Reading: August 24, 2023 – Riding a Donkey to Search for a Horse – Let the Bullets Fly

(Before all: I have deleted a lot of English translated sentences as it’s so hard to translate those that can only be meaningful in Chinese)

Random Thoughts

The English title of the film is: "Let the Bullets Fly"

"Let the Bullets Fly" is adapted from Ma Shitu's "The Story of a Corrupt Official": http://m.wzbj1616.com/script_read/743/read.

Jiang Wen's masterpieces: “In the Day of Sunshine”, "Devils on the Doorstep" (Unreleased), "Sun Also Rises," "Let the Bullets Fly," "Hidden Man"

Innovation is difficult; the primary prerequisite for innovation in any field is to have a thorough understanding of it - spending at least 1,000 hours in the field before one can even talk about "innovation."
Not repeating others or oneself is a high state of being.
In one's life, we must confront three relationships in sequence: man-material, man-man, man-self.
The term "Ride a Donkey to Search for a Horse" means to make do with what you have and not wait for the perfect circumstances. "Let the Bullets Fly" means to be patient and confident after taking action. Standing still brings no gains.
It's a pity for life to get stuck in material pursuits.
Be prepared for hardships; you can't just see the benefits without considering the challenges.
It's not about how you portray others' emotions; what matters is if you have emotions yourself.
True revolution comes when you can express the spiritual world of people, meeting their real needs.
Concise sentences can be invigorating.
Movies aren't for living your life; they supplement it.
Before doing anything, prepare the right mood.
A good script is the cornerstone of a successful movie, and good acting is its soul. But the foundation for commercial success is publicity.
Trouble arises from being overly assertive.
Though thinking about unchangeable facts might not have a direct use, failing to understand them means not grasping broader reforms or strategies.
In the eyes of officials, ordinary people who don't serve them are "in league with bandits," making it hard to differentiate.
Landlords laugh while the poor weep.
"Organ of Public Opinion"—a term we're all familiar with. It refers to assemblies at various levels. It's a body that represents the landlords and the wealthy; it can facilitate many things if you go through it. Does it resemble the People's Congress very much?

Continuing:

Zhang Muzhi asked, "What if they don't approve?"
Chen Shiye smiles and says, "That's not a big deal. The National Government has regulations; the assembly is just an advisory body. If they don't approve, the government will still act. That's how the central government of the Kuomintang has always operated."
Being an upright official is difficult. Who else can corrupt officials rely on? One honest county magistrate can't remove the heavy burden oppressing the poor.
Actually, characters like Lord Tang, who are only greedy for wealth and not power, are quite good. Emperors like such ministers.
People don't want to believe that a bandit could be named Muzhi; they'd rather believe he should be called "Mazi" and should have freckles on his face.
The latter part of the story tells us that the public will support whoever wins. To incite the public when you can't overthrow the current government, you must deceive them into thinking you've already won.
Jiang Wen's movies all share a characteristic: the protagonist leaves "alone" in the end. Is he lonely? Maybe, but from birth to death, we're all alone.

Questions for Consideration:

In such a stronghold filled with landlords and the likes of Master Huang, why can the people still afford to pay their grains and taxes, despite the rapid turnover of county magistrates within a year? What happens when the wealth gap reaches a certain level? Does a large wealth gap during the era of Beiyang Warlords (where war does not necessarily mean chaos, and sometimes even respects law more and market forces more) not lead to uprisings or downward social mobility?
Who earns money from whom, and under what conditions does this hold true? Is it only possible after gaining political or military power? Even if the goal is to earn money from the wealthy, the exploitation of the general populace continues. Due to the need for decentralized governance, one's close associates inevitably become the "privileged," turning into the new "Master Huang." This is similar to the question, "How to govern 1000 prisoners with 7 bullets."
Reasons for Zhang Mazi's success:
1. His own team is strong enough.
2. The public has had enough, but to mobilize them, you have to show them that you can win.
3. The opponent cannot be too strong.
4. One has to establish connections with higher-level leaders. The relationship doesn't have to be extremely close, but you have to make sure they know that what you're doing is beneficial to them, even if the benefits are not huge (as in the case of Chen, the general leader).