"Storehouse of the World"

Author: Jiang Yihong
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Preface/Meeting Gao Feng was an event from over twenty years ago. I never imagined that we would both understand the path and become scriptwriting friends in the film and television industry. Regarding poetry and novels, I have expressed my understanding through screenplays. However, what truly shocked me about Gao Feng is this book The Storehouse of the World and the process of its creation. As a writer, Gao Feng and The Storehouse of the World will undoubtedly become a historical presence in both the literary and film industries. In the fall of the late 1990s, I organized an informal conference for television drama creation. The conference gathered some of the finest producers, screenwriters, and directors from Zhejiang’s film and television industry. Gao Feng presented a creative idea about a grain storehouse: a single granary, a fleet of grain transports, a canal, a group of giants, an era, and an entire realm. In the agricultural civilization of the first year of the Qianlong reign, the intense conflicts of politics, economy, and culture all formed meaningful elements for artistic expression in film and television. I faintly sensed that a new batch of artistic figures unseen on screen would gradually emerge from Gao Feng’s pen. I believed that Gao Feng’s hard times had begun, and I was even more convinced that his days of climbing to the peak of art were here. I spoke of many “nos”——no empty practices, no, no chasing trends, no rushing for the spotlight. Then, from Gao Feng’s direct gaze, I read something called determination. I could imagine that over the following two years, Gao Feng poured his heart and soul into every grain of The Storehouse of the World. These grains, imbued with Gao Feng’s heart and soul, nurtured a cast of vivid and richly endowed historical figures. Characters like Mi He, Liu Tongxun, Mi Rucheng, Lu Zhuo, Tian Wenjing, Liu Han Yue, Miao Zongshu, Pan Shigu, Qianlong, Lu Chan’er, Xiao Shu Zi, Li Zhong, Gao Bin, and Gu Cong, with their distinct personalities, profound depths, complexities, and uniqueness, would provide us with excitement, anger, shock, admiration, and sighs for a long time to come.
Mi He, the young man who later earned the honor of a sixth-rank official, struggled within the highly closed social framework of the agricultural civilization, driven by the inherent human nature that has existed since the dawn of humanity. This was seen as a rebellious personality, the so-called “madness” that ordinary people called him. It became his symbolic image and the progressive significance of The Storehouse of the World. Liu Tongxun’s worldview of the state and his righteous stance against evil, including his wisdom in using official positions to fight corruption, would likely fascinate readers. Mi Rucheng, portrayed as frugal and diligent in governance, devoted himself to realizing the dream of becoming a pillar of the state for his son Mi He, even engaging in ruthless wealth accumulation in silence, and leaving a legacy for his son to expose his father’s corruption to gain rewards. His intentions were too intricate, leaving one to sigh time and again. Lu Zhuo’s sense of being trapped, taking office as the governor of Zhejiang with wooden shackles still on his shoulders, and managing the dire years with extraordinary efforts, hinted at a hidden sense of guilt over borrowing money from wealthy merchants to secure the safety of his daughter. When the Qianlong Emperor, holding up Lu Zhuo’s unique, feudal official’s shackled hands, executed him immediately, we seemed to delve into a profound critique of the feudal bureaucratic system. Tian Wenjing, a seasoned official from the previous dynasty, was renowned for his achievements but rigidly adhered to conventions, leading to his downfall under the new emperor’s reforms. He evoked a complex mix of admiration and disdain. Liu Han Yue, with her cold demeanor and unwavering loyalty to the Mi family, ultimately broke free with a single word—love—but could only transform into a candle. Even after her death, her hope for the future endured, a constant source of sighs.
I could go on listing the many compelling characters in The Storehouse of the World, but I must mention Gao Feng, Gao Feng himself. Historical dramas or dramas based on historical themes have been booming on screens in recent years. Some who call themselves artists may have artistry with it, leaving those who truly engage in historical art fearful of delving into it. Gao Feng, a history graduate, was determined to “make a big historical drama.” Over the course of more than two years, his spoken words, though not always fluent, shook me profoundly. Now, having read through his work, Gao Feng’s insight has once again deeply inspired me. My own thoughts on how to write historical dramas have been greatly encouraged by his work. Thus, I would like to say that The Storehouse of the World sets a fine example for historical television series. Respecting the laws of historical development is perhaps the most fundamental principle for historical dramas. Those flashy pseudo-historical dramas that once dominated screens could all be dismissed as mere nonsense for violating this principle. Finding and discovering within the laws of historical development is the historical insight required of an artist. Works that possess historical insight will undoubtedly have historical character, and works with historical character will inevitably have ideological depth. A historical drama that respects the laws of historical development is one that embodies intellectual integrity.
The human conditions and the many dilemmas of the Qianlong era as revealed in The Storehouse of the World are a testament to the laws of that time. The artistic mastery of this inevitability ultimately results in historical depth, and the artist’s thoughts soar to great freedom. Due to space constraints, I cannot cite specific scenes from Gao Feng’s work, but the success of The Storehouse of the World hinges entirely on this point.
The Storehouse of the World is another political drama by CCTV following The Yongzheng Dynasty. The story tells of a fierce political struggle, corruption in state granaries, and social upheaval triggered by a severe drought in the first year of the Qianlong reign. In times of crisis, Liu Tongxun, the Minister of Justice, took office with his coffin and led a group of upright and incorruptible officials to achieve extraordinary deeds in the barren land of the Qianlong era.