Gilbert did not join the crew members in their revelry. Instead, he carried a small bucket of fruit wine and some snacks to a grassy hill on the edge of the Shire, enjoying the view.
The fireworks that hadn't been used during filming were now being set off by the fun-loving crew members, making their final contribution. Against the backdrop of fireworks, the distant Jade Dragon Snow Mountain flickered in and out of sight. Looking up, the vast starry sky stretched overhead, with countless twinkling stars mesmerizing the onlooker.
"This is what life should be," Gilbert sighed.
"What is life?" A voice behind him asked—it was Xu Qing.
Gilbert turned to see Xu Qing dressed in traditional handwoven local attire. With matching accessories, she looked like she had stepped out of a painting.
The crew had been stationed at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for a month and a half, bringing tremendous economic benefits to the local area.
For one, since the filming schedule wasn't packed every single day, Gilbert understood the importance of balancing work and rest. So, crew members often had free time to explore the ancient town or hike up the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Naturally, while wandering around, they would come across beautiful local crafts and souvenirs, and they didn't hesitate to buy them.
The shrewd locals quickly seized the opportunity, bringing out their best traditional clothing, jewelry, and souvenirs for sale.
Initially, some vendors worried that inflating their prices two or three times might scare away customers. However, they soon discovered that their concerns were unnecessary.
These foreigners barely blinked when making purchases. If they liked something, they bought it without even haggling. The makeup team's blonde women, in particular, went on a shopping spree, clearing out entire stalls one after another.
Since they couldn't possibly carry all their purchases with them—it would be too cumbersome—local authorities promptly stepped in, arranging a postal service. Packages were shipped directly to Shanghai and then forwarded to the U.S., where the American postal service handled the final leg of delivery.
With the right approach, even the locals who weren't the most business-savvy made a fortune.
Many people earned enough money in this short period to build houses or even cover their wedding expenses.
And those who worked directly for the crew made even more.
Due to his unique perspective, Gilbert had instructed the production team to hire local workers at wages that were, on average, only 10% lower than what they paid the crew's regular staff.
This meant that a local Chinese crew member earned about one-tenth of what an American crew member did.
Gilbert didn't insist on paying the Chinese crew the exact same wages as their American counterparts, as that would defeat the purpose of cost savings. However, even at this rate, the pay was still beyond what most local workers had ever imagined.
In 1999, the average annual income for urban workers in China was about 8,300 RMB, which translated to less than 700 RMB per month.
In lower-income areas, the earnings were even lower.
Before tourism developed in the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain region, the average monthly income was around 200-300 RMB.
With this context, the significance of a "one-tenth" wage share becomes clear.
Gilbert's film crew consisted of Hollywood's top-tier professionals, and their salaries were naturally high.
Take makeup artists, for example. The leading makeup artist in the crew was on a contract basis, earning $500,000 for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Mid-tier makeup artists were usually part of a package deal, typically earning over $80,000 per year.
Makeup assistants earned slightly less, with annual incomes ranging from $40,000 to $50,000.
Given the strong purchasing power of the U.S. dollar at the time, these were considered high-income earners.
Of course, most of the professional work was beyond the capabilities of local Chinese workers, so they were primarily hired for labor-intensive jobs like moving props—essentially working as stagehands.
In Hollywood, being a stagehand was a well-paying job. According to industry standards, top-tier film companies paid experienced stagehands around $130,000 per year.
For mid-level earnings, a stagehand working in television made at least $35 per hour, or about $60,000 annually.
Lower-end stagehands in film earned $25 per hour, or approximately $40,000 per year.
Using the lowest-tier rate of $25 per hour as a benchmark, a Chinese worker making one-tenth of that would earn $2.50 per hour. While this might seem like a small amount, the exchange rate in 1999 was around 8.27 RMB per U.S. dollar.
This meant that the hourly wage for local workers translated to approximately 20.67 RMB—an exceptionally high rate at the time.
Even in later years, part-time workers at KFC in China earned only about 15 RMB per hour.
Working for the crew for a month and a half—45 days, at 8 hours per day—added up to 7,443 RMB in earnings.
That was more than most people made in an entire year.
And this was just the base salary.
Because the crew frequently required overtime, extra wages were added to the total. With overtime pay factored in, many local workers ended up earning over 10,000 RMB in just a month and a half.
This was a fortune in 1999. While it wasn't as valuable as being a "ten-thousand-yuan household" in the early '90s, it was still a substantial amount of money.
Previously, many local Chinese people, including government officials, didn't fully understand the economic benefits of hosting a Hollywood film crew.
But now, after seeing how much the crew members spent and how much local businesses profited, everyone recognized the immense economic potential.
A Hollywood production like this should be welcomed with open arms wherever it went—it was a gold mine!
So when it came time for the crew to leave, the locals were reluctant to see them go.
These foreigners were really rich! And the locals hadn't made enough money yet!
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Once filming was complete, the crew had to move on.
The local authorities had already made arrangements to preserve the site as a tourist attraction. All the buildings would be kept intact, serving as a draw for future visitors.
While the income wouldn't be as astronomical as it was when the film crew was around, sustainable tourism revenue was the right path to follow.
On the final night, Gilbert and Xu Qing sat on the grassy hillside, gazing at the stars.
Xu Qing finally asked the question she had been curious about all along: "Why did you come to China to shoot this movie? It almost seems like you're doing charity work."
Gilbert smiled and explained, "At first, I actually wanted to go to New Zealand, but negotiations fell through.
Then, Lao Tian reached out to me, offering a lot of promises and plenty of support, which is why I ended up coming here."
Xu Qing still found it puzzling. "Even so, filming in a foreign country isn't exactly easy, is it?"
"It's definitely not easy," Gilbert admitted, pointing toward the lively crowd below. "That's why I organized this party—to help everyone relax a bit. Otherwise, the intense workload would wear them down."
Xu Qing gazed at Gilbert's profile, feeling that he was full of mysteries, sparking her curiosity to learn more about him.
Gilbert continued, "I've read many Chinese mythological stories, like Journey to the West and Classic of Mountains and Seas."
"???" Xu Qing was genuinely surprised. She hadn't even read Classic of Mountains and Seas herself, yet Gilbert had.
"I think each of these stories is just as epic as The Lord of the Rings, if not even more so," Gilbert said. "It would be a shame if such grand stories were never brought to the big screen."
"Then will you bring these stories to the big screen?" Xu Qing asked.
"No," Gilbert shook his head and declined. "These stories are yours. It's best if you bring them to life yourselves.
Who am I, really? I wouldn't fit in."
Hearing these words, Xu Qing sensed a hint of melancholy in his tone. It was an odd feeling.
He was a foreigner—why would he feel melancholy? Shouldn't it be us feeling that way instead?
With that, the beautiful journey through the Shire came to an end. The crew returned to Qingdao to begin shooting some of the studio scenes.
The filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring took priority since it had to be ready for release in next year's summer season.
Inside the studio, Aragorn and Arwen made their first appearances.
Their first scene together was a love confession on a bridge. However, Anne Hathaway, who played Arwen, struggled to get into character when looking at Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn.
They shot the scene over ten times, but it just wasn't working.
Gilbert frowned and asked Anne Hathaway, "What's wrong? You did this scene perfectly during auditions."
"Sorry, sorry," Anne Hathaway apologized. "When I look at Aragorn, I feel a bit out of place. I can't get into the right emotional state."
Viggo Mortensen rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Guess I'm not handsome enough for our little princess to feel the moment."
Anne Hathaway felt embarrassed. She hadn't meant for it to happen. During auditions, she had acted opposite Gilbert, one of Hollywood's famously handsome men.
At the time, she had completely immersed herself in the scene, delivering a flawless performance.
Now, with Viggo Mortensen in the role, she just couldn't find that same connection.
Without the right state of mind, the scene couldn't be filmed. They might have to push it to a later schedule.
Just then, Assistant Director LeBron had an idea. He turned to Gilbert and said, "Let me try talking to her."
Gilbert nodded in approval, and LeBron approached Anne Hathaway to discuss the scene, occasionally glancing toward Gilbert as he spoke.
Anne Hathaway nodded repeatedly, signaling her understanding.
Moments later, LeBron gave the go-ahead, and the scene was successfully shot. This time, she was much more in character.
Curious, Gilbert asked LeBron, "What did you say to her?"
LeBron chuckled. "Simple—I told her to imagine that Viggo was you. Before filming, I had her close her eyes and feel the emotions as if she were still acting with you."
"Well then, I guess that's method acting in its own way," Gilbert mused.
Of course, such a technique wouldn't work for long-term performances. Eventually, Anne Hathaway would need to develop her own approach to acting.
This scene was relatively easy. For Anne Hathaway, the real challenges were yet to come. Gilbert had assigned her plenty of action sequences.
Horse riding, swordplay, and Elvish dialogue—she had spent long hours training in all of them and had become quite proficient.
Naturally, high-risk stunts would be performed by a stunt double. However, for close-ups and key moments, Anne Hathaway had to do them herself.
Without training, accidents could happen—and that was the last thing Gilbert wanted.
While Gilbert's team worked hard on set, Annie Burton's second unit team was traveling across China's famous landscapes, capturing scenic footage.
At this moment, Annie Burton and her crew were filming on location in Zhangjiajie and Tianmen Mountain.
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