Chapter 638: Since Ancient Times

Early September in the Western Regions is still relatively cool; the only advantage here is that there are no mosquitoes in summer.

So some rich folks come here in summer to escape the heat — it feels great, especially outdoors, the freedom from mosquito bites is wonderfully relaxing.

Of course, the climate is dry, with large temperature swings between day and night, and the bitter winters and hot summers are especially pronounced.

This place is different from the big southern cities; the buildings look a bit old and worn — after all, it's a small city, it can't be compared with the big ones.

At present Hami is not yet a city, but a county.

This place would only be upgraded from prefecture to city next year; only then did it get its development.

On the Gobi flats in northern Hami, several business vans and a number of coaches came rumbling in from afar, kicking up plumes of grey dust; though the road was rough, it was fairly level.

The vehicles pulled up, and Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian, along with several others, as well as over a dozen members of The Martian's main creative team — Han Jianü, Shen Ao, Liu Yin, Chen Xiuwei and the rest — had all followed along.

Accompanying them were several government workers in administrative jackets, that is, the county's leadership group, including County Head Ainiwaer.

He was a man of the ethnic minorities, speaking a stiff, halting Chinese.

As these people stepped out of their vehicles, they saw, not far off, over a hundred workers setting up a scene on a stretch of Gobi gravel — building the movie's "Mars" base.

The main structure was a huge circular capsule, very sci-fi in look, built under the guidance of an Expert.

It occupied a large area, a one-to-one reproduction.

Of course it was modular construction — they couldn't really lay foundations and all that out here; they just anchored it with ground stakes, and after filming they'd have to take it down.

And not far off, several large trucks, several vans, coaches, and off-road vehicles were parked in neat rows.

All of these belonged to the production crew; after work they'd return to the hotel they were renting in Hami, and come back early the next morning to continue.

Of course some people lived right here — after all, they had to make sure the supplies on site weren't stolen.

RVs were arranged, and tents were also set up.

"Logistics — we'll have to trouble County Head Aini for that," Fang Hong said as they chatted.

The crew had brought no food or water to the shoot; all the logistical support depended entirely on Hami County's provision — of course, this was an agreement signed long beforehand.

The deal was: if you film here, all your eating, drinking, and daily needs must be supplied locally — otherwise they wouldn't make things so convenient for you.

It's an unwritten rule; filming in any other location is pretty much the same situation.

At the very least, you have to give the boxed-meal business to the local area.

In the past, Fang Hong had usually filmed in big cities or studios, so there was no such requirement — but small places are like this.

This counts as a big deal; just feeding a thousand-odd people runs to a small several million a month, not to mention other food, other drinks, and other daily necessities.

Then there's lodging — a big crew can casually drop over ten million here.

For a county like this, it's a guaranteed-profit big deal; of course the crew doesn't mind either, because they've also enjoyed the other services provided.

For instance, helping you mark out land, providing guides, and so on.

"It's only right; we'll definitely guarantee logistics for your esteemed crew. If you have any requirements about meals, please feel free to raise them." Though Ainiwaer said it to him, he also glanced at Han Jianü.

This area was under Han Jianü's management — she was the boss.

"No special requirements. Most of our crew are Han Chinese, so we don't have many dietary taboos — you should understand." Han Jianü spoke very tactfully, afraid of offending their sensitivities.

"I understand, I understand, we'll arrange it properly." Ainiwaer nodded, getting her meaning.

Han Jianü nodded; they were on the money side — this place had only 600,000 people, and their money could drive the local service industry's development.

As they walked and chatted, Liu Tianxian tilted her head and asked softly, "What taboos do they have?"

"They don't eat pork," Fang Hong said quietly, cupping a hand beside his mouth.

"Ah! Why?" It was the first time Liu Tianxian had heard of such a thing.

"They say a pig once saved their ancestors — of course, I've only heard that." Fang Hong wasn't sure either.

"Oh."

Liu Tianxian seemed to understand, and dropped the subject.

Mainly because she'd had very little contact with such ethnic groups before — basically none — and this was her first time in the Western Regions.

Fang Hong had also picked up the information online, and wasn't very certain.

Liu Tianxian wore a Panama straw hat, her face fair and pale, long hair flowing over her shoulders, and black leather shoes on her feet.

Stepping on the Gobi gravel, she made soft crunching, crunching sounds.

She wore a loose women's blazer and loose wide-leg trousers, her bearing outstanding; at this moment she was gazing at the distant scenery.

She saw the distant mountain range, towering like a giant lying down, and on the peaks, dazzling white snow — a breathtaking sight.

She couldn't help asking, "What mountain is that?"

"That's Balikun Shan. Over that mountain, another hundred or two hundred kilometres on, is Mongolia," Ainiwaer explained.

"Outer Mongolia?" Liu Tianxian was surprised — they'd almost be leaving the country.

"Yes," Ainiwaer nodded.

"This mountain has another name — Yueya Shan. Look at the mountainside, doesn't it look like a crescent moon?" Fang Hong pointed as he spoke.

"You don't notice until it's pointed out, but now that you say it, it does look like one," Liu Tianxian said, looking.

"Legend has it that, after Lady Nuwa finished her great task of mending the heavens, she came to the beautiful Pulei Hai — that is, the shore of Balikun Hu — to rest and groom herself.

The lovely scenery of lake and mountains enchanted her, so she took away a piece of the five-coloured stone left over from mending the heavens.

Many years later, this piece of five-coloured stone, imbued with spirit, transformed into a mountain unlike any other — Guaishi Shan."

Fang Hong was in the mood, so he told her the story.

The people nearby were also listening with great interest — they had never heard such a story before.

Who would have thought that since ancient times, it had all started from Nuwa.

"Guaishi Shan?" Liu Tianxian asked, puzzled.

"Yes, there should be a Guaishi Shan around here. When there's time, I'll take you to see it — broaden your horizons," Fang Hong said.

"Guaishi Shan is only about ten kilometres from here, not far. If the Principal and Miss Liu would like to see it, I can lead the way for you right now," Ainiwaer offered eagerly.

This crew has thrown a few hundred million into filming here. Once the movie is released, there will surely be a wave of publicity that can boost tourism here.

Even if it doesn't, Liu Tianxian appearing here will draw a wave of publicity and bring crowds of people flocking to her name.

This is a help to the local economy.

"I won't go for now. Let's finish the main business first." Fang Hong declined.

That place is a tourist spot. Showing up too often will attract fans and media and the like, and dealing with them is a hassle.

Ainiwaer nodded and said nothing.

The group approached the "Mars" base. The area was full of gravel flats, wind-eroded mounds shaped like castles, glowing red in the sunset—very much that red-planet vibe.

Just very desolate. Not a blade of grass or a plant in sight, nothing but Gobi desert, and the air carried gusts of sand every now and then, as if about to blow straight into one's mouth.

The Western Regions are naturally windy and sandy; staying long enough, one easily gets rhinitis.

Art director Li Anran stepped forward with several assistants and greeted them: "Principal, Tianxian, Producer Han."

"How is construction progressing?" Fang Hong asked.

"The main living quarters, work area, medical station, and the exterior of the laboratory are built. The interior still has a lot of props—that is, equipment—that haven't been placed inside yet," Li Anran explained.

This base is divided into two parts: the habitation module and the laboratory, plus communication systems, energy systems, life-support systems, and so on.

On top of the base there are antennas, things that look like satellite dishes, and solar panels—presumably for detection, connection, and power supply.

Not only the top has solar panels; the roadside does too.

Of course, to the naked eye it just looks the part, but in reality it can't actually be used—electricity is still generated by generators.

If one were really to build a Mars base, it would require hiring many experts from various fields, and the technical problems to watch out for would be endless.

The materials and such are just for show, not practical.

The group walked around the massive "Mars" base, looking around curiously as they went.

"Can we go inside and have a look?" Liu Tianxian asked.

She wanted to familiarize herself with the layout and environment inside, so that when filming came, she would be more at ease.

"You can, but it's really just for looking—nothing particularly practical in there," Li Anran introduced.

"No problem, I'm just getting familiar with it," Liu Tianxian said, indicating she understood.

Filming doesn't really require the thing to actually exist.

The group walked to the hatch. The hatch had a round handle. Li Anran gestured: "Turn it to the right and it opens."

Liu Tianxian stepped up, turned it hard to the right, and the hatch indeed opened with a "click."

The sound even had that mechanical quality to it.

"Not bad, it has that heavy feel to it." She opened the hatch with a smile—it opened outward.

"Aside from the overly high-tech things we can't recreate, some things we still try to make as realistic as possible. When you act, the expressions and movements passed on to you will feel real," Li Anran said.

It's just that some things need to be as real as possible to have that genuine feel. For example, lifting a stone should have that weighty feel, not give the actor the lightness of lifting foam.

Some things can't be acted out, or one doesn't think of them, and that's where the team needs to pay attention to details.

"True enough!" Liu Tianxian looked at Fang Hong and said: "Let's go in and have a look!"

Fang Hong turned to the Meng family girl and said: "You all stay outside and help me entertain the county magistrate."

"Alright, go ahead." The Meng family girl gestured.

The inside wasn't fully set up yet, so it wasn't ideal to have too many people go in.

Of course the interior was still quite spacious. Liu Tianxian looked around curiously at everything. The whole place was in white tones, with a kind of sci-fi simplicity.

Li Anran first led them on a tour of the living quarters, pushed open a door and said: "This is the bedroom, but it's only a single bed."

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian looked inside. There was a small TV by the bed. They went to check the bathroom—there was even a toilet.

Liu Tianxian couldn't help asking: "Is this toilet real?"

"Of course it's real. All the household appliances and living items here are real—no different from being at home," Li Anran said.

Liu Tianxian nodded, indicating she understood. The reason she'd asked was that she remembered there was a bathroom scene in the script.

It's where the protagonist, while using the toilet, gets the inspiration to grow potatoes—using feces as fertilizer. Just thinking about it is a bit disgusting.

After that they toured the work area, which consisted of computer terminals and some communication equipment.

The things here are all just props.

The laboratory was styled like the greenhouse vegetables in the movie, plus some research equipment—Tudang Fenxi Yi, Water Circulation System, plant culture chambers, and so on.

These things are from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, mostly used as props. If needed, they use models they made themselves.

After touring the interior of the base, Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian had gained some understanding of the place.

Fang Hong asked: "Given the current state of construction, can we start filming?"

"We can film. Everything is prepared. We can shoot while setting things up—no problem at all," Li Anran said.

Many shots don't require full views, only partial scenes, and they can handle it with ease. Besides, they had already drawn up storyboards for every scene, with plans for how to do everything.

Shooting while setting up was not a particularly difficult thing for them.

Actually, this film is still shooting on real, hard-core locations!

(End of chapter)