Chapter 569 The awards for domestic films and television dramas are countless. But when it comes to the truly significant ones, there are only eight words that truly carry weight.
The winds and clouds over the land, the starlight in the sky.
"Jiangshan Fengyun" refers to the four highest-level awards in the film industry: the Hanjiang Award, the Jinshan Award, the Fengxin Award, and the Liuyun Award. Their prestige is ranked according to the characters "Jiang," "Shan," "Feng," and "Yun." "Tiandi Xingguang" refers to the Tianji Award, the Dadi Award, the Xinghan Award, and the Feiguang Award. These are the four major awards in the television drama field, and their prestige is similarly ranked.
Besides these, there are countless other prizes for "sharing pork" (a metaphor for winning a large sum of money). These prizes are only used by fans to embellish their image and brag; the general public pays absolutely no attention to them.
These eight major awards are mostly held once every two to three years.
Among film awards, the Hanjiang Awards are the only A-list international film festival in the Chinese-speaking world. While winning one of the other three major awards allows fans to boast about their idols' Best Actor or Best Actress status, only when the actual star wins the Hanjiang Award can that title be truly justified and impenetrable.
Among television drama awards, the Sky Award holds the highest prestige. It is widely acknowledged within the industry that this award carries far greater political significance than artistic merit. A key characteristic is that it doesn't award Best Actor or Best Actress; it only recognizes the best production. Only works of art, deemed by both the government and the general public to "bring high-level spiritual enjoyment to the people, uphold positive values to guide the audience, respect history and social reality, and be of high quality and stand the test of time," are worthy of this prestigious honor.
From this perspective, the Sky Award also has artistic significance.
Art that cannot serve the people is as worthless as a print on toilet paper. Who do you think you are if the masses enjoy it? So-called industry insiders are nothing more than a small group of opportunists who live off the masses. What they consider to be universally accepted is sometimes merely self-admiration within a small circle, and cannot be considered universally applicable truths.
Although many in the industry sourly mock the Tianji Awards as a politically correct award, it is the only television drama award that prioritizes quality over quantity. If no outstanding works meet the criteria are produced in a given year, the award will remain vacant. This has ensured that the "Tianji" designation on its name still shines brightly, untouched by the stigma of being a mere "watered-down" production.
The Sky Awards will be held this September, so there's still a long way to go.
The full name of the Xinghan Award is "Haicheng TV Festival Xinghan Brilliant Award", and the venue is, of course, Haicheng.
The two most famous arts and culture circles in the Chinese entertainment industry are the Hengdian Circle, comprised of people from humble backgrounds, and the Beijing Circle, a gathering place for remnants of feudalism. These two circles have been locked in a fierce rivalry for over a decade, their relationship as inseparable as glue. It's a well-known story within the industry.
Besides this couple, there are also other small circles with distinct styles. For example, there's the Shanghai style centered around Haicheng, the Northwest group from the Northwest region, and the Sichuan group with its strong regional flavor. Each of them has its own way of having fun.
Arriving on Shanghai's territory, even the country bumpkins from Hengdian couldn't help but shrink back. Shang Yechu came with Zhao Qian from the same group. Zhao Qian had previously played a supporting role in a TV series and was said to have received a nomination; he was here with Shang Yechu just to make an appearance.
The atmosphere on the set of "The Heavenly Emperor" is too tense. The ordinary staff are fine, but the lead actors are really struggling. It's good that they're taking a break.
Zhao Qian was a talkative person. Ever since he got off the plane and hitched a ride in Shang Yechu's nanny van, he had been telling jokes about regional discrimination. He rattled off twenty or thirty different ones without repeating himself.
Shang Yechu didn't want to listen, afraid that her memory was too good and she might remember Zhao Qian's words and blurt them out in public, which would be troublesome. But this damn brain had its own thoughts, not only catching every joke Zhao Qian made, but also accurately understanding the punchline, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
After nearly bursting out laughing again, Shang Yechu decisively made a stop gesture: "Uncle Zhao, aren't you thirsty?"
Zhao Qian finally felt satisfied and unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, saying, "It's too depressing to see the director's stern face on set every day. This is a way to relax."
Shang Yechu felt a sense of relief. She would rather spend ten days and ten nights face-to-face with Shao Guangji on set than listen to Zhao Qian tell tasteless jokes again.
"This is all I've saved up over decades!" Zhao Qian said. "You're the first person to hear it all from beginning to end. Wait, there are still a few more..." He then launched into a long string of rambling and vulgar jokes. "No wonder Lao Lu and Mel both say you're cultured. Last time I told the director some jokes about Beijing's elite circles, and he didn't even flinch. He even told me to go back and memorize my lines. So disrespectful..."
Shang Yechu was driven crazy by the noise. Her assistant glanced at her sister with pity through the rearview mirror.
Shang Yechu changed the subject, saying, "The ceremony is the day after tomorrow, Uncle Zhao, how are your preparations going?"
"What am I preparing for?" Zhao Qian chuckled. "Just to be a runner-up. I've been a runner-up for over thirty years, I'm used to it."
Telling Beijing-style jokes to directors in Beijing, telling Shanghai-style jokes in Haicheng, and grinning foolishly at Russians all day long—given Zhao Qian's emotional intelligence, it would be difficult for him not to be a runner-up.
"But you," Zhao Qian nudged Shang Yechu, "did your company pull any strings for you?"
Shang Yechu was slightly taken aback. If she didn't know Zhao Qian well and knew that his mouth was always as loose as a cotton waistband, she would almost suspect that he was trying to find out something.
"What's going on?" Shang Yechu asked, feigning a perfectly timed question. "Oh, accommodations, travel attire, everything's been arranged..."
"Not those!" Zhao Qian waved his hand. "Awards! Did you pull any strings?"
Even though the van was filled with Qingping Entertainment's trusted elites, Shang Yechu was still a little flustered. Was this something that could be discussed here?
"What? Awards can actually be manipulated?" Shang Yechu had no choice but to bite the bullet and awkwardly act, "Teacher Zhao, are you kidding me?"
Wherever there are people, there is a power struggle. Without exception, all eight major awards in the Chinese entertainment industry are subject to manipulation.
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