Studio worker delivering food: After waiting for more than 100 days, I finally see the light of day

  China News Service client side ******* on May 22 (Ren Siyu) from January 23 ****** Festival film files have been withdrawn s***ar, the cinema has been closed for more than 100 days.

  In the halls of many cinemas, there were also posters promoting the Spring Festival movies. During this period, a few cinemas were temporarily open and closed, and some cinemas said goodbye forever. Countless filmmakers were confused and anxious, staying and waiting, or leaving as soon as possible?

  A movie theater manager who goes by the online name "Don’t Character Xiaosheng" made a video of his daily delivery life. One of his common phrases is to wait for the spring flowers to bloom. When someone asks why he is still waiting for the spring flowers to bloom now that it is summer, he said, "It is waiting for the spring flowers that belong to us filmmakers."

Source: Video screenshots

  Cinema under the epidemic

  On May 19, Wu Xujie had been delivering food for a whole month. But he was a little depressed that day because he met a store that was not honest. The weight of the goods was written as 1 kilogram, but when he arrived, he found that it was several large boxes of bayberry, with a total weight of nearly 30 to 40 catties.

  A few days ago, he and his colleagues visited a movie theater under construction in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province during the day. At night, he switched from formal clothes to takeaway clothes, and completed the task of delivering 5 orders a day after 10 o’clock, subtracting 3 yuan in insurance premiums. A total of 29.9 yuan was earned.

  Source: Video screenshots

  Wu Xujie is the store manager of Ningbo Yuyao Wanda Cinema, which generates about 20 million box office output each year and ranks among the top three in Ningbo. But since January 23, the theater has not been open for 119 days.

  In early 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic shut down the film industry. Wu Xujie and his colleagues had invested considerable energy in preparing for the Spring Festival, setting up the atmosphere, preparing food, arranging films, and recruiting and training many part-time college students, but they did not expect that they ushered in a long "holiday".

Data map: Pedestrians pass by the out-of-home advertising of a movie theater in the Wangjing area of Chaoyang District, Beijing. Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu

  In recent years, China’s film market has been booming. In fact, cinemas that rely on box office revenue are not as good as they seem. Under normal circumstances, the box office revenue generated by a film needs to pay 5% of the national film industry development special project funds and 3.3% of taxes and fees. The remaining 43% of the net box office goes to the producer, and 57% goes to the theater and the theater chain. The share of the theater and the theater chain depends on the specific situation.

  In the case of revenue interruption, the theater has to face a number of expenses, including rent, labor, equipment, publicity, maintenance, cleaning… On the days when the theater is closed, the staff also need to turn on the equipment for maintenance.

  In mid-to-late March, cinemas in some parts of China tried to resume work. Wu Xujie and colleagues also submitted applications, but they encountered "sudden brakes" before they could open. At the end of April, the National Film Administration estimated that due to the impact of the epidemic, the annual box office loss will exceed 30 billion yuan. Tianyancha data shows that 2,799 cinema-related enterprises have been cancelled or revoked in Quarter 1 in 2020.

  In order to recover costs, many cinemas have launched takeaway services, dealt with hoarded popcorn sausages at discounted prices, and turned cinemas into "wedding studios", but compared with the pressure of rent and labor costs, these incomes are only a drop in the bucket.

Data map: Chengdu Pacific Studios Wangfujing Store Ticket Office. Photo by Yang Yudi

  Under the anxiety, many filmmakers tried to "change careers", some made masks, and some delivered express deliveries in the same city. Wu Xujie also realized that he could not be influenced by decadence for a long time. He planned to deliver takeout and make videos of his daily life, hoping to show a positive attitude and cheer up his equally anxious colleagues.

  Most of his colleagues were born in the 1990s and 1990s. "As a store manager, doing this can also set an example for other friends." On the other hand, he also wanted everyone to understand the real life of movie theater and studio workers.

  When filmmakers "switch careers" to deliver food

  In the past month, Wu Xujie has delivered supermarket goods, large-scale seafood, and expensive digital products. He has also sent them to the wrong place many times. When grabbing orders, he is "not brave enough". "They all say that delivering food is a hard job. In addition to strong winds and rain, they also have to face the sun and high temperature, which can only be realized when doing this job."

  After two weeks of delivery, Wu Xujie earned a total of 772.85 yuan on the three platforms. Compared with the electric car bought for 2,600 yuan and the professional raincoat bought for 99 yuan before, it can be said that "it is not enough to make ends meet", but he is not discouraged. "I think being able to stick to one thing, or being very happy and positive about the current work, is a good life exercise."

Source: Video screenshots

  Taking advantage of the opportunity to deliver takeout and shoot videos, he came into contact with ramen shop owners, online car drivers, driver drivers and other people from all walks of life, a takeaway brother joked with him, business will be better after college students start school, and business will be better when the studio resumes work. Because of the pandemic shutdown, people from all walks of life are delivering takeout, and it has become particularly difficult for them to grab orders.

  One day, he was chatting with a colleague, Ah Wei, whose wife works in film distribution, and both of them were "unemployed" during the epidemic. In order to make a living, Ah Wei first went to a restaurant street to work part-time, which cost 17 yuan an hour, and was busy from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm every day. Later, he found a manual job near his home, and cooperated with his mother and wife on the assembly line. If the speed was fast, he could earn more than 400 yuan a day.

  "You have to keep yourself busy every day, otherwise you won’t be able to maintain a good working condition." A Wei’s thoughts were the same as Wu Xujie’s, preparing for the resumption of work in the studio in the future.

  On the way to deliver food, Wu Xujie can always think of all kinds of work in the theater. One day, he received an anonymous reward of 18.88 yuan from a customer. The customer service told him that it may be because of the better service attitude. He thinks this should be related to the work in the studio. Every time he delivers an order, he will say "Happy dining" and "Please take it well. Thank you." Just like in the past, he and his friends will always patiently answer customers’ questions and say to them, "I wish you a happy movie viewing."

  Five years ago, Wu Xujie first entered the studio to work. That year, the domestic film market was very lively. What made him remember deeply was that in the past, audiences often left before the end of the main film, but when "Detective Chinatown" was released, even if it was an evening show, the theater was full of guests, and they had to wait until the subtitles were completely over before leaving.

  Five years later, the material for "Detective Chinatown 3" is still in theaters, but I don’t know when it will be released. Every week, Wu Xujie and his colleagues will go to the theater on duty. One day, he recalled in a video the pomp of the release of "Avengers 4" last year: "It was the biggest and hottest zero-point show I’ve ever seen. There were people in front of the ticket machines, and the sales area was full of fragrant popcorn. Now these scenes are gone. It’s very cold here, but I believe that the spring of filmmakers will come."

Source: Video screenshots

  At the end of April, he and his studio colleagues went hiking, all wearing T-shirts around the movie, standing on the top of the mountain and shouting: "We are filmmakers, see you tomorrow, because tomorrow will be better!" Wu Xujie cried as he edited the video.

  Like many filmmakers who are on the job, he is looking forward to hearing the news of the resumption of work in the cinema, even if it is just a point in time or a signal, at least to be mentally prepared.

  I’ll be waiting for you at the theater

  Wu Xujie often said in the video, "It is not because there is hope to persevere, but because of perseverance to see hope." Now, with the domestic epidemic prevention and control situation gradually improving, filmmakers have finally waited for a glimmer of hope.

  On May 8, the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council issued the "Guiding Opinions on Doing a Good Job in the Normalization Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 epidemic", which mentioned that under the premise of implementing prevention and control measures, reservations and limited viewership can be taken to open closed entertainment venues such as theaters and amusement halls.

  Wu Xujie also saw the news at the first time, "After waiting for more than 100 days, I finally saw the dawn." In the WeChat group, the practitioners were excited and also expressed various worries.

  The next day, he attended a meeting organized by the local government department to discuss some of the difficulties the studio is currently facing and the preparations for its future opening. After the meeting from 50 or 60 kilometers away, Wu Xujie coincidentally received a tailwind order, which ended near his home. In order to maintain professionalism, he hurried home and changed into a takeaway suit before delivering it. "When the cinema officially opens, I will wear a shirt and welcome everyone."

Source: Video screenshots

  On the 13th, the Chinese poster of the Oscar-winning film "1917" was exposed, "Meet the cinema, still together". For the Chinese film market, such a poster release has been too long.

  On the 14th, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation issued tax and fee support policies for film and other industries, involving reduction and exemption of value-added tax and cultural undertaking construction fees; the Ministry of Finance and the State Film Administration issued an announcement that Hubei Province will be exempted from the national film undertaking development special project funds from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020; other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will be exempted from the national film undertaking development special project funds from January 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020.

  Recently, Guizhou Province, Guangzhou City, Kunming City and other places have successively issued guidelines and opinions on the resumption of work, making it clear that under the premise of implementing prevention and control measures, they will open theaters by appointment and limited viewership.

  With the idea of resuming work, it is still unknown when the theater will actually open, what movies will be shown after opening, and how many people will come. Recently, Wu Xujie was still working part-time to deliver food, and the mantra in his video changed from "waiting for spring flowers to bloom" to "believe that tomorrow will be better."

  On May 18, Mr. Wu waited 15 minutes for a 30-minute meal at the door of a restaurant, but he was not angry because he saw a line of small print under the rider’s pick-up area: "We are grateful for every time you wait." Thinking of the many people recently asking about the opening of the cinema and saying they missed the cinema, he said, "I also want to say to the customers waiting for the movie, every time you wait, we are grateful."

Seeking the red flag in time travel

    "There may be many people who know the history of the Hongqi brand, but in my opinion, 63 years later, Hongqi has already been sublimated into a totem, a culture, and a quality," said Yang Jianzhong, a former deputy chief engineer of FAW Automobile Research Institute and an engine design expert.


    Although he is already in his 80s, Yang Jianzhong still remembers the summer of 1958.


    That year, the First Automobile Factory (hereinafter referred to as "FAW"), which had been founded for only five years, received the task of manufacturing domestic high-end cars. In that era of "even a screw needs to be imported", within 33 days, the whole FAW factory mobilized, formed a key attack team, and forced the first red flag car to be born by "touching the hammer".


    At that time, the Hongqi car was more based on the reverse development of the 1955 Chrysler sedan, but the self-reliance and self-improvement spirit of FAW entrepreneurs became a spark for the development of China’s automobile industry.


    Nowadays, Hongqi has gone through more than a century. In the process of marketization, Hongqi has also been questioned and experienced tremendous pain of transformation, but it is undoubtedly a deep feeling and sacred memory for generations.


    "As the eldest son of New China and the cradle of the automobile industry, FAW’s 68-year history of entrepreneurship and development is a microcosm of the history of the party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, and the history of socialist construction." According to Xu Liuping, secretary of the party committee and chairperson of FAW Group, the establishment of "Red Flag" and "Liberation", the two national automobile brands, has realized a major turning point in the automobile industry of New China from scratch and laid an important foundation for the development and progress of the national automobile industry in our country.


    On January 8, 2018, the "Xinhongqi" brand development strategy was released. From the beginning of 2018 to the end of 2020, Xinhongqi achieved a growth miracle of 42 times in three years and three years. In the first half of this year, the cumulative sales of Hongqi vehicles 145,000 units, an increase of 107% year-on-year.


    After many ups and downs in history, today, the dreamers of Hongqi are moving towards the center of the historical stage without hesitation. And from the revitalization of Hongqi, it is not difficult to see the development code of China’s automobile industry.


    "Catch the temple fair" Zhang Bang Recruitment "Continuous rotation" Technical research


    In 1953, FAW, as one of 156 projects aided by the Soviet Union, started the process of the national automobile industry in New China. In the early days of its establishment, entrepreneurs from all over the country started from scratch and completed the construction of the factory in just three years, realizing the first generation of Jiefang brand products off the assembly line, completely ending the history that New China could not make cars.


    The history of China’s automobile industry officially began in 1953. It was also in 1953 that Yang Jianzhong, who was only 20 years old, joined FAW after graduating from the Department of Power Mechanics of Tsinghua University with a major in automobiles.


    Yang Jianzhong still remembers that in July 1958, FAW took over the "military order" to manufacture domestic luxury cars. At that time, China’s auto industry was almost blank, and only about a year before the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China, making a luxury car was an almost impossible task.


    "To this end, we used the method of’catching the temple fair ‘. The so-called’catching the temple fair’ is to split the parts of the reference model to the level of gears and shafts, place them, and organize the workers of the whole factory to queue up to see and claim the task," Yang Jianzhong said.


    He recalled that at that time, there were more than 2,000 parts in total, filling five workshops. In just half a day, the parts were robbed by workers. Since then, the sound of hand-beating has been in a car room day and night.


    On August 1 of that year, the Red Flag sedan, code-named CA72, was successfully rolled off the assembly line. On October 1, 1959, National Day, state leaders took the Red Flag high-end sedan to review the troops under review, which was the first time the Red Flag car appeared to the people of the whole country.


    On March 16, 1960, the Hongqi CA72 sedan was exhibited at the Leipzig International Expo and received great attention and praise. Since then, there has been a Chinese column in the "World Automobile Yearbook", and the "Hongqi" has become a world-class famous car. In the same year, Hongqi participated in the Leipzig International Expo and the Geneva Exhibition one after another, and was also included in the "World Automobile Yearbook".


    In the "temple fair", Yang Jianzhong led the most difficult hard bone in engine manufacturing and forged an indissoluble bond with engine design. He presided over the design of Hongqi 200HP and 250HP engines, as well as the 300HP V8 gasoline engine of the head of state bulletproof car, which laid a solid foundation for the development of Hongqi.


    Today, Yang Jianzhong’s blue silk has turned white hair, but in his heart, the imprint of independent research and development will always be engraved. "The quality of the red flag will surely inspire generations of automakers to forge ahead to the heights of the world automobile industry."


    "The spirit of the Red Flag people has been reactivated"


    For the changing Chinese auto industry, youth has always been a concept independent of age. To deeply tap the potential of technological innovation and carry forward the spirit of reform and innovation, many established auto companies have launched "self-revolution". But it is undeniable that when fierce competition has become the new normal of the auto industry, it is not easy for Hongqi to regain its former glory.


    In September 2017, with the implementation of a series of actions such as brand layout, system restructuring, and personnel reform, the "fast-paced and high-efficiency" atmosphere became popular within FAW, and the Hongqi brand showed a vitality that had not been seen for a long time.


    Then, in January 2018, FAW released a new Hongqi brand strategy, systematically explaining the development plan of Hongqi, and the new Hongqi brand entered a new stage of rapid development.


    "In recent years, the spirit of Hongqi people has been reactivated!" Qi Songyu, a senior mechanic at FAW’s Hongqi factory, said in an interview with reporters.


    After graduating in 1994, Qi Songyu entered the Hongqi factory. In more than 20 years of experience, his career is closely tied to Hongqi.


    So far, Qi Songyu has obtained a total of 33 invention patents, 28 of which have won the National Science and Technology Innovation Award. He has also grown from an ordinary worker to a winner of the National Science and Technology Progress Award and a national model worker. He is called "an inventor on the production line" by his colleagues.


    "Quality is not checked, but guaranteed by the process." Qi Songyu bluntly said that behind the innovation again and again, it is Hongqi’s requirement for 100% quality assurance.


    "It is this kind of guarantee requirement that prompts me to constantly observe the factors that may cause quality defects in production in my work, and constantly optimize and improve the production process. ‘Extreme standard, extreme requirements’, this is the spirit of craftsmanship, and it is also the quality of the red flag." Qi Songyu said.


    Perhaps everyone has a different interpretation of the quality of the red flag. Some people say that it represents the national spirit of hard work and innovation. Others say that it represents the spirit of the times to keep pace with the times and dare to be the first. But there is no doubt that the quality of the red flag is driving the red flag brand to accelerate.


    In the opinion of Zhao Xuesong, senior director of transmission development at the Institute of Motor and Electric Drive of the New Energy Development Institute of FAW Group, since FAW released the brand concept of "Chinese-style new noble delicacy" in 2018 and set the development goal of becoming "China’s first and world-famous" new noble brand, the new generation of Hongqi people are practicing and passing on the fighting spirit of the old generation of Hongqi people, who are united, dare to take responsibility, and full of energy.


    As the head of Hongqi’s independent DCT transmission development, Zhao Xuesong led the team to explore the first line of DCT core technology, and successively broke through a number of core technologies such as low-noise gears, large-capacity carbon synchronizers, and lightweight shells, obtaining 65 patents.


    At the same time, he led the team to establish a DCT configuration analysis method, which was successfully applied to the development of multiple DCTs on horizontal and vertical platforms, achieving industry-leading technical indicators.


    It is worth mentioning that after years of unremitting efforts, DCT220, DCT270, DCT400 three heavy independent products have been put into production in 2018-2020, and the cumulative output has reached 200,000 units. Among them, DCT400 won the title of "World’s Top Ten Transmissions" and was mounted on the Hongqi H9.


    "When the new Hongqi brand was launched in 2018, it reminded me of the scene when FAW built the first Hongqi in 1958," said Zhao Xuesong. "The courage and courage of the older generation of Hongqi people to challenge the unknown also inspired us to attack difficulties."


    In this regard, Wang Zhi, the operator of the processing center of the FAW R & D General Institute, also agreed. In the 22 years of his career, Wang Zhi has never taken annual leave. As a party member, in the project-setting and research activities initiated by the party branch, he takes the lead in declaring research projects every year to break through technical difficulties.


    In the past year, his numerical control crankshaft polishing and transformation debugging technology has won the "National Excellent Innovation Achievement Award", and won the silver award in three projects including "Automatic Setting Method of Multi-angle Machining Coordinate System" at the 24th National Invention Exhibition. At the same time, he led the numerical control team to complete 6 projects, solve more than 20 technical problems, and apply for 12 new national patents.


    Therefore, Wang Zhi was hired as the chief skill master of FAW Group, won the "China Skills Award", the highest government award for high-skilled talents in our country, and was named "Outstanding Communist Party Member of Central Enterprise".


    "The key to the development of an independent brand lies in its core technology. In the future competition, it cannot be’choked ‘by technology, but should firmly grasp the core technology in its own hands." Wang Zhi said bluntly that in recent years, the Hongqi brand has become more market-oriented and younger, and cannot be separated from the technological innovation that can be seen everywhere, which is also the meaning of Hongqi’s quality.


    From borrowing and imitating to positive research and development, from "encouraging cars to enter the family" to continuously ranking first in global automobile production and sales, from following the global automobile giants to leading the world trend of "new four modernizations" of automobiles, over the past few decades, Chinese automakers have actively participated in this great wave of change with unprecedented courage and action, making the "dream of an automobile power" the strongest voice of the times.


    With technology as the cornerstone and market-oriented, Hongqi’s revolutionary actions are being rolled out and deepened in an all-round way. In the opinion of industry insiders, on China’s journey to the world’s automotive industry highland, the quality of Hongqi will never fade, and will bloom in the inheritance of generations of automakers.

China Youth Daily · China Youth Network reporter, Cheng Honghe, Source: China Youth Daily

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