Back to 80: My Literary Life

In the Journey to the West movie series, there is no script more suitable for Stephen Chow to star in than this script.

Fang Minghua is also very familiar with this script.

I have watched the movie many times, and I have picked up those touching plots and familiar classic lines at my fingertips.

How joyful is life, and how painful is death.

The person I love is an unparalleled hero. One day he will come back to marry me on the colorful clouds. I guessed the beginning but I couldn’t guess the ending.

Including the script of the movie, Fang Minghua had not studied it seriously before coming to this era. This is a classic post-modernist film, and the teacher even deconstructed it in class when he was in college.

Collage-like film language, the disintegration of "sublime solemnity", and the use of Brecht's alienation effect

All reveal a strong sense of postmodernism.

In that case, let’s write.

Fang Minghua turned on his computer, called up WPS, and started writing quickly.

(Dark night, wilderness)

Guanyin: Sun Wukong, you beast, you originally promised Tathagata Buddha to escort your master Tang Sanzang to get the Western Scriptures, but you actually colluded with the Bull Demon King to eat your master. Do you know that you have committed a heinous crime?

Sun Wukong: Don't be wordy! You chased me for three days and three nights, and I didn't kill you because you were a woman. Don't think I'm afraid of you!

Tang Monk: Wukong, how can you talk to Sister Guanyin like this?

Wukong: Wow! Don’t make any noise!

Tang Seng: You are scaring me again!

Guanyin: Aren't you afraid of me? Why did you hurt Fairy Zixia and take away her moonlight treasure box? Don't you just want to avoid me? Wukong: Since you can't hide, then Lao Sun will fight you to the death!

(Wukong threw the Moonlight Treasure Box casually and hit Tang Monk on the head.)

Tang Seng: Ah! Don't be angry, everyone. If you are angry, you will violate the rules of anger! Wukong, you are too naughty. I told you not to throw things around. Throwing things does this... (Bang, Wukong's stick fell. On the ground) Look, I haven’t finished speaking yet. You threw the stick away again! The Moonlight Box is a treasure. If you throw it away, it will pollute the environment. Oh, what if it hits a child? Even if it doesn’t hit a child, It’s not right to hit those flowers and plants!

(Wukong grabs the Moonlight Box in Tang Monk’s hand)

Tang Seng: What are you doing?

Wukong: Let go!

On this day, from day to night, apart from going out to eat, Fang Minghua basically stayed in his hotel room writing this script.

In fact, the scripts for the first and second episodes of Westward Journey are not that many, just over 30,000 words, which can be said to be quite short.

Originally, the script was written while filming, and everything was left to the director and actors.

Of course Fang Minghua will not write too much thanklessly.

I wrote until ten o'clock in the evening. I finished writing the scripts for the first and second episodes. I checked it carefully and felt that there was nothing wrong with it.

Turn off the phone and go to sleep.

I got up the next morning, had breakfast, went to the front desk and called Stephen Chow's phone number.

"Mr. Zhou, I am Fang Minghua. When the script is finished, please have someone come over and get it."

Fang Minghua told his address again, then went downstairs to eat and take a look around.

East Lake Hotel was quite famous in Shenzhen in the 1980s and 1990s. It was one of the first foreign-related hotels. From the indoors, you could overlook Wutong Mountain in the distance and East Lake up close.

Karaoke, dance hall, swimming pool, and sauna are all available!

After a busy day yesterday, I felt exhausted and went to the sauna to steam. Fang Minghua turned around and walked into the sauna. After steaming for a while, he found a female technician to give him a massage.

Of course, forget about big health care and so on.

After taking the sauna and feeling relaxed, Fang Minghua changed into his own clothes and went to his room. He wandered into the hall and saw several people sitting on the sofa. When he saw him, he immediately stood up and walked towards him.

The leader turned out to be Stephen Chow!

Oops, have you come to Shenzhen in person?

"Mr. Fang, Mr. Zhou has been waiting for almost an hour." It was his assistant Tian Qiwen who spoke, with an obvious tone of complaint.

"I didn't expect you to come so quickly, so I went to take a sauna." Fang Minghua explained with a smile.

Tian Qiwen wanted to say something else, but Stephen Chow stopped him and said in his very poor Mandarin: "It's okay, Mr. Fang, can I read your script now?"

"Okay, let's go upstairs."

Everyone gathered around Zhou Xingchi and went up to the third floor. The assistant followed Zhou Xingchi into Fang Minghua's room, and the others stood at the door of the room in a very polite manner.

Fang Minghua didn't hesitate, turned on the computer and called up the script he wrote last night.

"I can't print it out without a printer, so I'll just make do with it on the computer."

Stephen Chow said nothing more and sat on his chair staring at the screen carefully.

Fang Minghua didn't bother him and made a cup of tea and drank it slowly.

Stephen Chow did not read it very quickly. He pondered over the 30,000-word script and read it countless times.

Fang Minghua changed the weak tea twice more. Two hours had passed before he saw Zhou Xingchi raising his head from the computer and looking at him, looking a little excited.

'"Mr. Fang, I want your script! How about 200,000 Hong Kong dollars?"

To be fair, the price Stephen Chow gave was not low.

People in Hong Kong have never paid much attention to screenwriters. The most a famous screenwriter can write is 50,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Fang Minghua didn't care about this either. But if there is anything, he will say it.

"Mr. Zhou, as a screenwriter, of course I hope you will film it, but I also want to say one more thing. This script subverts tradition. Will the audience accept it if it is filmed? You have to seriously consider it."

Stephen Chow pondered for a moment with a determined look on his face: "I have considered it, but I want to give it a try."

"Oh well."

Stephen Chow obviously came prepared. He immediately took out a standard contract, which was in traditional Chinese. Fang Minghua read it carefully and found that it was signed by Xingwei Co., Ltd.

Oh, at this time, the Caixing Film Company that caused the movie "Westward Journey" to go bankrupt had not yet been established.

After Fang Minghua signed his name, the other party took out a three-inch plate and Fang Minghua copied it in. Everything was OK.

When the other party was about to leave, Fang Minghua suddenly said:

"Mr. Zhou, if you want to make this movie, I suggest you go to the mainland. There is a place called Zhenbeibao West Film City in Ningxia. The location there is very suitable for society."

Fang Minghua briefly introduced the situation in Zhenbeibao.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang. I will seriously consider your suggestion." Stephen Chow was about to leave, but Fang Minghua stopped him.

"Mr. Zhou, your laptop." Fang Minghua said and pointed to the laptop on the table.

"Mr. Fang, I'll leave it to you as a souvenir." Stephen Chow smiled.

"Thanks"

Mr. Zhou left with a group of people, and Fang Minghua was also preparing to fly back to Xijing.

Historically, Stephen Chow approached West Film Studio to co-produce this film. Unfortunately, it suffered a huge loss when it was released. As a result, Cai Xing Film Company, which he had just founded, went bankrupt.

Fang Minghua didn't know whether Stephen Chow would ask Liu Zhenwei to direct the film this time, or whether he would ask West Film Studio to cooperate, and he didn't take the initiative to recommend Song Tangtang's Shengshi Film and Television.

Now that I am a screenwriter, it would be useless to talk too much.

Moreover, the movie was poorly received when it was first released, which is also a big problem.

Let everything take its course.

In the evening, Fang Minghua took a flight back to Xijing.