The 吴天明 (Wu Tianming) I Know

From my former classmate's forwarded obituary article, I learned that 吴天明 (Wu Tianming) had died at the age of 74. It is sad to see another great artist leaving us. For personal reasons, I feel especially sad. I met 吴 天明 at an international film conference held at UCLA in spring 1990. I saw his name among many famed attendees from China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the States.

Of course, I was eager to talk to 吴天明. Surprisingly, he was a very personable man. Like a walking encyclopedia of the Chinese film industry, he could tell you anything you wanted to know at anytime. Out of curiosity and respect, I bugged him about his well-known film studio. In true storytelling manner, he told us (a group of conference participants) how he brought to the wilder world the unknown 西安电影制片厂 (Xi'an Film Studio), and how he recruited the fifth generation filmmakers. In this aspect, he was a true pioneer in the profession of headhunters in China.

The time I saw 吴天明 was a struggling period in his career, and the beginning of his 5-year exile in America. I did detect a profound sadness in him.

I never kept my promise to keep in touch with him after the conference, but sincerely wished him more success. I am so happy to read of all his bouncing back to achieve greater artistic achievements in the last three decades.