The heatwave surrounding *Romance on Mount Lu* showed no signs of cooling down; its first run in major cities had not even finished yet.
Once the first run wrapped up, there were still small cities to go, followed by county seats, towns, villages, and the recreational clubs of various work units. A full rollout across the board would take two to three years.
Reviews of the film grew more numerous by the day. Overall, praise and criticism split about seventy-thirty. Although the critics accounted for only thirty percent of the voices, each cursed louder and harsher than the last. Among conservatives, bashing *Romance on Mount Lu* was simply political correctness.
Zhao Baohua was the most aggressive of them all, slapping ideological labels left and right. Right at this juncture, *China Youth Daily* published an open response from Chen Qi:
"The theatrical release of *Romance on Mount Lu* has sparked lively debate across critical circles. This is entirely normal. Art and literature always invite varying perspectives, and I myself have openly admitted that the screenplay has noticeable flaws.
"Therefore, I have read the critical essays in the press closely and pondered them deeply, hoping to learn from them to benefit my future creative work.
"Recently, however, I read an article by Comrade Zhao Baohua claiming that the film 'erases the moral boundaries of the struggle between the two parties, reducing the War of Liberation to a mere misunderstanding.' Reading this left me feeling as though a fishbone were stuck in my throat, thorns were pricking my back, and I were sitting on pins and needles.
"This criticism has moved far beyond the artistic merits of the work itself and touched upon matters of fundamental principle. I have therefore decided to pen a response for everyone's reference."
Following that, Chen Qi included several excerpts from the original screenplay.
One of the central conflicts in *Romance on Mount Lu* was the grudge between the two fathers. They had been classmates at the Whampoa Military Academy, had parted ways over ideological differences, and had ultimately met as enemies on the battlefield, harboring their mutual hatred for decades.
It was only with the arrival of a new era, out of the need for united-front work and in response to state policy, that the male lead's father forgave his old rival. The notion that "the War of Liberation was just a misunderstanding" simply did not exist.
Having cleared up the facts, Chen Qi unleashed his vitriol.
"Our Party has always maintained that criticism should be well-intentioned and seek truth from facts.
"Unfortunately, I have seen neither goodwill nor truth from facts.
"Four years have passed since the great upheaval ended. Everyone speaks of not returning to the past, yet certain individuals, represented by Comrade Zhao Baohua, rush to pass crude and reckless judgment on a creative work. They treat the life of an artistic piece like dirt, and by extension, they treat the life of a newcomer to the arts like dirt!
"I truly wish to ask: Do you actually not want to return to the past, or are you itching to go back?!!
"As for Comrade Zhao Baohua's other claim—that *Romance on Mount Lu* lacks aesthetic refinement and panders to the vulgar tastes of the petty bourgeoisie—that is even more laughable.
"Who are the masses? Who are the petty bourgeois? Do ordinary urbanites not count as the masses? This is nothing more than an overconfident, condescending posture, wagging fingers at the people, trampling their collective voice, and placing personal preferences above the populace!
"When the masses disagree with your aesthetics, it is 'vulgar taste.' When the masses align with your aesthetics, it is 'refined taste.'
"As Deng Gong once said, black cat or white cat, so long as it catches mice, it's a good cat!
"Their shared responsibility is to catch mice. By the same token, making films is about serving the people. Guided by the Double Hundred Policy, there ought to be room for works like *Romance on Mount Lu*—films that sell out screenings, draw unanimous acclaim from audiences, and reportedly set records for print sales.
"In recent days, several authoritative voices in the critical community have offered fair and well-intentioned critiques. Their warmth has touched me, and I accept their guidance with humility.
"Comrade Zhao Baohua, on the other hand, has never written a single script or produced a single film, yet he harbors such immense malice toward *Romance on Mount Lu*, stooping to outright fabrications and rumors. The petty contempt of scholars has rarely been on such vivid display.
"You are nothing more than a maggot crawling in a clear cesspool!
"I have only one thing to say: jealousy truly warps a man beyond recognition.
"The people love it. You don't. Who on earth do you think you are?!!"
In an era when the film industry was flourishing, critics were everywhere. Whenever a new movie came out, assessments of every stripe followed, and creators often published articles to spar back.
Scholarly squabbles, however, were traditionally governed by refined language, packed with classical allusions and careful phrasing. They were not supposed to be crude. That had been the unspoken convention handed down through generations. Even when Lu Xun famously lambasted Liang Shiqiu as a "homeless, spent running dog of the capitalists," it was already considered wildly over the line.
Now, Chen Qi had bounded onto the scene as a literary newcomer and immediately went straight for the gutter.
He had flat-out called the man a "cesspool maggot!"
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
Inside the Art Office of the Changchun Film Studio, Zhao Baohua slammed his desk in sheer fury. He wanted nothing more than to shred the newspaper to pieces, yet his eyes could not pull away from the glaring words: *"A maggot crawling in a clear cesspool!" "Jealousy truly warps a man beyond recognition!"*
If you were handsome and someone called you ugly, you wouldn't be mad, because you knew it wasn't true.
If you were actually ugly and someone called you ugly, you would blow your lid.
That was precisely Zhao Baohua's situation. His defenses had crumbled completely.
"You wet-behind-the-ears brat! Spouting sheer drivel! How dare you teach your grandmother to suck eggs?!"
Matters between intellectuals had to be settled the intellectual way. Forcing himself to calm down, he picked up his pen and vigorously drafted another scathing denunciation.
At the same time, others who held a grudge against *Romance on Mount Lu* rallied to his side. For a moment, it felt like an alliance of warlords crying out in unison to launch a joint campaign against "Thief Chen."
*Thief Chen defies heaven and deceives the earth, flouts the cardinal human relations, debauches the leading lady, is vicious and unfeeling, his heinous crimes piling high!*
Meanwhile, Chen Qi was bored out of his mind in Ji County!
Now that a fight had finally landed in his lap, his combat drive went off the charts. He subscribed to a stack of newspapers and periodicals, specifically seeking out the pieces attacking him, and took them on one by one.
"At your age, your thoughts on the future contain a great deal of romanticism. You venerable elders believe that beyond one mountain lies another waiting to be climbed, but in truth, you no longer need to climb them. I think what you need to prepare for now is coming down the mountain—it's all downhill from here."
"Comrade Zhao Baohua is nothing more than a flesh-and-blood megaphone filled with an inexplicable sense of superiority, perpetually posturing with righteous indignation as the conscience of society, when deep down he's just a muddle-headed elitist looking down on everyone."
"My explanation regarding *Romance on Mount Lu* has been made abundantly clear. If you can't comprehend reason, I happen to know a little kung fu as well."
Zhao Baohua and his allies were routed, dropping their armor and scattering in total disarray, swiftly stripped of any ability to hit back.
Chen Qi had debated the entire scholarly assembly and scored a resounding victory, relishing every moment of the brawl.
His only regret was that the internet did not exist yet; the pace was far too sluggish. By the time a letter of his was mailed to Beijing and published, the fighting spirit of the moment had already cooled.
In truth, nobody stepped in to police literary feuds. Now that the country was opening up and the Congress of Literary and Art Workers had set things to rights, this age-old tradition had made a comeback.
Intellectuals didn't just love trading barbs; they loved throwing punches too, and history was full of examples.
Lao She had even known martial arts, often sparring with fellow writers.
*Romance on Mount Lu* was a hit, and Chen Qi was a hit as well. He introduced himself to the mainstream arts establishment as a prickly troublemaker, cementing an enduring grudge with Zhao Baohua and a whole faction of conservatives.
***
While *Tai Chi* was shooting on location and Chen Qi was grinding his reputation from an "absolute nobody" up to a "rising talent of the martial world," an unexpected visitor arrived at the Beijing Film Studio.
The man was in his fifties, not particularly tall, and spoke in a slow, refined manner.
"Old Studio Head, forgive my intrusion. I hope I'm not disturbing you!"
"What a rare guest! Please, take a seat, take a seat!"
Wang Yang was genuinely puzzled. What was a television director doing at his film studio?
Indeed, the man before him was none other than CCTV's first-generation television drama director, Wang Fulin. He had been directing dramas since the 1950s and possessed formidable seniority.
"Last year, we put together a delegation to visit the United Kingdom," Wang Fulin began at his characteristically leisurely pace, explaining from the very beginning. "We saw how remarkably developed their television industry was. After we got back, the leadership made up their minds: we absolutely must develop our own television drama industry.
"Though film and television are two distinct art forms, you are our elder brother, and we have always looked to you as an example. Recently, I watched *Romance on Mount Lu*. That love story was written brilliantly, and the patriotic theme was wonderful as well.
"We are suffering from a terrible drought of scripts. So today, I've swallowed my pride and come here hoping to get in touch with that screenwriter, to see if he might be willing to help write a story suited for a television drama..."
Chapter 118