Chapter 00067: He Does Shaolin, I Do Tai Chi
# He Does Shaolin, I Do Tai Chi
Chapter 67
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 67: He Does Shaolin, I Do Tai Chi
The so-called Western swordsman naturally refers to the movie "The Swordsman in Double Flag Town."
This film is artistic, with swift and decisive action scenes that emphasize a sense of atmosphere.
Such a style wouldn't work well in mainland China, so Chen Qi wanted to enrich the fight scenes while keeping the story's framework intact.
Wang Yang listened and asked, "Are we going to shoot on location in the northwest?"
"Exactly! You can think of it as a Chinese Western. The desolate and majestic Loess Plateau, the rugged and unrestrained swordsmen of Guanzhong—it will definitely feel fresh to Hong Kong audiences, and even more so to foreigners."
"Sounds a bit mystical. What's the second story?" Wang Yang asked.
Chen Qi then began to talk about Li San, the Swallow.
Thanks to the spread of Hong Kong TV dramas, southern martial artists like Wong Fei-hung, Hung Hei-gun, Fong Sai-yuk, and Ip Man are very famous in mainland China.
However, northern martial artists are far less well-known, with only a few like Huo Yuanjia and Wang Wu, the Broadsword King, having any recognition.
Li San, the Swallow, is one of them.
In 1999, CCTV aired a highly popular TV series about him, starring Zhang Li, Lin Fangbing, and Li Qi.
Chen Qi designed him as a folk hero, robbing the rich to help the poor, resisting corrupt officials and foreigners—a figure that later generations would come to know well.
Wang Yang's eyes lit up as he listened, repeatedly saying, "This one works. Keep it as a backup. Go on!"
"The third one is Yang Luchan. He's a historical martial arts master, and his descendants are still alive. To avoid any trouble, we'll use a pseudonym—let's call him Yang Yuqian."
"Yang Yuqian is from Hebei, born into a wealthy family. He started practicing martial arts from a young age. Hearing about a master named Chen Zhengying in Chenjiagou, he went to seek him out as a teacher. However, the Chenjiagou Tai Chi style isn't taught to outsiders, so Yang had to find ways to learn in secret. During this time, he met Chen Zhengying's daughter, who becomes the female lead. The female lead falls for him at first sight, and her loyalty shifts to him. We can add some comedic elements here to lighten the mood. The two of them wander around Chenjiagou, playing and chasing each other, laughing and having fun. We should shoot the scenery beautifully, and it would be even better if we could add some music, maybe even write a song for it... Chen Zhengying discovers this and is furious. Just as he's about to cripple Yang Yuqian's martial arts, enemies show up. In the chaos, Yang saves the female lead, and Chen Zhengying forgives him, making an exception to take him as a disciple. Yang Yuqian is naturally talented and makes rapid progress. Chen Zhengying's enemies are based in the capital. One day, they attack again, using poisoned weapons to injure Chen Zhengying. Yang Yuqian heads north to the capital to find an antidote. It's during the Daoguang era, with opium dens everywhere and foreigners arriving in China, creating a bizarre and chaotic scene. The enemies are powerful, but Yang Yuqian manages to negotiate through a martial arts-loving prince. The enemies agree to set up a擂台 (lei tai, a martial arts challenge platform) to settle the score. Yang Yuqian defeats several top fighters, making a name for himself. In the end, he takes on disciples in the capital, aiming to strengthen the nation through martial arts and spread the practice of Tai Chi, which continues to this day!"
"..."
After listening, Wang Yang remained silent for a while, pacing around the room before saying, "You're really playing to their tastes. The national leaders love this kind of thing. Liao Gong loves Tai Chi, and Deng Gong loves it even more. Your intentions are too obvious."
"Last time Comrade Fu Qi came, he told us about Liao Gong's story. Liao Gong said Chinese martial arts are divided into two major schools: Shaolin and Tai Chi. Since someone has already made a movie about Shaolin, why don't we make one about Tai Chi?"
Chen Qi shrugged and said, "There's no other way. We have to consider the censorship issue first. If it doesn't pass, it doesn't matter what we shoot. Even if it does pass, there will always be people looking for trouble. So we have to play to their tastes. Besides, Tai Chi better represents Chinese martial arts. It has history, stories, and culture. Why wouldn't we make a movie about it?"
"But can you guarantee it will sell overseas?"
"Do you want me to sign a military order? Old Director, I'm only 19. I just want to earn some foreign exchange for the country. You can't put all the responsibility on my shoulders, can you?"
"Get out of here! If something goes wrong, I'll take the blame. It's not your turn yet!"
Wang Yang scolded him and then said, "I just get a bit impatient when I think about foreign exchange. Alright, tell me more about this Tai Chi idea."
"You have good connections. Can you find out if we can use Yang Luchan as the prototype? I heard their family's graves were destroyed. This movie will be purely about martial arts. The story just needs to make sense, but there are two key points: one is to showcase the beautiful scenery, and the other is to have exciting fight scenes. I suggest hiring a martial arts choreographer from Hong Kong. They have more experience and can design better action sequences."
"That's tough! Any other ideas?"
"One last thing—how much involvement will you allow me to have?" Chen Qi suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
Wang Yang was taken aback but quickly understood, looking at him with interest.
The film studio is a place where seniority matters.
Newcomers spend three years doing odd jobs, three years as assistants, and another three years as assistant directors.
It takes ten years before they get a chance to direct a movie—unless they come from a prestigious family, like Tian Zhuangzhuang, who had already directed four short films while still in school.
"You want to be a director? Don't even think about it. Even if you had extraordinary talent and I had extraordinary power, I couldn't make you a director. There are hundreds of people in the studio watching!"
"No, no, I don't want to be a director..."
Chen Qi wanted to say "producer," but then he remembered that there's no such title in mainland China.
So he said, "If possible, could I have a role as a planner? I'd be satisfied just being able to give input during the production process."
"Planner?"
Wang Yang clicked his tongue.
This kid still has big ambitions, but since he's going to use him, he'll have to take on the corresponding risks and responsibilities.
That's something he can handle.
But for now, he didn't say anything, only replying, "You write the script. I'll look into the other things first. Oh, and I think the Li San, the Swallow idea is good too. Write that one when you have time."
"You're really piling on the pressure. I'm already swamped with work. Anyway, I think we should move quickly, preferably before 'Shaolin Temple' comes out, so we don't look like we're just following the trend."
After finishing the conversation, Chen Qi left.
As he clattered down the stairs, he felt a bit excited.
The story of Yang Yuqian is largely inspired by the TV series "Tai Chi Master" starring Wu Jing.
He picked and chose, streamlined the plot, added some of his own ideas, and condensed it into a movie.
Liao Gong was right.
Although Chinese martial arts are diverse, the most famous are Shaolin and Tai Chi.
Tai Chi has a significant following overseas, with many foreigners coming to China to study it.
Even Keanu Reeves made a movie called "Man of Tai Chi," though it was a flop.
Compared to Shaolin, there are far fewer movies about Tai Chi, but the genre has always had a market overseas, which aligns perfectly with Chen Qi's goal of earning foreign exchange: it can sell!
As for how much it can sell, with the national foreign exchange reserves at only 840 million USD, if his movie could earn 3 million USD, he'd be a hero!
Back at the guesthouse, Chen Qi finally felt a bit of work pressure.
He had to write "Tai Chi Master," and "Romance on Lushan Mountain" was still in production.
Thankfully, he had finished the first half of "Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs" and handed the second half to Liang Xiaosheng, or else he'd be overwhelmed.
"Write, write, you brought this on yourself!"
"Who told you to have such a red heart?"
Chen Qi cracked his neck and instantly switched into work mode.
(End of chapter.)