Luxurious Daydream

The extravagant lifestyles and worship of wealth were recently captured in the sensational film Tiny Times， adapted from 30-year-old writer Guo Jingming’s serial novels of the same name and directed by the writer himself.

The movie smashed box-office records for a non-3D release in China by taking 73 million yuan （$11.9 million） during its debut alone on June 27. The following week， it pulled in 360 million yuan （$58.7 million） and by July 25， 482 million yuan （$78.6 million）， knocking aside Hollywood blockbuster Superman： Man of Steel.

A division of opinions

Despite its success， Tiny Times has sharply divided public opinion. On the one hand， mainstream viewers and critics have commented on the film’s shallow approach， inexplicable storyline， childish characters and lavish lifestyles. On the other hand， millions of loyal young fans have eagerly defended their idol.

The movie is centered on four college girls， close friends since high school， with different personalities and family backgrounds. Its plot covers friendship， love and careers. Lin Xiao， played by popular movie star Yang Mi， gets a part-time job as a personal assistant to an austere， half-Asian， half-European editor of a luxury fashion magazine M.E. Gu Li， played by Amber Kuo， is rich and arrogant， but often lends Lin and other friends a helping hand during times of difficulties.

Producers define the film as China’s Gossip Girl or Sex and the City， both of which showcase the lives of the wealthy. Guo hopes the stories of love between these pretty girls and handsome boys in an upper-class setting finds resonance with his post-80s and 90s generation of fans.

However， the lavish lifestyles in Tiny Times are more like daydreams to most youngsters. All characters are gorgeously dressed. Lin’s boss Gong Ming lives in a house built of glass and drives a Bentley. Even a glass he drinks water from is worth 30，000 yuan （$4，890）. In addition， Lin and her friends are kitted out in LV handbags， Chanel blankets， Gucci stilettos as well as other fancy designer items.

The film not only showcases lavish living， but also the worship of money among today’s youth. It is unabashed in advocating that a person who has wealth speaks louder than others. In the movie， Gu Yuan’s mother， a major sponsor of the university， can recklessly drive her car around campus. Contemporary Chinese problems such as increasing inequality， moral degradation and lack of social responsibility， appear normal in the film.

Raymond Zhou， 50， a columnist and movie critic， wrote that Tiny Times exhibited signs of“pathological greed.” He scolded the film’s “sick”parade of beauty and wealth via his microblog in Sina Weibo. Famous screenwriter Shi Hang also commented in his microblog that “It is not worth seeing such cinematic candy floss.”

People’s Daily， the state-run newspaper， criticized the film on July 15， stating “If society indulges in movies such as Tiny Times， people could be easily misled by both materialism and hedonism. This will mean the humanistic development and communication of an era will have spun out of control.”

Nevertheless， Tiny Times novels have sold over 6.7 million copies， most read by teenagers. Undoubtedly， Guo’s supporters would spare no effort in protecting their idol.

Zhou’s comments have been widely attacked by tens of thousands of fans. “You are insulting our young people，” one Weibo user said. Guo has also involved himself in the argument， refuting Zhou’s claims by saying “You are what you criticize about in the film.”

However， some film lovers have said that cinemas were full of post-90s generation fans. They scream for their idols and their fanaticism made older audience members uncomfortable.”

Ann An， producer of Tiny Times， considers it an injustice to condemn the film. She said via her microblog， “It is just a movie. The country would not collapse because of it. Harsh criticism is unnecessary.”

Writer or businessman？

Along with his film， Guo has become the subject of much controversy. In 1983， born into a modest family in southwest China’s Sichuan Province， he won first place during the New Concept Writing Contest， a national event for high school students， in 2001 and 2002 consecutively. This made his name a sensation on campuses across the country. Since then， Guo has been a full-time writer.

However， his identity is complex. In the eyes of readers， Guo is a model for success. To critics in favor of serious literature， he resembles a smart businessman.

Guo has established himself in the publishing sector with his i5land magazine series， ZUI novels and comics， and has signed and promoted dozens of young writers and cartoonists since 2006. In particular， he topped a Chinese writers’ fortune list in 2011 with earnings of 24.5 million yuan （$4 million）.

Meanwhile， his current lifestyle is as luxurious as those in his novels. Guo lives in a villa and wears designer clothes. In response to criticism， he said “I made my dream come true. Everyone can do the same.”

Needless to say， Guo and his company have tapped into the rapidly evolving youth market. The success of Tiny Times is largely due to current demographic changes among Chinese cinema-goers.

According to the latest statistics from the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Association， the average age of moviegoers in the country has dropped from 25.7 in 2009 to 21.2 in 2012.

The huge number of young fans has played an important role in fuelling Tiny Times. Ignoring the critics， millions of Guo’s fans have swarmed into cinemas in robust defense of their idol. An Internet questionnaire suggests that 46 percent of audience members who have seen Tiny Times chose it because they liked the original novels， while 35 percent are supporters of Guo， and the remaining 19 percent， fans of popular stars in the film.

Based on its success， Tiny Times 2 will be released in August， four months earlier than originally planned.

Despite their huge impact， the cultural value of Guo’s books remains small. Most of his works cater to the tastes of teenage readers， whom he believes dream of great careers， awesome friends and handsome boyfriends， similar to Lin in the movie.

“No one stays young， but there will always be young people，” Guo writes.