one of the four guards of Kaifeng Prefecture. Honestly, it’s not a role with much screen time. Try to stick close to Judge Bao whenever you can, even if it’s just standing behind him. I’ll talk to Director Yang and see if we can get you a few more shots."
"Ah! You’re truly my savior! If there’s anything you need in the future, just say the word, and I’ll go through fire and water for you!"
Zhang Guangbei was so excited that he nearly prostrated himself on the spot, ready to declare, "I’ve wandered half my life, regretting never meeting a true master…"
Alright, alright!
Chen Qi waved him off.
He was just here for some entertainment.
…………
On March 27th, Mao Dun passed away at the age of 85. Among the six literary giants—Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Lao She, and Cao Yu—another one had left, leaving only Ba Jin and Cao Yu.
Cao Yu would pass away in 1996 at the age of 86, while Ba Jin lived the longest, passing away in 2005 at the age of 101.
Also at the end of March, the China Film Group held its second-quarter film screening event.
Representatives from provincial film companies across the country gathered in Beijing.
Following the usual procedure, they first watched the films, then placed orders for copies to determine what audiences would be watching in the second quarter.
"Hahaha!"
"Haha!"
"This is so funny!"
In the screening room, half of the audience was laughing, while the other half frowned.
Those laughing were mostly representatives from central and northern provinces, while the frowning ones were from the south.
The film was called "Xi Ying Men" (A Happy Family), a story about a large family in a northern rural village.
The director had gone deep into the countryside to gather material, and the authenticity of these elements created many humorous moments that resonated with the audience.
However, due to regional differences, the reactions varied between the north and south.
After the film’s release, the director conducted surveys in different regions: in Shanghai, the audience laughed 40 to 50 times; in Jinan, 70 to 80 times; in Yantai, over 100 times; and in rural areas, the laughter reached 170 to 180 times…
It was like southerners watching the Spring Festival Gala or northerners watching slapstick comedy.
"Xi Ying Men" was a classic rural-themed film of the 1980s, though it was mentioned less frequently in later years compared to films like "Romance on Lushan Mountain."
After the screening, the representatives immediately tallied their orders.
Each provincial representative wrote down the number of copies they wanted to order, which were then collected by the China Film Group representative.
The final count brought a smile to everyone’s face: "Xi Ying Men," 35mm copies, 241 in total!""Over 200! Not bad!""Yes, yes! This is the first film this year to break 200, right?""China Film Group is making a killing again!"The representatives whispered among themselves, though inwardly they were thrilled. A good film meant more orders, which meant more box office revenue. While China Film Group had a monopoly on distribution, these provincial film companies had a monopoly on the market. After all, most cinemas across the country were owned by these provincial film companies. County-level companies managed county cinemas, city-level companies managed city cinemas, and provincial-level companies managed cinemas across the entire province. There were barriers between cities and provinces, and each could decide how to screen films without any nationwide cinema chains."Let’s all go for lunch.
We’ll continue in the afternoon!"After a short break, the screenings resumed. All the representatives were in high spirits, even those with stomachaches held it in, as they eagerly watched the screen. The much-talked-about"Tai Chi,"which had been making waves abroad, had finally returned to China. Time flew by, and after 108 minutes, everyone was left wanting more, still staring at the screen as if they could squeeze out another five minutes. Only when the lights came on did they collectively sigh."It lives up to its reputation!""I’m convinced, completely bowled over!""This is on a completely different level from domestic films.
How did they make this?""Alright, alright, let’s start filling out the orders!"The China Film Group representative wore a deadpan expression. Unlike"Xi Ying Men,"the number of copies sold for"Tai Chi"didn’t affect them directly—it was all going to the"Eastern Factory."Yes, the Eastern Factory! The Beijing Film Studio, Shanghai Film Studio, Changchun Film Studio… the Oriental Culture and Arts Co., Ltd., nicknamed the"Eastern Factory,"had quietly gained this moniker, and everyone was envious and jealous of that"Eunuch Chen"!"How many should we order?"The provincial representatives hesitated, writing and rewriting their numbers. Suddenly, the representative from Henan gritted his teeth, wrote down a number, closed his eyes, and handed it over, as if he didn’t dare to look."Holy cow!"The China Film Group representative was shocked. Had Henan gone mad? Once you bought the copies, there were no refunds. If the film didn’t perform well, the money would be wasted. They were betting big on"Tai Chi"being a massive hit, especially since Chenjiagou, the birthplace of Tai Chi, was in Henan."Here you go!""This is mine!""Ah, forget it, this is it.
Here you go!"One by one, the representatives handed in their orders. The China Film Group representative tallied them up, then paused, recounting twice before loudly asking,"Is anyone making changes? Are these the final numbers?""Any last changes?""Then I’ll announce it!"He swallowed hard, his voice trembling:"Tai Chi, 35mm copies, 480 orders!!!"Boom! It was like a bomb had been dropped. Everyone was stunned. After a brief silence, the room erupted in chatter:"Are you serious? 480 copies? No Chinese film has ever had that many copies before!""How many did 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' have? 360?""No, they added 20 more later, totaling 380!""Good heavens! That’s 100 more copies in one go! Is the Beijing Film Studio going to become the king of the mountain?""Old Wang is so damn lucky! Where did he find such a treasure? Why didn’t he give it to our Emei Film Studio!""…"The China Film Group representative had no interest in further discussion. He waved everyone off and hurried to the Film Bureau, slapping the order sheet on the leader’s desk."480 copies?! Are you sure?""Absolutely sure.
What should we do?""What do you mean, what should we do? If the numbers are correct, follow the usual procedure!""That means we have to give that kid 4.32 million yuan! (9,000 yuan per copy)""Haven’t you caused enough trouble already? Are you trying to weasel out of paying? Don’t come crying to me later!""…"The China Film Group representative gritted his teeth and accepted it. He then asked,"Should we send out all the copies at once, or do it like 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' and start with 200?"The leader stood up, paced around the room for a while, then waved his hand decisively:"We were too stingy with 'Romance on Lushan Mountain,' and people laughed at us for a long time.
This time, send out all 480 copies!"(Note:"Shaolin Temple" also had 480 copies.
The numbers in this chapter are based on real data or slightly exaggerated, but not made up.)
That’s it for today.
Back to three chapters tomorrow…
(End of Chapter)