Life at the Planning Center was remarkably laid-back.
A week had already passed since Chi Ying started working there, yet there were still many colleagues she hadn’t even met. The people she interacted with every day were just those few older sisters and young women in the office.
She was usually the first person to arrive each morning, mainly because she lived so close by. After cleaning her office and fetching hot water, the others would gradually come in. Since she was already making the trip, she would also fill the thermoses for the sisters’ offices.
The Planning Center only had a handful of people to begin with, and the offices upstairs and downstairs all belonged to organizations within the same government system. To her surprise, Chi Ying had even run into several senior schoolmates from the Beijing Film Academy, along with a number of respected veterans in the industry.
The China Film Research Center housed not only an extensive film archive and multimedia screening facilities, but also a graduate department and Modern Film, one of the country’s most prestigious academic film journals.
Chi Ying had even begun seriously considering whether she should pursue a master’s degree. After all, being so close gave her a natural advantage. She could work and study at the same time without either interfering with the other, and she’d earn another diploma in the process.
Late one morning, she was sitting in her office tapping away on the Pentium computer while casually slacking off a little, when Director Han suddenly appeared.
“Xiao Chi, go attend a meeting at the Bureau this afternoon.”
She looked at her in surprise. Someone as green as her was actually being sent to a Bureau meeting?
“Director Han, are you taking me there?” she asked uncertainly.
“No. I’m going to an event organized by the Federation of Literary and Art Circles this afternoon. The Bureau is holding a seminar on the commercialization of film. The discussion will revolve around last year’s New Year release, everyone will share their thoughts, and we’ll all express support for accelerating the commercialization of Chinese cinema.
“That’s the direction the higher-ups have set. You just go listen, learn something, and represent the Planning Center by showing your face.”
Hearing that, Chi Ying immediately understood.
She was simply there to make up the numbers and sing the praises. It was one of those routine meetings where everyone said pleasant things and kept everyone happy. Director Han couldn’t be bothered with that sort of social obligation, so she’d sent her little rookie in her place.
Unfortunately, what happened afterward proved that Director Han and the various leaders under the Film Bureau had greatly underestimated the situation.
At this point, the overwhelming majority of people in the film industry hadn’t yet changed their mindset. Traditional thinking still ran deep. They believed film was an art form and shouldn’t be ruined by a bunch of half-baked outsiders.
Beginning in 1997, however, Chinese cinema had already started showing signs of commercialization. The hottest director of the moment, Ma Yuanchao, had risen to fame through New Year’s films. One of his holiday releases at the end of last year had earned a domestic box office of thirty million yuan.
Thirty million yuan in the 1990s.
It was an almost unbelievable figure.
And that was achieved without any organized campaigns or mandatory group screenings. Ordinary people had voluntarily gone to theaters and bought tickets.
The private investor who had financed the film was grinning from ear to ear. Not only had he made an enormous profit, but he’d also earned widespread public acclaim. Ma Yuanchao’s reputation had officially been established.
None of that had anything to do with Chi Ying, though.
She only wanted to remain an inconspicuous nobody.
So when she arrived at the venue that afternoon, she noticed that only a handful of industry heavyweights had assigned nameplates on the stage, while the seating for everyone else wasn’t designated. Without hesitation, she quietly slipped into a seat in the far corner, opened her notebook, uncapped her fountain pen, and put on the appearance of a diligent student.
No one expected what was supposed to be a harmonious seminar to eventually turn into an all-out battlefield.
As the meeting began, several leading figures from China’s film industry took their seats on the stage, all smiling warmly.
The most prominent among them was Lei Dongming, chairman of Huaying Group, nicknamed “Big Cannon Lei.” He was genuinely academy-trained, one of the first classes admitted to the Beijing Film Academy after the college entrance examination was reinstated in the 1970s, and now served as Huaying Group’s vice chairman and general manager.
One important reason he was present today was because he had been the producer of that New Year’s blockbuster.
In his view, the film’s tremendous success marked the complete success of China’s first attempt at commercial filmmaking. He hoped to share that successful experience and encourage more Chinese filmmakers to join in so they could strengthen and expand China’s film industry together.
Besides, the intentions of the higher authorities were already crystal clear. They wanted to establish the direction going forward. Produce strong commercial films and prepare for China’s entry into the WTO.
After all, people had been talking for years about opening the market, warning that “the wolves are coming.” But once the domestic theater market truly opened and Chinese films had to face the impact of European, American, and especially Hollywood blockbusters, no one could say with confidence that they would survive.
It was better to spend these few years honing their skills. The more abilities one possessed, the better. A blacksmith’s iron had to be strong before it could forge others. Otherwise, when the impact finally came, they’d only have themselves to blame when they were left crying over empty dinner tables.
The meeting began with opening remarks. Several members of the creative team spoke about the filmmaking process.
Then General Manager Lei gave an encouraging speech.
But when it finally came time for open discussion…
The atmosphere exploded.
The tone of the audience was completely at odds with the optimistic opening. Among those seated below the stage, supportive opinions were few while criticism dominated.
Some veteran filmmakers even dragged out accusations of “vulgarity” and “low taste.” Meanwhile, the faces of those sitting on the stage grew darker and darker. Ma Yuanchao nearly leaped to his feet several times before General Manager Lei physically held him back.
Chi Ying found the whole thing rather amusing.
Watching those elderly filmmakers gesticulating wildly and spraying saliva as they argued, she couldn’t help but feel dismissive. She remembered very clearly that, in her previous life, several of those same people had later thrown themselves into commercial ventures with less scruple than anyone else.
The room grew hotter and hotter.
In the end, Ma Yuanchao couldn’t hold back any longer and directly confronted them.
He firmly believed he’d done nothing wrong. He had humbled himself to make comedy films that others looked down upon. He had poured his heart and soul into creating movies that ordinary audiences genuinely enjoyed.
That was real ability.
So why were they condemning him as though he’d dug up their ancestral graves?
Ma Yuanchao had always been hot-tempered, which was precisely why he and Lei Dongming got along so well. Soon enough, Ma Yuanchao was verbally battling the entire room from the front, Lei Dongming was firing sarcastic remarks from behind him, while one of the Film Bureau’s deputy directors tried desperately to smooth things over.
The scene was extraordinarily lively.
Half the afternoon disappeared in arguments that accomplished absolutely nothing.
The meeting had been advertised as a “seminar on commercial films,” yet judging by the atmosphere, it had become an ideological struggle instead.
Feeling increasingly stifled, Chi Ying stayed curled up in her corner, absentmindedly scribbling in her notebook.
These people really had no idea what was coming.
Could they imagine that Chinese cinema would one day decline so badly that the government would have to step in and establish a Domestic Film Protection Month just to give local films a chance to breathe under the overwhelming pressure of Hollywood blockbusters?
Although the conference room had air conditioning, there were simply too many people, and the poor ventilation made it stuffy.
Chi Ying was just about to doze off.
Then someone on the stage suddenly called out, “The Planning Center? Is anyone here from the Planning Center?”
She immediately snapped awake.
Instinctively standing up, she answered respectfully, “I’m Chi Ying from the Planning Center. Director Han sent me to attend today’s meeting.”
The one who had called on her was none other than Lei Dongming.
He had grown utterly fed up with the relentless attacks from the conservatives. Just then, he’d noticed Chi Ying nodding off in the corner and had called on her as an excuse to interrupt the proceedings.
Seeing how promptly she responded, General Manager Lei smiled amiably.
“Let me introduce everyone. This is Chi Ying, one of the Planning Center’s newest staff members.”
“Although Xiao Chi was only assigned there this year, she’s one of the Beijing Film Academy’s most outstanding young talents. During university, she won numerous national awards. Two years ago, she even won the Gold Award at the China Youth Short Film Competition. I was the one who presented her with the award.”
“Her ten-minute short film Window received unanimous praise from two giants of our film industry, Elder Xie and Elder Wu.”
Chi Ying froze.
She hadn’t expected Lei Dongming to know so much about her. She certainly hadn’t imagined he’d even remember presenting her with an award after meeting her only once.
“Come on, Director Han isn’t here today, so why don’t you speak on behalf of the Planning Center? We’d also like to hear what the fresh blood in our industry has to say.”
Before she could respond, the very person who had been leading the criticism earlier spoke up unhappily.
“General Manager Lei, we’re discussing a very serious matter here. What could a little girl like her possibly know?”
The moment Ma Yuanchao heard that, his spirits shot right up.
“Hey, hey, hey! That’s going too far. Our Chairman said decades ago that women hold up half the sky! What, just because she’s a woman means she’s not even allowed to speak?”
Chi Ying felt a flicker of anger herself.
She had never wanted to get dragged into this mess.
But she hadn’t even said a single word yet, and this man was already launching a personal attack. That was completely uncalled for.
She could also tell that Lei Dongming had probably spoken with Director Han beforehand. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know her background so thoroughly.
As it happened, she wasn’t wrong.
When she had first been assigned to the Film Planning Center, it was actually Lei Dongming who had recommended her to Director Han.
Almost every previous Gold Award winner in the short film competition had been male. Since Chi Ying was the rare female recipient two years earlier, Lei Dongmin had remembered her particularly well.
At the time, the Planning Center had just been established. Han Haiyan had been appointed deputy director and was overseeing its day-to-day operations. She had complained to Lei Dongmin that the screenwriters and directors under her didn’t take her seriously, making it impossible to carry out her work.
Lei Dongmin had suggested recruiting Chi Ying.
She was a talented young woman who would probably be much easier to work with than the male writers and directors already on staff. More importantly, if Director Han personally brought her into the Planning Center, she’d become part of Director Han’s own team. The girl was capable, hardworking, and had first-rate professional skills.
Now that things had reached this point, Chi Ying couldn’t very well embarrass either her director or Lei Dongming.
Besides, she understood perfectly well that if she wanted to build a future in the film industry, she’d have to stay firmly on Lei Dongming’s side. For the next decade or more, he would remain one of the most influential figures in Chinese cinema.
Taking the microphone handed to her by a staff member, Chi Ying sat down. She smiled politely at the man who had just dismissed her as “a little girl who knows nothing.”
Then she said, “Director Zheng, you are a respected senior in China’s film industry, and I sincerely admire the contributions you’ve made to Chinese cinema. But I also ask that you respect my right, as a newcomer to the industry, to speak.”
The entire room fell silent.
Lei Dongming and Ma Yuanchao’s eyes lit up simultaneously. They exchanged a glance.
This young woman has some real substance.
The veteran filmmakers also felt their hearts tighten.
This girl isn’t someone to be underestimated.
…
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