"There were ten gods, one of whom was named Nuwa's intestines; they transformed into gods..."
—Classic of Mountains and Seas, Chapter Sixteen: The Great Wilderness West
"Nuwa had a physical form, but who crafted it?"
—Qu Yuan, "Heavenly Questions" from the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu)
"Nuwa was the ruler of the world."
—Huainanzi (annotated by Gao You)
"When heaven and earth were first created, there were no people. Nuwa molded people from yellow clay, but the work was too much for her, so she dragged a rope through the mud and lifted it up to create people."
—Ying Shao, *Fengsu Tong*
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To find support for his arguments, Shang Yechu has been reading a lot of books lately, from Western goddesses and earth goddesses to the Eastern goddess Nuwa. Although he reads them superficially without seeking deep understanding, as long as he can shut Ai Xiaodong and Shao Guangji up, that's a victory.
In Shang Yechu's view, Ai Xiaodong and Shao Guangji were clearly birds of a feather. Since Ai Xiaodong wrote "Heavenly Emperor" as an old man, Shao Guangji most likely supported this view as well.
Shang Yechu carefully planned the words she was about to utter. It wasn't wise to engage in verbal sparring with someone like Shao Guangji. A swift and decisive blow was better than nothing.
Unexpectedly, after a moment's thought, Shao Guangji said, "Of course, it's the goddess."
This answer was completely unexpected by Shang Yechu, so much so that Shang Yechu was stunned for a moment.
Seemingly finding Shang Yechu's dazed expression amusing, Shao Guangji laughed and said, "What, you're surprised when I say she's a goddess? What's so strange about that? Aren't we all just mud splatters thrown out of Nuwa's hands?"
Shao Guangji's quick admission left Shang Yechu speechless. A torrent of thoughts was stuck in her throat, nearly making her explode.
“If that’s the case,” Shang Yechu hurriedly asked, “why do you still insist on having a male actor play the ‘Heavenly Emperor’?”
A bad premonition rose in her heart. If Shao Guangji believed that the God of Civilization should be the Father God, then Shang Yechu could still use her persuasive skills to convince him to change his mind. But if Shao Guangji himself believed that the God of Civilization should be the Mother God, yet insisted on using a male star for the sake of "respecting the original work," "commercial considerations," and "box office appeal," then there was truly nothing that could be done!
"Young comrade, don't look at me like that." Shao Guangji waved his hand. "The reason is simple: the original title of the first draft of 'The Heavenly Ruler' was not 'The Heavenly Ruler,' but 'The Death of God.'"
Shang Yechu: "..."
Shang Yechu's eyes widened. If Shao Guangji's words were true, then...
"Don't you know?" Shao Guangji refilled his cup with half a cup of hot tea. "Except for him, everyone else in Teacher Ai's family is a devout Christian. So his family members made a scene and threatened to hang themselves to force him to change the title."
“So, the ‘Heavenly Ruler’ isn’t actually a civilization, but rather ‘God.’” Shao Guangji slowly sipped his tea. “What Professor Ai wrote wasn’t actually the death of civilization, but the death of faith. As for why he wrote about the death of faith…”
Shao Guangji stopped short of making a point.
Shang Yechu suddenly paused when he recalled the year of the first draft he wrote at the end of "The Heavenly Emperor".
I see.
So that's how it is!
“The concept of a symbol of civilization was something I added later.” Shao Guangji glanced at Shang Yechu, his eyes still flashing with doubt. “But I didn’t expect that you would come to the same conclusion as me after only reading the original novel and part of the script.”
Shang Yechu's head was buzzing. This was the disastrous consequence of shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target! He never imagined Ai Xiaodong could be so pessimistic.
"So that's how it is," Shang Yechu chuckled dryly, her mind racing. "But there's a saying that goes, good works can be misinterpreted..."
“That’s an interesting point.” Shao Guangji pondered for a moment. “Miss Ye, you’re a very thoughtful person, and I’m not afraid to tell you this. The greater the controversy surrounding a film, the more discussion it generates. Therefore, the most appropriate approach is to let those who want to see God see God, those who want to see civilization see civilization, and those who want to see politics see politics. You’re good, but that’s not the right approach.”
Shao Guangji's meaning is clear: if a female star is cast as the Heavenly Emperor, the interpretation of the Civilization Mother Goddess will overwhelmingly overshadow all other interpretations, which is something Shao Guangji does not want to see. Discussion and controversy also reflect the depth of a work, and Shao Guangji hopes that the film "The Heavenly Emperor" will be more mysterious and profound.
Furthermore, Shang Yechu currently only has one film credit in the film industry, "The Mute Woman," which has neither box office success nor awards. To expect Shao Guangji to abandon those experienced middle-aged male stars and choose her instead is simply a pipe dream. Even if the Heavenly Emperor were to choose a female star, it wouldn't be Shang Yechu. There are plenty of leading actresses and leading ladies waiting in line.
If it weren't for her being rejected, Shang Yechu really wanted to applaud Shao Guangji. What a brilliant plan!
If Shang Yechu were an investor in "The Heavenly Emperor," he would have resolutely chosen a male star to play the role after hearing these words. Box office is everything, and buzz is one of the most important factors influencing box office performance.
Shang Yechu began to miss Zheng Bohan again. Whenever Zheng Bohan considered someone a confidant, he would become uncontrollably passionate and open-hearted. Even after being betrayed by Xu Hanwen, he could still swallow his pride and mend fences. He readily offered roles like Emperor Pingzhao and voted for Li Yiming without hesitation. Although he had countless flaws, his generosity was genuinely remarkable.
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