Author: Zhang Dongmei
Recently, the TV series "Wind Rises Luoyang" was released, and in just a few days, it quickly soared to the top of the iQiyi TV series hit list. Also an adaptation of Ma Boyong's novel, whether the reputation and popularity of the drama can catch up with the previously popular "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an" has aroused the attention of many viewers.
(Pictured with poster and stills of "The Wind Rises in Luoyang")
Small people, big feelings
Although the TV series "Wind Rises in Luoyang" is adapted from Ma Boyong's novel, in order to maintain the mystery of the series, this original novel has not yet been published.
"The Wind Rises in Luoyang" tells the suspenseful story of the Shendu Luoyang during the Wuzhou Dynasty. Gao Bingzhan (Huang Xuan), a bad well man who is at the bottom of Luoyang, is involved in a suspenseful case in order to get revenge, just as Baili Hongyi (Wang Yibo) tracks down the truth about his father's poisoning. Wu Siyue, an internal guard from the family, is also deliberately approaching Gao Bingcang in order to investigate the task. As the truth of the case continues to be revealed, a shocking secret related to the survival of Luoyang is about to surface.
The three protagonists of different classes and different positions in the play initially have their own purposes in investigating the case. Gao Bingzhan was born in a bad well with dampness and ruin, and on the surface he was unruly, but in fact he was righteous and passionate, not afraid of danger and only dedicated to revenge for his brothers, and finally fought to protect the country. At first, Baili Hongyi did not understand the world, from repeatedly bumping into his father to tracking down the cause of his father's death, and finally he did not hesitate to take himself as bait for the country, and slowly matured while searching for the truth. Wu Siyue was born prominently, and as the internal guard of the imperial court, he always adhered to justice, decisiveness and bravery, from completing the investigation task of the saint to vowing to save Luoyang, showing his loyalty to the country and the dignity of fulfilling his responsibilities for the people.
In this sense, the story of "Wind Rises in Luoyang" conveys the power of the traditional spirit of the East, that is, the feelings of home and country and chivalry.
The filmization of Ma Boyong's IP
Post-80s writer Ma Boyong is affectionately known as "Prince Ma" by many Weibo netizens, and his creative career began in the era of online forums, and he really became a full-time writer in 2015, while the novel adaptation was released in 2018. Many netizens have the impression of Ma Boyong, one is to learn five cars and have historical knowledge at hand; the other is "big brain hole", and the work is full of imagination.
2018 can be said to be the year of the rise of Ma Boyong's IP, and many of his works have been adapted into web dramas in this year. In 2019, with the popularity of "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an", Ma Boyong became a hot IP writer in the film and television circle. The current hit "Wind Rises Luoyang" and the movie "Antiques Bureau Central Bureau" are adapted from Ma Boyong's novels. There are nearly ten Ma Boyong IP film and television works to be broadcast, including the TV series "The Wind Rises in Longxi", "The Fifteenth Day of the Two Capitals", "Daming Under the Microscope", the movie "Nezha Legend • Dragon and Underground Iron", "Dunhuang: Guiyi Hero" and so on.
Why is ma Boyong's adaptation so popular? First of all, his novels are suitable for film and television adaptations. He once called his work a "historical possibility" novel, that is, a brainstorming in the gap between histories. For example, in the "Fifteen Days of The Two Capitals", which Zhu Zhanji ran to mourn and ascended the throne, only 50 words are recorded in the "History of Ming". Ma Boyong, through his own historical evidence, wrote it into a long novel. For example, the inspiration for the novel "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an" first came from a question on the internet platform: "If you were to write the plot of Assassin's Creed, where would you set the background?" Ma Boyong wrote an article called Assassin's Creed: Chang'an. In his pen, the figure of an assassin jumped down on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda under the full moon, and the fiery red lantern that hunted him extended from Suzaku Street to QujiangChi, startling countless birds on the Leyouyuan... He took every half hour as a chapter, a total of twenty-four chapters, that is, twelve hours, and finally wrote the "Twelve Hours of Chang'an".
Secondly, Ma Boyong's novels combine the rhythm of online novels with elements of genre literature. His novels have a strong sense of rhythm and picture, while absorbing a large number of genre elements (such as suspense, espionage, counter-terrorism, action, etc.). The ups and downs of the story plus the cultural tone of a specific dynasty have created the characteristics of Ma Boyong's novels, which are very suitable for film and television presentation.
Third, Ma Boyong's novels are full of informative historical evidence. When creating the original novel of "Wind Rises in Luoyang", the book that had the greatest influence on him was "Sui Tang Luoyang City Archaeological Excavation Report 1959-2001", which includes the excavation results of more than 40 years of field archaeology in Sui and Tang Luoyang City, and has a detailed description of the city wall, city gate, street, lifang, palace, garden, water system, etc., and these detailed historical references also laid a textual foundation for the beautiful set of "Wind Rises In Luoyang".
Ingenious reproduction of Luoyang style
As a costume drama, the scene in the play "Wind Rises in Luoyang" better restores the style of ancient Luoyang, and almost every frame has its own film texture. The use of iconic elements such as peonies, water systems, grottoes, and Buddha statues reproduces the urban scene of the sacred capital Luoyang, presents a vivid picture of the life of the people of Luoyang, and gives the audience more imagination about oriental aesthetics.
In "The Wind Rises In Luoyang", Luoyang is called "Shendu" (meaning "the capital of the land of Shenzhou"). According to historical records, in 690, Wu Zetian was proclaimed emperor, changed Tang to Zhou, and set the capital at Luoyang, the "divine capital". Luoyang is also the only city in history to be named "Shendu".
As one of the important capitals of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Luoyang was an important political, economic and cultural center, as well as a well-known international metropolis and a distribution center for commodity trade in various countries in the world. Luoyang City has three markets in Luoyang, namely Nanshi, Dongshi and Xishi, of which Nanshi is the largest and most prosperous. The bustling crowd and dappled scene of light and shadow at the beginning of "The Wind Rises in Luoyang" presents the prosperous ancient capital of Luoyang.
The scenes, customs, food and costumes in the play "Wind Rises in Luoyang" are quite exquisite, and they have been carefully studied and repeatedly deliberated. These ingenious and polished design elements also show the cultural heritage of the play. It is reported that the play restored more than 100 historical scenes and more than 5,000 costumes.
After referring to many documents and murals, "Wind Rises in Luoyang" restores the historical charm of the ancient capital of Luoyang as much as possible in the play, for example, in addition to the preservation of scarlet in the palace, the rest of the buildings are all designed; "Water System", as a unique urban style of Luoyang, is also vividly displayed in the play. Another example is the use of peony elements. From the maiden who must hold a peony when going out on the streets of Nanshi to the peony hibiscus order given by the sage, it can be seen that the peony culture was prevalent in Luoyang at that time. In addition, in terms of clothing, the "drapery" worn by Liu Qiniang and Miao Niang, the "big collar hu costume" worn by Wu Siyue women, and the "striped skirt" worn by Wu Zetian palace women have all been historically examined. (Zhang Dongmei)
Source: Hainan Daily