Kong Xiaoxin, his harness already stained with blood and hidden beneath a white traditional outfit reminiscent of ancient China, waited suspended 3 meters above the ground. Fake blood trickled from his lips. He was playing the villain who had just slapped the hero's beloved. The hero's revenge, of course, would be severe. He would use his supernatural powers to hurl his enemy into the air and kill him. A large industrial fan would simulate the wind of retribution.

The assistant director asked for the young man to be hoisted even higher. He also reminded the extras that they would need to cover themselves, step back and avert their eyes, as if they too were overwhelmed by the hero's force, while Xiaoxin acted out a sudden, violent death above the focused film crew. Behind his chair, the director was glued to camera monitors filming in vertical format, suited to smartphone screens. "Action!" The scene lasted only a few seconds.

Night began to fall over the Hengdian studios in eastern China, home to a full range of movie and series sets, from a replica of Shanghai during the era of foreign concessions to palaces from various Chinese dynasties, and even a reconstruction of the Forbidden City. The director seemed satisfied, and the assistants immediately released the actor, who sat down for a cigarette. His day was done, dictated by the script, but for the rest of the crew, the evening was far from over.

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