Chapter 00058: Fu Qi and Shi Hui
# Fu Qi and Shi Hui
Chapter 58
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 58: Fu Qi and Shi Hui
In the second year of the reform and opening-up, under the sign of the Earthly Branch Jiwei, in the golden autumn of the capital, a grand assembly was held in the main hall of the Great Hall of the People.
Scholars and dignitaries, young and old, gathered together...
The day was clear and bright, with a gentle breeze that soothed the soul.
The surrounding areas had already been cordoned off, and representatives arrived in batches from their residences.
They exchanged pleasantries and took group photos in the square, answered media questions, and waited to enter the venue.
Hou Baolin arrived with his son Hou Yaowen, who, working at the Railway Art Troupe, had deliberately worn his work uniform.
Speaking of Hou Yaowen, oh my, he looked exactly like Xie Dong, as if they were brothers from the same father.
Jiang Kun and Li Wenhua also came, as they were scheduled to perform at the evening banquet.
Jiang Kun was only 29 years old.
Wang Wenjuan, who played Lin Daiyu in Yue opera, was chatting with Chang Xiangyu, who sang Yu opera.
Chang Xiangyu was 56 years old and had toured the country during the Korean War, donating a MiG-15 fighter jet.
After her death, she was posthumously awarded the title of "People's Artist" by the State Council.
The current "Little Xiangyu" is her step-granddaughter.
Tsedan Zhoma, the Tibetan singer known for "Sing a Mountain Song to the Party" and "On the Golden Mountain of Beijing," was chatting with Qiao Yu, the lyricist of "Let Us Row the Oars" and "My Motherland."
The composer Liu Chi was laughing beside them.
Moreover, literary giants like Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Ai Qing, and Xia Yan made their appearances one after another...
"Ha!"
Jiang Huaiyan, as the head of the Literature Department at Beijing Film Studio, was also in attendance, though he was yawning incessantly, looking quite tired.
"What's wrong, Director Jiang? Too excited and couldn't sleep well last night?" Liu Xiaoqing teased.
"I was reading a book and before I knew it, I stayed up all night."
"What book could be so captivating?"
"Xiao Chen's new work!"
"Oh? Xiao Chen has written something new?"
"What is it? What's the story?"
Hearing it was Xiao Chen's work, many gathered around, but upon learning it was a martial arts story, they lost interest and dispersed.
Wang Yang overheard and asked, "He wrote a martial arts novel?"
"Yes, and it was published in some 'Story Collection.' Objectively speaking, this story is very suitable for making into an entertainment film."
"Bring it to me to read when we get back."
As they spoke, it was time to enter the venue.
The two straightened their clothes, stood tall, and assumed solemn expressions.
For them, as well as for any cultural worker, this conference was of extraordinary significance.
They all sensed that the environment would further relax, and a true spring was about to arrive.
Over three thousand people entered in batches, walking into the hall adorned with a giant red star overhead.
Wang Yang looked around, searching for someone he wanted to see.
Suddenly, he spotted them and signaled from afar.
The other person nodded slightly and sat in the area designated for the Hong Kong delegation.
Quite a few people had come from Hong Kong this time.
The most eye-catching was undoubtedly Xia Meng.
Originally from Shanghai, she moved to Hong Kong with her family in 1947 and joined the Great Wall Movie Company as an actress, quickly becoming a star and known as the "First Princess" of the "Three Princesses of Great Wall."
In 1966, she moved to Canada, married, had children, and started a clothing factory.
She had retired from acting but couldn't resist the mainland's enthusiastic invitation to attend this cultural conference.
At 46, she still had a graceful figure, wearing a fashionable yet dignified black bolero and amber-tinted glasses.
The most widely circulated story about her is that Jin Yong was infatuated with her, even joining the Great Wall Company as a screenwriter just to pursue her.
However, unrequited love is like flowers falling into flowing water.
Xia Meng became Jin Yong's unattainable muse, her image evolving into various characters in his martial arts novels, such as Little Dragon Girl.
Jin Yong did work as a screenwriter at Great Wall, but whether it was for Xia Meng remains unknown.
Although Xia Meng didn't marry Jin Yong, they maintained a good private relationship.
When she later invested in filmmaking, she asked Jin Yong to name the movie, resulting in "Boat People."
Now, she sat there, serene and elegant, attracting the gazes of many mainland colleagues.
After all, she was quite legendary.
But what mainland filmmakers were more focused on was the couple sitting not far from her, the ones who had nodded to Wang Yang.
…………
"We must adhere to the policy of letting a hundred flowers bloom, making the old serve the new, using foreign methods for Chinese purposes, and applying ancient wisdom to modern times. In artistic creation, we should encourage the free development of different forms and styles, and in artistic theory, we should promote the free discussion of different viewpoints and schools."
Cultural conferences are always high-profile, with leaders attending in groups.
At this moment, a leader sat on the high platform at the front, delivering the opening speech.
Above him hung a portrait of the Chairman.
"Cultural work, being a complex mental labor, greatly requires artists to exert their individual creative spirit. What to write and how to write should only be explored and gradually resolved by artists in their artistic practice. In this regard, there should be no undue interference..."
When he said "no undue interference," he emphasized it strongly, and the entire hall erupted in thunderous applause.
This was the core idea of this cultural conference.
Further loosening the reins on the cultural sector, so many were exclaiming that spring had arrived!
"Clap clap clap!"
Wang Yang also clapped vigorously below.
Beijing Film Studio had been severely affected in previous years, producing only one or two films annually.
Last year, production finally resumed, resulting in eight films.
This year, there were seven films, and he believed next year would be even more productive.
More importantly, the variety should be richer; he had always wanted to make entertainment films.
After the main leader spoke, the second leader took the stage.
This second leader was a good friend of Liu Shaotang...
Then Mao Dun spoke.
At 83, he was frail and would pass away two years later.
In short, the conference lasted a whole day, followed by a banquet in the evening.
The next day was another big meeting, with activities in the evening...
It wasn't until the fourth day that Wang Yang finally caught his breath and could return to the studio to rest.
...
Beijing Film Studio.
Early that morning, Wang Yang was pacing back and forth in his office.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and someone came in to report: "Director, they've arrived!"
"Quick, invite them in!"
"No, no, I'll go down to greet them!"
The 63-year-old Wang Yang walked briskly, quickly descending the stairs.
Sure enough, he saw a man and a woman approaching.
The man was in his fifties, slim and tall.
The woman was in her forties, her face showing some wrinkles but her features still bright and elegant, striking yet unpretentious.
"Comrade Fu Qi!"
"Comrade Shi Hui!"
"Old Wang, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
Fu Qi laughed heartily, stepping forward with a brisk pace and extending his hand to shake Wang Yang's firmly.
Shi Hui also smiled, speaking in a soft Wu dialect: "Seeing you still so spirited puts our minds at ease."
"I should be the one saying that. Seeing you both well also puts my mind at ease!"
Wang Yang also shook Shi Hui's hand firmly, feeling quite emotional.
In fact, before Hong Kong's return, many mainland enterprises had already established roots there, such as branches of the Bank of China, China Travel Service, China Resources, China Merchants, and mainland-backed newspapers like Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po.
Additionally, there were three film companies—Great Wall, Phoenix, and Sun Luen—as well as a cinema chain, all equivalent to state-owned enterprises rooted in Hong Kong.
Fu Qi was a famous actor and director at Great Wall, highly respected.
Shi Hui was also a renowned actress.
In 1967, a plastic flower factory in Hong Kong treated its workers too harshly, sparking a wave of strikes.
Workers gathered in the streets, confronting the police...
The situation escalated, turning into a storm that lasted half a year.
Fu Qi and Shi Hui were among the leaders.
They were first arrested and imprisoned, and later the British Hong Kong government wanted to send them to Taiwan.
They declared, "Whoever sends us to Taiwan will get a corpse in return!"
The British Hong Kong government then deported them back to the mainland, but they stood at the Luohu Bridge, refusing to leave.
In the end, they had no choice but to imprison them for a year...
It's best not to say too much; those interested can look it up themselves.
As for the Three Princesses of Great Wall!
Xia Meng chose to protect herself and went to Canada, which was understandable.
She later returned to bridge the gap between mainland and Hong Kong cinema.
The third princess, Chen Sisi, was a romantic.
She ran off with a man but later returned and even participated in the Spring Festival Gala.
The second princess, Shi Hui, and her husband Fu Qi stayed behind, not leaving even during Great Wall's most difficult times.
By the 1980s, they were still contributing, only retiring in the early 1990s.
They had a daughter named Fu Mingxian, who played Guo Fu in the Louis Koo and Carman Lee version of "The Condor Heroes."
(End of chapter...)