A Main Theme Across Time and Space

Shi Wenxin put on her reading glasses and picked up the script, which was as thick as a Xianghe meat pie, then found the newly written passages.

The first thing she saw was that a character had been added: Geng Ying.

Geng Ying held her whole family together single-handedly and was a good woman in the traditional sense, but she also had a "detestable" side. She privately persuaded Zhou Yun to leave her younger brother, then turned around and told him that Zhou Yun had left of her own accord...

"From the audience's perspective, she's certainly detestable, but from her own perspective, she hasn't done anything wrong."

Shi Wenxin nodded. The addition of this character was well done, and she felt very lifelike. In later years, this kind of setup had been used to death and was nothing unusual, but one must never forget the backdrop of the present era.

For quite a long time, characters in domestic films had been portrayed in very one-dimensional terms. They were either right or wrong, good or bad, with no room to explore human nature. This had to be viewed objectively, though, because revolutionary struggle was not a dinner party, and works like these were needed.

Shi Wenxin first gave her approval to the character of Geng Ying, then read on until she came to the dialogue.

Without realizing it, she adjusted her reading glasses and leaned forward. She read it over several times before she could no longer contain her excitement. "Little Liang, come and have a look too!"

Liang Xiaosheng came over and took the script.

A moment later, he jerked his head up and said excitedly, "That passage is a great addition! The idea is so novel!"

"What does it say?"

"Let me see!"

The other two editors came over as well. After reading it, they both said, "Haha, I told you this kid had ideas! He really is different from us old folks!"

"Young people these days are something else!"

"What are you discussing?"

Just then, Jiang Huaiyan came in. Shi Wenxin smiled and said, "Little Chen stayed up all night and brought the manuscript over. We've all read it. Would you take a look too?"

"Oh? That fast?"

"I forgot to tell him there was no rush and he could take his time."

Jiang Huaiyan grabbed a chair at random, plopped down, and read through the manuscript. At the end, he came to this:

Zhou Yun and Geng Ying arrived at the River-Viewing Pavilion on Mount Lu.

The pavilion stood above Scissors Gorge, surrounded by mountains on three sides and open to the north, making it an ideal spot for gazing at the distant Yangtze River.

Geng Ying said, "What exactly do you want to talk to me about? I'm telling you, even if my father has agreed, I still haven't changed my opinion of you. Don't think you can persuade me."

Zhou Yun said, "Sister Ying, why are you so prejudiced against me? Is it wrong for me to love Geng Hua?"

"See? It's not that I'm prejudiced against you. Every time you open your mouth, it's 'like' this and 'love' that. You don't even know what shame is. We're not like you!"

"..."

Zhou Yun fell silent for a while, then said, "Sister Ying, may I ask you something? Do you love your motherland?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I love my motherland!"

"Then do you love your mother and father?"

"Of course!"

"Then do you love your younger brother?"

"Of course!"

"Then do you love your beloved?"

"I..."

Geng Ying suddenly froze.

"Do you think those kinds of love are the same, or different? Aren't they all our most ardent, most sincere feelings?

"Sister Ying, I love my mother and father, I love Geng Hua, and I love my motherland too.

"My father often told me about the magnificent mountains and rivers here, every blade of grass and every tree. That's why I came back. I want to see not only Mount Lu, but also the Five Great Mountains, the Yangtze River and the Great Wall, Mount Huang and the Yellow River!

"I want to travel all over, and I want to go to Tiananmen too!

"This is my motherland too!

"I'm willing to stay, not just for Geng Hua, but because I feel this land is full of tremendous vitality. I'm willing to experience the spirit of a new era here, and I'm willing to contribute my own strength to building a beautiful future together!

"Sister Ying, tell me, isn't all of that love?!"

Jiang Huaiyan sprang to his feet!

His face wore a strange mixture of shock and exhilaration. He slapped the table in appreciation. "Bold enough to reach the heavens, and brilliant beyond compare!"

It was Romance on Mount Lu, after all!

Naturally, it couldn't be limited to a personal romance. If it was going to be about love, it had to be love on a grander scale.

By ordinary reasoning, it would seem that love of country was the greater love, and love for one's beloved the lesser.

But then again, perhaps love shouldn't be divided into greater and lesser. Love was love, one of humanity's most instinctive and sincere emotions. A person could love another person, love their family, and also love a country, a people, a great land!

Chen Qi had packaged the main theme in a form acceptable to the present day, but it was enough to make everyone exclaim in excitement, with quite an earth-shattering effect.

"Old Jiang, what do you think? Should we hold a meeting?"

"No meeting. I'll go find the deputy... no, no, I'll go straight to Director Wang!"

Unable to wait another moment, he took the script and headed straight for the studio director's office.

Wang Yang was noisily sipping tea when Jiang Huaiyan's sudden entrance startled him. "Why are you rushing about like a whirlwind? Are we going to fight the Japanese devils?"

"China and Japan are friends now. You really shouldn't say that!"

Jiang Huaiyan slapped the script down and said, "Don't you value talented people? There's one right in front of you. We have to film this script!"

"Oh? It's not easy to earn such high praise from you. Tell me about it."

"All right!"

And so Jiang Huaiyan recounted the newly revised version of Romance on Mount Lu, placing particular emphasis on that dialogue.

"..."

Wang Yang rose silently and paced with his hands behind his back.

There were too many elements in this story: romance, the Kuomintang, the United States, and even a kissing scene. What kind of capitalist joke was this? A kissing scene!

A minefield at every step!

What worried people most these days?

What people feared most was a change in the direction of the wind.

Wang Yang didn't have Chen Qi's foreknowledge cheat. He didn't know that Romance on Mount Lu was sure to succeed, but he had resolve. After pacing around the room several times, he suddenly stamped his foot and waved a hand. "Film it!"

"Not only are we filming it, it'll be one of the studio's priority films. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility!"

"With your word, it's settled!"

Jiang Huaiyan's heart surged. Suddenly moved by a sense of daring to be the first under heaven, he felt himself to be a martyr. He returned to the literary department and raised the script. "It passed!"

"That's wonderful!"

"It's sure to become a classic!"

"We can all share in the honor!"

"Xiaosheng, hurry and let him know!"

"Right, right!"

Liang Xiaosheng hurried to his feet and ran out. He went straight to the guesthouse, pushed open the door to room 302, and shouted, "Little Chen, it passed!"

"What passed?"

"The script passed! Director Wang gave the order himself: we're filming it!"

"Phew!"

Chen Qi, who had been getting ready to catch up on sleep, breathed a sigh of relief. He was a little excited too, because, damn it, he hadn't freeloaded this version. He had written it with his own hands, and having put in the work, he longed for a reward.

"Oh, right, come out here!"

"What for?"

"Just come out first!"

Liang Xiaosheng called him outside, then knocked on the door next door. Chen Huaikai opened it and said with a smile, "What's going on? I heard you shouting."

"Yes, Little Chen's script passed!"

"That's great! Want to give a shout?"

"Sure!"

Liang Xiaosheng took a deep breath and, casting aside his usual reserve, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Romance on Mount Lu passed the court today!"

"Romance on Mount Lu passed the court today!"

"Passing the court" originally meant standing trial in a courtroom.

Because script review at Beijing Film Studio was so strict, getting approval was extremely difficult, just like standing trial. Every screenwriter who successfully passed the court couldn't help shouting it out. If they didn't shout it themselves, someone else would do it for them. It was a shared joy, and in time it became a custom.

As soon as Liang Xiaosheng shouted, everyone on the third floor came out.

Right afterward, the people on the floors above and below heard it too.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"He's so young!"

"I heard it's a romance film? That couldn't have been easy!"

It wasn't just the screenwriters. People in other jobs also came over to get acquainted, as though all at once the film had become everybody's business.

Films were made under a planned economy in those days, and every studio had an annual quota. Beijing Film Studio, for example, was supposed to make seven or eight films a year. Occasionally it made more, but most of the time it failed to meet its quota.

Sometimes it made only two films in a year, or one.

That involved funding, scripts, personnel, policy, and so on.

So every film project was hard-won, and it also meant a large number of people would soon be starting work. Who could take part and who couldn't were matters rife with hidden currents.

Romance on Mount Lu had passed, which meant preparations for filming were about to begin.

Directors, actors, behind-the-scenes staff... how many people were watching!

(That's all...)

(End of chapter)