Guo Jingming: Winner Takes All

by Zoe Zhao

Good Box Office vs. Bad Reviews

Movies that score big box office figures despite being loathed by critics are many， but few have stirred passions as much as Tiny Times， which inspired fierce debates on the internet. The film， directed by pop writer Guo Jingming after he adapted his own novel of the same name， was released in theaters in late June. By July 7， it had earned about 420 million yuan at box office.

Since its premiere， the film has roused ferocious criticism. Raymond Zhou， a renowned film critic， lamented the movies“tasteless imagination and boring repetition of wealth and beauty.” Screenwriter Shi Hang went even further， sarcastically saying“The director [Guo] certainly has a good eye for casting， since not a single real actor can be found in the movie.” Such scathing criticism agitated Guos loyal fans， who are largely younger people born in the 1990s. Verbal warfare between cinema heavyweights and Guos fans went on for more than a few rounds on the web.

With Shanghai as its setting， Tiny Times tells the story of four close female friendsrespective life developments over the years after graduating from university. The most common criticisms are related to the films isolation from reality and twisted values. The beautiful boys and girls on screen are perpetually draped in luxury， lead extravagant lives， and fret over trite issues. Hermes and Lady Dior handbags of all shapes and sizes pile up in the heroines wardrobe as she laments about her romantic life. A single drinking glass in the movie is said to be priced at 3，800 yuan， and a fur coat at 460，000 yuan. The girls wear magnificent outfits， live in unbelievably spacious apartments， work in fashion shows and break up with boyfriends over expensive gifts.

It is understandable how this movie and its theme of “only the rich and beautiful deserve to lament about lost youth” has inspired so much negative feedback. People worry how Guos supporters – young 20-somethings and teenagers – will embrace such improper values. Guos fans， however， see the naysayers another way： “When you hate trends of the young people， youre only showing yourself to be old and out of date.”

A Controversial Figure

Three time-honored mansions previously inhabited by a mistress of Wang Chingwei， a well-known Chinese politician and head of the Japanese puppet government in Nanjing during World War II， are now home to Guos cultural company. His firm produces a number of teenage literary magazines， such as Top Novel and Top Comic， and employs 75 contracted writers. Targeting young people and students， Top Novel and Top Comic claim to publish the countrys best novels and comics， and each has amassed monthly circulation of more than 600，000.

Guo lifts many young writers into the public spotlight and boosts their popularity. He first makes them familiar with readers of his magazines. Then， the young writers can publish their own books and tour the country doing publicity. Through this model， the writers lure huge numbers of fans， which in turn enables them to continue publishing more books. Born in southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province in 1983， Guo is already a superstar to many： He has 19 million followers on Weibo（Chinas version of Twitter） as well as 20 million subscribers. For ten consecutive years， he has been listed on Chinas Forbes Celebrity List. Now， he is even more of a successful businessman.

His “winner takes all” and pragmatic mentality is even more evident when it comes to his savvy grasp of the market.“Large sales volume” is Guos primary attribute in defining something as “excellent literary work，” although he admits theyre not exactly inseparable. He has also revealed that sales of his work greatly affect his mood. “If I sell one million copies of one novel， and then sell only 100，000 copies of the next one， I will be devastated even if I absolutely adore the book.” In modern Chinese publishing circles， if a book sells 50，000 copies in its first year of publication， it is considered a bestseller.

In terms of Guos pragmatism and obsession with success， he is typical of his generation of Chinese youth. “Kids with wealthy or powerful fathers are never bothered about money，” he illustrated when questioned about his work ethic and values.“I didnt come from that kind of family.”

On many occasions， Guo has stressed that he has paid his dues for success. Many remain unhappy with his celebrity. Guo was once involved in a plagiarism scandal， but walked away unscathed after only paying out financial compensation， and his popularity only continued rising.

His Shanghai

Born in a small town in Sichuan， Guo achieved his first taste of fame by winning the top prize in a national essay contest while he was still in high school. In 2002， he enrolled in a Shanghai university. Like many youngsters from Chinas mid-sized and smaller cities， the metropolis rocked his impression of the world.

In some ways， Shanghai shaped Guo into the character he is today. It was Shanghai that reinforced Guos belief in winner taking all. “While my classmates were wearing trendy clothes and using fancy cell phones， I was eating cheap cafeteria food and could never go out shopping，”he recalls of his early days in Shanghai， providing insight into his obsession with luxurious brands.

One of the most important principles he learned from the city is a brand of determinism. “Dont make excuses for yourself，” he chides. “If you lose， you are a loser. Its as simple as that.” The young man quickly realized that while Shanghai is home to celebrities in high-end skyscrapers， it is also home to many poor people living in shabby shacks. The cruelly wide gap between rich and poor pushes many to do anything to achieve the wealth and social status they desire.

Just like todays rapidly developing， impatient era in China， Guo and the youngsters of his generation， who were born after Chinas introduction of reform and opening-up， are bolder and more ambitious than their parents. They are eager to change economic status and achieve success – success by any definition.

This controversial star doesnt bother to conceal his values. “If you succeed in this city， no one cares where you come from or whether you are a Shanghai native or not，” he declares. “If you are really successful， no one will look down on you because you are a transplant.”