Writing in Comparison of Soup Cooking
—— He Jiping's Talk of How to Present a Good Script
He Jiping's Photo
Poster of the Film Our Time Will Come
Rather than her simple name, Ms. He Jiping enjoys a far more reputable popularity with her script creations such as films New Dragon Inn, Once Upon a Time in China, Chor Lauheung, The Warlords and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate as well as plays Top Restaurant in China, The Legend of White Snake, Deling and Cixi, Jiazi House and Our Time Will Come . Obviously, she is a typical playwright who focuses on every works in creation. In her narration of her creation and the cultural nutrition she has got from Beijing and Hong Kong, Ms He Jiping uttered her Cantonese-accent Mandarin which sense occasionally we can a bit of Beijing dialect style. In this sense, we must talk about wer experience with Beijing as well as Hong Kong.
'Hong Kong is my Second Hometown'
Upon graduation from Script Department of Central Academy of Drama in the 1980s, He Jiping was hand-picked far admission by Beijing People Art Theatre (BPAT) as a script writer. Her virgin assignment was the drama Good Luck Plaza in the background city of Hong Kong. Trom the perspective of a youngster who moved from the mainland to Hong Kong, the drama narrated about stories of several households in the same plaza to showcase the city life in Hong Kong in the 1980s. "As my father lived in Hong Kong at that time, I had opportunities to visit him there. Out of my curiosity in people’s life in Hong Kong, I wrote this story of several local households and their interaction with a young boy who moved from the mainland. Thanks to the mainland audiences' similar curiosity about Hong Kong, all the tickets of the first=rourol 80 performances were immediately sold out and crowds eager to buy a tickets almost collapsed the booking office.”He Jiping recalled.
In 1989, He Jiping migrated to Hong Kong along with her family. "I read an article in a newspaper when I was about to leave Beijing.Its writer wondered what a writer who has left his or her mother culture will possibly present in creation. As to this question, I was actually quite confused then and couldn't help asking myself the same question.”He Jiping admitted. A relative of hers asked how long she had spent on the play Top Restaurant in China , and at her answer of three years, asserted that she would be starved to edath for such a long preparation if in Hong Kong.“Before I moved to Hong Kong, I enjoyed an outstanding position in literary and art circles,as mellas family background and social status.When I moved to Hong Kong, I experienced the lowest time in my career, both of which constituted a sharp contrast.”she sighed.
In 1991, the play Top Restaurant in China Went on public show in Hong Kong. After viening the this play, Hark Tsui, a bigshot in HK films, dicl two things overnight. One was to take a taste of Beijing Roast Duck, and the other was a personal interview with He Jiping. Providing nothing but a page of outline, Hark Tsui requested her to complete that a full script within one month and a half.“Since you have made such an interesting play of a restaurant, I am confident that you will present a wonderful inn.”Hark Tsui said to her.
"Despite my less interest in swordsman series, I still agreed to his request because it was indeed a precious opportunity for me to go into cooperation with such a bigshot as Hark Tsui . Within a short time, I read lots of swordsman novels and started to draft the outline film script for the very first time. Either in films or in stage plays, styles or measures art may vary, but all the basic elements of drama always persist. Besides the fashion of swordsman film, the success of the film New Dragon Inn was mainly attributed to couple of living characters whose unique personality brought along the whole film.”Typical Hong Kong swordsman film used to be full of fierce fights. He Jiping designed some characters of outstanding personality into this new play. Plus the excellent acting by Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Ka Fai, the film New Dragon Inn became a classic in the Chinese film history and He Jiping gained her reputation immediately in Hong Kong.
In 1997, He Jiping was invited to Hong Kong Repertory Theatre as its standing playwright and then started her exploration into the mainstream theatres in Hong Kong. Her first play Deling and Cixi witnessed a full occupancy with two rows of additional seats.“Then I realized that I would never get starved in Hong Kong. From my prime time in the familiar Beijing to beginning from scratch in the strange Hong Kong, I never ceased but accelerated my creation. First of all, I was totally energetic during my golden age of creation, Secondly, I seized some rare opportunities And lastly, I never gave in to any difficulty and hardship. Within the past 27 years, I have been busy with constant invitations from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which is even far beyond my expectation.”He Jiping said.
As she lived in Hong Kong, she was among the foreranner Chinese playwrights who can use computers.At present, her writings all rely on her computer. "Writing is always boring. When we used pens in writing, a long time might have passed before we could settle down. The computer can attract me to sit down and I can feel the excitement when typing with the keyboard." The traditional Chinese culture gained during her grown-up in Beijing has laid her a solid foundation, while the commercial and international trends in Hong Kong have opened wp her mind. "In combination of the above treasure, I have gradually formed a style of my own and gained recognition from the local community in Hong Kong. For nearly three decades since I migrated to Hong Kong, I have never been away from my writing. The life and cultural order in Hong Kong, the perseverance, professional commitment and creative spirits of local people, and attitudes of everyone in the performing circles from superstar to ordinary staff have exerted significant influence upon my character and writing. With matual harmony and acceptance between Hong Kong community and me, I have enjoyed a peace of mind here and thus Hong Kong has become my second hometown." she concluded.
'Most Personalized Art Never Allows Self-will'
On the one hand, there exists artists’ advocacy for traditional culture, and on the other hand, some kind of chaos involving so many social factors such as cultural element still take place in Hong Kong. In reply to this phenomenon, He Jiping held that traditional culture is a national treasure of China and that the reason why youne people dislike this national treasure lies in the problems withothe education and guidance system.“Besides our great concern, action must be taken as well. In President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th CFLAC and the 9th CWA National Congress, a detailed elaboration has been made concerning the writing of some historical subjects. Chinese literary and art circles must pay close attention to historical subject creation and must realize there still exist some flaw in the current creation. As a playwright, we are responsible for creating works of traditional Chinese contents and formalities, which are prepare to the young people and enable them to understand the history and tradition of their country and recognize their mission for inheritance.”He Jiping held.
As Peking opera version of the drama Deling and Cixi that He Jiping had created in Hong Kong, the play Forbidden City in Dawn Light provides a narration of encounter and close relationship between a 17-year-old girl who returned from her study in Europe and America, and Empress Dowager Cixi at the age of 72. “When I took up this writing, I was already within such a context of both harmony and conflict between cultures of China and West as Hong Kong. As Hong Kong people mostly know both cultures, my play Deling and Cixi has gained quite some popularity here.”
As a matter of fact, the play Top Restaurant in China , which has brought He Jiping to fame in drama and has been praised as "Classic Masterpiece of Current Realism", has something to do with Hong Kong as well. When some of her friends in Hong Kong came to the mainland for tourism, "I had no idea how to show my hospitality to them except two things—visiting the Great Wall and enjoying Beijing Roast Duck. While taking Roast Duck, my friends would ask how the Roast Duck was made, but the waiter in the restaurant was unable to give a single word for explanation. Then the impulse for creation concerning how to make Roast Duck came in my mind." When she was finally set for this creation, she traveled throughout Beijing for interviews, including that with Tian Wenkuan, the official 3rd generation heir of Roast Duck in Stove. She even began her personal experience in the kitchen of Quanjude, the top brand restaurant of Roast Duck in Beijing.
Despite several drafts in constant change, He Jiping still failed to come up with a perfect ending. "On my way to the Northwest, I came across a collection of Chinese antithetical couplets and found the following lines 'In such a dangerous place, who will be host and guest? Those three old mansions accommodate bright moon and breeze'. Within an instant, I was totally enlightened as to the ending." Mr. Cao Yu, then president of BPAT, gave high acclamation even after five times of viewing and called this play as “a watertight masterpiece”. This play even added more charm to the creation of the later film New Dragon Inn as the setting of that Manchurian swordsman who could slice lamb and even human legs into pieces drew inspiration from "slicing Roast Duck". "Life fills all our spaces. A writer must be mindful, sensitive, flexible and ready for changes. Though solicated subjects vary greatly, I have my fundamental solutions in return, which are my personal knowledge and experience of life and the world." All the details in her writing come from her genuine experience of life.
In 2012, He Jiping was commissioned to create the drama Jiazi House for her temporary return to BPAT. “When there were only 9 months left before the official debut, Zhang Heping, then president of BPAT, came to me and reiterated his requirement on the three features of the drama—Beijing, contemporary and original. Though it was not an easy job for me, I had no reason to refuse their request. Probably thanks to my years of experience in commercial management in Hong Kong, I was fully aware of the key elements in this prospective script in celebration of the 60th anniversary of BPAT. Upon recognition of my outline of merely 1000 words, BPAT was determined to rehearse it as soon as possible.” Many senior actors and actresses of the 1st generation of BPAT, in the first-class artistry as well, were invited into this play Their professional virtues deeply touched everyone in production, which became a cultural phenomenon at that time. “For example, Zhu Lin mastered all her lines by heart on the first day of rehearsal, Lan Tianye was invariably filled with passion on stage and Zheng Rong studied his lines by words and by sentences. The professional spirit of BPAT was fully demonstrated in this play and all those actors and actresses of BPAT on the front and back stages became models of Chinese drama. Many people were moved to tears in the summary meeting after the performance, because such spirit was so precious.” He Jiping sighed, “Such spirit still remains but it is already at the risk of extinction. Art might be the most personalized profession, but it never allows self-will”.
New Horizon in my Artistic Creation
For decades, He Jiping has maintained her professionalism of BPAT and she never forgets her experience as an amateur playwright when she worked in the countryside of Yan’an at the age of 17. “Our plays wereshown to our fellow farmers, and became our own entertainment as well.” Once her mini-drama was in the course in a threshing square when the gas lamps were out of order and of complete darkness. To watch the plays, farmers brought out all of their barn lanterns that they were reluctant to use at ordinary time, and hung them in line before the stage, which has a touching scene in her mind forever. many years, her works have been presented on varied stages all over the world, but that line of barn lanterns always shine in her heart.
Currently, screenplay has changed from an unpopular position into a popular profession, and quite a few young people take it for granted that a playwright enjoys such advantages as earning quick money, gaining quick fame and associating with superstars easily. Even as a substitute playwright, the payment for a single episode of TV drama will equals a worker’s annual wage. In this case, they try their utmost efforts in spite of reality. As He Jiping reminds, script creation might be one of the most difficult types in literature. "To compose a script, the playwright shall face the blank sheets in the beginning, and maed endeavors until the blood almost bursts out of his or her forehead skin. As every creation in literature varies and there is no ready lessons to refer to, short cuts to take, it is by no means an easy job to be a good playwright. A qualified playwright must settle down in the loneliness without being attracted by fame or profits, and be fortunate to be recognized by wise producers. With all prerequisites satin fied, he or she must depend on his or her talent." According to He Jiping's observation of the current script creation by young people, "I'm obliged to admit that a playwright must be a genius. Two playwrights' equivalent efforts but at different levels result in different outcomes The authors' experience, accomplishment and perspective of the world outlook. If you happes to be an unqualified playwright, even the blood running out of his orher forehead skin makes no sense." As far as He Jiping can see, those of great potential must make painstaking efforts in practice before they come up with one or two scripts of great influence, and even legend that will bring their dreams into reality only these works make them qualified.
He Jiping still remembers a sentence by Tan Peisheng, her tutor, "playwrights compete with each other firstly on life experience, secondly on writing techniques and lastly on personal refinement". "What you have written must be something that you feel more profoundly at heart." As she told me, she kept a cabinet of dozens of drawers within which she placed her draft materials and writing process for future reference. However, she hasn’t used any of them yet. "Because every writing is a brand new process. On the occasion of bottleneck, I will suspend my writing. As a matter of fact, I never suspend writing in my mind even in times of entertainment, delicacy and travel. Bearing this point in mind, the persons and stories that I have come across will probably lead to further inspiration and even a new horizon in my artistic creation". Certainly in her writing world, there are far more occasions than the scary scence of "blood in forehead skin". "Like many local people in Hong Kong, I like savoring soup. With a big pot of colorful materials stewed slowly, I can sense the complex of varied feelings. As the fragrance wafts out of the pot, the soup as well as my writing is ready".
