Original title: Wei Fenghua, the original author and screenwriter of the popular detective drama “Story of the Tang Dynasty”, talks about creation (quote)
Writing Tang Dynasty Stories with Tianjin People’s Humor and Open-mindedness (Theme)
Tonight reporter Liu Guifang
After the ancient costume detective drama “Story of the Tang Dynasty” was broadcast on iQIYI, it quickly set off a wave of drama and discussion on the Internet. This ancient costume drama full of suspense and strange elements, in the promotion of the investigation and solving of the case, conveys the spiritual core of not suppressing the evil and improving the good. It can be said to be unique in the recently broadcast episodes.
The play is adapted from the novel of the same name, and the author of the novel, Wei Fenghua, is also the screenwriter of the play. In an exclusive interview with this reporter, Wei Fenghua said that he was born and raised by the Haihe River, and the history and customs of his hometown, as well as the open-minded and humorous character of Tianjin people, had a subtle influence on his writing.
Pursue the unity of realism and fantasy
“Story of the Tang Dynasty” is classified as a costume detective drama, but Wei Fenghua said that this costume detective drama is very different from previous similar themes: “To be precise, it is a road movie with a A mysterious detective drama of the nature. Its background is set before the prosperous age of Kaiyuan, the court is full of turbulence, and folk strange cases occur frequently. , Human Face Flower, Tower Tower, eight unit cases, unfolding a picture of the Tang Dynasty.”
Wei Fenghua introduced that the word “strange” runs through the “Story of the Tang Dynasty”, which is based on the creative inspiration of the play. “Because it takes the strange stories recorded by the Tang Dynasty as clues, and at the same time is based on my writing concept. In the “Story of the Tang Dynasty”, Lu Lingfeng has a word: ‘Mangshan Luoshui Tianjin Bridge’, the cherry blossoms on Dingding Street And pomegranate, I will always remember. This line expresses people’s love for the Tang Dynasty, and also expresses my love for the Tang Dynasty. From the author’s point of view, what I pursue is the realistic Tang Dynasty and the fantasy Tang Dynasty The harmony and unity of the dynasties means striving to create a Tang Dynasty in the sense of literature and aesthetics. Therefore, there are many realistic details in the play, and the utensils, etiquette, folk customs and customs of the Tang Dynasty are patiently spread.”
Comes with the humor in the bones of Tianjin people
Looking back at his more than ten years of writing, Wei Fenghua said that embarking on the writing path is not unrelated to a lot of reading as a child. “My father is a Chinese opera researcher, and the family has a large collection of books. I read a lot of books when I was a child, and I chose Chinese as a major in college. After graduation, I worked as an intern in a newspaper office and as an editor in a magazine. Because I like history, I started writing books in my spare time. In 2012, I quit my job and started writing professionally. In 2015, I met Director Guo Jingyu by chance and started writing scripts with Director Guo.” Wei Fenghua introduced.
It is undeniable that Tianjin has a subtle influence on Wei Fenghua’s writing style. He said: “I grew up in the old hutong in Hongqiao District, next to the ruins of the wharf. When I was young, every morning before dawn, I could hear the whistle of the train at the West Station. I prefer the one on the Fifth Avenue. I am immersed in history, and I also like to listen to cross talk. The characteristics of the city of Tianjin, formed by the accumulation of dock culture and western-style building culture, deeply attracted me.”
The humor and open-mindedness of Tianjin people also inadvertently penetrated into his writing. During the broadcast of “Story of the Tang Dynasty”, there were often feedbacks on platforms such as barrage and Weibo. In addition to the suspenseful, thrilling, and tense plots, there were often funny plots and lines. Wei Fenghua said: “Maybe in the process of writing, I will unconsciously incorporate comedy elements into a certain scene or character, so that I can have such an effect.”
Deeply cultivate the writing around the history of the Tang Dynasty
Talking about his future writing plans, Wei Fenghua said that he wants to walk on two legs: “I don’t want to let go of genre novels and script writing. This kind of writing is actually very uncomfortable, because novel writing and script writing are completely two kinds of thinking. Writing a novel at this stage and writing a screenplay at the next stage requires the conversion of novel thinking and dramatic thinking. For the author, this is a challenge. But I want to accept this challenge, because whether it is novel writing or script writing, it is my interest where.”
Wei Fenghua said that his writing mainly revolved around historical themes before, and he also wrote urban emotional novels and the War of Resistance in the Republic of China, Tang Dynasty monsters, Wei and Jin Fenghua, etc., but in the future he will not write purely historical documentary things, but mainly write Fantasy and adventure suspense novels and related scripts set in the Tang Dynasty. “I do this kind of writing planning because I know and like it. I think a writer or screenwriter must write in a field that is familiar and interesting. My previous interests were the history of the Republic of China, the history of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the history of the Tang Dynasty. Now My interest is basically in the history of the Tang Dynasty. I want to dig deeper into this area and immerse myself in a field more professionally, which may improve my creation. It is not good for creation if I spread too much.”
Wei Fenghua revealed that the creation of the next script of “Story of the Tang Dynasty” has been put on the agenda, and it is hoped that this film and television IP can be loved by more and more people in the future. In future writing, he hopes to have the opportunity to do something for his hometown of Tianjin. “I wrote a collection of poems many years ago called “The Dusk of Munan Road” to dedicate it to the city where I grew up. In the future, I will also write novels related to the city, with Tianjin as the background.”