This "sentiment" was written at the beginning of the slip of paper that the author received, and what follows is a verbatim record of my dialogue with him across space.
If it weren't for the four walls of confinement, Gao Xiaosong probably wouldn't have opened up to the author, whom he had never met; if it weren't for the de-modernization restrictions of prison, Gao Xiaosong probably wouldn't have used pen and paper to write down these heartfelt reflections. Given BQ's prior agreement with him, we will not display the slip of paper bearing his handwriting. "This is the first time I've answered a journalist's interview in writing, the objective reasons need not be mentioned. Subjectively, I've started to like this method. One reason is that for many years no journalist has genuinely asked me questions about my inner thoughts, and I am willing to give genuine answers. The second reason is that I'm a person who uses my lungs to command my mouth and my heart to command my pen. What is spoken by mouth comes from the lungs, which I call empty talk, while what is written by hand comes from the heart, which I call sentiment."
Dual personality, dual nature, encompassing all kinds of contradictions within him, also explains his various unconventional and rebellious actions in the past. How to deeply understand his inner world? In the past, people often overlooked Gao Xiaosong's 'proper conduct' after voluntarily withdrawing from Tsinghua University and dropping out of Beijing Film Academy. Directing was his proper occupation. From the literary theory that 'all works are autobiographical,' we can make an incisive analysis: He probably has the romanticism of tilting at windmills —— see "My Heart Soars," where soldiers on stage dressed in red and green shout revolutionary slogans, that is his reflection and praise of his youthful recklessness. He likely has a sense of shame in self-reflection —— see "That Time Flowers Bloomed," where Xia Yu (Weibo) portrayed a timid infatuation, ostrich-like self-consolation, and you can't help but see Gao Xiaosong's irritated yet affectionate 'youthful sentiment'? The current film "The Great Martial Artist" is his work after turning forty. From an industrial perspective, it should be regarded as an exploration of local commercial genre films based on Hollywood production models in today's chaotic film and television circle. Beyond the 'text,' we can also view it as a middle-aged angry youth's re-embrace of instrumental rationality and personal reconciliation after hardship and struggle under the backdrop of great changes in the era —— "Xiaosong's change occurred after 2005. Before that, when sitting together, he still talked about those stories 'floating in the sky.' Later, after going to the United States, every time he returned, we could feel his change, which was his acceptance of American film culture. Initially, there was misunderstanding, but by the year before last, he basically started telling us how American producers manage directors and how scripts are rewritten from start to finish." Du Yang said.
He is a bookish figure in postmodern society who is wise yet anti-intellectual, criticizing reality without being detached from it, Nike Air Max 90 Current, looking lightly upon material desires without rejecting material wealth. He is a member of the privileged class in society, but what's rare is that he persists in self-reflection and self-abasement. Listen to his original song "Killed Her to Feed Pigs" placed prominently in his blog player, full of satire and mockery in its rap —— it's more like a letter of severance from the 'upper class.'
What kind of person is Gao Xiaosong? He is a child born into good circumstances, free from worries about food and clothing; a teenager with a distinct personality, living life to the fullest; a talented poet rich in thought and debate; a wanderer who loves wine and travels around the world; and a lover who openly appreciates women and does not hide the fact that he had 'an average of one girlfriend every three to four years' before marriage... These evaluations applied to him are neither flattery nor defamation, but facts. His talent makes him unbending, and also predestines his loneliness. Growing up in the capital city, he has always had a strong cultural arrogance or, perhaps, inferiority complex; and his background in a family associated with Tsinghua University made him naturally look westward after individual consciousness awakened, seeking the halo of universal values. Living in modern society, he has the commitment and courage of ancient knights; living in Confucian culture circles, he has the style of a cowboy who highly values individuality and speaks without reservation. If he were to accompany Turgenev, he would be the latter's 'Rudin'; if Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao found him during their 'Petition of the Candidates,' he would be the hero with 'liver and gall on both sides of Kunlun.'
Beyond directing, Gao Xiaosong's public image can be divided into three layers of aura, further delineating his different facets as shaped by public opinion in the simulated world: In the public discourse arena, Air Max Shoes, he is an idol who has not stepped down from the pedestal, always consumed by public topics; in the microblogging niche discourse arena, his American citizenship, along with his 'patronizing review' stance towards the grassroots, often pushes him to the opposite side of 'public interest' in discussions about 'unequal distribution', 'abuse of public power', 'wealth without benevolence' etc., where he is subjected to a 'carnival-style verbal violence' without explanation —— it's easy to understand why there was a chorus of schadenfreude online after the car accident incident. Digging deeper, the traditional value preaching of 'pride invites loss, humility brings gain' once again finds a fitting counterexample.
In fact, Gao Xiaosong's identity as a director is probably not well known to the public —— of course, Nike Air Hoop Structure, if movies are positioned as mass cultural consumption products, this is a mutual choice. In the early 1990s, a song "My Deskmate" made him a folk idol worshipped by countless students, that was Gao Xiaosong as a musician; in the new millennium, talent shows sprang up everywhere, he was the only one supporting 'sheep voice' Zeng Yike in "Super Girl," and gave spicy comments on various professions in "China's Got Talent," that was Gao Xiaosong as an entertainment critic not long ago; and in the microblogging world, he is an opinion leader who dares to declare 'I have canceled following all angry intellectuals, commonly known as public various molecules.' In response to Li Chengpeng's satire 'you can run ashore,' he retorted, 'you don't have a green card so you have truth. Good logic, you win.'
For the production company, this was nothing short of a disaster. 'That night I went to the traffic department to see him, his first words to me were "Sorry, please take care of the kid and the movie for me." Then he murmured, "How could I be the one driving?"' Producer Du Yang recalled. Du Yang was responsible for the publicity and release of Gao Xiaosong's previous released movie "My Heart Wanders," 'that was an extremely personal, poetic movie. It was destined not to have good box office.' And this time as the producer of the commercial movie "The Great Martial Artist," Du Yang said, 'I just felt his feet were back on the ground. The script of "The Great Martial Artist" determined it to be a commercial movie format, which was very different from Xiaosong's previous purely artistic, otherworldly ideas.'
'At around 22:30 on May 9th... the accident involved a white Infiniti SUV with a Beijing license plate colliding with three cars ahead, causing minor injuries to four people.' The above is a condensed recap of the statement issued by the news office of the Beijing Public Security Traffic Management Bureau. Rewinding several hours, the troublemaker Gao Xiaosong had just completed the national press conference for his first commercial movie "The Great Martial Artist."
Event Retrospective: On the 17th, the Dongcheng District People's Court of Beijing made a first-instance verdict on Gao Xiaosong's drunk driving case, sentencing him to six months of detention and a fine of 4,000 yuan for dangerous driving. Gao Xiaosong did not object to the charges brought by the prosecution and expressed guilt in court. During the self-defense phase, Gao Xiaosong said: 'I have no intention to defend myself, all I have is repentance... My behavior is a manifestation of self-inflation, I will learn from this experience, I am willing to compensate for the losses caused by this incident to the greatest extent possible, I am willing to do any volunteer work, I hope my case can serve as a warning to all friends who drink alcohol, and I sincerely apologize to my family and society.' After making his statement, he held up a piece of paper with the words 'Alcohol clouds judgment, learn from my mistake.' It is understood that since the implementation of the 'Amendment (VIII) to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China' on May 1st, 'Gao Case' was the third drunk driving case tried and sentenced in Beijing, and Gao Xiaosong received the heaviest sentence, with the punishment being the maximum allowed under the law.
Author: Wang Zheng
Attachment: Specific report by Beijing Youth Weekly
Besides regretting that he won't be able to attend the premiere of "The Great Martial Artist" and won't be able to see the audience's expressions when they appreciate the movie, Gao Xiaosong also frankly admitted another major regret was not being able to witness his daughter's growth from three and a half to four years old. 'That is an irreplaceable happiness for every father,' he said.
Speaking about his first directed movie "The Great Martial Artist," Gao Xiaosong appeared very moved. He stated that he was forced to revise the script 31 times, and the final script touched every main creative team member, leading the actors to agree to reduce their fees for the roles. Before the 'drunk driving' incident, the post-production of "The Great Martial Artist" was completed, but the biggest issue was that the director would be absent from the entire movie promotion. 'I returned to China on May 9th to prepare for the promotion, Nike Air Max 180, but ended up in jail the day I got off the plane. Fortunately, over the twenty years in the industry, I've made some good friends. We usually forget each other in our busy lives, but they stood up to help me deal with emergencies in various work fields.' Speaking about these loyal friends, Gao Xiaosong showed deep gratitude and emotion.
Two Major Regrets: Not Seeing Daughter Grow Up, Unable to Attend Premiere
On September 9th this year, the debut movie "The Great Martial Artist" will be released nationwide, and this day is not far from this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. Unfortunately, on the day of family reunion, Gao Xiaosong will still spend it in prison.
In addition, under the suggestion of close friend Feng Tang, Gao Xiaosong began translating Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Memories of My Melancholy Whores," naming it "Planting Willows in Past Years." The creation of the poetry collection "Biography" has also officially started, and he has begun revising another script. Regarding this new movie script, Gao Xiaosong indicated that it was originally planned to be filmed this summer, now it's been postponed, Air Max Ryan O’Neal’s Andy Warhol Lawsuit Drags On, but this way he can solidly revise it a few times instead.
It is understood that after entering prison, Gao Xiaosong first started reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. Since before this, Gao Xiaosong always had the idea of finishing reading the Encyclopedia Britannica, but was constantly running around dealing with trivial matters, thinking this wish would only be realized after retiring at the age of 60. 'Unexpectedly, there was a whole unopened set in the small library of the detention center. I've only read up to the entries starting with 'B'. I've already used up one pen refill taking notes, because only pen refills are allowed in prison.'
After the 'drunk driving' behavior was confirmed, Gao Xiaosong did not argue or shift blame, honestly confessed his crime, sincerely apologized, and then began his six-month prison life. How did Gao Xiaosong spend this period of time that wasn't too long but wasn't too short either? Following the exposure of the theme song he personally wrote not long ago, Nike Air Max, more details were revealed yesterday.
Prison Life: Reading, Translating, Writing Poetry, Writing Scripts
Director Gao Xiaosong, sentenced to six months of detention for 'drunk driving,' currently through handwritten replies, Nike Air Max 90 Boots, accepted a written interview from a weekly magazine, revealing for the first time his life and study situation in prison. He frankly admitted: 'I am neither a victim of wrongful conviction, nor a hero, and even the crime I committed is a low IQ, low skill, foolish crime.' He also expressed that his two biggest regrets were missing half a year of his daughter's growth and not being able to attend the premiere of "The Great Martial Artist," seeing the audience's expressions while watching the movie.