“[The anti-graft series] need to show the determination to fight
against corruption and highlight the honesty and responsibility of the
government; do not stereotype characters, making them either fully
black or white; bear in mind the work’s social impact and do not
overly expose the darkness,” Fan emphasised.
Li Jingsheng later summarised Fan’s speech in three soundbites:
anti-corruption, pro-clean government and positive energy.
In March 2016, the SAPPRFT approved seven anti-graft TV pro-
grammes, of which In the Name of the People has already been broad-
cast, starting on March 28, 2017.
In the Name of the People has rekindled people’s long-suppressed
passion for political works. Media have been claiming that the “spring
of anti-corruption has come,” believing a new wave of anti-graft-
themed programmes will hit the screen soon.
From the perspective of the deputy director of the Supreme People’s
Procuratorate’s Film and Television Centre, Fan Ziwen, such expecta-
tions need to be cooled a little.
Fan indicated that anti-corruption series, considering the sensitiv-
ity and difficulty of the subject, cannot be mass-produced like other
more lighthearted genres. “This genre is too difficult to be handled
by ordinary scriptwriters. There aren’t many writers in China capable
enough to deal with it well,” he said.
Thus, Fan stressed that producers of anti-graft dramas need to pur-
sue quality instead of quantity, follow the idea of “fewer but finer,”
and stick to the three-slogan principle of “anti-corruption, pro-clean
government and positive energy.” Otherwise, the genre might be still
at risk of being axed in future.
As far as Lu Tianming is concerned, it is certainly fair to say that the
spring of anti-graft drama has arrived, compared to the past wintry
decade. But Lu also warns “Do not be too optimistic about it.”
“Writers [of anti-corruption dramas] should be both cautious and
brave. They are supposed to faithfully depict the reality instead of
twisting it. Meanwhile, they should be brave enough to face pressures,
discard distractions and insistently carry on,” Lu said.
Lu has not written an anti-corruption series for nearly 10 years,
since High-Latitude Trembling. Now, after being constantly asked by
institutions and production companies, Lu is determined to pick up
his pen to write a new anti-graft drama.
“This time, I will devote my whole life to it,” said the 74-year-old
writer to our reporter, knowing it would probably be his last work. Zhou Meisen, writer of In the Name of the PeoplePhoto by dong jiexu