In 2001, "Mansion Gate" was broadcast for the first time on China's ** TV. The play is a 52-episode family ethics drama that tells the rise and fall of Tongrentang, a traditional Chinese medicine merchant in old Beijing, and vividly depicts the social landscape from the Qing Dynasty to the first period.
This work not only shows the fate of a merchant family, but also reflects the historical changes of the Chinese nation for more than 100 years with the fate of ordinary families, and is known as "the contemporary Dream of Red Mansions".
In 1995, director Guo Baochang completed the script of 52 episodes of "Mansion Gate" in eight months. In 1996, with the funding of investors, "Mansion Gate" started filming for the first time. However, during the filming, Director Guo was overshadowed by the investor and was forced to stop work after only completing 3 episodes of filming.
4 years later, Yu Shengli, a producer of ** TV station, found Guo Baochang and said that CCTV would invest in the filming of "Mansion Gate" and become an exclusive. Chen Baoguo and other leading actors have been waiting for the remake of this drama since 1996, during which they were financially embarrassed and even forced to live in a house.
In 2000, CCTV filmed "Mansion Gate" again.
Before the second start of filming in "Mansion Gate", the choice of roles has always been a headache for directors and actors. Many celebrities competed for the same role, and the scene was very fierce for a while.
First of all, Xie Lan was selected by the director to play the role of Bai Jiali, the eldest lady of the Bai family. However, when she learned that there was no candidate for the role of Yang Jiuhong, she took the initiative to ask Ying to apply for this role.
When Director Guo heard that Xie Lan wanted to play Li Xiangxiu, he didn't immediately agree to her. However, Director Guo directly asked her to transform into playing Li Xiangxiu. At first, Xie Lan was full of worries about this maid role that she had never been exposed to, but with the encouragement of Director Guo, she gradually regained her self-confidence, and finally succeeded in portraying Li Xiangxiu, a multi-faceted and highly motivated girl.
At the same time, the role of Bai Sanye was originally expected to be played by Li Chengru, but due to schedule conflicts, Director Guo finally chose Liu Peiqi. At first, many people questioned Liu Peiqi's choice, thinking that he was like a bitter farmer who lacked the style of the rich son Bai Sanye.
But in the end, Liu Peiqi conquered everyone present with her outstanding performance, and interpreted the image of Bai Sanye, who was in the land of fireworks but upheld righteousness, deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Tranquility was refused to play the role of the second grandmother by Director Guo on the grounds that she was "too young", although she wanted to play it, but in the end she did not participate. However, she ended up making a cameo in a small role.
Jiang Wenli asked to change the role in the crew without authorization, and even forcibly asked to play the role of Bai Yuting, which made the director feel very helpless.
In the case that the candidates for the actor and the second grandmother have been determined, the biggest problem has arisen. In the end, southern actress He Saifei successfully "picked up the leak" and successfully played the role of Yang Jiuhong.
At first, Director Guo was not very satisfied with the appointment of He Saifei. He thinks it's hard for a southerner to control the role of the old Beijing accent, and he feels that He Saifei feels too weak and doesn't have Yang Jiuhong's strong personality.
But in the absence of candidates, he could only agree to it.
When filming actually started, He Saifei's emotional outburst surprised everyone. During the filming of the scene where Yang Jiuhong tore her filial piety clothes, she was completely immersed in extremely crazy emotions, her whole body trembled, her teeth bit her lips, and she couldn't extricate herself for 10 minutes.
Since then, He Saifei has made many nuanced adjustments to Yang Jiuhong's roles of different ages. Through her efforts, He Saifei successfully created a Yang Jiuhong with a complex personality, from innocent to ruthless, and her wonderful performance won warm applause from many audiences.
The role of the big heroine of "Second Grandma" was originally tailor-made by director Guo Baochang for his wife Liu Gege. However, the investor** TV station strongly recommended Siqin Gaowa to star.
Originally, Director Guo directly rejected her, thinking that Siqin Gaowa's body was too fat and not suitable for this role. However, these words soon reached Siqin Gaowa's ears. She was not discouraged by this, but chose to prove herself by a large margin.
In 2000, before the crew started filming, Siqin Gaowa was invited to the director Guo Baochang's home as a guest. During this period, Director Guo's wife kept praising her for looking like her mother.
Siqin Gaowa was keenly aware of this as a turning point, and worked harder to please the director's wife. In the end, Guo Baochang finally changed his mind and agreed to let Siqin Gaowa play the second grandmother.
That night, Siqin Gaowa excitedly called ** to confirm the news, for fear that it was just a dream of her own.
Siqin Gaowa understands this role very well, and she strives to show the demeanor of the hostess of a merchant family to the fullest. Although the role is limited, she successfully portrays the image of the second grandmother of different ages, allowing the audience to see a flesh-and-blood living character, rather than a symbol or label.
Before the Spring Festival in 2000, the investor** TV station also recommended the popular actor Jiang Wen to play the actor Bai Jingqi. Jiang Wen was very interested in this role, and after carefully studying the script of the first episode, he paid close attention to the movements of the crew and prepared to join the crew for filming.
However, when Jiang Wen and his old friends Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and others went to visit the crew, they were surprised to find that the actor Bai Jingqi had been confirmed to be played by Chen Baoguo, and director Guo Baochang also arranged him in a role by the way.
Everyone at the scene turned their heads and ears, waiting for Jiang Wen's reaction. However, Jiang Wen did not get angry, but instead had a two-hour discussion with Chen Baoguo, successfully interpreting the arrogance and arrogance of the bureaucratic role he played.
His rivalry with Chen Baoguo, which is tense, has become one of the most classic highlights in the film, and has been widely praised and praised in the industry.
Despite being just a tricky role, Jiang Wen's acting skills are still impressive. Years later, this "trick" journey also became the proudest part of his memoirs.
Director Guo Baochang has said many times that Jiang Wen's wonderful interpretation makes this little character full of drama, forming a unique and eye-catching landscape in "Mansion Gate".
In 2001, "Mansion Gate" was broadcast on CCTV-1**, and the first broadcast rating was as high as 1774%, ranking first in the night's ratings. Since then, "Mansion Gate" has continued to maintain the top three positions in the ratings list.
This family ethics drama about the rise and fall of a century-old Chinese merchant family is loved by the audience.
After 20 years, under the re-recommendation of ***, "Mansion Gate" is still very popular and often occupies the top of the hit list. Bai Sanye, Yang Jiuhong, Second Grandma and other characters with distinctive personalities have become classics, and the wonderful performances of the actors have brought the charm of this topic drama to the extreme.
Director Guo's decades of meticulous polishing of the script and the super-standard acting skills of many actors are worthy of our admiration, making this TV series depicting the rise and fall of the family vividly reproduced on TV.
The success of Mansion Gate lies in its success in portraying the history and fate of the Chinese merchant class, making this work a masterpiece in the history of Chinese television.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program