At noon, on the second floor of the Beijing Film Academy cafeteria, a table full of delicious dishes was laid out, accompanied by a bottle of red wine and a bottle of Maotai.
Tian Congming had even managed to get a bottle of red wine, guessing that the foreigners might not be used to baijiu.
After touring the campus, Li Jianshe brought Gilbert and Ally to the cafeteria for lunch.
"Director Landrini, let me introduce you. This is Vice Principal Zhu Zhijun, and this is Tian Congming from the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television."
"Nice to meet you both, I'm Gilbert Landrini," Gilbert said politely as he shook hands.
Zhu Zhijun's smile was very warm: "Oh, it's truly an honor for our humble school to have a great American director like you visit!"
Tian Congming added, "I've long heard of Director Gilbert's reputation. Meeting you today, it's clear you're truly extraordinary!"
"Oh? You've heard of me?" Gilbert asked curiously.
"I heard about you from a friend who went to Japan. Your movies are very popular there," Zhu Zhijun explained.
Gilbert hadn't expected his fame to have reached all the way here; it was quite impressive.
After exchanging pleasantries, they all sat down and began eating and chatting.
Ally didn't know how to use chopsticks, so Gilbert helped her switch to a spoon.
The others were surprised to see Gilbert skillfully using chopsticks.
Gilbert explained, "I learned from a exchange student, and the language too."
The others didn't doubt him and, instead, developed a strange fondness for Gilbert, feeling less of a barrier between them.
During the meal, while chatting and drinking, they discussed the differences between and American cultures, and also five-thousand-year history.
What Zhu Zhijun and Tian Congming didn't expect was that Gilbert had a deep understanding of history and culture.
If it weren't for his blonde hair and blue eyes, they would have almost thought he was .
As they were all film professionals, the conversation naturally turned to movies.
"Director Gilbert, what are your thoughts on cinema?"
As someone within the system, Tian Congming naturally knew that the authorities intended to reform the film industry and guide it toward market-oriented operations.
If he understood history and culture, he could claim to have learned it from books, but Gilbert shouldn't know about matters occurring in other countries.
In fact, he truly didn't know much about what cinema was like at this time.
So Gilbert said, "I only know two directors: 'Guoshi' Zhang and 'Pigeon' Chen. But I heard that your film market operates on a non-profit model, which isn't conducive to the development of a film market. True cinema should be the production of artistic commodities driven by content, letting the audience decide the film. In this regard, you still have a long way to go."
His words were blunt, but also truthful.
Tian Congming then asked, "So, in your opinion, what needs to be done if cinema is to enter a market economy era?"
"I haven't looked into it, so it's not convenient for me to offer good suggestions," Gilbert said.
"No worries, let's just treat today as casual conversation. Just share your thoughts!" Zhu Zhijun said.
"Exactly, exactly. Today's conversation is strictly confined to this table," Tian Congming added.
Given that, Gilbert decided to say a few more words: "I believe, taking Hollywood cinema as an example, you should treat film as a commodity and develop it with a market mindset. As long as your product is good, and the marketization reaches a certain scale, you can form a healthy industrial cycle."
Gilbert's words provided some inspiration to Tian Congming.
He thought that introducing Hollywood films could stimulate innovation and competitiveness in domestic films, which could be a way forward.
Gilbert didn't expect his simple words to open up Tian Congming's mind.
However, even if he did, Gilbert wasn't too concerned; the Chinese film market wouldn't be a significant factor for another decade or so.
His words today were entirely due to his former identity.
If it had been any other Hollywood director, they wouldn't have said these things; everyone understands the principle of not being too forthcoming with new acquaintances. Gilbert's behavior was already quite audacious.
This meal in the Beijing Film Academy cafeteria was Gilbert's first encounter with Chinese cinema, and perhaps one of the few encounters between a Hollywood director and Chinese cinema.
After the meal, Gilbert held Ally's hand, and they took a commemorative photo with Tian Congming, Zhu Zhijun, and Li Jianshe at the entrance of the Beijing Film Academy campus.
This photo might someday be displayed in the Beijing Film Academy's memorial hall.
Ending their trip to Beijing Film Academy, Gilbert took Ally south, visiting Mount Tai, touring Jinling, and sightseeing by West Lake.
However, West Lake in this era left Gilbert a bit disappointed.
Because it hadn't yet been extensively developed and utilized, West Lake at this time, though not exactly reeking, wasn't far from it.
The famous Leifeng Pagoda looked like it hadn't been renovated in a long time, and Gilbert didn't see any of the so-called "Ten Scenes of West Lake."
This couldn't be blamed on the locals. Not everyone could foresee that natural scenery and attractions could become the image and cultural hallmark of a city or even a nation.
As a foreigner, Gilbert couldn't meddle in their domestic affairs.
After leaving West Lake, Gilbert bought a lot of local tea, planning to take it back to the United States to drink.
He was very happy to finally not have to drink coffee.
Actually, there was tea for sale in Chinatown, but Gilbert felt that buying it locally in had more of a ceremonial feel.
Afterward, Gilbert and Ally went to Shanghai. The city's development was quite impressive, and Gilbert even saw many foreigners, although he himself was one.
After touring Shanghai, Gilbert took Ally back to Beijing, and then from Beijing back to Los Angeles.
By the time Gilbert returned to Los Angeles, it was already July.
At this time, Speed had almost finished its run in North American cinemas, entering the phase of accumulating box office revenue over a long period.
Its North American box office had already surpassed $140 million, a fantastic result that delighted Disney and Warner Bros.
The film's international box office was also quite good, accumulating $170 million, bringing Speed's global box office to $310 million.
However, the film was still being released in other overseas markets, so this was far from its final total.
With this film, Gilbert successfully climbed to the ranks of A-list Hollywood directors, attracting pursuit from numerous Hollywood film companies.
His age also drew significant attention; at just twenty-three years old, he had achieved such success, which was hard to believe.
Of course, the most notable film of this summer blockbuster season wasn't Gilbert's Speed, but Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.
Since its release on June 11th, Jurassic Park had dominated the summer box office, holding the top spot for four consecutive weeks.
Currently, Jurassic Park's North American box office has reached $224 million, successfully surpassing Speed to become the new box office champion.
Its global box office has also exceeded $500 million, making it the highest-grossing film worldwide this year.
Even more astonishing, this was far from the end; the film's box office was still climbing, and it was hard to imagine what kind of final record it would set.
This summer, Steven Spielberg and Universal Pictures were the biggest winners.
Of course, other film companies also did well; they just didn't have a blockbuster like Universal's Jurassic Park.
Among these, Disney and Warner Bros. were slightly happier, because while Speed's box office wasn't as high as Jurassic Park's, its return on investment was just as good.
Hearing that Gilbert had returned from his vacation, Robert Iger, CEO of Touchstone Pictures, specifically set aside his work to personally visit Gilbert at Watermelon Studio.
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