The Birth of Vampires
I don't know when it started, but the word "vampire" has become associated with words like elegance, nobility, heritage, and history. Meanwhile, its Eastern counterpart, Mr. Vampire, has had its image almost fixed thanks to the films of veteran actor Lam Ching-ying: pale-faced, covered in chalk-like black circles under its eyes, Blood Red lips, blackened teeth, and dressed in a clown-like Qing Dynasty official uniform.
Similarly, the regions where vampires live, and the lives of the so-called nobles in those lands, are depicted in a beautiful and splendid manner.
For example, describing a female scholar placed before an attendant of a seemingly noble lady is done in this way:
A minor incident, though it caused a slight delay, did not disrupt Lu Si'en's unhurried pace. Admiring the quiet and secluded scenery of the Cynthia District, he occasionally stopped to look at the statues of famous figures lining Maple Forest Avenue, reading about their lives. He picked up a maple leaf, examining its fine veins, and through the golden carpet stirred up by the carriage, Lu Si'en saw the name Maggieluda Arlans Sansworth on the doorplate. He gently knocked on the door knocker. Inside was a courtyard similarly covered in maple leaves. The servants hadn't diligently maintained the scene; a gust of wind blew, and fallen golden leaves landed on the windowsill. The white lace curtain was drawn back, revealing a flawlessly white face.
This is merely a novelist's imagination of a Western fantasy world. Although it is not set in Europe before the 18th century, there is no doubt that in many people's minds, Europe of that era seems to be so elegant and refined.
This movie, however, is different. It has almost nothing to do with elegance, and the vampires in it have nothing to do with nobility.
The film also begins with a visit to a mansion:
A group of gentlemen wearing wigs and linen bow ties, and knee-length breeches, appeared behind the gate of Thomas Gresham's mansion. Among them was an Eastern face that was rare in London at that time.
Thomas Gresham was the Master of the Mint during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of Britain. The famous saying "bad money drives out good money" is something that anyone with a little education would know.
Oliver Cromwell's head was erected on the flagpole in front of Westminster Hall. The coachman's rude shouts, the stench of garbage piled up everywhere, the dust flying in the air, and the urination and defecation scattered indiscriminately in the streets—this was London at that moment, completely devoid of elegance and nobility.
Among the gentlemen who entered Gresham's Mansion were Robert Boyle, Robert Hooker, Christopher Wren... This group of illustrious figures came together to form the Royal Society for the Advancement of Natural Knowledge in London.
They were all famous, except for the Easterner who left no name or record.
The film sets the stage for the horrors of London at this time, an era in which the life expectancy of nobles was no more than thirty years, diseases were rampant, medical knowledge was virtually nonexistent, and any physical discomfort meant a sign of death. London at this time seemed very suitable for the birth of vampires, creatures that rose from the ashes of death.
According to evolutionary theory, only unnatural deaths and extremely high death rates could create a chance for the emergence of creatures like vampires, which are better adapted to the current environmental conditions.
The scene shifts to Charles II, where the royal physicians draw two cups of blood from him. They then administer an enema, laxatives, and a dose of sneezing powder. Another cup of blood is drawn, and they try to prepare an ointment using pigeon droppings and pearl powder to rub on the king's feet. After shaving his head, they apply a red-hot iron to his soles... Finally, the king falls into convulsions, and the doctors administer "40 drops of a medicine made from human skull extract." Four days later, when the court physicians are at their wits' end and summon the Oriental who participated in the Royal Society, Charles II drinks the herbal remedy prepared by the Oriental and finally dies.
This Easterner was, of course, merely a scapegoat. Although he knew many important figures, the fact that Charles II died at his hands was an unforgivable crime. After being arrested, the Easterner fled and eventually hid in the room of a singer.
Following the conventions of many Western films, this part of the plot naturally softens and becomes more ambiguous, but the Easterner is eventually discovered, and the singer is stabbed through the chest by the pursuing soldiers, falling into a pool of blood.
After shaking off his pursuers, the Eastern man returned to the singer's room. He pierced his own chest, took blood from his heart, and poured it into the singer's wound... A miracle occurred, and the dying singer was revived.
She became a vampire, while the Eastern man, wearing a cloak, disappeared into the night.
After that, the singer continued to search for the mysterious man from the East. The final scene shows her in the East India Company building, where a map of another ancient Eastern country is placed on her desk.
The lights in the movie theater came on; the movie was over.
"So that's how vampires are born," Liu Chang'an said to An Nuan with a sudden realization.
"This isn't new... It just shows how big the mainland film market is. No ambitious and capable film company would give up on this market. Appropriately incorporating Eastern elements can naturally attract more local audiences. It's just a business tactic... Western vampires originated in the East. Sure enough, when it comes to profit, capital has no shame whatsoever," An Nuan said dismissively.
"A little something?" Liu Chang'an grasped the key point.
An Nuan's cheeks flushed red. Oh no, she had ripped a huge hole in her image as a reserved and elegant well-behaved girl who never swore.
"I must have misheard," Liu Chang'an reflected to himself.
An Nuan glared at him.
"How could An Nuan possibly use a word like 'shameless,' right?" Liu Chang'an believed it without a doubt.
"You're provoking me!" An Nuan wouldn't stand for it. She jumped up and grabbed Liu Chang'an's neck, trying to pin him down on the seat and straddle him.
"Don't you have any manners? What's with all the commotion?"
The girl who had the bottle stuffed into Liu Chang'an's mouth walked over from the other end, taking the opportunity to retaliate against Liu Chang'an for his earlier teasing.
Liu Chang'an took the opportunity to pull the somewhat embarrassed and awkward An Nuan into his arms and sit down, pulling his legs back to make way for her.
The two girls snorted and walked away. An Nuan nestled in Liu Chang'an's arms, her eyes sparkling with reproach as she looked at Liu Chang'an.
"Once we've all left, and there's no one around, the scene can evoke certain emotions."
"You're kidding me! Movie theaters are actually equipped with those low-light cameras."
An Nuan slapped Liu Chang'an, then took his hand and left.
Stepping out of the screening room, Liu Chang'an looked around.
An Nuan went to throw away the trash.
People came and went: noisy little boys, little girls staring blankly at the plush toys in front of the claw machine, young couples buying desserts, middle-aged women snoring in paid massage chairs, and all sorts of people looking down at their phones while waiting for the movie to start.
Although he felt it was unlikely that his and An Nuan's sudden decision to go to the movies could have been predicted, and that the film's release wasn't limited to today, Liu Chang'an still borrowed paper and a pen at the theater counter and wrote down the sentence, "To be or not to be, that 'sa question'."
Liu Chang'an stuck the paper next to the trash can.
"What are you doing?" An Nuan asked, puzzled.
"Showing off." After saying that, Liu Chang'an pulled An Nuan away.
"Ugh!" An Nuan thought he was responding to the rude word she had blurted out earlier, and jogged to catch up with Liu Chang'an.
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