China Entertainment 1997

In early September, Xingmei Film and Television Base in Huairou, Beijing

Cao Xuan specially took a day to make a guest appearance on the set of "Mansion Gate".

Needless to say, the reputation of "The Manor" is one of the few works in the history of Chinese TV series. In addition to the TV series itself, there is another interesting thing about this show.

It’s just a bunch of big-name directors and stars coming to play small roles.

It's just celebrities. After all, there are many friendly guest stars in the entertainment industry, but it is extraordinary to have a group of big directors come together to make guest appearances.

Lao Mouzi guest-starred as the eunuch Li Lianying, Jiang Wen guest-starred as the money-grubbing prefect, Director Chen played the role of an official, Tian Zhuangzhuang played the Japanese officer, He Qun played the pawnshop owner, and Hou Yong played the Japanese soldier.

We all know the first three, and among the remaining three, Tian Zhuangzhuang is actually quite famous, the big brother of the fifth generation of directors.

When Tian Zhuangzhuang became famous, Lao Mouzi and Director Chen were his younger brothers. However, they were banned for ten years, but their qualifications and connections were still wide enough. It is said that he was the one who took the lead in this collective guest appearance, and Lao Mouzi and others responded one after another.

He Qun is not well-known and does not have many directorial works, but he plays well with the two great directors Zhang and Chen, and he belongs to the backbone of the fifth generation.

Hou Yong is not the Ying Quliang who "didn't dare to spend 200 million", but a well-known photographer in the film industry. Together with Gu Changwei and Lu Le, he is one of the three major photographers in the mainland.

In addition to a few of them, "Mansion Gate" also has some people from the literary and art circles who come to help out. Maybe not many people outside the world know it, but they are all well-known figures in the circle.

The reason why "The Mansion Gate" was able to attract so many big directors and elite backbones in the literary and art circles is mainly because of director Guo Baochang.

He is highly qualified in the mainland film and television industry and is known as one of the leaders of China's fourth generation directors. He is also the boss and nobleman of many fifth generation directors.

When Tian Zhuangzhuang, Lao Mouzi, and Director Chen debuted, they all shared his sentiments to varying degrees. In Lao Mouzi's words, "Without Mr. Bao (Guo Baochang), there would be no fifth-generation directors."

"The Mansion Gate" is a script written by Guo Baochang based on his own experience. His long-cherished wish has now come true, and these people also came to help.

Logically speaking, Cao Xuan can't get along with this guy. He is a junior in the entertainment industry, and more than 90% of his fame lies in the music industry.

However, Cao Xuan couldn't stand it. He had a master named Li Xuejian. Li was one of the top actors in the Mainland and knew Guo Baochang.

In addition, Li Xuejian's daughter-in-law Yu Haidan has an aunt named Yu Lan, who played the role of Sister Jiang. She is one of the first batch of well-known actors and a famous old artist after the founding of New China.

Yu Lan is Tian Zhuangzhuang's mother. In other words, Yu Haidan and Tian Zhuangzhuang are cousins.

Cao Xuan, this precious apprentice, naturally became Tian Zhuangzhuang's close junior.

Therefore, it is worthwhile to say that Cao Xuan is a mentor. Not only does he have a master who is a representative of the entertainment industry, but he also falls into the circle of the fifth-generation director brother.

Although Cao Xuan is not involved in the literary and art circles, don't underestimate the abilities of this group of people.

Publicity units, film and television awards organizing committees, film critic groups, major military art troupes and theaters, official associations, etc. are all inextricably linked to each other.

If you don't blend in, you're going out of your way. It may not seem to have much impact on you, but if it occasionally blocks your way, it will be enough to make you feel aggrieved.

Cao Xuan is involved in the entertainment industry, but he doesn't want to offend these people. Now that he has a relationship with Tian Zhuangzhuang and Li Xuejian, he can't say he's like a fish in water, but at least he won't be hacked.

To put it more bluntly, Cao Xuan is now considered semi-mainstream...

Tian Zhuangzhuang was very interested in "The Mansion". He participated in a guest appearance and also invited his cousin-in-law Li Xuejian. When he heard that Cao Xuan was idle, he asked Li Xuejian to ask if he was free.

Cao Xuan had to give his master's face. In addition, he was also very curious about the crew of "The Mansion Gate", so he squeezed out another day from his busy schedule to come and guest star.

………

When Cao Xuan came to guest star, the filming of "The Mansion Gate" was basically coming to an end and would be completed in a few weeks.

There were not many roles left, and Cao Xuan didn't choose one. He played the role of a swinger who eats, drinks, whores and gambles with Bai Jingye.

There are two scenes in total, one with Bai Jingye lying on the bed with a brothel girl in his arms, smoking a cigarette and bragging, and the other with the two of them drinking and listening to Bai Jingye complain about his father, Bai Laoqi.

The total time is just over two minutes, and there are only a dozen lines. Cao Xuan memorized the lines just by changing his clothes.

The actor who plays Bai Jingye is called Zhao Yi. He is not well-known, but he is considered a familiar face in the eyes of many viewers.

The more well-known characters are Li Wei in "Yongzheng Dynasty" and Bai Jingye, the young man in "The Mansion".

Although he has not filmed many movies, Zhao Yi has also collaborated with many big names. Chen Baoguo, Tang Guoqiang, Jiang Wenli, Ning Jing, etc., just pick anyone who is famous in the entertainment industry.

But this is the first time for him to collaborate with a music king like Cao Xuan.

Darling, when Lao Mouzi and Director Chen came to make guest appearances, only five or six reporters came. Today, Cao Xuan came to the "Mansion Gate" crew and directly attracted double-digit reporters. Even Beijing and Taiwan's entertainment news programs attracted coming.

There was a big camera, and everyone on the crew watching "The Mansion Gate" silently smacked their lips, feeling that Cao Xuan was worthy of being the number one brother in the Mainland. His popularity was so great.

The crowd of reporters attracted the attention of the crew, and even Zhao Yi was a little nervous.

"Teacher Cao, please tell me how to act later."

"I can't afford to be a teacher. That's it. Let's sit down sideways and face the camera while you lie down and smoke. I can film you in it. I'll just say the lines according to the script."

Cao Xuan is also used to people who are the same age as him, or even older than him, calling him teacher. He has no choice but to do so. He is so famous that many people dare not call him by his first name.

Later, Cao Xuan simply stopped worrying. If he was unfamiliar with the artists, he would call them "teacher" if they were older, and if they were similar, he would call them by their first names or vaguely.

This scene was almost not difficult, and it was not difficult at all for Cao Xuan. On the contrary, Zhao Yi failed twice because of nervousness.

After filming, Cao Xuan and Zhao Yi chatted for a few words and ran to another venue to watch the excitement without changing their clothes.

Li Xuejian made a guest appearance today with Cao Xuan, playing the role of drug dealer Yu Baye, the one who shouted "Three old masters will last forever".

Master Bai's suicide is a big scene, and the scene will take at least 2 to 3 days to shoot. Today's scene is mainly about taking care of guest star Li Xuejian. Liu Peiqi's big scene will be shot tomorrow, and the scenes of Master Ba will be shot first.

Cao Xuan arrived not too early but not too late. The previous scene where Yu Ba Ye and Bai Jingqi choked was finished, and the third old man also "died".

Bai Jingqi hugged Mr. Bai off the stage, and Mr. Yu and others knelt down to express their condolences and guilt for mocking the old man just now.

The camera was pointed at Li Xuejian, and was about to start filming the scene where Master Ba was kneeling. Cao Xuan did not interrupt, and went outside the frame to study silently.

I saw Li Xuejian facing the camera. First his eyes were heavy and his brows were tense. After a moment, he lightly raised his eyes and said softly with tears in his eyes.

"Third Old Master..."

Then, Li Xuejian's face was angry and solemn, and he shouted with an expression of sorrow and admiration: "It will last forever!"

After saying that, he knelt down and prostrated, and everyone behind him prostrated himself in mourning.

Before this, Cao Xuan had never seen Li Xuejian filming live. Today, just one scene and one word almost made Cao Xuan cry.

This is the skill of a top actor. With just one line, he can bring the entire scene, or even the entire character, to life.

It wasn't just Cao Xuan who thought so. After Li Xuejian's scene was played, director Guo Baochang personally took the lead in applauding. Liu Peiqi, who had just been hugged by Princess Chen Baoguo, jumped down and said with some annoyance.

"Brother, if you come so hard, how should I act?"

Liu Peiqi and Li Xuejian are old friends. They both came from the army and now work at the Central Experimental Theater. They have a very good relationship.

Li Xuejian once supported Liu Peiqi during his difficult times. When Liu Peiqi was interviewed, she said that the noble people she was most grateful for in her life were Lu Jixian and Li Xuejian. The two of them were called senior brothers in private.

"You should act well."

Li Xuejian wiped his tears, saw Cao Xuan behind the camera, called him over, and started to show off as usual: "Peqi, Baoguo, my apprentice."

"Teacher Liu, Teacher Chen."

Generations in the entertainment industry have always been chaotic, and people usually talk about their own affairs. Cao Xuan mostly calls Li Xuejian's friends "a certain director" or "a certain teacher" to express respect.

Similarly, although Cao Xuan is a junior, his fame is here, and few people pretend to be elders in front of him.

Unless you are very close to Li Xuejian, everyone is on your own, so there is no need to worry so much.

For example, now, Chen Baoguo and Li Xuejian were not familiar with each other, so they simply said hello, and Liu Peiqi looked at Cao Xuan with envy.

"Senior Brother, you can do it. You can create such a big star apprentice without making any noise. It would be too shameful to take him out."

"Cao Xuan worships me to learn my skills, not as a mascot to show off to me, so don't talk nonsense."

Although Li Xuejian loves to show off as his apprentice, he still loves Cao Xuan in front of outsiders. After refuting Liu Peiqi, and after hearing that Cao Xuan had finished his cameo, he took Cao Xuan and introduced him to the big names in the crew such as Guo Baochang, Chen Baoguo, Liu Peiqi, and Jiang Wenli.

For an ordinary newcomer, it would be great to meet so many big names in one fell swoop. Even for Cao Xuan, it would be good for his development to have such a circle of contacts.

Whether it is future filming cooperation or Fanxing needs to hire someone to act, with today's face-saving foundation, many people can do it easily.

Later, Li Xuejian finished filming another scene. The master and apprentice were interviewed by reporters together, and then drove away.

On the way, Li Xuejian talked about taking Cao Xuan to meet Tian Zhuangzhuang, and then looking for opportunities to help him get to know Lao Mouzi and Director Chen.

Today, these two are the ceiling of mainland China's film industry.

Li Xuejian believes that if Cao Xuan wants to make a name for himself in the film industry, the most direct way is to participate in their movies.

He has acted in Lao Mouzi's "Shake, Shake, Shake to Grandma's Bridge", "Let's Talk to You" and "Happy Times", as well as director Chen's "Jing Ke Assassins the King of Qin", and both of them can deliver If so, I plan to push my apprentice.

However, Cao Xuan had no interest in Director Chen. If he remembered correctly, Director Chen's next work was the ground-breaking "Lu Bu and Diao Chan".

Even if Director Chen falls in love with him, Cao Xuan doesn’t want to wear a nose ring...

Lao Mouzi is pretty good, and preparations for his "Hero" should start soon. Cao Xuan feels that if he can steal Li Lianjie's role, it will be really great.

But the possibility is too low. People have been eyeing Li Lianjie in the new picture for a long time, and Cao Xuan’s status is not enough for the time being.

His current position is the same as Jay Chou in "The Golden Armor", he can only act three times, behind the two leading actors Fa Ge and Gong Li.

The situation in "Hero" is different from that in "The Golden Armor". In addition to Jet Li, the movie also has three important roles: Chen Daoming, Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung.

Apart from Maggie Cheung, Cao Xuan could not replace any of the other three male roles. However, the "Chang Kong" played by Zhen Chuan was suitable, but his role was too small.

With this time and energy, Cao Xuan can start a play by himself. He has already set his sights on the scripts of "Sword Rain" and "Xiu Chun Dao".

However, the box office results of these two films were mediocre, while "Hero" broke the global box office record for Chinese movies, which is good for the actors' qualifications and overseas influence.

Cao Xuan hesitated for a long time, then suddenly realized that he hadn't even said a word about this yet.

"Hero" has Jet Li, Tony Leung, Chen Daoming, and the crew has no shortage of big names. Lao Mouzi may not like him, maybe he is just being sentimental.

Leaving Lao Mouzi behind, Cao Xuan and Li Xuejian chatted about their current situation again.

At this year's Golden Eagle Awards, Cao Xuan was shortlisted for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Luo Yang in "The True Colors of a Detective." This is Cao Xuan's first film and television award. Li Xuejian plans to give Cao Xuan a banquet to celebrate if he wins the award.

The master and apprentice were chatting happily, but Cao Xuan was curious and kept touching Li Xuejian's neck, sometimes coughing twice, and couldn't help asking what was going on.

Li Xuejian didn't take it seriously and waved his hand: "I've been feeling a little uncomfortable in my throat recently. I think it's inflamed. I'll just take some medicine and it'll be fine later."

Cao Xuan nodded and was about to continue chatting when suddenly something flashed through his mind and he patted the steering wheel in frustration.

He said that when he was with his master Li Xuejian, he always felt that he had forgotten something, but now he finally remembered it.

Around 2000-2001, Li Xuejian was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. Although it was not life-threatening, it caused great damage to his body, especially his throat, which made it difficult for Li Xuejian to speak, weak in speech, and even delayed his performance.

Now it seems that Li Xuejian has already developed symptoms, but he doesn't know to what extent they are. It may still be too late.

Thinking of this, Cao Xuan said, "You can't delay minor illnesses," and drove directly to the Jiefang General Hospital in Beijing, where he forced Li Xuejian to stay in the hospital.

Cao Xuan called someone and arranged relevant inspections for Li Xuejian.

That night, although all the examinations had not been completed, based on the examination results and clinical diagnosis that had come out, the doctor basically concluded that Li Xuejian had throat cancer.

Fortunately, it is still early stage. If the surgery and subsequent treatment go well, the cure rate can be as high as 80%.

Cao Xuan directly arranged for Li Xuejian to be hospitalized, and called Yu Haidan to notify her. She was so frightened that she held Cao Xuan's hand and burst into tears of gratitude.

If Cao Xuan hadn't found out in time and dragged Li Xuejian to check, she really couldn't imagine the consequences.

Cao Xuan did not take credit, but discussed Li Xuejian's treatment plan with Yu Haidan. After all, he was just an apprentice, and it was up to the couple to decide how to treat him.

In the next few days, Cao Xuan was busy with various tasks during the day and went to the hospital to check on Li Xuejian's condition at night. Considering that it was inconvenient for Yu Haidan to take care of himself and there were children at home, he paid for a nurse for Li Xuejian.

As his condition is currently stable, Li Xuejian is in good condition and has postponed some of his projects to rest in peace and recuperate.

Cao Xuan originally wanted to cover Li Xuejian's medical expenses, but Yu Haidan disagreed, saying that his family's savings were enough, so he had to worry about the hospital. The current attending doctor was hired by Cao Xuan, and he also hired a nurse. , saying that he should not be allowed to pay for medical expenses.

Yu Haidan was resolute, so Cao Xuan gave up, but also left a message that if he was short of money, he would definitely speak up.

Afraid that they would be embarrassed, Cao Xuan also went to the attending doctor and told him to go directly to him if there was any good but expensive treatment plan that Yu Haidan and his wife were reluctant to give up, or if the medical expenses in their account were not enough.

As I said before, Li Xuejian may not be considered a big star, but his salary is not very high, he does not accept commercial acting endorsements, and his family's savings are limited.

In addition, the child was young, and Cao Xuan was afraid that Li Xuejian's medical treatment would be frustrated in the future, so he gave up treatment in order to save money for his family.

These days, medical insurance has just been put into operation on a pilot basis, and many policies have not yet begun. Serious illnesses are still very expensive, and it can easily drain a middle-class family’s financial resources.

In a master-disciple situation, Cao Xuan would definitely not be able to see Li Xuejian in embarrassment due to medical expenses. If he could help, he would naturally not hesitate to take action.

Cao Xuan was busy at work. Seeing that Li Xuejian was relatively stable, he continued to work hard. He called every night and took time to come over.

Li Xuejian's hospitalization also made the news, and Cao Xuan accepted media interviews as his apprentice.

First, he conveyed Li Xuejian's gratitude to all outside parties for their concern and support. Second, he also briefly reported on Li Xuejian's current situation. He is mentally and physically stable and receiving active treatment, so that those who care about him can rest assured.

When Li Xuejian fell ill, Cao Xuan ran around and helped a lot inside and outside, which was also exposed by the media.

The general public lamented that Cao Xuan respects his teachers and is a good young man who knows how to repay his kindness. Others in the entertainment industry are really jealous of Li Xuejian.

Cao Xuan's apprenticeship with Li Xuejian was not a big news in the entertainment industry. Most people didn't take it seriously. After all, it is very common in the entertainment industry to learn from apprentices.

The only thing that many people envy is that Li Xuejian's apprentice is so famous. He is the King of Chinese. He is so proud to show off.

But until this time, everyone no longer envied Li Xuejian's apprentice for being famous, but envied his apprentice for being considerate and filial. When the master was in trouble, he really helped.

The entertainment industry is a fame and fortune fair, and the relationship between master and apprentice is often tied by the word "fame and fortune."

It's not that there aren't good disciples who are as good as his own sons, but there aren't many of them.

Most of the disciples would do well to run away when something happens to their master, but there are some who are crazy and even come here specifically to add insult to injury.

Therefore, many artists of the older generation do not envy other people's students and disciples who are promising, but envy other people's students and disciples who are filial and sensible.

If you meet someone else's disciple who is both filial and promising, let alone the feeling of envy, jealousy and hatred.

Li Xuejian has received more than a dozen lemon calls from his old friends these days. He is so happy that he can eat two taels more rice per meal and has a better appetite than usual.

Every time Cao Xuan came to visit Master in the hospital, Li Xuejian and his wife would look at him with gentle eyes, speak softly, and smile brightly.

Now that Cao Xuan Zheng'er has been upgraded to a beloved disciple, even his own son Li Gen has to step aside in front of Cao Xuan.

Cao Xuan even estimated that if he brought Zeng Li and Hu Jing together at this time, Li Xuejian and his wife might be angry on the outside, but in their hearts they might have to murmur that their apprentice is very capable...

———

ps: The university has started and I am sending a relative to school. Today is 5,000 words...