On October 12, 2024, the inaugural China Broadcast and Television Quality Creation Conference featured a literature IP film adaptation forum in Beijing, highlighting the theme “The New Generation Supporting the Old, Achieving Greater Heights.” The well-known author Liang Xiaosheng concluded his speech with the inspiring words, “Young friends, keep it up; we salute you for tackling difficult tasks,” which resonated with the audience, earning a thunderous round of applause.
The forum, themed “Literary Power, Film Expression, and Mutual Empowerment,” aimed to explore the interplay between literature and film, discussing how they can collectively advance and envision future developments. In recent years, the adaptation of literary IP into films has flourished, with titles like “Ordinary World,” “Zhuangtai,” “Human World,” “The Three-Body Problem,” “Blossoms,” and “My Altay” achieving critical acclaim and being recognized as timeless literary classics.
In his opening remarks, Zhu Yonglei, member of the Party Group and deputy director of the National Radio and Television Administration, emphasized the need for literary and cinematic creators to focus on the nation’s significant cultural narratives, leveraging their respective strengths to scale the heights of contemporary culture. Chen Yan, vice-chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, also highlighted that literature serves as the wellspring for film, which brings literature to life, urging both industries to collaborate for mutual growth.
The forum featured insightful talks from distinguished guests such as Liang Xiaosheng, recipient of the Mao Dun Literature Prize and author of “Human World,” along with fellow awardees Sun Ganlu, author of “The Landscape of a Thousand Miles,” and Qin Wen, acclaimed screenwriter of “My First Half of Life” and “Blossoms.” They shared their diverse perspectives on the literature-film relationship.
Liang Xiaosheng pointed out that numerous outstanding films—like “The Longest Day in Chang’an,” “This Green,” and “The Eternal Spring”—offer a reflective lens on historical resource utilization and creativity drawn from China’s rich cinematic history. He acknowledged that many realistic works, such as “The River’s Flow,” “Mountains and Seas,” and “Human World,” have also achieved remarkable success.
However, he cautioned that creative resources are not limitless. As the quantity of excellent works increases, variety may become more constrained. “I believe we have reached a bottleneck. We need to explore new avenues for regeneration and utilization in this space. This puts a spotlight on how Chinese dramas handle contemporary themes,” Liang stated.
Encouraging young creators, he added, “Young friends, keep going and rise to the challenges. Focus on balancing plot and sentiment in realistic dramas. If the storyline flows seamlessly but fails to convey the emotional depth, a high viewership may still result in ultimately shallow work.”
The roundtable discussion featured contributions from prominent figures, including Wang Juan, screenwriter of “Joy of Life,” and actors and screenwriters like Chen Xiao from “Life Road” and Zhou Mulan from “Youth Song.” They shared their insights on the theme “Transformation and Conversion: The Mutual Empowerment of Literature and Film.”
Hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration and supported by various cultural institutions, the forum brought together scholars, writers, screenwriters, directors, producers, and actors from across the nation. This multifaceted discussion not only established a bridge for cross-disciplinary dialogue between literature and film but also injected fresh vitality and momentum into the flourishing development of China’s cultural industry. Attendees universally acknowledged that literature and film share deep roots and expressed a desire to enhance collaborative efforts, aiming to produce more works that are both profound and commercially successful.
