1979 Golden Age

During the Manchukuo period, Japan established a "Manchuria Film Association Co., Ltd." in Changchun.

After Japan surrendered, members of our party secretly entered "Manying", organized workers to carry out struggles, and transformed it into Northeast Film Studio. In 1950, the studio's art film team moved south to Shanghai and first joined the Shanghai Film Studio. Later, as the staff expanded, it became independent and established the Shanghai Film Studio.

In the photography workshop.

Mark Xuan, director of "Three Monks", is at work.

He is in his early 40s, and he is considered young at Shanghai Film Studio. There is also a master-apprentice system here. The original animator leads the original animator, and the animator leads the animator. A simple distinction: the original animator draws, and the animator makes the drawings into cartoons.

Mark Xuan started out as an animator and is now a director.

"pony!"

An old employee suddenly came over and said, "There is someone looking for you at the door!"

"Who?"

"It's called Chen Qi!"

Um?

Mark Xuan didn't react. Of course he knew the name, but why was he looking for him? Then I remembered, oh, we had a chance meeting at the first Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers.

But he was still baffled, so he came out and walked to the gate.

"Comrade Chen Qi!"

"Sorry for disturbing you!"

"It's okay, please come in first!"

Chen Qi came to Meiying for the first time and looked around. Mark Xuan took the initiative to introduce: "The building on the left is the animation building and photography workshop, and the two buildings on the right are our literature group, music group and screening room..."

"Aren't you too young here?"

"It's a small job, it can't be compared with a film studio."

"That's right, they have a lot of property!"

Mark Xuan led him to a reception room, made a cup of tea, and said with a smile: "You are a famous person in the film industry, why did you suddenly come to our place? Do you also want to make cartoons?"

"You also said that I want to do it."

Chen Qi took a sip of water and said, "Let me ask first, does your factory accept commissions or OEMs?"

"Uh... In 1979, we did OEM work for Japan's Toei Co., Ltd.'s "Space Battleship Yamato". It mainly involved tracing and coloring more than 7,000 drawings, and then it was gone."

"Why not anymore?"

"Haha, it's a long story!"

Mark Xuan didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

Chen Qi added: "Then if I commission you to make a TV animation, do you think it's feasible?"

"TV animation?"

"A long-running series with many episodes."

"this……"

Mark Xuan seemed to be in a dilemma. He thought for a while and said, "I can't make the decision on this matter. It's useless for you to tell me. Can I take you to see the factory leaders?"

"That's fine!"

With that said, Mark Xuan took him upstairs and went straight to a room with a sign outside that read "Factory Director's Office" and whispered: "Go in and talk, and you'll know why!"

He knocked on the door.

"Please come in!"

After entering, a gray-haired old comrade who was nearly 70 years old was sitting inside. It was Te Wei, the director of Shanghai Meiying - his real name was not this, but he changed his name for the needs of the revolution.

He is an old revolutionary who formed a national salvation cartoon propaganda team during the Anti-Japanese War.

In 1957, he became the director of the factory and has been working there until now. His situation is similar to that of Wang Yang and he has the same high prestige. He has directed "Tadpole Looking for Mom", "Mu Flute", "Golden Wild Goose", and later "Golden Monkey Conquers the Demon", "Landscape Love" and so on...

As soon as Mark Xuan explained the situation, he turned around and left.

Tewei greeted Chen Qi warmly, exchanged some pleasantries, and said, "You are making movies. Why do you suddenly want to do animation? Or TV animation?"

"This is a long story, let's wait a moment. I want to ask your factory to take over the production this time. You are a highly respected senior. I would like to ask you humbly. I heard that your factory took over a job in 1979. Why? Didn’t do it later?”

Chen Qidao.

"It's very simple! First, the factory has quotas every year. We have to complete the tasks. If we have to help others process, who will do our own work?"

Tewei's voice was still loud and he spoke very sharply: "Secondly, our purpose of being on American Film Academy is to mark the innovation of the nation, establish the differences of the nation, and create animation works with a Chinese style. How can we make foreigners' stuff every day?

Third, I hate the Japanese. If it weren’t for the friendship between China and Japan, I wouldn’t want to take this job! "

"ha!"

Chen Qi smiled happily and gave a thumbs up: "You are a temperamental person, I also hate Japanese devils!"

"You don't need to get close to me. You are very famous in the film industry. I also admire you for earning foreign exchange through exports. You are a capable person. But you want us to help you process it. Well, I have already told you the reason."

"Old factory director, please listen to my explanation first."

Chen Qi didn't expect Te Wei to have such a temper, so after thinking about it for a while, he temporarily modified the speech he had prepared and said: "First of all, I am definitely not Japanese anymore, and it has nothing to do with national interests.

I work in Hong Kong. You may not know it, but there is little background there and it is a cultural desert.

Hong Kong compatriots were ruled by the British and have been impacted by Western culture for decades. The older generation is okay, but the younger generation can't even speak Mandarin, let alone our traditional culture and history.

My original intention of making this TV animation is just for the children of Hong Kong, so that they can have a correct understanding of our Chinese culture. "

"Oh? What do you want to do?"

""Idiom Moving Gallery"!"

"Speaking idioms?" Tewei was stunned.

"Exactly, my idea is to set up two hosts, one is Dr. Panda, for example. Pandas are our unique treasures in China, and then set up a cute robot that can attract children.

Each episode talks about an idiom, plus the opening and ending, about 3 minutes. But don't just tell it, express the idiom in the form of a short story.

How meaningful this kind of animation is!

It can be played not only to children in Hong Kong, but also to compatriots in Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese. Idioms are the concentrated essence of Chinese culture and the roots of all Chinese people around the world! "

"Idiom Moving Gallery" should be familiar to older people...

Chen Qi wants to go to Meitu to be an OEM, but he can't just make commercial films. The mainland system is still conservative, but the idiom story is different. This thing is absolutely culturally correct, and no one can say anything about it.

You can’t even tell Taiwan. Today’s Taiwan also upholds Chinese traditions. Unlike the so-called “de-Sinicization” of later generations, there are only 8 pages in history textbooks from Shang and Zhou Dynasties to Sui and Tang Dynasties...

At this moment, Tewei was also speechless.

He even supported such a work, but still hesitated: "Your intention is very good, but we still have practical problems. We cannot ignore production and transfer the backbone of the business to you."

"No, no! I don't need old painters, just a few young people. They have to learn in the factory anyway. It just increases their work experience and kills two birds with one stone."

"..."

Tewei was silent for a while, and finally said: "Okay, for the sake of the child!"

He immediately called Ma Kexuan and took Chen Qi to find the comrade in charge of specific business.