In those days, there was no nationwide theater circuit; each province, municipality, and county ran things however they pleased.
When a film would open in a province, how long it would run, how it would be promoted, and how much weight would be put behind it were decisions made entirely by the local film distribution companies. These organizations acted like local despots and stood as the greatest obstacle to reform.
Chen Qi did not know many people in the distribution companies.
Afterward, he contacted Wu Tianming at Xi'an Film Studio, asking him to pass word to the Shaanxi Film Company: if *Mama, Love Me Once More* could be released in May, Gong Xue would likewise appear in theaters to meet the audience face-to-face.
Beijing was slated for April to make an opening splash.
Shaanxi was set for May because the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards were being hosted in Xi'an that month. He wanted Gong Xue to arrive in style, like a queen on a royal tour.
In truth, this was nothing other than the roadshow tours of later generations.
He had run one when *Tai Chi* opened in Hong Kong, and now he was bringing the practice to the mainland. But coordinating these two regions was about all he could manage. Expanding any further would have been too taxing, lacking both the time and the necessary personal connections.
...
At the Beijing Film Company.
General Manager Zheng Dayong was holding a meeting to review film scheduling, screenings, and promotional work for the second quarter.
"As of now, across venues including theaters, cinemas, institutional auditoriums, and workers' clubs, Beijing has over a hundred and fifty screening locations—the highest in the entire country! You all saw the market response in the first quarter: seas of people, gongs and drums deafening the air, an absolute sensation.
"Much of that credit belongs to two commercial pictures, *Invincible Dual Kicks* and *Kyoto Ball Heroes*.
"The second quarter also features a very unique film, *Mama, Love Me Once More*. To be frank, when I watched the preview, a grown man like me couldn't hold back the tears. My wife was there too, and the moment we got home from the screening, she gave our kid a thrashing..."
"Hahaha!"
"I think holding it until June would be better," someone suggested. "That leads right into the summer vacation. With plenty of students and teachers on break, we can maintain strong momentum."
"June is far too late! For a film like this, other provinces can't wait to screen it tomorrow and start raking in money."
"Let's do May. May is just right!"
While the discussion was underway, someone hurried into the room and whispered a few words in Zheng Dayong's ear.
Zheng Dayong stood up and stepped outside. A short while later, he returned and called out, "Quiet down, everyone. We have a new development. Director Wang Haowei from Beijing Film Studio just contacted me, hoping we can open it in April..."
"Eh???"
Puzzlement rippled through the room.
"Once a film reaches the distribution phase, it has nothing to do with the studio anymore. Why are they trying to manage the screening schedule?"
"Director Wang is a veteran director. She ought to know better, shouldn't she?"
"Exactly! How we schedule our films has nothing to do with them!"
"Quiet down, I haven't finished!" Zheng Dayong said. "They promised that if it works out, the principal creators can tour ten theaters to meet the audience face-to-face and boost promotions."
"What kind of move is that? There's no precedent for this, is there?"
"Could that violate regulations?"
"Wait, wait, let me ask one thing," someone pressed urgently. "Is Gong Xue coming?"
"She is!"
"..."
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. After a brief pause, someone said, "If Gong Xue comes, the audience will definitely welcome it."
"Right, right, exactly!"
"Actually, releasing it early makes sense. Out of town, they already have it, but Beijing doesn't, so audiences are running all the way to Tangshan to watch it. Why let them take our money?"
"Still, ten theaters is too few. How about thirty?"
"Thirty is pushing it. They probably wouldn't agree."
"Then twenty!"
In the end, they settled on twenty theaters and decided to reply to Wang Haowei.
The procedure would work like this: the film company would issue an official invitation, the creative team would accept, and then theater visits would be arranged, avoiding any potential controversy.
Zheng Dayong found the whole concept novel. A movie release was just a movie release—could it really be handled like this? Yet he couldn't put his finger on what was amiss, only that someone had quietly pried open a crack in the system.
...
In the blink of an eye, April arrived.
The Cannes Film Festival announced its main competition lineup.
It was a gathering of cinematic masters, with new entries from Godard, Wenders, and Antonioni. As luck would have it, Yan Shunkai's *The True Story of Ah Q* made the cut, becoming the first mainland film to enter the main competition.
Meanwhile, *Orphan*, submitted under the banner of Hong Kong, had unexpectedly been selected as well.
It was not a purely commercial thriller; the premise of a homicidal child was novel, and the script carried plenty of political undertones—well, undertones. Even so, Chen Qi held out no hope of winning awards. Earning a nomination was plenty good enough, as it would draw considerable attention.
Over on the *Life Is Beautiful* front.
Li Wenhua departed for Shanghai accompanied by Li Xuejian, Li Baotian, art designer Li Jianqun, along with Zhang Yimou, Zhang Junzhao, He Qun, and He Ping. Yan Shunkai would meet up with them in Shanghai on his own.
Lao Mouzi and the other graduates-to-be had little left to do at school, so they were swept along directly.
Chen Qi had informed Li Jianqun about working on this film near the end of the previous year, and she had begun preparations long in advance.
They were heading to Shanghai for a one-month stint to scout locations, inspect former concentration camp sites, and immerse themselves in the lifestyle of old Shanghai. Gong Xue did not go; she had also started preparing late last year, receiving personalized coaching from Chen Qi.
As for the three candidate leads, reading the script had left each of them feeling it was a once-in-a-lifetime piece, filling them with an overwhelming urge to land the part.
Though Li Xuejian knew his chances were slim, he made a point of taking a month's leave anyway.
*Life Is Beautiful* was set in Shanghai, and Chen Qi intended to cast a substantial roster of Shanghainese actors, or at least performers from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. He could recall only a few veterans, including You Benchang, who would later star in *Ji Gong*. Now forty-nine, if You Benchang could not play the lead, he could take a supporting role.
There was also Wei Zongwan, along with younger talents such as Wang Zhiwen, Zhou Yemang, and Xi Meijuan, as well as voice actor Lin Dongfu, among others. They would see who fit best.
...
At the Overseas Chinese Hotel.
Liu Xiaoqing took her leave of Li Han-hsiang and stepped out the main entrance in high spirits. Spotting the security guard nearby, she cast him a smug, sideways glance.
Just moments earlier, when she had arrived, the snobbish fellow had tried to block her, claiming the hotel was reserved exclusively for overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macau, barring her from entering. Liu Xiaoqing had been furious, and she was only able to get inside after Li Han-hsiang came downstairs in person to receive her.
Preparations for *The Burning of the Imperial Palace* and *Reign Behind a Curtain* were progressing smoothly, with the primary roles settled. Empress Dowager Cixi would be played by Liu Xiaoqing, while Empress Dowager Ci'an went to an actress named Chen Ye, who had little fame and would later move abroad.
Consort Li was given to Zhou Jie, the actress who had played the princess in *Justice Bao*.
For the Sixth Prince, Yixin, the original production had cast Zhang Tielin. But now Zhang was infamous across the country as a lecher, his reputation so thoroughly tarnished that he was only offered scoundrel roles. Naturally, Li Han-hsiang would have none of him, choosing Zhou Lijing instead.
For the male lead, Emperor Xianfeng, the director had his heart set on his daughter's boyfriend, that young man named Liang Jiahui.
However, Liang Jiahui was currently filming *Ghost*, so they had to wait.
"Hey, you, come here!"
Standing at the entrance, she beckoned to the security guard and said, "You wouldn't let me in just now, but remember my face. Sooner or later, I'll walk through those doors with my head held high, and I hope you're still standing right here to see it!"
With a flick of her hair, she strode down the steps.
Liu Xiaoqing was hardly the type to swallow an insult. Her competitive streak was fierce enough that even if she were picking cotton in prison, she would fight to be first—not that she had ever picked cotton; back then, she had sewn quilt covers.
"Young friends meet today, the gentle breeze blows softly as the little boat sways..."
Liu Xiaoqing pedaled her bicycle, humming the melody, her mood soaring.
Li Han-hsiang was a major director, these two pictures were massive productions, and Cixi was a heavyweight role. She never imagined she could fail. Once these two films hit the screen, she was bound to explode in popularity, leaving Gong Xue in the dust.
She would be the undisputed leading lady of Beijing Film Studio—and indeed, of all Chinese cinema.
Chapter 309