Behind the scenes in the ‘Hollywood’ of China
A never-ending stream of aspiring actors heads to Hengdian, a town in Zhejiang province devoted to the movie business. Very few find the fame they crave.
The moment of truth has arrived. Tension fills the air. The unit director is less than satisfied with the results of two rehearsals, but the sun is sinking, a thin rain darkens the grey sky further and the scene must be shot.
“We can’t waste the day! Suit up! It’s an action scene, you have to look enraged!” bellows a voice through a loudspeaker, haranguing the 100 or so extras assembled on set.
This is to be the climax of War Against the Bandits, a television series set during the Japanese occupation and the subsequent civil war, from which Mao Zedong’s Communists emerged victorious. It’s a period of history that has been receiving considerable attention from Chinese film and television production companies and the director mustcapture the imagination of an ever more demanding public.
“It has to look spectacular,” he tells a nervous special-effects crew.
The explosive charges that will turn the cobbled alleyway into “a living hell” have been placed in vases, lamps and anywhere else that might accommodate them. Their cables are connected to a small box that appears to be little more than a car battery, surely too rudimentary a detonation device for a scene of such complexity. Nonetheless, the experts are satisfied. The floor is set alight using oil-soaked rags.
“Everyone in position! Cameras rolling! Action!”
