Rising Flames

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

5. INT. LIVING ROOM - 09:30

6. 
   

7. PETER sits on a sofa, smartphone in hand, scrolling through his Facebook feed.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): The Trade War between the US and China is intensifying.

10. 
    

11. Peter checks the Hang Seng Index on Yahoo!Finance.

12. 
    

13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Despite all this tension, the Hong Kong stock market is reacting positively.

14. 
    

15. Peter gets up and starts pacing around the room, deep in thought.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The market can be patriotic too. Despite the risk, patriots continue to buy.

18. 
    

19. Peter returns to the sofa.

20. 
    

21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): China's response to this Trade War is exactly what I'd do if I were in authority. Stand firm and protect China's legitimate interests.

22. 
    

23. Pausing.

24. 
    

25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've exhausted my cash buying in when the trade war started; but I won't sell.

26. 
    

27. Act 2

29. INT. NOODLES SHOP - 14:45

30. 
    

31. Peter is having Rice Noodles in Soup with Shrimp and Chive Dumplings.

32. 
    

33. PETER (V.O.): Having maintained my Duolingo streaks and swum in Silverstrand Bay, I'm rewarding myself with an afternoon tea set.

34. 
    

35. Peter browses through his Facebook on his smartphone.

36. 
    

37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the 19th century, while Western countries embraced innovation, many in China continued to revere their emperors.

38. 
    

39. Pausing.

40. 
    

41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Seventy years ago, I was born in Hong Kong, which was a British colony at the time.

42. 
    

43. Recalling.

44. 
    

45. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the 19th century, China had a trade surplus with Britain, as it exported tea, silk, and porcelain but imported little.

46. 
    

47. Pausing.

48. 
    

49. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The British solution to this trade imbalance was to export opium from British India to China, leading to widespread addiction of Chinese.

50. 
    

51. Pausing.

52. 
    

53. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Government's attempt to suppress the opium trade led to military confrontations, sparking two Sino-British Opium Wars.

54. 
    

55. Pausing.

56. 
    

57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As China lost the Wars, Hong Kong was ceded to Britian.

58. 
    

59. Pausing.

60. 
    

61. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But by race, I'm Chinese, and English is a foreign language for me.

62. 
    

63. Recalling.

64. 
    

65. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was delighted when Hong Kong rejoined the motherland in 1997.

66. 
    

67. Peter drinks Chrysanthenmum Honey Tea.

68. 
    

69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hong Kong is my home and I've never intended to live in another country.

70. 
    

71. INT. STUDY - 16:00

72. 
    

73. The TV is on. Peter is watching a documentary on China's atomic bomb program.

74. 
    

75. PETER (V.O.): Influenced by the geopolitical landscape of the Cold Car, the Chinese goal of developing nuclear weapons was to enhance national security.

76. 
    

77. Watching.

78. 
    

79. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb on Oct 16, 1964, at the Lop Nur testing site, making it the 5th country (after the US, the USSR, Britian & France) to possess nuclear weapons.

80. 
    

81. Watching.

82. 
    

83. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): China adopted a policy of nuclear deterrence, maintaining a relatively small but credible nuclear arsenal aimed at deterring potential aggressors.

84. 
    

85. Pausing.

86. 
    

87. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Cold War between the USSR and the US, along with their respective allies was from the late 1940s until the early 1990s.

88. 
    

89. Recallng.

90. 
    

91. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 2018, the US initiated its Trade War against China.

92. 
    

93. Pausing.

94. 
    

95. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This year, US has waged World Trade War by imposing tariffs on its trading partners.

96. 
    

97. Pausing.

98. 
    

99. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I hope that the current world war on financial matters wouldn't lead to any cold or hot wars.

100. 
     

101.  Act 3

103. INT. LIVING ROOM - 21:15

105. Peter inserts an AI drawing titled: "Rising Flames..." to a draft on his laptop.

107. PETER (V.O): The challenges China face today are just winds fueling the flames of Chinese innovation. Like a phoenix, China will transform - stronger than ever.

108. 
     

109. Thinking.

110. 
     

111. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Patriotism isn't just a feeling. It's a powerful force driving Chinese forward. It's the flame in Chinese hearts, reminding Chinese of their duty to their country and their responsibility to future generations.

112. 
     

113. Reflecting.

114. 
     

115. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): China's journey isn't about the Chinese vision and determination, The Chinese strategy is igniting a brighter future for all humanity.

116. 
     

117. FADE OUT

118. 
     

119. END