Chapter 00187: Tai Chi 2
# Tai Chi 2
Chapter 187
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 187: Tai Chi 2
The main building, third floor.
Jiang Huaiyan, the director of the literature department, pushed open the door to a room.
It was about twenty square meters, and the items inside had just been moved out.
A few newspapers were scattered on the floor, and a potted plant sat abandoned on the windowsill.
"This is the room we cleared out for you. Take a look. If you're not satisfied, we don’t have any other space available."
"I’m satisfied, I’m satisfied. This room is great. It’s close to the literature department, so I can chat with everyone during breaks," Chen Qi said with a smile.
"So, it’s settled then?"
"Sure, it’s settled!"
"Then when you have time, make a sign and nail it up. From now on, this will be the Eastern Culture and Arts Co., Ltd.!"
Chen Qi had been appointed as the overseer of the Eastern Factory, but the higher-ups only provided policies.
They weren’t going to handle everything for him like his parents would.
What would be the point of him then? So, he had to take care of things like office space and staffing himself.
Though he wasn’t officially part of the Beijing Film Studio, he had long considered it his home.
Setting up his office here would make things more convenient.
Of course, he now had an equal partnership with the studio.
He would have to pay rent for using this room.
This included fees for using the studio’s name, hiring staff for filming, daily subsidies, accommodations, post-production, and so on.
All of this would have to be paid to the Beijing Film Studio...
This was also his way of repaying Wang Yang, giving the studio an extra source of income and boosting its reputation.
He was willing to pay this money.
Now that he had his own company, he had to be careful with his budget.
For filming in the mainland, there were two quotas, and co-productions weren’t restricted.
He wanted to hire as many mainland personnel as possible because they were cheaper.
Hong Kong labor was just too expensive.
This coincided with the era of reform and opening up.
The "three supplies and one compensation" enterprises in Guangdong were booming.
What did "three supplies and one compensation" mean? It referred to the transfer of Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry to the mainland, where the mainland provided favorable policies, cheap land, and labor.
The film industry was no different.
After checking out the office, Chen Qi left the main building and headed to the soundstage to watch the filming of *Judge Bao*.
"The Imperial Sword is bestowed by the royal family, and the royal family can take it back!"
"Empress Dowager, do you know that the emperor’s words are not to be taken lightly?"
They were filming the scene where Chen Shimei was to be executed.
The actors, after some time working together, were getting more into their roles.
Li Po and the actress playing the Empress Dowager were both seasoned performers, and the tension in the scene was palpable.
Yang Jie, the director, was applauding enthusiastically.
Zhou Jie, who played the princess, knelt on the ground, crying and pleading with the Empress Dowager before turning to scold Judge Bao: "Judge Bao! If you execute my husband, the child in my womb will become fatherless!"
"Princess! Didn’t you just want Qin Xianglian’s children to become orphans too?"
Li Jianqun, who played Qin Xianglian, knelt on the ground in mourning clothes, looking pitiful and delicate.
In some ways, she had the aura of a Qiong Yao heroine, as if she were born to play the role of a tragic widow.
"Ah!"
Chen Qi muttered to himself as he watched.
The princess was being ridiculous.
Instead of crying and making a scene, she should have accepted Qin Xianglian and her two children.
That way, she could have saved Chen Shimei’s life and shown the magnanimity of the royal family.
A family of five living happily together would have been the best outcome...
He continued to mutter, as if the script had nothing to do with him.
As he watched Li Jianqun, he thought her acting was decent but only passable.
He wondered how he could keep her around after *Judge Bao* wrapped up in three months.
Should he bring her into his company as an art director?
But his little company didn’t have much clout.
It only had the reputation of earning foreign exchange.
These days, everyone wanted to work for prestigious organizations.
Alternatively, he could give her a role in another film, let her continue acting, or have her design costumes for the next movie.
Gradually, they could build trust, and then she might join the company.
"Xiao Chen?"
"Xiao Chen!"
Just as he was thinking, someone suddenly rushed in.
Chen Qi looked up and saw Shi Dongming, a staff member from the Film Bureau who was responsible for liaising with him.
Shi pulled Chen Qi aside to a quiet spot.
"What’s up?"
"The orders for *Tai Chi* have come in. Guess how many?"
"Over 400?"
"Wow, how did you know? A whopping 480! This is unprecedented!"
Shi Dongming was visibly excited.
"That’s 4.32 million yuan. According to the higher-ups, this money will be your startup capital. Damn, kid, you’ve hit the jackpot—over 4 million in one go!"
"Be precise, be precise. This is the company’s money. I’m just a humble servant of the people."
"Anyway, you’re in a great position now. The money will be transferred to the company’s account, and then you can start operating... Oh, have you found office space yet?"
"Yep, right here in the studio."
"Good, that’s convenient. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll head out now."
After Shi Dongming left, Chen Qi rubbed his nose.
The higher-ups were clever—they didn’t spend a dime and ended up with a company.
This money was essentially a joint contribution from provincial film companies and China Film Group, serving as his startup capital.
4.32 million yuan was no small sum.
He needed to figure out how to make the most of it.
…………
Some time later, Chen Qi finished writing the script for the martial arts film.
It was straightforward—he called it *Tai Chi 2*.
Since *Tai Chi* had been such a hit, it would be a waste not to continue the story.
He wasn’t just cashing in on a sequel; he structured the story similarly to the *Once Upon a Time in China* trilogy.
He had considered making *Once Upon a Time in China*, but Jet Li was too young and hadn’t yet developed the aura of a grandmaster.
Waiting ten years to film it? That was out of the question.
Who had that kind of time?
The character Yang Yuqian was based on Yang Luchan, but the timeline was intentionally vague and didn’t strictly follow Yang Luchan’s real-life story.
*Tai Chi 2* picked up where the first film left off.
Yang Yuqian, along with Chen Shaomei and Chen Shaojie, had established themselves in the capital, opening a martial arts school and making a name for themselves.
They taught martial arts to soldiers and officials and befriended a young military officer named Nalan Yuanshu!
At first, Yang Yuqian and Nalan Yuanshu shared the same ideals—they believed in strengthening the body through martial arts to strengthen the nation.
But as Western powers invaded and the Boxer Rebellion rose, the country was thrown into chaos.
The imperial court, the people, and the nation as a whole were in turmoil.
Yang Yuqian witnessed the complexities of the world, and one friend in particular had a profound influence on him.
This friend was Tan Sitong.
Under Tan Sitong’s influence, Yang Yuqian saw a new path in the darkness—reform!
As a martial artist, he didn’t fully grasp the intricacies of reform, but he deeply resonated with the idea.
This created a rift between him and Nalan Yuanshu, who was a staunch traditionalist.
After a series of conflicts, Yang Yuqian ultimately fought Nalan Yuanshu to protect Tan Sitong.
Tan Sitong could have escaped, but he chose to stay: "Reform in every country has been achieved through bloodshed. Today, China has yet to see anyone shed blood for reform. This is why our nation is not thriving. If it must be so, let it begin with me!"
Yang Yuqian had no choice but to save Tan Sitong’s students, who represented the seeds of hope.
This structure was inspired by *Once Upon a Time in China 2*, where Wong Fei-hung meets Sun Yat-sen, elevating his thinking from mere physical strength to a higher ideological level.
Chen Qi moved the timeline forward, making it Yang Yuqian who meets Tan Sitong.
If he wanted, he could have added a detail:
Among Tan Sitong’s students were Cai E and Yang Changji.
Cai E later had a student who became Zhu De, and Yang Changji also had a student, well...
But given the sensitive political climate, writing that might have been risky.
Chen Qi didn’t want to push his luck.
This ideological thread served as the backbone of the story, but it couldn’t be overly emphasized.
After all, the martial arts were the flesh and blood of the film.
The audience came for the action, not a history lesson.
So, Chen Qi glossed over historical figures like Yuan Shikai, Liang Qichao, and Empress Dowager Cixi, focusing the main conflict on Yang Yuqian and Nalan Yuanshu.
The fight scenes had to be spectacular—they were what guaranteed the film’s appeal.
"I’ll have to invite the Yuan brothers up north. I promised them a script, and I can’t just use them and then forget about them. Tsk tsk..."
Chen Qi muttered to himself, adding another task to his workload.
He scratched his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed, but there was no way around it.
He’d have to become a writing machine and finish the script for the Yuan brothers.
At least it would bring in some money.
(End of Chapter)