Guo Jingming, one
of China's most popular writers,
has adapted his hit novel into
a movie that according to insiders
will stir debate on social issues
such as materialism and the gap
between rich and poor.
Guo, 30,
is bringing the first book of
Tiny Times, a three-volume novel
depicting the life and love of
four girls in Shanghai, onto the
big screen.
The novel, the
best-selling fiction of 2008, was criticized
for its flamboyant language and
obsession with materialism, but Guo is
confident about the film's
reception.
"Materialism is something
we face every day now, and it
is not dirty," he said. "Our
film audiences are much younger than
before. They live with
materialism."
Film critic Ai
Hui smells money in the film,
which will premiere on
Thursday.
"From the lavish
production design and costumes, you
can easily see that the film is
spending a lot of money. It
also talks about money, and this
is the first time in my memory
that a mainland film discusses
materialism in such an audacious and
direct way," he said.
"It
will be a hot topic. Those who
love and hate it will defend
themselves fiercely."
Guo never
shies from showing how rich he
is. He posted photos on his
blog of his house in central
Shanghai with a terrace opposite the
iconic landmark Plaza 66.
Netizens
bombarded him with comments, some
making jokes about his height — Guo
is only 1.5 meters tall. His loss
in a plagiarism case in 2006 made
him a further target of
sneering.
"The virtue of
thrift has been respected for
centuries in Chinese tradition, especially
among intellectuals," said cultural critic
Tan Fei.
"I am not
surprised if the older generation
feels offended by such a high-profile
man so young and so rich, but
the younger generation, especially those
in their 20s and early 30s, have shown
an obvious appreciation for Guo's
courage and freedom to voice his
aspirations."
Guo, now a
successful businessman running a magazine
and representing some popular young
novelists, takes the controversy in
stride.
"Controversy will do no
harm to the film but will help
its box office," he
said.
Since late last year
a number of domestic films have
performed well at the box office,
such as the road trip comedy
Lost in Thailand and romantic comedy
Finding Mr Right. Veteran theater
manager Chen Zheng believes Tiny Times
will be another of
them.
"Guo Jingming's strong
fan base and the controversy it
stirs will bring about at least 500
million yuan ($81 million) at the
local box office," he said. "But
with the latest Superman movie Man
of Steel and Andy Lau's Blind
Detective competing in the same
period, it might be difficult for
it to reprise the glory of Lost
in Thailand to earn more than 1
billion yuan."
Guo won the
top prize at New Concept, the
most established writing contest for
teenage writers, when he was 18, and
he started his writing career two
years later. He has lived in
Shanghai since he left a small
town in Sichuan province in 2002, and
he has been ranked among the
five richest Chinese writers every
year since 2007.
