In the long history of Chinese film and television dramas, historical themes have always been an indispensable part.
Among the many historical dramas, "The Fission of the Qin Empire" broadcast in 2009 is undoubtedly a dazzling star.
With its profound plot, excellent acting skills and exquisite production, this drama received a high score of 9.3 on Douban and became a classic.
This series features many powerful actors, such as Hou Yong, Wang Zhifei, Lu Zhong, Xu Huanshan, etc. From the plot to the cast, from the lines to the costumes, every detail reveals the careful polishing and historical understanding of the production team. Deep understanding.
This drama not only restores the historical features of the Warring States Period to the greatest extent, but also reflects the deep thinking of contemporary Chinese society.
The production process behind this drama is also full of wonderful stories and challenges.
01. The actors collectively became "illiterate"
The script of "The Fission of the Qin Empire" is one of the keys to its success. In order to complete this work, Sun Haohui, the author of
, even gave up his stable position as a law professor and devoted himself to several years of historical research and creation.
When producer Jiao Yang came into contact with this work for the first time, he was shocked by its depth and immediately decided to put it on the screen.
In order to maintain the authenticity of the script, not only Sun Haohui personally participated in the adaptation of the script and strictly controlled every detail, but they also hired senior director Huang Jianzhong, a veteran with nearly half a century of experience in the film industry.
Huang Jianzhong encountered such a huge and profound script for the first time and was deeply shocked.
He spent eight months studying the script and took more than 40 pages of detailed notes, and finally decided to retain the pre-Qin style dialogue in the script.
This decision makes the language in the play full of cultural richness and historical depth. It also means that the actors need to face a large number of rare words and complex ancient dialogues.
Therefore, there was even a strange scene inside the crew: the actors held dictionaries and, like students, looked up and studied word for word, trying to grasp the accurate meaning of each line.
Such a preparation process not only tests the actors' memory and understanding, but is also a major test of their professionalism.
They are no longer simply memorizing lines, but learning an ancient language to better interpret the characters of that era.
This kind of respect for history and persistence in art enables every actor to present a wonderful performance in the play that is different from the past.
02, Hou Yong almost refused to play Qin Xiaogong
In "The Fission of the Qin Empire", Qin Xiaogong played by Hou Yong is a key figure in the play.
However, Hou Yong has rarely been involved in the field of costume dramas before. He has a clear resistance to wearing beards and hoods on his face, and even considered refusing to star at one time.
But the title of the play "The Fission of the Qin Empire" piqued his interest. When
met director Huang Jianzhong for the first time, Hou Yong even recommended himself to play the role of Qin Shihuang, but he soon learned that this role was not included in the play, and Qin Shihuang's story would only unfold in subsequent works of the series.
This news almost made Hou Yong decide to give up this role.
However, after in-depth understanding of the script, he was attracted by the profound historical background and character creation in the play, and finally decided to accept the challenge and play the role of Qin Xiaogong.
After receiving the role, Hou Yong knew almost nothing about Qin Xiaogong.
Therefore, in order to better shape this character, Hou Yong invested a lot of time in studying the historical background of Qin Xiaogong.
By reading a large amount of historical materials, he gradually constructed the image of Qin Xiaogong.
He discovered that Qin Xiaogong was a far-sighted leader in Chinese history.
In order to restore a real Qin Xiaogong in the play, Hou Yong worked hard on makeup and styling.
His stylist referred to the style of the Qin Dynasty Terracotta Warriors and Horses, striving to restore the style of that era.
When Hou Yong finished his makeup, put on a mustache, and paired with his unique melon-seed face, in Wang Zhifei's words, he was simply the "original terracotta warriors and horses."
During the filming process, Hou Yong devoted great enthusiasm and energy to the interpretation of the character.
He is not only satisfied with superficial image imitation, but pays more attention to inner emotional experience.
His performance in the play not only makes people feel the authority and wisdom of Qin Xiaogong, but also shows the humanity and emotional depth of this historical figure.
Hou Yong's superb acting skills make the role of Qin Xiaogong an important highlight in the drama, adding a lot of color to the entire drama.
03. The veteran actor who was stumped by his lines
Shang Yang, played by Wang Zhifei, is a key role in "The Fission of the Qin Empire".
Wang Zhifei, as a senior actor, has always been known for his excellent line skills and profound acting foundation.
However, in "The Fission of the Qin Empire", he also encountered unprecedented challenges. The dialogue in the
script is full of complex classical Chinese and uncommon characters, which is a challenge even for experienced actors.
This process was not only a challenge to his acting skills, but also a test of his in-depth understanding and performance of the character.
Wang Zhifei had to spend a lot of time to understand the meaning of these classical Chinese lines and work hard to transform them into emotional and expressive performances.
His character Shang Yang is not only a traditional historical figure, but also a representative of Legalist thought, a flesh-and-blood politician full of wisdom and foresight, a reformer and thinker.
's appearance this time is not only a reappearance of history, but also a profound exploration of the characters' complex psychology and emotions.
In order to better present the depth and complexity of this character, Wang Zhifei not only worked hard on the lines, but also made a lot of preparation and exploration on the emotional expression of the character.
conducted an in-depth study of Shang Yang’s historical background and character, just to try to restore a true and three-dimensional image of Shang Yang in the play.
Wang Zhifei’s Shang Yang has indeed proved that he is worthy of being a leader in the Chinese drama industry.
His performance vividly presented the wisdom, courage, inner conflicts and struggles of Shang Yang, a historical figure, and provided the audience with a profound historical experience.
Wang Zhifei’s hard work and concentration were also highly praised by the crew members.
"The Fission of the Qin Empire" is not just a historical drama, it is a profound reflection and artistic representation of an era.
It shows China's profound cultural heritage and high level of television production through wonderful plots, excellent acting skills and a deep understanding of history.
Its success lies not only in its exquisite production and the excellent acting skills of the actors, but also in the unremitting efforts of a group of artists in the pursuit of perfection.
The success of this drama proves that excellent historical dramas can not only entertain the audience, but also inspire thinking and leave a profound cultural impact.
Even if times have changed, it is still a peak in Chinese historical dramas of the Warring States Period and is difficult to surpass. (Written by: Xi Chuangxue)
