Chapter 33: The Younger Generation

Fang Shu is 22 this year. Her father is a leader in the Ministry of Culture, and her mother works at the Central Conservatory of Music. At the age of seven, she played the cross-dressing role of "Little Radish" in *Eternal Life in Fire*. Everyone knows Little Radish, right? We learned about him in textbooks; he was only eight when he was martyred, making him the youngest martyr in China. By the time she was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 1978, she had already acted in *Look at This Family*. She is tall, beautiful, and carries an aura of distinction. With her privileged background, she is like a princess in her class. She was immensely popular in the 1980s, but unfortunately, she was prone to being lovestruck; she later married Tu Honggang, divorced, and withdrew from the spotlight early.

Zhou Lijing is 25 this year. He is handsome, dashing, and one of the most popular young actors of his time, having appeared in *Life*, *New Star*, and the television adaptation of *Wreaths at the Foot of the Mountain*. He is from the Gansu Drama Troupe, where he retains his employment status, meaning he receives a salary while attending school. He has a great look, real talent, and a proud, aloof personality. He is blunt and straightforward, looking down on the other boys in his class, and even holding a certain disdain for some of the teachers. However, his qualifications are truly outstanding, so the teachers indulge him.

The two of them sat calmly, like seasoned anglers waiting for a bite, clearly confident in their standing. Sure enough, the teacher entered shortly after and called out, "Fang Shu, Zhou Lijing, Wang Yue, Zhang Tielin, Shen Danping, Liu Dong, come with me!"

A buzz of excitement filled the room. Zhang Fengyi and Xie Yuan were filled with envy, clinging to Zhang Tielin and refusing to let go, until Zhang Tielin hurriedly shook them off, saying, "Let go, let go! You’re going to ruin my chance at becoming a big star, let go!"

Wang Yue was caught by surprise, standing up with a look of pleasant shock. Among the girls, Shen Danping and Liu Dong were even more delighted, skipping out of the room. Shen Danping has acted in many works, most recently playing Aunt Cui in *The Knockout*. Liu Dong is a bit less prominent, having played Ning Zhongze in the CCTV version of *Smiling Proud Wanderer*.

The teacher led the six of them out of the school gates. They didn't need a car; it was within walking distance. On the way, the teacher instructed, "Today is our exclusive session; tomorrow is for the Central Academy of Drama. I hear they only picked one person, so you all have a great chance. You must do your best. Zhou Lijing, try to be polite later. The Beijing Film Studio is full of great directors and seniors; don't let them lower your score because of your attitude!"

They entered the Beijing Film Studio and headed straight for the conference room in the main building.

...

Wang Haowei and the others were waiting early. Chen Qi, as the screenwriter, had managed to secure a seat, but being among the veterans, he took the initiative to sit at the very edge.

In this era, when casting actors, the first requirement is physical resemblance. For instance, if the male lead is determined to be honest and upright, you have to find someone with thick eyebrows and big eyes. If the female lead is supposed to be pitiful and delicate, you have to find someone soft and fragile. You must first match the look, and only then does acting ability come into play—how to portray the character, and so on. However, this method imposes limitations on casting, leaving a narrow pool to choose from.

Later generations are different; they don't strictly require physical resemblance, as long as the spirit of the character is captured. For example, Gu Yue’s portrayal of the Chairman is the former, while Tang Guoqiang’s portrayal is the latter. Of course, the premise remains that the final character must be convincing; it can't be like the burly Lin Daiyu in the new *Dream of the Red Chamber* or the clownish Cao Cao in the new *Three Kingdoms*, which destroyed both the look and the spirit. Therefore, this batch of candidates had to be youthful, bright, and beautiful.

"Hello, Director! Hello, teachers!"
"My name is Fang Shu!"

The first to enter was Fang Shu. She had already worked with Wang Haowei on *Look at This Family*. She introduced herself with poise and recited a passage of dialogue—the very one Chen Qi had written.

"I still want to see the Yangtze River and the Great Wall, Mount Huang and the Yellow River!"
"Sister Ying, isn't all of this love?"

Chen Qi acted as a serious judge, jotting down notes in his notebook. After she left, Wang Haowei asked for opinions one by one, finally asking, "Little Chen, what do you think?"

"She's very beautiful and has the skills, but her image isn't quite right. Her eyes and brows don't fit our traditional aesthetic; they give off a sense of aggression. One look and you know she’s an assertive woman."

"Aggression? That’s an interesting take!"
"I think she's not bad. How about we move her to the second round?"
"Mm, that works!"

Following her, one young actor after another entered to audition. Chen Qi remained calm, only nearly losing his composure when the "Emperor" walked in. In the 80s, the "Emperor" was also a popular young actor; he later earned a master's degree in the UK and went to Hong Kong to develop his career. In *The Crane Returns*, he played Cao Xiong, the second brother of the Golden Ring, and nearly had his way with Rosamund Kwan. After that, it was *My Fair Princess*. He was involved in a mountain of scandals regarding men and women.

He silently drew a large 'X' in his notebook—no personal bias, purely an objective judgment.

Finally, it was Zhou Lijing's turn. Though aloof, he wasn't foolish. He knew better than to act out at the Beijing Film Studio and auditioned honestly. Chen Qi drew a checkmark.

...

After the auditions, they held a short debriefing.

"Wang Yue's skin is too dark; it's hard to make him look handsome. Let's drop him for now."
"Zhou Lijing and Zhang Tielin are both pretty good; they can move to the next round."
"Personally, I feel Zhang Tielin has a sense of frivolity; he can't play a shy, timid character. I think Zhou Lijing is fine. As for Fang Shu, I hold the same opinion as before—I have reservations," Chen Qi said.
"What about Shen Danping and Liu Dong?" Wang Haowei asked.
"Do you want the truth?"
"Of course!"
"They’re too ordinary."

Chen Qi shook his head.

"Sigh, honestly, I think they’re ordinary too. They’re pretty enough among average people, but for *Lushan Love*, it’s not enough—nowhere near enough! I expected finding a lead actress would be hard, but not this hard. Let’s keep looking."

Wang Haowei sighed.

...

Currently, the power supply across the country is very poor, and Beijing is no exception. A whole courtyard shares one electricity meter, and every household keeps candles on hand—a situation that didn't improve until the 90s.

Chen Jianjun had listened to that single-cassette recorder for a few days before discovering he couldn't afford the batteries, so he had to painfully let Chen Qi take it to the Beijing Film Studio. The Beijing Film Studio had a special status and a relatively stable power supply; in other words, this was a way to get free electricity.

That night, the door and windows of Room 302 were tightly shut. Liang Xiaosheng and Ge You, as if listening to music from heaven, slumped in their chairs with their eyes closed, listening to, "The smoke from the cooking fires rises again, twilight covers the earth. I want to ask the drifting smoke, where are you going..."

They were so blissful and intoxicated that anyone unaware would have thought they were high.

Chen Qi sat cross-legged on the bed, intending to patch his trousers, holding a needle in one hand and thread in the other. The older generation used to say: when the thread won't go through the eye of the needle, lick it with your tongue to straighten it, and it will go through.

"That's enough, you two. You've played the tape three times already. Get out of here!"
"Just listen a little longer, just a little longer!" Ge You pleaded.
"I have to be a judge tomorrow! I don't have the time to play around with you!"
"How is the casting going?" Liang Xiaosheng asked.
"There are plenty of men who can play the lead, but the girl is hard to find."
"Then what exactly are you looking for?"
"It's just a feeling, a... goddess. Do you understand?"
"No!"

The two shook their heads in unison.

"She doesn't just have to be beautiful; she has to make people yearn for her. I want every male viewer to walk out of the theater and feel a fierce envy toward the male lead, saying, 'Oh, if I could only meet a girl like that, I’d be content even if I died!' That’s the feeling."

Ge You and Liang Xiaosheng looked at each other; it was all too subtle.