Shi Tian, a generation of laughing craftsmen, known as the "Chaplin of the East", passed away mysteriously a few days ago.
The news of Shi Tian's death was not announced to the outside world in time, and even his former comrade-in-arms Huang Baiming did not receive relevant information.
It wasn't until his youngest son, Dickson, confirmed his father's death in early November.
The news came so suddenly, as unexpectedly as his movie, and everyone was stunned.
Shi Tian died at the age of 71, and in today's medical progress, he has indeed gone a little early.
It is said that he was suffering from cancer, which had improved after treatment, but unfortunately recently recurred. However, whether he died due to the recurrence of cancer, the family has not confirmed.
After Shi Tian retired to the jianghu, he was extremely low-key, and his last wish was to continue to maintain a low-key style and would not hold a memorial service.
Shi Tian's entry pass is very simple. His original name was Liu Weicheng, and he made his debut in 1968 when he joined Shaw Brothers.
Due to lack of handsomeness, the stars are ordinary.
Until he met like-minded comrades-in-arms: Mai Jia and Huang Baiming.
With a fire in their hearts for the movie, they have become pivotal figures in Hong Kong films.
Founded by Shi Tian, Mai Jia and Huang Baiming, "New Art City Pictures" produced countless classic Hong Kong films in the 1980s. It also brought a hundred flowers to the Hong Kong film industry, making the Hong Kong film industry more prosperous. New Art City has made a lot of contributions to Hong Kong films.
Before Fa Mengmeng did not think of starting a new art city, the three of them formed a "struggle company" to make movies, focusing on making funny kung fu films. Relying on diligence and cleverness, but also relying on the keen market sense of the three people, they started from scratch.
At that time, small film companies such as them had a narrow living space.
Because the market has been divided by the two major film companies of Shaw and Jiahe.
In terms of strength, they are completely small witches, mantis arms blocking the car.
But as Mai Jiahao said: New Art City is not as simple as a film company, it is a culture and spirit, and it is a self-made family to overthrow a large company!
In the end, they broke the fate of small companies and fought to win big companies with great wealth.
The three stinky cobblers outnumbered Zhuge Liang, and after making several hilarious kung fu films, they were favored by the Golden Princess Theater Line, which lacked the film source, and cooperated with them. With financial support, they founded New Art City in 1980.
The entrepreneurial work of New Art City is "Funny Times" directed by Wu Yusen, who was borrowed from Jiahe and starring Shi Tian.
Shi Tian played Chaplin, Wei Xiao Weimiao, the film was released in the Christmas golden file, and the box office received 5 million.
This is how Shi Tian's title of "Oriental Chaplin" came about.
Their surprise surprise has attracted Zeng Zhiwei, Xu Ke, Shi Nansheng, and Teddy Robin, who are keen on movies, to join them one after another.
They are so creative that they are known as the "New Art City Seven Group", and they are also called "Seven Masters" or "Seven Monsters".
The team of seven stayed up all night and worked all night in the famous "Struggle Room", foaming at the mouth, conceiving one box-office hit after another.
When I visited Zeng Zhiwei in the 1980s, I first heard about the base of "Struggle House".
The "Struggle Room" is not actually located in any Grade A office building, it is the study of Mai Jia Wo Ju.
It is said that a couplet was hung in the "Struggle Room" that read: "After the Yangtze River, a generation of new people bury the old." "To inspire new directors."
Because the seven monsters do not have the baggage of large companies, creativity can be imaginative and entertainment is supreme, so it can accurately capture the audience's psychological opening.
Comedy, kung fu films, drama films, romance films, action movies, fantasy films, costumes, fashion, what kind of film are filmed, in short, the script is good to shoot, constantly bringing freshness, so that the audience is overwhelmed.
"Best Partner" series, "The True Colors of Heroes", "Ghost of a Woman", "Prison Storm", "Chasing Girls" series, "Eight Star Annunciation", "Happy Ghost" series, "Dragon and Tiger Storm", etc., there are many good movies to accompany the post-80s Hong Kong people to grow up.
The masterpieces of New Art City have brought a lot of joy to the audience, and the box office has also risen steadily, quickly becoming a new force in the Hong Kong film industry.
New Art City movies have become the vane of blockbuster movies.
In 2016, the Hong Kong Film Archive held an exhibition entitled "The Glorious Years of New Arts City", which restored the "Struggle Fighting Room", and Shi Tian, Huang Baiming, Mai Jia, Shi Nansheng and Teddy Robin all went together to personally recall the days of struggle in the past.
Another major contribution of the iron triangle of Shi Tian, Mai Jia and Huang Baiming to the Hong Kong film circle is to win the popularity of many actors and directors who have never met in the film circle, including Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Guorong, Wu Yusen, Xu Ke and many other elites in front of and behind the stage.
Just like Xu Ke, the movies made at that time were not popular.
In 1981, after Xu Ke joined New Art City, he filmed "Ghost Horse Zhi DuoXing", which grossed as high as 7 million Hong Kong dollars and became a big director.
To this day, the "Chosin Lake" he co-directed has broken through the box office.
Wu Yusen, who once had a pleasant cooperation with Shi Tian, has always been depressed.
After about the completion of Jiahe, he joined the new art city and began filming the "Hero's True Colors" series.
The film changed the fate of 4 men.
Wu Yusen won the Academy Award for Best Director for "The True Colors of Heroes".
The protagonist Zhou Runfa's salted fish was reborn, from "box office poison" overnight to "box office guarantee", and became a golden statue film emperor, fame and fortune.
Dillon of the same film is grateful to Shi Tian for introducing him to shoot "The True Colors of Heroes", making him a Golden Horse Award film emperor.
Zhang Guorong also received attention with this film, and sang the theme song of the movie "The Year of Love".
Shi Tian's brain spun quickly, and there was no problem to embarrass him.
At the beginning of the "Best Partner" series, there was an important role of a female police officer in the film, and I wanted to ask the female star who was good at playing such a role at that time to play.
Shi Tian was responsible for contacting the actress, but was rejected.
Shi Tian proposed to use Zhang Aijia, and everyone was shocked.
Because Zhang Aijia just finished playing Lin Daiyu, who can't help but feel weak, how to play a spicy policewoman?
But it turns out that Zhang Aijia acted extremely well, and Shi Tian had vision.
Later, Zhang Aijia was recruited into the new art city as a management, and the only material was used.
Another great advantage of New Art City is that it is generous and generous, which will only increase the value of actors and directors, and never reduce the price.
In 1981, New Art City invested in the filming of "Best Partner", and at a sky-high price of 2 million Hong Kong dollars, it invited the popular Hui Guanjie to be a male first.
At that time, the cost of a small film was only HK$1 million.
As a result, "Best Partner" was drawn in the New Year slot, receiving a box office of 27 million Hong Kong dollars, winning the "Young Master of the Dragon" starring Jackie Chan, and Mai Jia also became the Golden Film Emperor with "Best Partner".
At that time, the Hong Kong film industry did not rise dividend system, New Art City has introduced a dividend system, as long as the film sells, it will share 30% of the profits to the director.
This invisibly increased the income of the entire industry, attracted more people to enter the industry, and made the film industry more vigorous.
New Arts City is an important role in creating the golden years of Hong Kong cinema, bringing one classic film after another to Hong Kong, consolidating Hong Kong's status as the "Hollywood of the East", and cultivating many big stars, big directors and elites in front of and behind the stage.
They are still shining in the film and television industry today.
The success of New Art City proves that as long as there is a fighting spirit, you can break through a new situation.
Small companies can also win big companies in four or two strokes.
The power of struggle can open mountains and split stones and change destiny.
In the early 1990s, New Art City was dissolved, and Shi Tian quit the film industry to engage in business, and since then he has been extremely low-key. Rarely seen.
Only in 2016 for the old friend Hong Jinbao cameback, cameo in the movie "My Secret Agent Grandpa". The film also became his last posthumous work.
Shi Tian, thank you for your contribution to the Hong Kong film scene. Good way to go!