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China's star writers battle it out on the big screen

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail CNTV, July 30, 2014
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The rivalry between China's best-selling writers Han Han and Guo Jingming has heated up over the past two weeks, as Han made his directorial debut and Guo returned with his third instalment of his Tiny Times trilogy. The timing has added fuel to their already well-known rivalry, drawing inevitable comparisons between the two.

Han Han 



Han Han and Guo Jingming's rivalry is hitting new heights.

Both won awards in their teens at the New Concept Writing Contest held by "Mengya" magazine. And both have a huge, young following in China.

Hoping to take their talents further, both have turned to filmmaking.

Last week, Han, who is also a professional race car driver and an influential blogger, released his directorial debut "The Continent".

The nostalgic road trip movie is about youth and separation. It tells the story of three young men from an island in east China, who take a road trip to find new meanings and goals in life.

Just a week earlier, "Tiny Times 3", the third instalment of Guo Jingming's film franchise hit theaters. Based on Guo's own novel of the same name, the romance tells the stories of four young females in their 20s chasing love, success and a luxurious life.

So, what are movie-goers saying about the two films, which have quite different styles?

"Han Han's film makes me think about my own life and my friends at school."

"I''m a big fan of Guo Jingming. I read all his books, and so I come to see the film"

Guo Jingming 



"I've seen both films. But I like Han's film more than Guo's because 'Tiny Times 3' focuses too much on material things."

"I expected a lot from 'The Continent' because it's Han Han's first film production. And I like the way he tells the story. But the storyline is a little loose and there's something unreasonable in the film."

But Han says it's impossible to make a perfect film. And Guo also has his own defences.

"There's no perfect film. Even Hollywood blockbuster 'Avatar' has something unreasonable in it. But when you create a good atmosphere for it, the audience won't think about the unreasonable in the film right after they watch it," Han Han said.

"I tried my best in directing this film. I believe there must be some part in the film that can make the audience say awesome," Guo Jingming said.

Critics have called both films far from good, but they have performed quite well at the box office.

Han's directorial debut has raked in 284 million yuan in its first four days, roaring its way to the top of China's box office charts last week. Meanwhile, "Tiny Times 3" has scored 310 million yuan in the same time period. The three instalments of the trilogy has generated a total of 1.2 billion yuan so far.

With such great commercial success, both directors have dreams of going further. Guo says there will be a fourth instalment of his "Tiny Times" trilogy, and Han Han says he's interested in making a sci-fi movie.

Whatever happens, the only thing certain is that their rivalry will continue for years to come.

 

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