Public Opinion Storm

Chapter 78 Public Opinion Storm (Second Update)

He Yi'an was stunned for a moment, his mind and thoughts began to race.

He remembered saying "Dog barking again" during the interview last night, and suddenly understood what his mother meant.

It must have been something I said that broke someone's defenses.

A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. He Yi'an didn't think it was a big deal; in fact, it was only a minor offense that made them break down.

If young people aren't spirited, what kind of young people are they?

"Mom, are they allowed to criticize me, but I'm not allowed to yell back? That's not fair. And who cares what they say? Let them talk. The movie's out anyway, so it's free publicity."

"Advertising—but your method of advertising is a bit too costly!"

Xu Wan was feeling fine yesterday, and her son even won an award, which made her very happy. She never expected to attract so many people to criticize her.

However, having come from the Emei Film Studio, she had only scolded her son out of concern for him. Now that she had calmed down, she wasn't too flustered: "Never mind, you know what you're doing!"

"Mom, don't worry, they're just a bunch of clowns. They can insult me, but it won't hurt me much."

"I'm not worried about them, after all, the official channels have spoken out for your movie. What I'm trying to say is, releasing the movie like this doesn't align with the previous promotional plan, does it?"

Xu Wan, now in charge of her son's company, was more concerned about its affairs: "What about Yan Danchen? Weren't we supposed to have her release a single before the movie's release, to create a buzz around it?"

"Your movie's release date has been moved up by half a month, and the subsequent promotion can't keep up—"

Hearing what his mother was saying over the receiver, He Yi'an immediately realized what was going on.

I got drunk last night and forgot to make any plans.

In fact, he had already thought of this before the closing ceremony, after confirming the change of schedule with Han Sanping.

"Mom, weren't the promotional materials and the music video for the single already prepared? I'll have Yan Danchen come back today to help with the promotion. By seizing this opportunity, we should be able to build up her popularity!"

"Me? I probably still need to communicate with the production company—"

"Alright, you can handle it as you see fit—you don't need to worry about the comments of those old fogies and public intellectuals, just let things play out for a while."

"Okay, I understand~"

After hanging up the phone, He Yi'an said he didn't care, but he was actually quite curious about what had happened that made his mother call him.

He contacted the hotel front desk, found a computer, and began searching for domestic news.

First, he found the video interview his mother had mentioned, the one where he spoke without restraint.

The initial content consisted of normal wording and broadcasting, with nothing particularly amiss.

The scene then shifts to him holding the Silver Lion trophy on the awards stage, followed by his backstage interview where he says, "Stop barking, dog."

This sentence was played repeatedly three times in the video.

He Yi'an watched TV and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The editing, the music, the pacing—if this reporter were to handle publicity, he'd probably be a master.

But the news he clicked on next made his smile freeze.

"An 18-year-old director tops the list of young people across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, but his outrageous remarks have angered the public and drawn criticism from industry veterans."

The video and photos feature a middle-aged male reporter named Zhuo, who is wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He is interviewing Mao Jian, a well-known film critic and representative of the Westernization faction in China.

"Fireworks in the Human World is a typical example of a fabricated, realistic film."

She spoke fluently in front of the camera, her tone full of disdain and arrogance.

"Urban renewal and the livelihood issues of laid-off workers are sharp social pain points. They should be exposed and addressed directly, but instead, all conflicts are easily dissolved by a bowl of hot soup noodles. Packaging real difficulties into neighborhood warmth and beautifying governance problems into heartwarming mutual assistance, using warmth to cover up sharp issues and goodwill to avoid problems is a typical case of selective blindness and whitewashing."

The host followed up, "So what do you think is the reason this film won Best Director at Venice?"

Mao Jian adjusted his glasses, a cold smile playing on his lips: "They pander to the authorities by downplaying conflicts, and use international awards to grab attention, lacking any genuine critical spirit. Gong Li is the jury president this year at Venice; I don't need to elaborate on the intricacies of that, do I?"

He Yi'an stared at the screen, his eyes gradually turning cold.

He had absolutely no prior conflict or contact with this person, and now she's suddenly appeared on his own initiative.

While I was thinking, my phone vibrated again. This time it was Han Sanping.

"Uncle Han".

"You're up? You know the news?" Han Sanping's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

"My mom just called me, and I saw it."

"Don't worry, my boss just called me." Han Sanping said calmly.

"Your film is very well made. The official stance on this is clear. The Sin Chew Daily and the Daily News will release press releases soon. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has also held a screening and discussion meeting, classifying it as a benchmark work of positive energy realism."

"With this support, they can't turn the world upside down."

He Yi'an nodded, then remembered that Han Sanping was blind, and said, "I understand, Uncle Han."

"However," Han Sanping changed the subject, "you know the current public opinion environment. Some Westernizers are making a lot of noise. Setting the tone is one thing, but public opinion is another. You need to be prepared to fight back when necessary."

"Don't worry, Uncle Han, I've already made preparations."

"That's good." Han Sanping paused. "Don't worry, they're all just clowns."

After hanging up the phone, He Yi'an continued browsing major portal websites and forums.

News portals were almost entirely focused on his award, but the comments section had become a battleground.

NetEase Entertainment Headline: "18-Year-Old Wins Best Director at Venice, He Yi'an Sets Record for Chinese-Language Films"

The first comment in the comment section, which has already received over 10,000 likes, says: "This is an award-winning film that whitewashes reality! The demolition disputes and the suffering of laid-off workers are all smoothed over with a bowl of soup, deliberately downplaying the pain points in reality. It wins awards by pandering to the authorities and catering to foreign aesthetics. It has no critical spirit whatsoever and is extremely hypocritical."

The comments section below this post was a complete mess.

Supporters countered, "Have you even seen the movie? Why are you criticizing it without having seen it?"

Opponents retorted: "You don't even need to watch this kind of film to know what kind of trash it is; it only won awards because of Gong Li!"

Another neutral observer chimed in: "I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't comment. But He Yi'an's line about the dog barking again was indeed a bit arrogant; young people don't know their place."

The discussion on Tianya Community became even more intense.

A post titled "He Yi'an: Genius Director or Speculator?" was featured on the homepage and has received over a thousand replies.

The original poster, "Beidao Old Guest," wrote a lengthy 5,000-word analysis, meticulously examining He Yi'an's background, family history, motivations for making films, and the alleged shady dealings surrounding his awards. The conclusion was: "He Yi'an's success is not artistic success, but the success of opportunism. He precisely grasped the Western aesthetic of 'Chinese stories' while simultaneously pandering to the domestic mainstream, engaging in double-dealing and lacking any integrity."

This post was highlighted and pinned by the moderator, and received a flood of replies.

He Yi'an then opened Xici Hutong, a section dedicated to discussing art films, where several certified film critics were engaged in a heated debate.

"Compared to the raw and incisive realism of the Sixth Generation underground films, this film is far too smooth and opportunistic. It dares not touch upon deep-seated issues, dares not confront the pain points of people's lives, and only uses mundane details to whitewash reality and employs sentimental storytelling to downplay conflict. The Venice Best Director award is a joke!"

"This movie doesn't rely on its artistic merit, but rather on its precise capitalization on Gong Li's popularity."

This is a comment from certified film critic "West Wind Lean Horse," and the comments section is full of praise.

He Yi'an closed the page expressionlessly, then opened the blog that had just been introduced to China.

The blog was even more lively.

Several prominent public intellectuals published lengthy articles, directly targeting his film.

A well-known figure using the pen name "Lin Muzhi" published an article on his blog titled "What Truth Can a Bowl of Soup Reveal?" The article begins with a fiery tone: "After watching 'Fireworks in the Human World,' I only feel sorrow. The sorrow isn't that the film is poorly made, but that our young people have become accustomed to self-deception. How many families have been displaced by urban renewal projects? How many workers have been driven to desperation by the wave of layoffs? These bloody realities are lightly wiped away by the director with a bowl of hot soup, leaving behind only false warmth and cheap sentimentality."

"True realism means tearing open the wounds for people to see, confronting the darkness of the system and criticizing government injustice."

"He Yi'an's films are nothing more than soft propaganda films disguised as reality. He is a person who stands up for those in power and shouts for them. He uses international awards to beautify the narrative, deceiving the audience and himself."

The article was quickly shared over 10,000 times, and the comments section was full of praise.

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