Deep in the mountains of Huaping County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, there is an ordinary but great educator - Principal Zhang Guimei. She has used her life to interpret what is the real ideal of education, and firmly believes that "girls' education can change three generations".
Behind these simple words is President Zhang's persistence and dedication day after day. The road to the establishment of Huaping Women's High School was not smooth. Principal Zhang faced three huge challenges: first, the students' knowledge base was generally weak, and some did not even have a primary school diploma; Second, the high cost of education has stretched schools in this impoverished mountainous area. Third, entrenched patriarchal attitudes force many girls to abandon their studies prematurely and accept the fate of marrying and having children.
In the face of these difficulties, President Zhang rose to the occasion. She went door-to-door, trying to convince parents to give girls a chance to get an education. She believes that only by letting these mountain girls go out of the mountains can they truly see the outside world and change their destiny.
With the unremitting efforts of Principal Zhang, the report card of Huaping Girls' High School has become beautiful year by year. More and more girls from mountain villages are being admitted to universities and realizing their dreams of changing their lives.
These girls from poor families should have been trapped by fate, but because of education, they have been given a new lease of life. Principal Zhang proved with practical actions that the power of education can not only change a person's life, but even change the face of the entire mountainous area.
However, Principal Zhang's efforts did not come without a price. Years of hard work have left her health deteriorating, but she still insists on being on the front line of education. Her spirit, her persistence, and her belief constitute a true and great image of an educator, and it is also the core value that should be respected and passed on in any artistic creation.
In the entertainment industry, there is a person who also has the dream of changing his fate, and she is the actor Haiqing. The image of the former "national daughter-in-law" can no longer satisfy her ambitions, she is eager to break through and make greater achievements in her acting career.
In 2019, the 42-year-old Haiqing made controversial remarks at the closing ceremony of a film exhibition. At that time, she was on the same stage as Song Jia, Yao Chen and Liang Jing, who were also middle-aged actresses, as well as the young "Three Golden Actresses" Zhou Dongyu.
Haiqing went straight to the point and hugged the middle-aged actress, and said bluntly: "We have always insisted in this industry, and there is basically no sugar daddy." As soon as these words came out, Zhou Dongyu's face immediately became ugly, as if his back molars were about to be crushed.
Haiqing did not stop there, she continued to say that because of the limitations of the market and subject matter, middle-aged actresses like them can only be forced to stay away from some excellent works and miss out on the directors they admire.
She also revealed that it was precisely because of such a predicament that Yao Chen had to personally invest in and produce the movie "Send Me to Qingyun" to create an opportunity for herself to prove herself.
However, Haiqing's "representative speech" was not recognized by his peers. Song Jia, who was "represented" by her, quickly grabbed the microphone and said to everyone in the audience: "This point of view only represents Haiqing's personal position.
Then he hurriedly stepped down, leaving an awkward atmosphere. Despite this, Haiqing has not given up on its dream of transformation. In the movie "Hidden in the Dust", she put aside her exquisite character design and went to the northwest countryside to experience life on the spot, and stayed for 10 months.
In order to better interpret the role, she did not hesitate to tan herself, and even looked directly at the sun to get the effect of "no light in her eyes". More extremely, she maintained a rickety posture for a long time, so much so that she suffered from frozen shoulder.
This effort has paid off in return. Although "Hidden in the Dust" has a small cost of only 2 million, it has achieved a box office of more than 100 million yuan, and was also shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Bear Award for Best Film.
However, just when Haiqing was about to reap the fruits, the movie was suddenly removed from the entire network, which hindered her transformation again. But this experience inspired Haiqing: only by stepping out of the comfort zone can real transformation be achieved.
With this understanding, Haiqing set his sights on the story of Principal Zhang Guimei, hoping to realize his acting ambitions through the movie "I Am a Mountain". To this end, she did not hesitate to invest 95% to establish the "Qianhai Culture" company to fully support the production of this film.
In 2023, "I Am a Mountain" was born, but it caused huge controversy before its release. This film, based on Principal Zhang Guimei, was originally supposed to be a masterpiece that celebrates the spirit of education, but because of the adaptation, it caused strong dissatisfaction from the audience.
Haiqing threw herself into this movie. She spent two full years researching the role of Principal Zhang, from her appearance, dress to walking posture, she tried to restore it 100%.
In order to be more like Principal Zhang, Haiqing even imitated the plaster bandage that Principal Zhang had been wrapped all year round, as well as a leg that was obviously stiff and weak when walking. However, despite achieving the ultimate in form, Haiqing's performance failed to win the audience's recognition.
The controversy has largely focused on the film's adaptation of the archetypal story. The movie adapts the reason why girls in the mountains don't go to school to skip class to go to an Internet café and even go shopping for clothes.
This is in stark contrast to the harsh reality of being forced to abandon their studies due to patriarchal preference. What's even more unacceptable is that the movie dwarfs the belief that supported Principal Zhang's founding of the women's high school into a longing for her deceased husband, and changes the alcoholic father in the prototype to her mother.
In the eyes of the audience, these adaptations not only deviate from the facts, but also distort the spirit of President Zhang. The audience's response was swift and intense. From the initial rave reviews on the whole network, to the rapid decline in word-of-mouth after the screening, "I Am a Mountain" has experienced a dramatic reversal.
Even Principal Zhang Guimei herself showed obvious resistance after watching the movie, refusing to speak twice and shaking her head frequently. This silence is already deafening in the eyes of the audience.
What's even more interesting is that President Zhang's colleagues, who came to watch the movie together, could not remain silent. A male colleague said that he respects Mr. Zhang very much, and there has never been a conflict between him and Mr. Zhang.
A female teacher also hurriedly defended, saying that Teacher Zhang was actually very good to her and would not treat her like in the movie. These reactions further highlight the huge gap between cinema and reality.
In the face of doubts, Haiqing and the main creative team gave an explanation. Haiqing said that the reason for changing the alcoholic father to the mother in the prototype was to show off Principal Zhang's great love, which not only saved the child, but also redeemed a fallen mother.
Rather than quell the controversy, however, the explanation sparked more discontent. Netizens believe that Principal Zhang's greatness does not need to be accentuated by belittling other women.
As the controversy continued to ferment, some attentive netizens discovered more insider information. One of the producers of the movie "I Am a Mountain", "Qianhai Culture", the boss behind it is Haiqing herself, and she holds 95% of the shares.
Combined with Haiqing's fact that he once revealed in an interview that he was the initiator of the movie, this makes people wonder if this movie is just a tool for Haiqing to realize his acting ambitions.
The controversy over "I Am a Mountain" profoundly reflects the contradiction between artistic creation and reality. How to process art on the basis of respecting facts, and how to pursue drama without losing truth, these are all questions that every creator needs to ponder.
More importantly, when confronted with a great figure such as Principal Zhang Guimei, creators should strive to convey their spiritual essence with a sense of awe, rather than tampering with them for commercial gain or personal ambition.
While "I Am a Mountain" caused controversy, the cases of other actors who have successfully created positive characters have brought us inspiration. These successful examples show how to authentically and powerfully portray a positive persona, showing us the right direction for artistic creation.
First of all, Gong Li showed admirable professionalism when playing Lang. During the preparation of the movie, Gong Li almost became Lang Ping's "little follower", carefully observing and imitating Lang Ping's every move.
She noticed that Lang Ping's shoulders were more upright than ordinary people because of his arm injury, so she tried her best to adjust her posture to get closer to Lang Ping. From the hair to the eyes, from the standing posture to the slightly hunched back, Gong Li strives to be the same as Lang Ping.
What's more, Gong Li is not satisfied with the similarity of appearance. She mentioned in an interview that when creating the role of Lang Ping, her first starting point was to start from Lang Ping's inner world.
By watching Lang Ping train the players on the court every day, through Lang Ping's sharp eyes, Gong Li deeply understood the "women's volleyball spirit" in Lang Ping's heart that he must "hold on" even if he encounters all difficulties and never give up.
It is this kind of shaping from the inside out that allows Gong Li to successfully present Lang Ping's image vividly on the screen. Another case worth mentioning is Yang Rong's performance as Huang Wenxiu in "The Daughter of the Mountain".
This TV series with zero publicity and zero hot searches has received a high score of 9.3 points on the Internet, touching countless audiences. Yang Rong deeply understood and conveyed the "red faith" in Huang Wenxiu's heart, and vividly interpreted this outstanding cadre who dedicated himself to poverty alleviation.
In real life, Huang Wenxiu, although he became a graduate student of Beijing Normal University with his own strength, resolutely returned to his hometown after graduation to devote himself to the cause of poverty alleviation.
She worked tirelessly to run projects, find funds, and visit door-to-door, overcoming countless difficulties. Thanks to her efforts, the poverty rate in Baini Village has plummeted from 22.88 percent to 2.71 percent.
Yang Rong successfully captured Huang Wenxiu's spirit of selfless dedication, which deeply moved the audience. After the show aired, many viewers said that they cried from beginning to end, deeply moved by the power of the beliefs of the archetypal characters.
What's even more touching is that when the villagers learned that someone had remade Huang Wenxiu's story, they spontaneously drove two or three hours to visit Yang Rong and greeted her cordially.
This recognition from the grassroots is undoubtedly the highest praise for Yang Rong's performance. These two successful cases tell us that creating a positive character requires not only the appearance, but more importantly, a deep understanding of the inner world of the character and the communication of their spiritual core.
Only in this way can we truly move the audience and transmit positive energy. In this controversy about "I Am a Mountain", the words of Andy Lau are particularly far-sighted.
In an interview with Lu Yu, in the face of the statement "You are now in this position, you can shoot whatever you want", Andy Lau shook his head again and again.
He admits that making movies is more about the market than personal interests. Andy Lau explained that he is worried that if a movie theme is ruined and there is no strong box office support, the market will think that there is no way out for this theme, which will lead to the loss of some good movies.
These words reflect Andy Lau's sense of responsibility and foresight as a mature filmmaker. Andy Lau's point of view just points out what "I Am a Mountain" lacks. He not only thinks about personal achievements, but also cares about the healthy development of the entire film industry.
This attitude embodies the qualities of a true professional filmmaker. If the main creative team of "I Am a Mountain" could be like Andy Lau, while pursuing artistic expression, while respecting the laws of the market and the needs of the audience, perhaps it would not have caused such a big controversy.
They could have been more cautious about Principal Zhang's story, keeping it authentic while balancing artistry and market acceptance. Andy Lau's words also remind us that the success of a good movie lies not only in its artistic value, but also in whether it can be accepted by the market and the audience.
Only by finding a balance between the two can the social and economic value of the film be truly realized. This balance requires creators to have a high sense of responsibility and professionalism, as Andy Lau demonstrated.
The "I Am a Mountain" incident undoubtedly sounded the alarm for the film industry. It shows us that audiences are demanding more from the quality of their films, and that people are hungry for something that is authentic, has depth, and resonates.
This controversy is like a double-edged sword, which not only shows that the audience is becoming more and more sensitive to the core of the film, but also exposes the improper handling of the subject matter by some creators. However, the controversy may also deter some creators from similar themes, fearing a repeat.
This will undoubtedly make some excellent stories lose the opportunity to be brought to the big screen, which is a big loss for the film industry. As Andy Lau worried, if a theme is smashed, it may affect the confidence of the entire market in this type of theme.
Despite this, we still have to believe that a truly good film is like a pair of eyes that convey truth, it can do its best for the happiness of the masses, and at the same time, it will be recognized by the masses.
A good movie should respect facts, convey positive energy, and touch people's hearts. It must not only have superb acting skills and excellent production, but also have a deep understanding of the characters and stories, as well as social responsibility.
The lesson of "I Am a Mountain" teaches us that when dealing with real people's deeds, creators need to be in awe and strive to convey the spiritual essence of the characters, rather than tampering with them for commercial gain or personal ambition.
Only in this way can film truly become an art form that illuminates people's hearts and enlightens minds, rather than a simple entertainment product or a carrier of ambitions. The reflection of this incident may be able to promote the development of the entire film industry in a healthier and deeper direction.