The Story of Huo Yuanjia

"Tell me the story of Huo Yuanjia in detail!"

Xu Xiaoming's eyes lit up, and he urged, "I already have quite a few ideas in my head, but I lack suitable plot development."

Because of the immense popularity of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury," many people in Hong Kong became aware of the character Huo Yuanjia.

However, all that was known was his name and the fact that he was poisoned to death by the Japanese.

We still don't know much about Huo Yuanjia's specific life story.

Before his time travel, Huang Wenbin had already learned about Huo Yuanjia's life and had watched many films and television dramas related to Huo Yuanjia since he was a child.

Huo Yuanjia was born in 1868 and died in 1910. He was from Tianjin and was a famous patriotic martial artist in the late Qing Dynasty.

Huang Wenbin retrieved information about Huo Yuanjia from his mind and slowly began to speak: "He came from a family of bodyguards and lived in his hometown until he was 27. Later, he often carried firewood to Tianjin to sell..."

As he spoke, Huang Wenbin couldn't contain his creative urge. He mixed together several Huo Yuanjia films and television series that he knew, telling them in a slow and deliberate manner, like a storyteller.

The old beggar shrieked, "Huo Yuanjia, when will you be the best in the world?!"

"Huo Yuanjia, in the prime of his youth and full of vigor, turned his head and asked in return: 'I don't know, what do you think?'"

"The old beggar gives a thumbs up, today! Today!"

"..."

"Huo Yuanjia, enraged, smashed the wooden stake with a single punch and roared at his disciples: 'This punch takes twenty years of training, can you withstand it?!'"

"..."

"Huo Yuanjia suffered such a great calamity, which tempered his character and eventually made him a grandmaster. He founded the Jingwu School, promoted Chinese martial arts, and advocated for the Chinese people to strengthen their bodies and revitalize the nation."

"But the Japanese invaders are wicked; how can we let them have their way? And why would martial artists from other countries submit to them?"

"What techniques will Western martial artists use? What treacherous schemes will the Japanese employ?"

"As the saying goes, 'The Great Wall will never fall, and the Yellow River flows on forever.' To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode."

After a long, rambling conversation, more than twenty onlookers had gathered around, listening with great interest, when that bastard Huang Wenbin suddenly stopped talking.

"Tell me another part!"

"Exactly, it's like telling a story only halfway through, and then your guts are all rotten!"

What happened to Huo Yuanjia afterward?

"Are you making this up?"

"Where does that line of poetry come from?"

"..."

Listening to the commotion, Huang Wenbin chuckled, feeling incredibly pleased. He wanted to make them anxious.

Huang Wenbin patted his butt and jumped down the stone steps in the courtyard: "That's enough for today. I still have to get to work. I have several scripts to work on. If we delay, those directors will cause trouble for you."

The onlookers had no choice but to leave disappointed.

"Your story is even better than I could have imagined!"

"The plot is full of twists and turns, and the story is full of ups and downs. Just listening to you tell it makes my blood boil."

At this point, Xu Xiaoming was completely convinced by Huang Wenbin and murmured, "You must write this story down, no, write it now."

"You heard it too, I have at least six or seven scripts piling up, I simply don't have the time!"

Huang Wenbin shook his head, gave Xu Xiaoming a look, and said, "Brother Xu, you're a screenwriter too, you can write it yourself. Just come to me anytime if you have any questions."

Xu Xiaoming said in surprise, "You came up with this story, how can I use it without permission?"

Huang Wenbin spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something ordinary: "What's the big deal? I'll authorize you to write it. When you film it, just pay me some copyright fees."

"Okay!" Xu Xiaoming didn't stand on ceremony anymore.

The two returned to their respective rooms, and Huang Wenbin immediately wrote a plot outline of about twenty episodes for Xu Xiaoming, naming the series "The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia".

This Huo Yuanjia TV series combines the advantages of several future versions, with a more compact plot and a perfect pace, making it truly refreshing.

"It would be so awesome if this show were made!"

Xu Xiaoming felt the drama was bound to be a hit just by looking at the script outline. "Having worked in Hong Kong for so many years, I've written many scripts and read scripts by other famous writers, and they were all quite rough. Some people even just took a piece of paper written by the screenwriter with a few sentences on it and started filming right away!"

"As for the foreshadowing, the plot, the dialogue... they were all made up on the spot."

"This 'flying paper' model is indeed very efficient, and when it comes to talented directors and actors, it can produce excellent works."

"But ultimately it's not a long-term solution; most of them are just mediocre people looking to make money."

"At this rate, Hong Kong cinema will be finished sooner or later."

Xu Xiaoming said with a touch of emotion.

"Your vision is very advanced." Huang Wenbin looked at Xu Xiaoming with some surprise. In this day and age, he could actually see the future of Hong Kong films.

"It's nothing!" Xu Xiaoming shook his head. "Many filmmakers could have thought of this, but they can still make money right now. They're all thinking about how much they can make, and who cares about the future of movies?"

For the next two days, the two of them discussed the script.

The literary and art congress also ended two days later.

However, some of the delegates did not leave immediately, but stayed to participate in a special seminar.

This seminar was proposed by Zhou Yunyi, chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the subject of the seminar was Huang Wenbin, a rising star writer who has been gaining popularity in the past two years.

Regarding the ideas and nature revealed in his works, whether they violate the theme of the National Congress of Literary and Art Circles, and incidentally, to provide a general open model for the current literary and art circles.

The seminar was chaired by Zhou Yunyi. Among the attendees were representatives from several well-known magazines, several film studios, some veteran writers, and critics.

Two days ago, Zhou Yunyi had someone notify these people and also gave them a copy of all of Huang Wenbin's works.

Of course, whether they supported or opposed Huang Wenbin, those present had already seen his work.

"Before the seminar begins, I would like to reiterate a few key points from the National Congress of Literary and Art Workers."

"The direction of our literary and artistic creation should be to serve the people and serve socialism. We must adhere to the policy of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend, and we cannot..."

Zhou Yunyi spent about five minutes briefly reiterating some of the guidelines and main points set forth at this literary and art congress.

"Huang Wenbin is a very representative author. His works are highly innovative, almost without any of the old clichés. Moreover, the stories are very bizarre and the techniques are very novel, which is quite different from the writers of his time."

This leads to another issue: the ideas expressed in his works are somewhat obscure, which some people find just right, while others find them outrageous, causing considerable controversy.

Today, we're here to savor the deeper meaning and nuances of his work, to see if this sparrow is a harmful bird that eats crops, or a beneficial bird that eats pests!

In closing, Zhou Yunyi solemnly reminded everyone: "Everyone is welcome to speak freely, but personal attacks are prohibited! And absolutely no escalating the issue!"

"Let me say a few words too." Gan Wudong, one of the secretaries of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, "Literature and art have always been a battlefield, and a very important propaganda front. It is of great importance and we can't be careless in the slightest."

After his opening remarks, he subtly revealed his views: "I firmly support the 'Double Hundred' policy and welcome both new and established writers to publish fresh and vibrant works. However…"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across half the room, and said coldly, "Creative work also has its limits and principles. This is the standard for artistic creation, which can rein in some runaway horses and prevent the arts from collapsing and being destroyed."

He spoke vaguely, but everyone present could tell that he was subtly criticizing Huang Wenbin's work for going astray.

"I completely agree with Secretary Gan's point of view!" Xiang Jiexin, deputy director of the Beijing Film Studio, immediately responded, his tone and expression revealing his strong belief: "This Huang Wenbin has obvious petty-bourgeois ideology, and this tendency is very dangerous."

"I've read his screenplays and several novels, and I've noticed this tendency in them all."

As he spoke, he held up the screenplay for "Let the Bullets Fly" and several short stories published by People's Literature Publishing House: "Especially this 'Let the Bullets Fly' movie script and production team—the protagonist is actually a bandit, and they even cast Jiao Huang to play the villain. What are they trying to do?"

"How can the protagonist be such a lowly and despicable character? What are you trying to promote to the people? Are bandits the heroes who liberated them?"

"This story, 'The Heart-Shaped Stone,' is utterly obscene. It depicts a male celebrity who seduces women everywhere and ultimately escapes punishment, even receiving praise. It's practically pornography, utterly filthy! It should be banned immediately; we absolutely cannot allow it to continue spreading its poison."

"The fact that some people allowed these works to be published shows that their stance is not firm enough, and they cannot continue to stay in their original positions."

As soon as he finished speaking, many people showed expressions of astonishment.

Li Qingquan frowned deeply, sensing something was amiss. It seemed these people had come prepared, and their true intentions were not what they seemed!