Come to think of it, Tang Changsheng still owed Wang Jinhai a favor. And with a renowned director like Wang Zhifei coming to visit in person, he could hardly refuse to show him respect. Naturally, he came out to receive them himself.
Wang Zhifei looked much like his father. Far from the gentle, refined man one might imagine, he was rough and hearty. It was hard to believe he had made so many blockbusters that had caused a sensation in their day, and had even been personally commended by the Son of Heaven for helping spread Great Chu Culture.
As soon as they met, Wang Jinhai got straight to the point. "My boy's ambitions have grown. He wants to make a film about the Jiawu National Calamity, but he can't put together the funding just yet. So I suggested he come and see you, Mr. Tang..."
The so-called Jiawu National Calamity was the Long-Haired Rebellion of that year. In truth, "Long-Haired Rebellion" did not come close to describing the turmoil of the time. Its official name was the Jiawu National Calamity, after the year in which it had occurred.
At those words, Tang Changsheng suddenly understood why they had come to him.
Ordinarily, a director of Wang Zhifei's standing would have no trouble attracting investment. Yet he had come to Tang Changsheng...
Wang Zhifei was a straightforward man himself. "This film needs a fairly large investment. More importantly, getting it past the censors will be difficult..."
Tang Changsheng nodded. Great Chu was open-minded, and as the world's foremost power, it had the confidence to interfere little with films and other cultural industries.
But the history of the Jiawu National Calamity was the one subject it kept firmly under wraps. Wang Zhifei was the first person to propose filming that period.