Zhang Yimou

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Crack! Crack! Crack! A set had been constructed inside the soundstage. Earthen walls flanked both sides, propped up by a few wooden frames, framing a narrow passageway barely two or three meters wide. Li Lianjie parried with a wooden staff, while Zhen Zidan lashed out frantically with a cloth staff. The cloth staff had been soaked in water and twisted into a tight cord, capable of going from soft to rigid in an instant. The soft form was simple enough, wielded just like a nine-section whip. But making it rigid was a physical impossibility unless one truly possessed martial arts internal strength capable of snapping a piece of cloth bone-hard with a flick. So during shooting, the soft whip was filmed as is, while the rigid staff was actually a prop—a real staff wrapped in fabric. At that moment, Zhen Zidan was whipping it around like a nine-section whip, looping it twice around his neck and swinging it with whistling momentum. Then he snapped it forward violently. With a loud crack, it punched straight through the earthen wall, sending chunks of dirt and debris flying, showcasing immense destructive force. The two exchanged a few more moves before Yuen Woo-ping called out, "Cut! That's good!" "Next group!" The next group had nothing to do with this scene at all. It was Ge Chunyan playing the Holy Mother of the Yellow Lotus, suspended on wire rigging and soaring up and down, putting on mystical airs. After a midday break, the crew moved out to the ancient street set in the afternoon to film the procession of the Two-Faced Bodhisattva. He Qing and Tao Huimin wore crimson robes and stood atop lotus pedestals. The red cloth over their heads draped like gossamer veils, yet also resembled bridal veils, casting their delicate, gorgeous faces in hazy shadows—a striking blend of allure and sacred purity. Ahead of them, several women in red trousers and blouses scattered flower petals and carried lanterns, while musicians played pipes and drums, adding a chilling, eerie touch. It felt like the Ghost King marrying off his daughter, dripping with haunting atmosphere... After Tai Chi 2 started filming, it did not follow the orderly progression everyone had expected. Instead, they shot a bit here and a bit there, completely haphazard and devoid of logic. After several days of this, Chen Qi decided they had enough footage and called a halt, telling Li Wenhua to proceed according to the normal schedule. Chen Qi took those roughly five minutes of footage straight to post-production, saying he needed to edit a print first and take it with him to Hong Kong. No one understood what he was up to; only the Yuen Brothers knew. That day, filming was underway. Chen Qi had gradually begun delegating authority, merely watching from the sidelines without uttering a word. Li Wenhua and Yuen Woo-ping understood his vision, and once the three reached a consensus on the film's style, he could step back and let them run it. "Xiao Chen!" Someone suddenly entered from outside, walked up beside him, and called out softly. Chen Qi turned his head, slightly surprised. "Lao Tian, why are you back at the studio?" "Summer break." "Oh, right, I completely forgot. Haven't seen you in ages. Let's go get drinks tonight." The visitor was none other than Tian Zhuangzhuang. He only came back during the winter and summer breaks. He had hung out with Chen Qi several times, and they were on good terms. Still sporting a scruffy beard and looking as disheveled as ever, Tian said, "I brought a classmate along. Mind if he comes in to see how things are done?" "Sure, where is he?" "Lao Zhang!" Tian Zhuangzhuang waved. A man in his early thirties walked in. He had thick eyebrows, narrow eyes, dark skin, and an honest, unassuming face. His demeanor was quite humble; shaking hands with Chen Qi, he bowed and nodded repeatedly. "I've long heard your name. I hope I'm not bothering you." "Hello. You're in the Directing Department too?" "I study cinematography. My name is Zhang Yimou." "Oh! Feel free to look around. Don't be formal, just don't disrupt the shoot." "Right, of course!" Zhang Yimou had only accompanied Tian Zhuangzhuang today and never dreamed he would get to slip onto the Tai Chi 2 set to observe. Opportunities like this were rare. Feeling a bit nervous, he stood on the periphery watching, then crouched down after a while, taking it all in with rapt fascination. Behind him, Tian Zhuangzhuang yawned and muttered, "Our Class of '78 has no classes left; everyone's out doing internships. I didn't need to do an internship, so I stayed at school to prepare a short film as my graduation project." "What short film?" "It's called Our Corner. It's about the everyday trivialities of a few families living in a shared courtyard compound. Eight cinematographers, eight sound recordists, one art director... basically every technical post from the Class of '78 got crammed into it." "Eight cinematographers? How on earth do you divide that up?" Chen Qi asked, startled. "Two minutes per person, of course. The school only gave us enough film stock for twenty minutes of raw footage. Today I brought Lao Zhang along for location scouting. We wanted to find a suitable courtyard near the lakes, but hey—" Tian Zhuangzhuang looked up and asked, "I heard you bought a house over there?" "Mine won't work." "Why not?" "My courtyard is too pretty. I can't let you guys ruin it." Tian Zhuangzhuang raised an eyebrow. "Just for saying that, I'm definitely going to have to take a look!" "Looking is fine, but shooting there is absolutely out of the question... Hey, why isn't my nephew involved?" "Him? He went to the Children's Film Studio for his internship." The Children's Film Studio had just been established this year, and the studio head was Tian Zhuangzhuang's mother, Yu Lan—the actress who played Sister Jiang. Chen Qi chuckled. Imagining Chen Kaige's personality meshing with the Children's Film Studio, he asked with a grin, "Why didn't he come to Beijing Film Studio?" "Whichever studio you intern at is basically where you get assigned after graduation. Kaige wanted to get into Beijing Film Studio, but frankly, that's a bit of a stretch..." Tian Zhuangzhuang shook his head. Beijing Film Studio had far too many directors already—an oversupply, with so many senior directors bitterly waiting for opportunities. They did not take on newcomers easily. But plainly speaking, Chen Kaige's family background wasn't prominent enough to get him in. And Zhang Yimou was one rung lower. Born of grassroots origins, far from getting into Beijing Film Studio, he couldn't even manage to stay in the capital and ended up assigned far away to Guangxi. Tian Zhuangzhuang was a loyal friend. Back then, he had even pleaded with Yu Lan, hoping to get Zhang Yimou into the Children's Film Studio, but unfortunately nothing came of it. Later on, he frequently traveled to Guangxi to visit Zhang Yimou, treating him far better than Chen Kaige ever did. The "Big Director" had never thought much of Lao Mouzi to begin with. Rumor had it that years later, when the news reached the country that Red Sorghum had won the Golden Bear, the Big Director was so consumed by jealousy and bitterness that his spite could have served as vinegar for dipping dumplings. He cursed, "Fuck! Isn't that bastard just my former cinematographer?!" ... Over by the set, Zhang Yimou watched for a long time, only coming over when the crew took a break, clearly reluctant to step away. Tian Zhuangzhuang draped an arm over his shoulder and laughed. "Xiao Chen has a courtyard over at Shichahai, but he won't lend it to us. Today we're sticking to him like glue. We have to see what kind of courtyard is too fancy for filming!" "Are you sure? I'm heading out to look at furniture in a bit, and who knows how long I'll be browsing," Chen Qi said. "Browse all you want! We have plenty of time anyway. By the time evening comes, it'll be just the right time for drinks." "All right then, follow me... Hey, shouldn't we call my nephew along?" "He's not involved, why call him!" And so, Chen Qi gave Li Wenhua a quick heads-up and stepped out of the soundstage. Zhang Yimou had remained quiet the entire time, but now he asked in a low voice, "Who's his nephew?" "Kaige!" "Huh?" Zhang Yimou was taken aback, then gave it another thought. *That makes sense. They both share the surname Chen, so they might belong to the same clan. Chen Qi probably holds a higher generation rank, which makes them uncle and nephew.* Seeing that his mind had wandered in the wrong direction, Tian Zhuangzhuang chuckled. "When Xiao Chen first arrived here, he got along great with Kaige's father and they related as peers, which gave rise to the running joke..." "Oh, oh, you gave me a fright!" The three headed out. Chen Qi rode his own bicycle, while Tian Zhuangzhuang carried Zhang Yimou on the back of his. They rode a very long way until they reached a hardwood furniture factory. Brick walls enclosed a massive yard piled high with timber, alongside rows of single-story brick buildings serving as workshops and warehouses. During the turbulent years, an immense quantity of cultural relics and antiques had been confiscated across the capital. Furniture took up a lot of space, so it had generally been stored in various furniture factories. After the Reform and Opening Up began, policies were introduced to return these confiscated items, but many of the original owners could no longer be found, leaving the pieces unclaimed. Consequently, well-connected individuals often came by to purchase them. When Li Han-hsiang was filming The Burning of the Imperial Palace and Reign Behind a Curtain in Beijing, he had bought out an entire furniture factory's inventory for 120,000 yuan under the pretext of sourcing props and sets for his films. It seemed like scoring an incredible bargain, but back then, who the hell had 120,000 yuan to spare?