Shooting Jin Yong’s novels is not afraid of being scolded. Zhang Jizhong claims to be ＂not a fragile person＂

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Zhang Jizhong

　　BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua)-Producer Zhang Jizhong is familiar, questioned and even reviled by the public because of his persistent remake of Jin Yong’s dramas for ten years. The legendary swordsman, The Condor Heroes, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Duke Of Mount Deer, The Eight Dragons, sword stained with royal blood, and The Dragon Slayer, which is currently being filmed in Wudang Mountain, have brought him numerous controversies and criticisms. People can’t understand, why does he focus on these good things of the Chinese nation and refuse to let go? Why is it that almost all the people in the country are scolding him, but he can still be so rock-solid and unmoved? In November, 2008, Zhang Jizhong, a controversial figure, accepted an exclusive interview with the program "Phoenix Network Extraordinary Road". Although it was only a short hour, fortunately, he was honest enough with his chivalrous demeanor, and he even took the initiative to mention and give an account of many questions that people were puzzled, puzzled and concerned about.

　　Responding to the remake: I shot Jin Yong’s novels because I like to have pleasure.

　　Phoenix Net Extraordinary Road: Why do you keep remaking Jin Yong’s dramas?

　　Zhang Jizhong: Actually, my purpose is not so clear. I just like Jin Yong’s works better. Secondly, I feel like a series of projects. When I was filming his novel, I felt a sense of pleasure. The humanistic spirit depicted in his novel, I think every play is different, and every play has its own wonderful place.

　　I am a person who likes China culture very much. I really hope to spread China culture to everyone in such an entertaining way. No matter how much you accept it, you will accept it anyway. Even if you accept a little, it is our work. I think it is also meaningful, so we keep doing it.

　　Phoenix Net Extraordinary Road: Are you going to keep filming like this? We have to finish the remaining films.

　　Zhang Jizhong: I’m like this. Originally, I had this plan to make it into a group, that is, Mr. Jin Yong’s is relatively complete. But now I have to prepare for The Journey to the West, so if The Journey to the West shoots it, it will take up a lot of my time, and it will be impossible to shoot anything else for two or three years. Therefore, Jin Yong’s drama is here for a while.

　　I think in the future, if I have the energy first, the time second, and someone third is willing to pay for it, then I am willing to shoot it.

　　Responding to being scolded: "I" is not a very fragile person. I care about whether I am satisfied or not when I shoot Jin Yong’s drama.

　　"Phoenix Net Extraordinary Road": Do you know that many people scold you online? How can you be completely unmoved?

　　Zhang Jizhong: First of all, I don’t read it very much. First of all, I don’t have time to browse these online. I am very concerned about what netizens say about me. I don’t think it matters. You said what you thought of me, and then it got in my mood or something. I don’t think so. I think when we do these things, firstly, we have no more selfish interests, right? I don’t think so. I just like Jin Yong’s works, and I just do this job. It is the biggest gain for me that I can do something I like so much. I am not filming for some people, or I am filming for someone. I really don’t read what those comments are, just like what I said on the Internet a few days ago. I feel that I am crying and laughing. I didn’t look for them, and I don’t know where they are. I don’t think these things will affect me.

　　In fact, I also have a lot of netizens who are very concerned about me, young people who are filming. They are very rude when they talk, but I can accept it. I can see their expectations of me from this sharpness. I also have some exchanges with them, such as short messages. Sometimes I will say something, and I will forget about it, because a few short sentences can’t explain many complicated phenomena. Just like there are a lot of people who are scolding me and saying why I don’t look for it (who will play who), in fact, I don’t need to explain it, because there are many factors layer by layer.

　　Phoenix Net Extraordinary Road: Are you a real person at heart?

　　Zhang Jizhong: Yes, I’m not a very fragile person. I’m called a silly person. I don’t think it’s necessary to be so precise when I do things. You said I was going to haggle over whether Jin Yong was satisfied or not, who was satisfied or not, my teacher and my classmates were satisfied or not, so I couldn’t live. So I think the first thing is whether I am satisfied or not. There is nothing wrong with our direction. Our direction is a catharsis of China’s traditional culture, right? Excellent traditional culture.

　　Responding to the hype: We are interdependent with the media.

　　"Phoenix Net Extraordinary Road": It is said that Zhang Jizhong is good at hype, and you don’t agree with it. You said all the reporters came to see you, and you never invited them here. Then, you have suffered a lot from journalists, why do you always treat those journalists well and give interviews? Why not refuse?

　　Zhang Jizhong: We (and the media) are interdependent. The reporter wants you, and his newspaper wants to survive. We also want to spread our creative ideas through these media. We didn’t talk about our gossip. When did we tell reporters about the gossip of our crew? Right? No. We are all talking about our creative ideas, and we all hope that a newspaper can correctly convey the connotation and meaning we want to express. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, some media like this kind of gossip, so you can’t help it. Many of them are nonsense, so I like having this camera very much. When you have a camera, he won’t distort you. Many times, it’s basically written. Some journalists are doing such things.

　　We don’t mean to start a business by his hype, he is willing to do so. I think people have found you. I think people respect you. As for me, I don’t think I have much spectrum. Aren’t we just a TV producer? How big do you think you are? You said you had to put on airs with these young people. All journalists are young people. They want to eat. Do you think they can stop eating?

　　What about some young people? You should also know that they also want to get ahead. Let’s just understand more. I think so. Because why? Let me tell you something. Once a girl from a newspaper and a reporter came to interview me. After she came in, she almost cried when she saw me. I said, what’s the matter with you? She said you don’t know. I was very nervous when I came here today. I was an intern reporter. I walked around for a long time and finally got up the courage to come in. I thought you were a very strict person, but after I came, I found that you were very kind to me. And then I was about to cry. I said don’t cry, don’t cry, that’s it.

　　That girl actually gave me a big shock, because I was young, and we suffered a lot of rejections in the process of trying to join this ranks. I was just after the Cultural Revolution. Because of family background, you wanted to find a job. Because of political problems, no one would help you. I asked many people, but they were all rejected. So like these, I think, you say we must reject these young journalists? I don’t think it’s necessary. They want to eat. There is also the problem of positioning yourself, right? That is, you should not make yourself look like a person who is difficult to contact, so as to show your status or how. I don’t think so.

Editor: Zhao Xuanxuan