The TV drama “Blooming Flowers,” directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and others, has been making headlines after a year-long fading trend. The invisible screenwriter Gu Er, who has been suffering from ALS, has released multiple audio clips, emphasizing that he was the one who led the story structure development in 2019, crafting several major plotlines. However, the production not only bullied and exploited its staff but also stripped away the screenwriter’s credit. This topic has surged to the top of Weibo’s hot search, sparking widespread attention.
Adapted from the novel of the same name, the TV drama “Blooming Flowers” is set in Shanghai in the 1990s. It mainly tells the story of small characters like A Bao who seize the opportunities of the times and their personal talents to rise to challenges in a society full of tumult, gradually changing their own destinies and achieving personal growth.
After airing, “Blooming Flowers” received a high rating of 8.7 on Douban and won numerous awards, including five major awards at the 29th Magnolia Awards for Best TV Drama, Best Actor, and Best Screenwriter, as well as the Best Screenwriter Award at the 32nd Golden Eagle Awards and an Outstanding Screenwriter nomination at the 34th Feitian Awards.
Gu Er, who claimed to have been Wong Kar-wai’s personal assistant and involved in the screenwriting, has been posting complaints on WeChat since 2023, but received little response. On September 19th, he released six audio recordings, accusing that his screenwriting credit was stripped away, and his creative work was usurped by others, revealing that the once popular “Blooming Flowers” was caught in a plagiarism controversy, involving the director Wong Kar-wai and the screenwriter Qin Wen, drawing significant attention.
Gu Er alleges that in 2019, he led the story structure development, including A Bao’s (played by Hu Ge) finance storyline, Li Li’s (played by Xin Zhilei) revenge plot, and Miss Wang’s (played by Tang Yan) entrepreneurship storyline. However, when the drama aired, only Qin Wen was credited as the screenwriter, while Gu Er received no credit and did not receive any script fees. Furthermore, he worked under the title of “life assistant,” earning a monthly salary of only 3,000 RMB, and not only had to create scripts but also serve the director’s daily life, including cooking steaks, holding back alcohol, delivering late-night snacks, and even assisting in setting up scenes on set, eventually leading to mental and physical exhaustion resulting in ALS.
Gu Er stated that to write the script for “Blooming Flowers,” he conducted numerous interviews and research, purchased many books to understand foreign trade and stock terminology, yet faced difficulties when requesting payment. A Hong Kong producer publicly questioned him, “Do you need to spend money to write a script?” He mentioned that his salary as a life assistant for “Blooming Flowers” was almost entirely spent on script expenses.
In one of the audio files posted by Gu Er, there is a segment where he explains the backstory of the “Delayed Wind Incident” plot to Wong Kar-wai and Qin Wen. In the conversation, Qin Wen asked, “What is the Delayed Wind Incident?” seemingly unaware of the relevant content, and Gu Er patiently explained. Wong Kar-wai criticized Qin Wen’s script for having “only love and no events,” and demanded that Gu Er outline the story framework for Qin Wen to refine.
Additionally, a 2019 email showed that the script submitted by Gu Er was approved by Wong Kar-wai, with instructions to have “Qin Wen fine-tune the details.” Interestingly, the subtitles on the recording refer to Wong Kar-wai as “Ink,” due to his signature glasses-wearing look.
With the exposure of the recordings, public opinion was instantly ignited, with the topic “Wong Kar-wai’s ‘Blooming Flowers’ suspected of bullying” quickly trending on social media. The comments section of screenwriter Qin Wen was also flooded. Many internet users feel that when watching “Blooming Flowers,” the stark differences in the styles of the romantic and business conflict scenes did not seem like they were written by one person, and now it seems there is a reasonable explanation.
Netizens expressed sympathy for Gu Er, believing that a screenwriter suffering from ALS who perseveres in creating should not have their efforts and achievements trampled upon.
In response to Gu Er’s accusations, the “Blooming Flowers” production team issued a statement on September 20th, stating, “We support all creators’ legitimate rights, and provide corresponding credits based on responsibilities and job content. The long end credits in the final episode are a recognition and tribute to over two thousand staff members.” Furthermore, the production team also announced that they would soon release the three-year pre-production content of “Blooming Flowers.”
As of now, Wong Kar-wai has not publicly responded to the matter, while screenwriter Qin Wen has entrusted a lawyer to declare that the related accusations are false and defamatory, and legal action has been taken. The truth and the ultimate outcome of this issue remain to be seen.