The authorities wanted *The Reporter* to contend for the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, yet they also wished to spare the feelings of Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang. The only solution was to have Zhang Tiancheng apply voluntarily.
If he applied of his own accord, the authorities could later claim the selection was decided by vote.
With a vote, the number of participants would certainly be large, leaving Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang with no grounds for complaint. After all, they could hardly go around confronting every single voter.
Chapter 387