Chapter 44: Proposing Ideas

At this moment, all eyes in the room fixed on Wu Yuchen.

Initially, they had thought Wu Yuchen was just a boastful kid, and their impression of him wasn’t good—but after his recent talk about Huang Feihong, that view had undergone a complete reversal.

This young man didn’t merely know the developmental trajectory of Huang Feihong’s films in detail; he also offered original insights, tracing the origins of each generation’s portrayal of Huang Feihong by tying them to Hong Kong’s social conditions, delivering analyses that were incisive and unmistakably grounded in deep knowledge.

So he hadn’t been bluffing after all—he’d truly seen countless films!

Jia Leilei blurted out in astonishment: “Little Wu, how many of these hundred-odd Huang Feihong films have you actually watched?”

Wu Yuchen answered honestly:

“Teacher Jia, I haven’t seen that many—maybe twenty or thirty at most. I’ve seen a few of Kwan Tak-hing’s, a few of Jackie Chan’s, but mostly the last fifteen years.

Still, I’ve read some Hong Kong magazines on the subject and combined that with my own understanding to form these views on Huang Feihong’s films. If I’ve made any mistakes, I humbly ask all the teachers for your tolerance!”

Hearing this, Jia Leilei breathed a sigh of relief; if Wu Yuchen had claimed to have seen them all, he might have believed it—but then his own pressure would have skyrocketed.

“Wow, young man, you spoke wonderfully!” The kind old woman spoke up immediately in praise.

“Who’d have thought Old Hou actually sent us a timely rain!”

“Hahaha, Little Jia, I think we ought to add a special episode on Huang Feihong—everything Little Wu just said can be used verbatim!” The old man who had brought Wu Yuchen in, He Guangying, laughed.

Wu Yuchen bowed to the circle of people around him, thanking them for their compliments.

“You’re absolutely right, Teacher He!” Jia Leilei now looked at Wu Yuchen with clear delight and admiration—he never expected Director Hou would send them a student so deeply versed in wuxia, someone truly capable of shouldering great responsibility!

Jia Leilei immediately called out: “Little Wu, don’t stand there—bring a chair and sit over here~”

After Wu Yuchen sat down, Jia Leilei pointed to a blackboard beside them and asked with a smile:

“Little Wu, this is our current classification of the documentary’s content—do you have any new ideas?”

Wu Yuchen turned to look and saw a movable blackboard covered with different categories and chapters.

Genre Section:

“The Ultimate Martial Arts” (Forged in Fire)—Overview of Combat Wuxia

“Winning with Laughter”—Humorous Wuxia

“Supernatural Tales”—Supernatural Wuxia

Character Section:

“The Heroes’ Roll”—Tales of Righteous Heroes

“The Portrait of Villains”—Evil and Monstrous Antagonists

“Young Ambition”—Young Heroes

Form Section:

“Martial Arts as Dance”—Analysis of Martial Performance

“Visual Spectacle”—Extraordinary Visual Effects

“Masterful Craftsmanship”—Stunt Techniques

“The Heroes of the Jianghu”—Profiles of Various Martial Sects

“Swords, Spears, and Daggers”—Weapons and Props

“Fierce Horses, Wild Songs”—The Horse Totem

“Heroes and Fine Wine”—Wuxia Drinking Culture

Wu Yuchen saw here that another category, “Spiritual Soul Section,” remained blank. He asked:

“Teacher Jia, are all the categories on this board already finalized?”

“We’ve completed about half. If you have any ideas, speak freely—we encourage open discussion here.”

The others in the room also smiled at Wu Yuchen, eager to see what new surprises and insights this newcomer might bring.

Wu Yuchen said: “Teachers, I feel the Character Section is lacking—could we add two more categories?”

“What?”

Wu Yuchen walked to the blackboard, picked up a pen, and wrote: “The Heroine’s Grace,” “The Eccentric Heroes.”

Then he put down the pen and said: “Although wuxia is often seen as a man’s romance, women are indispensable in wuxia films—especially heroines. Whether it’s Lin Qingxia’s Eastern Dark Lord, Zhang Man-yu’s Golden Swallow, Xu Feng’s A Touch of Zen, or Ding Lan’s Shepherdess, all left an indelible impression on audiences. This is unavoidable—I believe we should dedicate a full section to ‘The Heroine’s Grace.’”

The kind old woman laughed heartily: “Well said! Wuxia isn’t just about men—heroines are heroes too!”

Jia Leilei added: “I agree with this point. We’d considered it before, but I lacked familiarity with these films. Since you’ve raised it, you’ll lead the ‘The Heroine’s Grace’ section.”

Wu Yuchen hesitated: “Is that appropriate?”

An old man sitting beside him waved his hand and smiled: “Little Wu, nothing’s inappropriate here. We don’t judge by seniority—if you have ability and ideas, step up. We old folks will just offer advice and lend a hand.”

Seeing the warm, approachable demeanor of the elders around him and Jia Leilei’s lack of pretension, Wu Yuchen realized he was here to work, not to hold back—he nodded in acceptance.

Then he pointed to “The Eccentric Heroes” and said:

“There’s another group in the Jianghu who aren’t traditional righteous heroes—like Bai Yutang the White Rat, or some of the Liangshan heroes. They’re morally ambiguous, yet wuxia films can’t do without them—they’ve often been protagonists. Characters like Jin She Langjun, Bai Yutang, and many of Gu Long’s leads share this trait. Their charisma is undeniable, and many are wildly popular—I think we need a section called ‘The Eccentric Heroes.’”

“That’s a great point! I love Huang Yaoshi—he’s exactly what we’ve overlooked!” Another elder clapped in agreement.

Jia Leilei chuckled: “Then Little Wu, you’ll handle this one too~”

Wu Yuchen’s mouth twitched: “Teacher Jia, you can’t hand me every new idea I suggest…”

Jia Leilei, slightly embarrassed, waved his hand and laughed:

“No, no—just these two for now!”

Wu Yuchen didn’t mind—he was genuinely interested in these topics—and asked: “Teacher Jia, may I offer my thoughts on the Spiritual Soul Section?”

“We haven’t settled on specifics for this section yet—speak your mind!” Jia Leilei said generously.

Wu Yuchen picked up the pen again and wrote swiftly. When he set it down, the blackboard now bore new additions.

Spiritual Soul Section:

“The People’s Martial Spirit”—Patriotism, the Will of the People

“Martial Arts Carry the Dao”—Loyalty, Filial Piety, Righteousness, Courage, the Way of the Hero

“Heroic Bones, Tender Hearts”—Love Beyond Life and Death

“Sincere Hearts, Shared Resolve”—Brotherhood and Moral Fortitude

“Blood and Tears of the Jianghu”—Money, Power, Hatred, and Violence

Seeing the new content on the blackboard, Jia Leilei’s mind cleared instantly—he now saw the entire documentary’s later production direction with crystal clarity.

The veteran consultants also murmured their admiration—this young man truly had vision!