[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu":3,"chapter-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-329":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Stealing the Role in 1995 Huayu",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321318,4540,"Chapter 329","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-329",329,"\u003Cp>The original version of \"Departures\" was filmed in a small city in Japan, but Japan differs from China; as a developed country, even its smaller cities have been upgraded. Today’s third-tier Chinese cities remain relatively backward, and many plot elements would feel out of place if set in such towns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Wu Yuchen changed the setting to Shanghai, China’s city most integrated with the West; the protagonist’s fusion of Eastern and Western styles is most logically placed in Shanghai, with his residence set in the suburbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, after being laid off by a Shanghai-based orchestra, the protagonist is forced to move from his downtown rental to his suburban home and, to make a living, takes a job at a funeral service company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, \"Departures\" is intended for global distribution, and Wu Yuchen wants to portray China as positively as possible. If the film were shot in third- or fourth-tier cities showing only backward scenes, its artistic tone would be lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the original \"Departures\" showcased beautiful scenery, making viewers feel that Japan’s small towns were lovely and well-maintained; people’s clothing, though not luxurious, was always appropriate, leaving a strong positive impression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Wu Yuchen’s filming will follow a slightly idealized tone—not only must the scenery be beautiful, but the people must be portrayed well too, promoting our national culture and enhancing our image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this emphasis on refined, tasteful attire aligns with Shanghai residents’ characteristics and won’t make domestic audiences feel disconnected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there are the actors: besides the lead roles, several supporting characters are also crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the film is set in Shanghai, Wu Yuchen decided to prioritize casting actors from Shanghai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First is the protagonist’s boss and mentor—the man who guided him into this profession and personally taught Lin Wu every aspect of being a mortician.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss is steady and mature, sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, sometimes silent, sometimes sharing profound life lessons with Da Wu; he is an elderly man who has weathered life’s trials, aged roughly between sixty and seventy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Wu Yuchen directly invited the veteran actor You Benchang. You’s acting is unquestionable—he once revealed deep truths to audiences as Ji Gong in \"Ji Gong,\" and now let him be a life mentor once again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next is the protagonist’s colleague, a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties, who serves as the protagonist’s confidante and offers him comfort during his struggles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen invited He Saifei for this role. He Saifei’s acting career has been thriving in recent years; after starring as the female lead in \"The Burning Years,\" her fame ensured she never lacked roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This character—gentle, warm, attentive, always smiling, yet becoming a wise older sister figure to Lin Wu in critical moments—is perfectly suited for He Saifei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s also the owner of an independent bathhouse, who watched the protagonist grow up from childhood and later died suddenly, prompting the protagonist to perform her funeral rites. Her age shouldn’t be too high—she must appear capable, since she still runs her own bathhouse; sixty-something is ideal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen invited Xiang Mei from Shanghai Film Studio, who previously appeared in \"Women’s Basketball Team No. 5\" and \"Red Detachment of Women,\" and is familiar to younger audiences as the Queen of Wuchiguo in the 1986 version of \"Journey to the West.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, there’s the elderly man who frequently visits the bathhouse to play chess—ordinarily humorous, but deeply saddened after the bathhouse owner’s death, delivering a profound life lesson. Shanghai Film Studio has just the right person: Niu Ben.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These are all seasoned veterans, each brimming with life experience; Wu Yuchen has zero concern about their acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving Wu Yuchen’s invitation, the veteran actors were delighted; when Wu Yuchen filmed \"Love,\" he invited Wang Danfeng from their studio, and the film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, which filled them with envy. Now, being invited for \"Departures\"—such a strong script—they all accepted immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for other minor roles, Wu Yuchen doesn’t need to worry—he can leave them to his team. He is currently inspecting the pre-prepared sets, offering revision suggestions, while also visiting each location pre-selected by the crew to choose the ones most fitting his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wu Yuchen finalized preparations for \"Departures,\" the Athens Olympics came to an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Athens Olympics produced China’s greatest hero, Liu Xiang, whose world-record-tying performance and historic win as the first Asian sprinter to claim Olympic gold filled the nation with pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, simultaneously, someone faced widespread criticism after these Games—not anyone else, but Zhang Yimou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Outdated performances! Outmoded presentation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A forced, chaotic mishmash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell did Zhang Yimou direct? Is he trying to embarrass China?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He showed zero Chinese culture or Chinese spirit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too rustic! Neither fish nor fowl! Neither Chinese nor Western!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These criticisms targeted the Beijing 8-Minute segment at the Athens Olympics closing ceremony, now dubbed by domestic media as the “Black 8 Minutes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first act featured fourteen young, beautiful girls performing the classic Chinese song \"Jasmine.\" The backlash centered on their outfits: outrageously short qipaos in clashing red-and-green floral patterns, hemlines cut to just above the buttocks—so shocking they left many Chinese viewers stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one newspaper put it, calling this attire vulgar would be generous; such a look would be mocked even at a third-tier city’s grand opening show! It’s unimaginable this came from Zhang Yimou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the fourteen girls was Tang Yan, yet in her subsequent celebrity career, she never voluntarily mentioned or marketed her “Olympic Baby” identity—evidence of how deeply this criticism scarred her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later came children performing Peking Opera and Tai Chi, but audiences found the entire performance chaotic, like watching a temple fair. Then came stilt-walkers carrying lanterns to symbolize hospitality, but critics mocked their costumes as eerie and morbid, resembling funeral processions—radiating the aura of a coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, not a single act in this “Black 8 Minutes” satisfied viewers; every second was flawed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This criticism devastated Zhang Yimou—he had spent over four months meticulously preparing it. After finishing \"House of Flying Daggers,\" he hadn’t even stayed home long before diving straight into this project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, back home, his wife and children were with him. Holding his infant son, born six months ago but whom he’d barely seen, he felt a quiet sense of comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his father passed away, he urged Zhang Yimou to have many children—many children bring good fortune and ensure family prosperity. Now he had two sons; he believed his father, looking down from heaven, would smile. But two weren’t enough—he wanted one more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet at this moment, Chen Ting finally made a request of him…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Marriage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping’s eyes widened, and he waved his hand sharply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I disagree! You absolutely cannot marry her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou looked up at Zhang Weiping, surprised by his intense reaction, and explained: “Chen Ting has been through a lot with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping recalled what his wife told him: Chen Ting is no pushover—she has her own mind and has always kept her guard up around his wife. Such a woman must not marry Zhang Yimou; she’d destabilize his control over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping gripped Zhang Yimou’s shoulder: “Mouzi, look at you now—right after the Olympics, you’re being vilified nationwide, your reputation has plummeted. Now you want to get married? What if the civil affairs department leaks the news, and they trace it back to your children? What will people think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ll believe you didn’t take the Olympic 8-Minute seriously at all—that you were just fooling around, focused only on your own marriage and children! Your name and image will be ruined!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou froze, stunned by Zhang Weiping’s words; he’d never considered these consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zhang Weiping pressed on: “Mouzi, think again—what does Chen Ting’s move really mean? She’s using the child to blackmail you! If you agree now, next time she’ll demand more!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou immediately retorted: “She’s not like that…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhang Yimou defend Chen Ting so fiercely, Zhang Weiping became even more determined to block the marriage—once married, her influence over him would only grow stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping unleashed his final blow: “If you marry now, what about Gong Li? Do you forget how she begged you back then? And your daughter Momo—we’ve kept her mother’s existence hidden from her all this time! She still hopes you’ll reconcile with her mother. What will she feel if she learns you’ve remarried?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou stood frozen. Gong Li and his ex-wife’s daughter—both women he felt he’d wronged—struck him to the core, leaving him utterly deflated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou fell silent for a long while, no longer mentioning marriage. He finally asked Zhang Weiping: “How did your negotiations with Koji Takaku go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question shifted the topic to the new film \"A Thousand Miles of a Single Horse.\" Zhang Yimou had wanted to make it since two years ago—he originally planned to shoot it after \"Hero,\" but Zhang Weiping had talked him out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koji Takaku was Zhang Yimou’s idol since youth; he longed to collaborate with him and had specifically chosen him as the male lead, even writing him a personal letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Weiping looked at Zhang Yimou and said: “Mouzi, we didn’t make it. He asked for too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible! He told me it was only four million dollars!” Zhang Yimou protested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, Zhang Weiping would have supported Zhang Yimou. But seeing him like this, and now with his marriage plans, Zhang Weiping sensed Zhang Yimou was subtly trying to break free from his control—he became even more determined not to indulge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping bluntly declared: “Mouzi, I’ll tell you straight—we can’t make 'A Thousand Miles of a Single Horse.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?! Why?” Zhang Yimou was even more confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping spread his hands: “No money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhang Yimou panicked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No money? But didn’t we sell the overseas rights to 'House of Flying Daggers' for 200 million? And the box office was over a hundred million—how can we be broke?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did we really sell for 200 million? I told the media that just to build your image. Otherwise, you’d look far worse than Wu Yuchen—even Li An outperforms you. Where would your face be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: “And we spent 30 million just on promotion. Think about the film’s total investment—280 million. Did we recover even half? This time, 'House of Flying Daggers' earned far less than 'Hero.' We actually lost money. I even had to pay out of pocket to cover your over-quota children. Where’s the spare cash now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou opened his mouth, then fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping then said: “Mouzi, let’s forget 'A Thousand Miles of a Single Horse.' Didn’t you once mention wanting to make a historical version of 'Thunderstorm'? Why not try that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou muttered: “Another period film? Won’t that cost even more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Weiping clapped his hands: “This time we can raise funds. People will invest in a period film. Who’d fund 'A Thousand Miles of a Single Horse' and lose money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Zhang Yimou walk away, Zhang Weiping sneered. He needed to break this man’s will—only then would he obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back home, Zhang Yimou felt restless—not because Zhang Weiping blocked his marriage, but because he sensed his creative direction was being interfered with. Yet he was always quiet; Zhang Weiping’s words, though harsh, were meant for his good, and Zhang Weiping had always managed these affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, when Zhang Weiping mentioned the historical \"Thunderstorm,\" Zhang Yimou thought of Gong Li. His mention of her stirred deep guilt within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years ago, Gong Li wanted to marry him, but he hesitated too much and refused—leading to their breakup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now had Chen Ting; he could never return to Gong Li. But he still remembered promising her on the Great Wall that he’d let her play an empress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Zhang Weiping mentioned the historical \"Thunderstorm,\" Zhang Yimou didn’t object—if Gong Li would accept the empress role, he’d begin preparing the project immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Zhang Yimou took out his phone, found Gong Li’s number, hesitated a moment, then dialed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Zhang Yimou took out his phone, found Gong Beibi’s number, hesitated for a moment, then finally dialed it.\u003C\u002Fp>",2029,"2026-06-20T16:09:30.828Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","11414b687a19960e2925b08025d35b5d3d2705592399fccf31cc9d4e50434681","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-330","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-328",335,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-cover.jpg"]