Chapter 303: A Milestone in Main Melody Cinema

The camera cuts, and the film’s focus shifts to the disaster relief team led by Hu Jun.

The convoy of vehicles advances with difficulty, the soldiers having endured a journey filled with fear and urgency, finally arriving at the outskirts of Tangshan.

The appearance of their hometown has been completely overturned, with smoke and dust lingering in the air, refusing to dissipate.

It is as if a thick, gray veil is draped over everything, making it feel strange and suffocating to everyone.

Moving further in, the broken walls and ruined pillars resemble hideous monsters, reaching out their purgatorial tentacles toward them while dripping with vile saliva.

The once-flat road surface has become riddled with holes, cracks spreading like spiderwebs in all directions; some parts are raised high, others deeply collapsed, with almost no section left intact.

Sun Chao, a soldier from Tangshan who is driving for Hu Jun, says with a sobbing voice, "Battalion Commander! Where is this place! I can't find my home anymore!"

Hu Jun shakes his head with reddened eyes; he has lived here for decades and is familiar with everything in this place.

Yet, looking at everything before him now, he also finds it incomparably strange.

Sun Chao stumbles out of the driver's cabin like a madman, and before he can even succumb to utter despair, an anxious voice comes from nearby.

"Comrade Liberation Army! Can you save my daughter? She is right there in the ruins!"

A pale-faced old father is on the verge of kneeling before Sun Chao, his eyes bloodshot and his hands mangled and bloody.

A fleeting close-up flashes across the screen, continuing to assault the audience's tear ducts.

"Fellow countryman! We must continue to push toward the epicenter; please wait for the other teams behind us!"

Sun Chao forcibly suppresses the grief in his heart and turns back to board the vehicle, only to see the Battalion Commander already being held by the arm by his wife.

Zhou Xun is clearly also deeply traumatized by the scene before her.

She grips Hu Jun tightly and refuses to let go, her knuckles protruding, veins bulging, and eye sockets blood-red.

Zhou Xun cries out, almost word by word: "We've been married so long, I've never thought of taking advantage of your position, and I've never asked you for anything."

"I just want you to send someone to save my father."

"Just this once, can you?"

Hu Jun has an extremely chauvinistic personality; he is frowning and about to say something when a messenger trots over.

"Report!"

"Orders from superiors: we are to head to the Douhe Reservoir immediately; there is a risk of the dam bursting!"

"Stay safe." Hu Jun does not hesitate for a second; he leaves behind these words, turns, and boards the military vehicle to rush to the aid of the Douhe Reservoir in northwestern Tangshan.

The Douhe Reservoir is roughly triangular in shape, with the Yanshan mountain range to the north and southeast, and a man-made dam to the southwest.

The dam is about 2,390 meters long; on one side of the dam are the iron water-taming oxen and the flood discharge outlet, while the other end overlooks the Tangshan Power Plant.

Now, cracks have appeared in the dam, and once the reservoir ruptures, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Because communication facilities and power control facilities were destroyed in the earthquake, only the hand-cranked winch in the winch room remains.

The only way to possibly activate the two gates, which weigh 40 tons each, is to operate the winch manually.

This arduous task is assigned to the soldiers of Hu Jun's battalion and the 8th Company of the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment directly under the Beiping Military Region.

Zhou Xun watches him walk away with a look of despair, left only with a lukewarm word of comfort.

She feels such hatred in her heart! Her already clipped-short nails dig deep into her palms.

Xiao Anhui finishes clearing the road block and calls for everyone to get back in the vehicles.

Zhou Xun has no choice but to face reality and follow the troops to continue toward the epicenter, where her father, Li Xuejian, is still trapped.

And there are also Xiao Jia, her husband, and their child.

As if she has lost her soul, Zhou Xun bumps along with the military vehicle, the cabin filled with the sound of sobbing.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, Xiao Anhui suddenly stops the vehicle.

Zhou Xun stares blankly at an old man by the side of the road whose lips are cracked, carrying a corpse on his back.

The reason she knows it is a corpse is that one of its legs seems to be missing, yet it lies motionless on his shoulder.

Xiao Anhui runs over: "Grandpa, where are you going?"

The old man's face is blurred, covered in a mixture of black ash, snot, and tears: "Going home, going home..."

"Is this your son?"

"Yes."

"He..."

"Is dead."

Xiao Anhui suppresses his grief: "Grandpa, get in the car; we are heading to the city."

The old man's eyes regain a glimmer of spirit: "Okay, let's go."

His words are terrifyingly calm and terrifyingly tear-jerking; this is the most authentic characteristic of the post-disaster population.

No wailing, no hysteria, only the walking-dead-like journey toward that anchor point in their hearts.

The journey is stop-and-go, and the cabin becomes increasingly crowded.

There are those taking their deceased loved ones home, kind-hearted civilians who came to help with disaster relief on their own, and survivors from nearby counties.

Life or death aside, everyone now has only one thought.

Going home.

Han Shanping, sitting in the audience, was also a director from the Emei Film Studio in his early years; having immersed himself in the art of film for all these years, he naturally sees the three-line narrative of this work.

In the three lines of the Lu Kuan version of "Tangshan Earthquake," the theme of the Song Jia line is disaster, and the theme of the Zhou Xun line is going home.

What is the theme of the Hu Jun line?

How will the three lines intertwine?

The camera cuts, about to provide him with the answer.

Hu Jun leads his troops forward, rushing to the aid of the Douhe Reservoir, and they are about to arrive near the Douhe Dam.

As the truck drives onto the bridge, there is suddenly another violent, unprovoked shaking.

The subjective perspective of the driver, brought by the handheld camera, makes the audience's hearts race on the 4K large screen and the giant screen at the stadium.

Only the audience members familiar with that disaster know that this is the later aftershock that reached magnitude 7!

The scene enters a parallel montage, simultaneously depicting the Tangshan epicenter and Hu Jun's battalion marching at the risk of death before the Douhe Dam.

Extremely realistic special effects show the city undulating and shaking like a carpet under the aftershock, and the people of Tangshan at the epicenter are once again plunged into a painful struggle.

On the other side, the camera gives a close-up of Hu Jun in the passenger seat; for the first time since he appeared in the film, his face is ferocious, and he is on the verge of losing his sanity!

"Step on the gas! Harder! Harder!"

The bridge is teetering under the aftershock; Sun Chao almost stomps the floor of the vehicle through the gas pedal, and the military truck, like a mad bull that has lost its mind, makes a thrilling escape before the bridge collapses and the vehicle falls into the river.

Those in the audience who are knowledgeable recognize this as the spiritual core of the so-called "main melody" film, combined with the expressive techniques of Hollywood blockbusters.

The Douhe rescue is a true historical event, but under the breathtaking special effects and heart-stopping camera language, even foreigners who do not know this history can fully view it as an excellent disaster blockbuster.

Hu Jun, having stepped out of the vehicle, lets out a long sigh; the cold sweat on his forehead and his bobbing Adam's apple display a hint of cowardice in this military man when faced with a natural disaster.

This part was questioned during censorship, with some believing it risked tarnishing the image of the military, but it eventually passed the review with difficulty.

The reason given by the production team was that the film must portray human nature realistically; even heroic soldiers who disregard their own lives should be allowed to possess the irresistible fear of human nature when faced with a natural disaster.

Without the slightest delay, Hu Jun and the dozen soldiers who jumped off the military truck rush to the winch room.

The camera pulls back to an overhead angle; the Douhe Bridge has been completely destroyed, and the remaining support troops have no choice but to turn around and take a detour.

And for the dozen soldiers led by Hu Jun, there is no way back.

Under this meaningful camera language, the old fans of Boss Lu seem to have sensed something.

The winch room is directly above the flood discharge channel, with the giant gates right beneath their feet.

But the huge problem now facing the soldiers is that the outer walls of the winch room are cracked layer by layer, and it seems to be at risk of collapsing at any moment.

If they do not go in to operate the winch, the bursting of the Douhe Dam will flood the entire reservoir area, and the Tangshan Power Plant will also be paralyzed, which would be extremely detrimental to subsequent disaster relief and the restoration of production.

But if they go in to operate the winch, given the current situation, the winch room is at risk of collapsing at any time.

Although it is only a single-story building, while falling down might not be too fatal, the winch room is perched above a dam over forty meters high, and everyone faces the danger of falling into this endless abyss.

The camera pauses for a few seconds—this is time given to the audience to contemplate the situation—but Hu Jun in the scene does not hesitate at all and decisively turns to give the order:

"Groups of four, switch out when exhausted."

He does not mention what to do if it collapses, and the soldiers seem to have forgotten to consider this as well; they only watch with red eyes as their comrades in the first group enter the winch room.

Hu Jun takes the lead.

Both the old Tangshan residents and the audience familiar with this earthquake history know that the final rescue of the Douhe Reservoir is a happy ending.

But as the plot reaches this point, the audience is still incredibly anxious, holding their breath as they watch the teetering, dangerous building, feeling their own heartbeats racing and their breathing becoming shallow.

"One, two, one!"

"One, two, one!"

The sweltering heat makes everyone instantly drenched in sweat; the four soldiers, including Hu Jun, exert all their strength, but can only turn the winch twenty times in one go.

And the gate only rises 1 centimeter for every sixty turns of the winch; at this rate of lifting, it will take at least 6 hours to fully open the gates.

Three groups of four have rotated, and everyone is almost in a state of total exhaustion.

Hu Jun, entering the winch room for another rotation, leads everyone in chanting slogans.

"A great battle at Pingxingguan, hey-ya! The enemy invaders' hearts and guts turn cold, hey-ya!"

"Crossing the Yalu River, hey-ya! Spilling fresh blood on neighborly soil, hey-ya!"

"Blood dyes the battle flag red, hey-ya! Our mighty name spreads across the world, hey-ya!"

These are the glorious historical achievements of the 38th Army, known as the "Long Live Army," especially the interdiction and sniper battles at Dechuan, Samsori, and Ryongwon-ri during the War to Resist America and Aid Korea.

The soldiers, fearless of death, completed the arduous and extremely difficult strategic deployment with excellence.

The sounds of slogans and shouts echo throughout the stadium.

The hot-bloodedness and passion echoing in the cold wind move countless audience members to tears.

Lu Kuan’s editing seemed to strike the audience’s pulse with pinpoint precision; before their agitated emotions could settle, another wave of harrowing scenes came crashing down!

The concrete slab on the roof of the winch room collapsed!

Before Hu Jun could shout his next command, his right shoulder and the back of his neck were smashed into a bloody mess.

The soldiers turned back, their eyes splitting with rage.

"Battalion Commander!"

"Battalion Commander!"

Hu Jun’s face contorted in extreme pain for a fleeting moment, but his hands kept moving: "Continue! I’m not dead yet!"

"Blood stains... the battle flag red! Hey-ya!"

The three soldiers inside and outside the winch room suppressed their violently surging emotions, tears mixing with blood as they continued to follow Hu Jun’s chant.

"Our prestige spreads across the world! Hey-ya!"

The screen shook violently again; the leaders, guests, Jing Tian, and Zhou Xun in the front rows, where the audiovisual effects were maximized, couldn't help but sit bolt upright, their faces drained of color!

Even the toughest man couldn't withstand blow after blow; Hu Jun’s right calf was struck by rubble, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

After the dark-faced Battalion Commander and another soldier both let out miserable screams, they collapsed into a pool of blood.

Sun Chao and the others rushed to drag them out, tearing strips of cloth to bandage their wounds in a flurry of activity.

The remaining four cast lingering glances at their beloved dark-faced Battalion Commander before charging into the winch room one after another, even though the teetering walls were already too horrific to behold...

Jing Tian in the audience could no longer hold back; she wailed in pain, tears and snot streaming down her face.

No one looked at her, no one paid her any mind, because the entire stadium had already been submerged in a sea of tears.

At this moment, in front of screens across the land of Shenzhou, no one could escape the collapse of their tear ducts.

The camera pulled back, over the epicenter in Tangshan, downstream of the Douhe Dam, over the shattered winch room, and before countless ruins and broken walls.

Figures in 65-style grass-green military uniforms were everywhere, bustling incessantly across the disaster relief site.

In front of the winch room, Hu Jun still lay on the yellow earth, his life or death unknown.

At this instant, all the audience members who had attended the press conference for the film *Tangshan Earthquake* in front of the Earthquake Memorial Monument recalled that inscription in their minds.

Over one hundred thousand Liberation Army soldiers galloped through the starry night, arriving first in the city, disregarding death and forgetting their own lives, clearing dangers to save people, clearing ruins to build houses, their merits towering over the world!

In two of the three narrative threads, the protagonists’ fates were unknown.

The camera cut to Zhou Xun; with her as the core narrative perspective, the three threads converged, entering the final thirty minutes of the film’s grand finale and climax.

At the same time Hu Jun led his troops to reinforce the Douhe Dam, Zhou Xun arrived at the epicenter of the city with a military truck.

She ran like a madwoman toward the health station where her father was, only to be tripped by a piece of rubble.

The fair arm that her sister-in-law Song Jia had looked upon with such envy was suddenly bleeding profusely.

She ignored the pain, having completely lost her usual calm and detached demeanor, dodging broken walls and passing wounded, moving forward according to the route in her memory.

On the city’s main road, green Liberation-brand trucks were lined up in a convoy, with the occasional command vehicle passing by with sirens blaring to direct the advance.

The loudspeakers in the city center broadcasted various notices incessantly.

"Dad!"

Zhou Xun’s heart skipped a beat; it was her father’s voice!

She asked around everywhere, stumbling until she reached the outside of the broadcasting room, where she was stopped by two soldiers.

"What are you doing! Stop!"

Li Xuejian limped out, his eyes red: "Xiao Xun!"

"Comrade, this is my daughter, please let me go out for a moment."

Zhou Xun hugged her father and wept bitterly, her emotions, suppressed for nearly twenty-four hours, erupting all at once, leaving everyone who heard it feeling desolate.

"Dad, you escaped?"

Li Xuejian asked curiously: "What about Hu Jun? You don't know?"

"What?"

"When the earthquake happened, I was on duty at the health station. A bunch of us were waiting for rescue in the courtyard when Director Sun from the street office found me."

"It must have been Hu Jun who called him; he knew my legs weren't good and asked him to look after me."

Attentive audience members recalled Hu Jun making several swift phone calls after receiving orders from his superiors at the battalion headquarters.

Although the camera hadn't revealed the specific content, it was now explained.

Zhou Xun crouched down, heart aching as she gently stroked her father’s right leg, which had been left disabled after being beaten during the Ten Years, crying until she was speechless!

He had arranged everything long ago...

That inarticulate dark-faced man, that extremely chauvinistic cold-blooded Battalion Commander, that newlywed husband she had once thought looked down on her background.

On the screen, Zhou Xun had completely shed the elegant and gentle demeanor of a lady from a prominent family; her face was a mess of tangled emotions, and she sat slumped on the ground like a child, hugging her father’s right leg and weeping.

At this moment, she didn't know that more than ten kilometers away, outside the winch room, on the yellow earth scorched hot by the sun.

The cold-blooded husband in her eyes had also lost his right leg and was currently facing the judgment of fate, his life or death unknown.

The teary-eyed audience vaguely sensed that the father’s leg, soaked by Zhou Xun’s tears, was the same one as Hu Jun’s before the winch room.

It was just that while Li Xuejian’s disabled right leg was held in Zhou Xun’s arms, the image of Hu Jun had, for the first time, walked into the heart of this newlywed wife.

The righteousness of the nation and the private feelings of children were interwoven in an extremely tearing and tear-jerking way.

Under the backdrop of history and disaster, it was hard to say what mood the viewers were in as they analyzed this highly impactful plot.

They only felt that after 90 minutes of blood and tears and mental stinging, a warm current and heat began to flow in their hearts.

This was also the tone set by the young director at the beginning of filming: not to use deliberately sensationalized tragedy to move people to tears, but to give hope to life and fate.

Love is hope.

Zhou Xun wailed for a while, then suddenly stood up!

"Xiao Jia! The child!"

"Dad, I have to go save Xiao Jia and the child, take care of yourself!"

Li Xuejian’s voice was hoarse, but he couldn't stop Zhou Xun as she ran out the door; he could only let out a long sigh.

A soldier in a green uniform passed Zhou Xun as she ran down the stairs and handed her a slip of paper.

"Dr. Li, these are the names of the three soldiers from the 38th Army who were from Tangshan and just sacrificed themselves. Please broadcast them and notify their families to come and claim them..."

——

"Make way!"

Zhou Xun was drawn by two anxious shouts; dozens of meters away, several soldiers were carrying a pregnant woman, running along the main road, rushing her to the temporary medical station with the utmost urgency. Blocked by the crowded masses, she frantically pushed her way toward her sister-in-law’s home.

At this moment, the petite lady no longer cared about her poise or posture, directly using her hands to shove aside the noisy, clamoring crowd.

Having finally passed the barracks of the medical station, a baby’s cry suddenly rang out.

That cry, full of vigorous vitality, was like a thunderclap, moving the numb crowd slightly.

It also seemed more like the clear call of a fledgling phoenix, bringing the hope of nirvana to a world drained of life.

Zhou Xun continued to rush forward, the wound on her arm reopening, blood gushing out.

"Ah!"

At the corner, a little girl rushed out from somewhere, her dirty little face adorned with two eyes like black gemstones, pitiful enough to make one love her.

"Auntie! I can't find my mom!"

Zhou Xun was frantic, yet couldn't bear to just leave her behind: "What’s your name? What’s your mom’s name?"

"My name is Xiao Deng."

"My mom is just called Mom."

Xiao Deng was the child actor Xiao Nan; here, Lu Kuan used the plot from the novel *Aftershock*, where the female character Fang Deng’s nickname is Xiao Deng.

Love is hope, and a lamp is also hope.

The clarity and innocence of children can always heal everything, and children are also the future of the country and the nation.

Powerless yet unable to abandon her, Zhou Xun could only take Xiao Deng with her as she rushed toward home.

After traveling rapidly for about half an hour, she finally returned to the downstairs area of her sister and brother-in-law’s home, where she had last left more than thirty hours ago.

"Auntie? Why did you stop?"

Zhou Xun stroked her head: "We're home."

"Is this your home?"

"Yes, my family is underneath."

Zhou Xun suppressed the exhaustion of not having closed her eyes for over thirty hours, having only eaten some military rations on the truck in between.

She knew Xiao Jia, her brother-in-law, and the child were right under her feet, right before her eyes.

"Xiao Deng, stand to the side and don't move."

Zhou Xun expressionlessly searched for some tools and, forcing her numb body, began to move the ruins before her, one brick and one tile at a time.

One hour, two hours, three hours passed.

Xiao Deng also began to help, constantly using her tattered sleeve to wipe sweat from Zhou Xun, and going to the relief station to find water and food.

"Sister-in-law!"

"Sister-in-law!"

From dawn to dusk, Zhou Xun, who was already teetering and about to collapse, looked back suddenly; it was several soldiers from the 38th Army, and leading them was Little Anhui, who had driven them back.

"You guys?"

"Is this the Battalion Commander’s sister’s house?"

"Yes! Right where I’m standing, they lived on the second floor."

The soldiers looked at each other, seemingly wanting to say something, and the quick-witted Little Anhui hurriedly called the others to come forward and help.

A thin, petite woman with a child, along with five soldiers, began to dig for the hope of life without saying a word.

If the camera were to pull back and look down at this moment, such a scene was taking place in countless corners of Tangshan.

Four days had passed.

Zhou Xun and the soldiers appeared on screen again, their fingernails peeled away, their flesh mangled, with only the last bit of bitter, persistent will supporting their hands as they swung again and again.

Zhou Xun’s face was terrifying, her cheekbones protruding, her eyes bloodshot, with tears and snot mixed with the grime of smoke and dust on her face.

To film this segment, Zhou Xun had followed the instructions of Lu Kuan and lost weight to less than 85 jin; coupled with the sharp, miserable makeup, she looked truly heart-wrenching.

"Sister-in-law..."

"Sister-in-law!"

"Sister-in-law, you can't keep digging! You won't be able to hold on. Can you just watch us dig instead?"

Xiao Anhui seemed even more tearful than Zhou Xun, clutching her arm tightly and refusing to let go, while she tried to shake him off with some weakness.

"Here."

Three meters away, Xiao Deng suddenly made an exaggerated expression and pointed to a patch of ruins in front of him.

"Here! I heard someone crying!"

The soldiers rushed over immediately without a second thought, Xiao Anhui pressed his right cheek firmly against the broken concrete slab, and everyone held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

"There is! There is a sound!"

Xiao Anhui was quick-witted and said with a spirited look: "I’ll go find the Company Commander to bring people over, you all start digging!"

By this time, nearly five days had passed since the day of the earthquake; the ruins at the epicenter had been mostly cleared, and countless wounded and victims had been properly handled.

Hearing that there were still survivors here, the nearby soldiers and civilians rushed over immediately, and the Company Commander, experienced and steady in command, began to organize an orderly excavation.

Zhou Xun’s face was haggard, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her over, and she was "ordered" to stay to the side.

The well-trained soldiers were extremely efficient, and soon everyone around could hear the crying of an infant; this sound, which might annoy adults in ordinary days, was now the most beautiful celestial music.

Zhou Xun broke free from Xiao Anhui’s support and couldn't help but walk closer, crying out: "Xiao Jia! Baoqiang!"

The Company Commander suddenly ordered: "Alright! Stop! Start digging by hand now!"

The infant’s crying grew louder, and the soldiers began to dig three feet into the ground with their bare hands.

At this time, Li Xuejian also came limping over; he had come to see his daughter several times over these past few days, fearing she would suffer an accident from excessive grief.

"Stop first!"

"We’ve reached the brick and soil layer here; the dust is too thick, if it gets blown inside, it will choke the child and they won't be able to breathe."

The medical professor’s experience and insight were indeed rich; he had someone fetch water and evenly sprinkled it over the hole where the target had been locked, wetting the surrounding dust.

"Wah! Wah!"

The infant’s crying grew louder and louder; everyone on the screen and in front of the cinema was eagerly anticipating, until Xiao Anhui used his mangled, bloody hands to move the last concrete slab.

A scene that shocked the world was presented before everyone’s eyes.

The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, with mournful cicadas chirping, sticky air, and gray, white, and blood colors filling everything.

Amidst the ruins surrounded by the crowd, Zhou Xun walked over with a staggering gait, helplessly lying on the hard, sharp stone slabs and steel bars, reaching out to touch the family of three before her.

A couple lay curled up in a bow shape, tightly shielding the infant in their arms, constructing a safe space in a triangular shape.

The oppression and despair represented by the surrounding collapsed building fragments, twisted steel bars, and flying dust seemed unable to penetrate this warmth and peace of mind.

Zhou Xun carefully reached out to hold the child.

Seeming to be tired from crying, and seeming to feel the scent of a loved one, the infant suckled in its mother’s arms, peacefully closed its eyes, and fell asleep.

Zhou Xun tightly covered her mouth, the veins on the back of her hands bulging, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, not daring to cry out loud.

Tears dripped onto the infant’s plump, tender little face, making him feel a bit itchy, and he couldn't help but reach out to scratch.

Zhou Xun reached out to stroke Xiao Jia’s cheek, suddenly seeing a strand of messy hair by her ear, and following the way she liked, carefully reached out to help her smooth it out.

Silly girl, she had been learning from her all along.

Li Xuejian couldn't help but speak up: "Xiao Xun, shall we take the child for a check-up?"

Zhou Xun nodded and carefully carried the infant out of the ruins.

The soldiers swarmed up and carried the tragic and moving parents out.

Xiao Anhui leaned over: "Sister-in-law, she has a piece of paper in her hand."

Zhou Xun took it with one hand and opened it with some surprise; it was a crooked piece of writing, and one could even tell it was the handwriting of two people.

Sister:

My brother is not a bad person, he just didn't know how to say it. You go to the army to find my brother; I don't need anyone to take care of me.

If you go, remember to come back and see me when you have time. When I see you, my heart is happy.

A tear fell squarely onto the letter paper, and Zhou Xun turned to Xiao Anhui in a trance.

"Where is Hu Jun? Where is your Battalion Commander?"

Including Li Xuejian, everyone around fell silent, because the joy of having just saved a little life vanished instantly.

Zhou Xun was born intelligent; she looked around and knew what had happened.

She calmly folded the letter and put it in her pocket, wrapping her arms around the child and walking toward the temporary medical station.

As she staggered, Zhou Xun suddenly felt some regret; that afternoon when Xiao Jia handed the child over, she should have taken her.

At least she could have practiced and gotten used to it.

Right, child?

From now on, I will be your mother.

The camera shot from over the shoulders of the surrounding crowd; Zhou Xun lowered her head, pouting and teasing the infant who had just opened its eyes, a gentle smile on her face.

A golden light suddenly appeared, shrouded within the dark clouds, as if it were about to pierce through this haze at any moment and scatter brilliance over the world once again.

In the shot, Zhou Xun’s thin, small figure walked further and further away.

The screen froze in black and white, like a scroll being rolled up from top and bottom toward the middle, echoing the beginning and the end.

The "Heart Sutra" sung by Wang Fei began to play; in front of the screen, audiences all over the world let down their defenses, following the ethereal music to cleanse their bodies and minds.

At this moment, audiences in countless cinemas across the land of Shenzhou were just about to wipe their tears and leave when a post-credits scene suddenly appeared.

It was exactly that scene of the epicenter, filmed with survivors and descendants of the victims acting as extras.

On the screen, Lu Kuan, sitting in the director’s chair, picked up the walkie-talkie and said something.

He then stood up and bowed slightly to the citizens who had just finished filming an intense rain scene and were supporting each other.

"Thank you everyone, this take is a wrap."

In that instant, all the actors collapsed to the ground, exhausted, supporting each other, comforting each other, yet all crying bitterly together.

They leaned on each other’s shoulders, their twitching, trembling bodies telling of their longing and grievances for their loved ones.

The grief and despair suppressed for thirty years, and the unease of the homeland buried for thirty years, were completely released at this moment.

As expected, the impact of this post-credits scene was even more shocking than the main feature.

In the sports center with over ten thousand people, starting from the first crisp round of applause, it instantly felt like a human wave as everyone began to stand up and clap.

Echoes reverberated in the empty gymnasium, and the tsunami-like sound surged straight into the clouds!

They danced their hands while crying, yet there were smiles on their faces; everyone had seen hope in the movie.

Yes, the survivors and the descendants of the victims had jointly performed such a shocking masterpiece to comfort the spirits of the ancestors on this land.

If this isn't hope, what is?

In the land of Jibei in December, the temperature had already reached below zero.

In the biting cold wind, the audience, who had not been organized in advance, were still applauding spontaneously, unwilling to leave.

Lu Kuan helplessly brought Zhou Xun, Hu Jun, and others back on stage again, bowing and waving to acknowledge the audience, thanking the recognition from the people of this land.

Secretary Zhao off-stage also seemed to have cast aside his status as a high-ranking official, clapping his hands until they were red, not sparing his applause just like an ordinary audience member.

For him, the cooperation with Wenjie had not been very smooth at the beginning.

Lu Kuan’s attitude and personality were extremely tough; he wanted to hold the shares, wanted to lead the script, looking like he wouldn't allow anyone else to interfere.

Fortunately, he chose to trust those he employed; this time, the Tangshan side was reaping the benefits without effort.

Han Shanping, who was beside him, was also exceptionally excited today.

Logically speaking, he had a close relationship with the young director and should have been deeply convinced of the level and quality of this film, but at this moment, he looked as jubilant as Jing Tian next to him.

In fact, the "Little Flat-top" was extending his own divergent thinking.

So, mainstream films could be shot like this?

Not everyone had to be a "great, glorious, and correct" positive image, showing no timidity or hesitation in the face of disaster.

This narrative and filming mode of placing small characters in the torrent of the era to carve and analyze their encounters, and then passing on and sublimating the theme, could be said to be pioneering in the country today.

Han Shanping suddenly remembered the upcoming 60th anniversary of National Day; the bureau had already started to signal that there must be excellent literary works to celebrate the Motherland’s birthday.

Could he use the same method and invite Director Lu Kuan to do it again?

Meanwhile, Jing Tian, who was covered in heat patches off-stage, naturally focused her gaze on the frail Zhou Xun.

She was deeply shocked by Zhou Xun’s performance.

Looking at the young director smiling and clapping beside her, Jing Tian couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

If only she could be guided by Teacher Lu as well...

The grandest premiere in history ended successfully, but this grand event, from the opening to the screening and the end, had already caused heated discussions on the internet before the next day even arrived.

Ordinary audience members couldn't suppress their agitated emotions, logging onto blogs, Wenjie Video, and Douban topics to comment.

"My girlfriend is a fan of 'Washing Machine', and she insisted on dragging me here to support him, but in all honesty, the movie is extremely excellent. My girlfriend used one pack of tissues, and I used all the rest. The last time I cried like this was during 'Mom, Please Love Me Once'!"

"This guy 'Washing Machine' has always given me a strong sense of fragmentation. The bad reputation of his private life and his cruelty to my 'Fairy Sister' are hateful, but his two films from 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' to 'Aftershock' are all filled with powerful patriotic feelings. It’s strange!"

"I’m over fifty this year. Many scenes and props in the movie evoked memories of that era, such as popsicles wrapped in paper, thermos flasks, tea mugs, electric fans, sewing machines, bicycles, etc. These details are moving. For those who have experienced that era, the film is not just a story, but a precious memory of the times."

"I regret watching the first half of *Tangshan Great Earthquake*. It’s not that the film is bad, but I shouldn't have watched it at this time; it’s too cruel and too heartbreaking. But by the last forty minutes, it’s like a small white flower blooming in the ruins; the film constantly conveys hope to the audience, which is highly commendable."

"A Beiping native, I spent 60 yuan on the 16th to watch *The Promise* at the Wenjie Jiahe in China World Trade Center, and it was like eating shit. Tonight, I steeled myself and spent 80 to experience it in 4K high-definition in the giant screen hall; I have nothing to say but that it’s awesome. Just consider my 140 spent as having watched *Tangshan Great Earthquake*!"

Of course, there was no shortage of voices from the critics' circle, though they were a mix of praise and criticism.

Lu Kuan's films are highly sought after by grassroots film critics; Gu Xiaobai, Wei Junzi, Zhou Liming, and others are his loyal supporters.

[Gu Xiaobai]: I don't know how this film should be defined?

A mainstream film that can rival excellent feature films in both narrative and plot?

Or a special-effects blockbuster full of humanistic spirit and reflection on family relationships?

Or perhaps a disaster film that conveys warmth rather than cold despair?

But no matter which angle you look at it from, it is ten thousand times better than *The Promise* from a week ago!

[Wei Junzi]: I once had the honor of visiting Wenjie's Butian Film Studio as a representative of film critics. For these special effects processes before and after the earthquake, please follow Wenjie Video. Official behind-the-scenes footage will be released then; it is very shocking and represents the highest level in the country, and even in Asia right now.

From this perspective, I think the valuation given to Butian Film Studio by Mr. Lang Xianping is inaccurate; add another 1 billion!

[Zhou Liming]: Director Lu has various titles in the industry, such as Boss Lu, President Lu, Master Lu (don't know where that came from), Director Lu, and Principal Lu.

Just saw that fan of Director Lu who recently spent 15 million to buy a painting, and only then did I realize she calls him Teacher Lu.

I deeply agree with this. You are a teacher to actors like Zhou Xun and Liu Yifei, but I think you should be a teacher to certain domestic directors, to teach them properly how to tell a story.

That mouthful of shit from *The Promise* I ate a few days ago—I still haven't caught my breath from it!

But at the same time, he is also deeply attacked by serious literary critics from within the original system, such as Zhu Dake and Huang Shixian.

Since the news of the Olympics, *Tangshan*, and the massacre film was announced, the Nanfang Clique and the public intellectuals they keep have also set their sights on him.

A certain editorial in *Nanfang*: Fabricated, melodramatic plot points, flat and crude character portrayals; in order to piece together such a moving story, presumably our...

Late at night, a new face appeared on Sina Weibo to comment on the film.

The blogger is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Huaqing University with 1 million followers, Xiao Ying.

In the past, I have always commented on Director Lu Kuan's films from an artistic perspective, so today I might as well express my opinion from another dimension.

What dimension? Conscience.

As a Chinese person, I sincerely advise this mainland tycoon not to use patriotism as a pretext to eat these human-blood buns; the long string of zeros in your bank account is built on the suffering of countless Tangshan people!

It seems Boss Lu's number one hater bought a ticket to enter the theater tonight to contribute to the box office.

It’s just that his blog was quickly occupied by various fans and passersby who couldn't stand it.

"The film hasn't even been released yet, and he already donated 80 million to build schools for the children in the earthquake zone. Are you blind in your eyes or your heart?"

"I am a Tangshan native. I watched the film on-site tonight. All ten thousand Tangshan people in the hall didn't want to leave after watching it. Who told you I was in pain? Fuck off."

Xiao Ying sneered at the thousands of comments that piled up in a short time.

Although he was being cursed at, the money from the little devils is comfortable to receive.

Not only can it increase followers, but it’s also a profitable way to troll.

The chaos is not worth worrying about; the next day, at the Wenjie Holdings headquarters.

Gao Jun, Chen Zhixi, and all relevant business personnel gathered, looking at the box office figures that had just come out after nine o'clock; the numbers were not very optimistic.

(End of this chapter)