Chapter 257: The noisy "Dream of Red Mansions" symposium
Everyone looked at Lin Weimin, wondering where he came up with these words.
Where did this come from? It's just for fun.
Lin Weimin looked at Tong Zhonggui and asked with a smile: "Little Tong, you are quite good. You wrote "Flying" and "Stars". Do you plan to be a poet in the future?"
"No, no, it's just a hobby." Tong Zhonggui waved his hands quickly.
Boasting about one's literary achievements or being praised for them in the editorial department of Contemporary Magazine may seem like showing off one's proficiency in front of an expert, because there is a great writer sitting here.
He explained to Lin Weimin: "My classmates all like poetry, and I like it too. Not only poetry, I also write novels."
"Oh? You write novels too? That's great, you can publish them in our magazine later!"
Tong Zhonggui scratched his head, "I'm afraid my level is not good enough."
"How could that be? After all, you have been on Feitian and Xingxing magazines. If you work hard, it will definitely not be a problem for you to be on our magazines."
Lin Weimin's encouragement made Tong Zhonggui secretly happy.
The office chat continued for a while, and then everyone returned to work.
Tong Zhonggui, who had just arrived, worked diligently on the first task assigned to him by Lin Weimin. As he read the letters of submission, he began to develop some ambitions.
I will also submit articles to "Contemporary" in the future!
When it was almost time to get off work in the afternoon, Lin Weimin received a call from CCTV, informing him that the advisory group was ready.
Two days later, Lin Weimin came to the radio compound on his motorcycle in the morning. Today was the first symposium on the TV series "Dream of Red Mansions".
Before entering the building, Lin Weimin saw a car parked at the door and two young men carried an old man out of the car.
At this time, several people came out from the building, the leader of which was Wang Feng, the director of CCTV.
"Oh, Mr. Zhou, if you are not feeling well, please don't come over."
The frail old man gasped, "It's such a big deal, I have to come and see it."
As he spoke, Wang Feng asked someone to quickly carry the old man upstairs, so that he had time to talk to Lin Weimin.
"Teacher Lin!"
"What's going on?"
"Mr. Zhou Yang, the expert we invited to join the Advisory Group for Dream of the Red Chamber, is old and has not been in good health recently. We originally called him to recuperate at home.
The adaptation of "Dream of Red Mansions" has just begun, and this symposium is only the first step in a long journey.
But I didn't expect him to come anyway, oh!"
Wang Feng said this and sighed.
Lin Weimin's expression became serious. For someone of Mr. Zhou's level, there was no such thing as a show. There was only one reason why he insisted on attending the symposium despite the pain in his body.
That is to better present the TV version of "Dream of Red Mansions" to TV viewers across the country.
It is hard for readers and viewers in later generations to imagine that it is just a TV series. Is it worth making such a fuss?
Maybe everyone has forgotten what it means to create literature and art that serves the people.
The older generation of comrades have used their actions to put into practice the oaths they once made!
The conference room for the symposium was on the third floor. Lin Weimin followed Wang Feng into the conference room. At this time, quite a few people were already sitting in the venue.
Mr. Wan happened to have arrived at this time. Lin Weimin went up to him and greeted him. Mr. Wan then introduced him to several old comrades who had arrived early.
"This is Mr. Zhou Ruchang, a scholar of the Dream of the Red Chamber!"
“This is Mr. Qi Gong!”
"This is Mr. Wu Zuxiang!"
When Mr. Wan introduced Lin Weimin, he would deliberately emphasize: "This is my student!"
Mr. Wu Zuxiang had previously taught "Dream of the Red Chamber" to Lin Weimin and other students at the Institute of Literature and Research. He had some impression of Lin Weimin and said with a smile, "No need to emphasize it so much. I know you have a good student!"
Mr. Wan also laughed, "It's just some insignificant achievements. I'm lucky to be able to join the advisory group to open my eyes."
In front of a group of experts on the advisory panel who were at least born in the 1970s, Lin Weimin's age and appearance were indeed too eye-catching. Mr. Wan was actually defending him by saying this.
Fortunately, he was not the only young man in the conference room. There was also a young man sitting at a corner of the long table. Lin Weimin glanced at the nameplate on the table and saw that it was Zhou Ling, the screenwriter of the screenwriter team.
Why did Teacher Lin notice him?
Because he's so handsome!
Teacher Lin is a little puzzled. Tong Zhonggui joined the editorial department a few days ago, and today he met Zhou Ling. Are the requirements for appearance so high for those who are engaged in literature now?
This made Teacher Lin feel a sense of crisis!
While Lin Weimin was daydreaming, experts from the advisory group arrived one after another.
Redologist, historian, writer, aesthetician, folklorist, calligrapher, painter, cultural relic appraiser, dramatist, screenwriter, director...
It covers almost every aspect that may be involved in the filming of "Dream of Red Mansions".
In addition to the members of the advisory group, the main leaders of CCTV and the behind-the-scenes creators of "Dream of Red Mansions" were also present.
In an occasion like today, Wang Feng, the director of CCTV, is a junior and has no say at all.
There was also the deputy director Dai Linfeng, who played a major role in making the TV series Dream of Red Mansions possible, and the producer, who sat quietly by the side.
The meeting was co-chaired by Wang Fulin, director of "Dream of Red Mansions", and Zhou Ruchang, a leading figure in the field of Redology.
Those present are authoritative experts in their respective fields. They are here because they care about "Dream of the Red Chamber" and hope to contribute their knowledge and opinions to this TV series.
But because this is the first symposium, today's discussion is mainly about the general direction of the adaptation.
The screenwriter team of the Dream of the Red Chamber was initially led by Mr. Jiang Hesen, a Redologist. However, due to his many tasks, Mr. Jiang could not keep up with the progress required by the crew at the beginning. For this reason, Wang Fulin visited Jiang Hesen in person and after a heart-to-heart communication, he persuaded Mr. Jiang Hesen to give up his screenwriting job and become the literary consultant of the crew instead.
The screenwriting work of the "Dream of Red Mansions" crew is now handled by a three-person screenwriter team, namely Zhou Lei, Liu Genglu and Zhou Ling.
At this symposium, Zhou Lei brought out the outline of 28 episodes of the TV series for everyone to discuss.
This outline alone sparked heated discussions in the meeting room.
The reason is very simple. The outline abandons the story of the last forty chapters written by Gao E, which has long been known and accepted by the public. Instead, it intends to re-create the story based on the speculations of Redologists on the plot of the first eighty chapters and the research results of Red Mansions exploration.
This guy is really brave!
Lin Weimin was secretly dissatisfied.
In fact, CCTV started preparations for the TV series Dream of Red Mansions in 1981.
In 1982, the Redology Society held a national Redology conference in Shanghai. Hu Wenbin, deputy secretary-general of the society, specially invited Wang Fulin to attend. The conference expressed full support for CCTV's adaptation of "Dream of the Red Chamber".
Therefore, the Redology Society and Redologists had a great influence on the adaptation of "Dream of Red Mansions" into a TV series. The outlines of the 28 episodes that Zhou Lei came up with were the result of prior communication with Redologists headed by Zhou Ruchang. Without the approval of this group of Redologists, this outline could not have been produced.
Lin Weimin looked at the lively scene in the conference room and instantly understood why Mr. Wan had such an attitude when he learned that he had joined the advisory group.
This is such a hot potato!
If the adaptation is good, you won’t get much credit. If the adaptation is not good, Qing will be scolded!
The problem is, "Dream of Red Mansions" is a work that has been deified. It can even support a group of Redologists who specialize in studying it. Do you dare to say that your adaptation is good?
No matter what, there will always be people cursing, and if you get involved you're bound to get cursed.
The old comrades are highly respected and have a high status. No one dares to scold them, and it doesn't matter if they are scolded a few times.
But someone of Lin Weimin's seniority would be too conspicuous if he were in the advisory group, and he would easily be used as a punching bag.
After understanding Mr. Wan's good intentions, Lin Weimin made a decision in his heart.
As a half-baked consultant, it is better for him to speak less.
But sometimes the more you want to hide, the more you can't hide.
The discussion in the conference room was arguing, and Mr. Wu Zuxiang suddenly said, "Don't always think about convincing each other. Let's listen to the young people's ideas. Comrade Weimin, what do you think of the adaptation of the novel?"
Depend on!
Old man, you are so rude. After all, I was your student for a few days.
"This..." Lin Weimin pondered for a moment, looked at Mr. Wan, and the old man closed his eyes.
You'd better wish you good luck, kid. Who told you to get involved in this mess?
"I personally cannot say that I have done any in-depth research on Dream of the Red Chamber. I can only talk about it briefly based on my own superficial understanding."
The people sitting in the conference room were not the bunch of second-rate experts of later generations. Lin Weimin quickly mobilized his brain cells and had only one thought: he must not embarrass himself today, and the reading of "Dream of Red Mansions" and various research materials during this period could not be in vain.
“I think it’s too bold to abandon Cheng Gaoben rashly.
There are indeed many conflicts and contradictions in the content of the Cheng Gao version with the first eighty chapters. This can be seen not only from the comparison with the first eighty chapters, but also from the Zhi Yanzhai commentary.
But I think there are still many good points in the Chenggao version. For example, the basic endings of many characters are in line with the author's original intention, such as Baoyu and Xichun becoming monks, and the golden and jade marriage. The plot of the Jia Mansion being raided is also very well written, including Daiyu's death. This plot should be the best version I have read.
Therefore, I think we should take the Cheng Gao version as the basis, the Zhi Yanzhai commentary version as the guide, and the later generations' research on the Dream of the Red Chamber as the supplement, and grasp this general direction for our creation.
After all, the adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber has attracted the attention of the entire nation, so we should be extremely cautious.”
In his speech of just a few hundred words, Lin Weimin paused several times, but finally finished.
Noticing the gratified look from Mr. Wan, Lin Weimin was secretly happy. It seemed that what I said was quite good.
At this time, Mr. Wan was thinking: Not bad, not bad, he knows how to smooth things over. Now he wants to completely abandon the Chenggao version, but at the same time he insists on using the Chenggao version. In this way, he doesn't offend either side. This kid is getting more and more cunning.
After listening to Lin Weimin's opinions, several Redologists looked thoughtful. They all insisted on abandoning the Cheng Gao version.
Although I feel that Lin Weimin's words are a bit omnipotent, they do make sense if I think about it carefully.
The Cheng-Gao instinct has been passed down for more than two hundred years. Is it really useless?
Definitely not.
Everyone thinks it has many problems because they have been comparing it with the first eighty chapters written by Mr. Cao Xueqin. How could the gap be small?
But if compared with other versions, Mr. Gao's skills are still superior.
Thinking about it this way, it seems that Cheng Gaoben can indeed be used.
But it is impossible to use it all. If we directly use the Cheng Gao version, what will happen to the Redology community?
"Based on the Cheng Gao version, guided by the Zhi Yanzhai version with comments, and supplemented by later generations' research on the Dream of the Red Chamber" is a very good idea.
Lin Weimin's proposal seemed unimpressive and unproductive at first, but it unexpectedly touched the hearts of the experts who insisted on abandoning Cheng Gaoben.
When the discussion started again, the tone of those who had abandoned Cheng Gaoben became calmer, and the communication between the two sides became much smoother.
After talking about it for a while, Lin Weimin found that the more he listened to this adaptation idea, the closer it became to his own proposal.
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(End of this chapter)
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