Bright Era of China Entertainment

Chapter 821 Navigator

The scorching sun is still shining at six o'clock in the afternoon, illuminating the bustling international metropolis.

The high-rise buildings that are lined up one after another are covered with a layer of orange and yellow light, which adds a soft and romantic color to the city, and also well conceals the hardships of the fast-paced survival of the lower-class people in this city.

They are clearly part of the city, clearly busy day and night, and clearly contributing to the construction of the city. But as the city becomes better and better and becomes prosperous, it seems to have nothing to do with these people.

This is Shenghai, one of the top international metropolises, a place where no matter how glorious it is, it is difficult for ordinary people to take charge.

Even so, young people still flock to this place, all of them holding the lofty ambition of "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me", pursuing the fortune and opportunities that few people can grasp, which are too elusive.

But in the end, it is the survival of the fittest, and the winner is the king. It is straightforward and cruel. It is the law of the jungle.

At this moment, in a private room of a high-end restaurant in Pudong New Area, a group of people came out of the "jungle", hoping to become "winners" and attempting to escape the constraints of the law of the jungle.

The table was already filled with delicious dishes, and even the wine dispenser had been filled with expensive liquor, but they did not touch their bowls and chopsticks. There were six wine dispensers, so it was obvious that two people had not arrived yet. They just sat there chatting and waiting for them to arrive.

"Knock knock knock." There was a knock on the door, and everyone in the box looked over.

When the waiter pushed open the door, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei appeared, making everyone present smile.

"Brother Chu." Wang Yuan stood up and greeted him warmly, raising his hand for a handshake.

On the day of the press conference for "My Love from the Star" in March, he took the opportunity to attend the conference and briefly mentioned his interest in the industrialization of screenwriting to Chu Xuan, Liu Yifei and Liu Yi.

It was just that time was tight and there was no time to talk more. In addition, several of his friends were still unclear about the screenwriting industry of Brilliant Times. Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei were also busy with the filming of "My Love from the Star", so they agreed to find time to meet and discuss in detail after both parties had settled their affairs.

After more than three months, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei finished filming "My Love from the Star". He and several of his friends went to the Brilliant Times Literature Company to observe and learn about it. They themselves had also thought about and discussed this career several times and reached a preliminary consensus. It was left for Chu Xuan to give them reassurance.

I had wanted to meet Chu Xuan at the beginning of the month, but I didn't know that Chu Xuan was far away in America.

After much back and forth, the date was finally decided upon within the next few days. Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei would also be visiting Shenghai to attend this year's Magnolia Awards, so their schedule was just right.

"Brother Wang, long time no see." Chu Xuan and Wang Yuan shook hands.

They arrived at Shenghai at noon, and Yang Tianzhen, who came to pick them up, treated them to a meal until two or three in the afternoon.

Then we took a bus to the venue of this year's Magnolia Awards and checked into the hotel we had booked near the JA District Exhibition Hall. It was already four or five o'clock.

After putting away my luggage, I had a chance to rest and chatted with Su Chang, Jiang Xin and Ren Quan for a while. A little after five o'clock, I set off for the restaurant in Pudong New District to keep my appointment with Wang Yuan.

Seeing that all the dishes were served and the wine was poured, it was obviously arranged in advance, and several people were waiting for him and Liu Yifei to arrive. It also showed the enthusiasm of people like Wang Yuan to pursue a career in the screenwriting industry. Being able to get a glimpse of this situation was also a good start for him.

"Hello, Mr. Liu."

"Hello, Mr. Wang."

Liu Yifei shook hands with Wang Yuan, and then, at Wang Yuan's enthusiastic invitation, she and Chu Xuan walked to the dining table.

The other four people who were originally sitting stood up, each with a smile on their face, waiting for Wang Yuan's introduction.

"Han Zhongping, former editor-in-chief of Shenghai News Agency, graduated from the Department of Literature of Fudan University. He not only has an extraordinary literary background, but also has a deep foundation and business ability in literature, writing and even literary creation." Wang Yuan introduced the first person.

After hearing this introduction, Han Zhongping acted ashamed, with a look of mixed pride and humility on his face.

He wore thick myopic glasses and had a head of hair mixed with white hair, like a middle-aged man. He looked young, probably in his 30s. But this appearance gave him a scholarly air. At first glance, he looked like a young man with a lot of cultural background.

He even said, "You Wang Yuan, you usually treat me like a piece of cake, but now you are praising me highly. If I reveal my true feelings in the future, won't President Chu and President Liu laugh at me?"

Wang Yuan and the other three smiled and dispelled the strange atmosphere, making it more friendly.

"No, no, hello Teacher Han, I'm Chu Xuan, nice to meet you." Chu Xuan smiled and shook hands with Liu Yifei and Han Zhongping respectively.

Han Zhongping's speaking level is quite high. The last sentence "Won't it make President Chu and President Liu laugh at you" can be said to have directly thrown the ball to him. According to the limitations conveyed by the context of the last sentence, he can only treat it in a polite and enthusiastic manner. If he says anything more or says something wrong, it would be a slap in the other person's face.

"Zheng Zhongwei is one of the investors of Wenzhou Television Production Center. Boss Zheng is not only financially strong, but also has far-sighted insights and vision in film and television culture." Wang Yuan introduced the second person.

Zheng Zhongwei is short and fat, but not too short, at least 1.65 meters tall. He is not too fat either, just slightly plump. He just looks short and fat among this group of people.

"I don't deserve it." Zheng Zhongwei waved his hand, being quite modest. He ignored Wang Yuan's high praise and always looked as gentle as Maitreya Buddha. But it was an asset after all. It was not clear whether the affinity brought by this appearance was real or fake.

"Brilliant Times is the one with foresight. It has seized the promotion window of Weiyu early on, which is in line with the times. Now it has the continuous and large-scale capital chain of Longyou. I am not good enough in front of President Chu, let alone foresight." Zheng Zhongwei is good at speaking. He can give up his self-esteem to compliment others. You can tell that this person is not simple just by thinking about it.

"Mr. Zheng, you are too polite. You are my senior. Wenzhou Television Production Center is a long-established domestic film production center. Mr. Zheng has a real good vision to invest in this film production center. I still need to learn from him." Chu Xuan also follows the theorem of the ways of the world. He flatters when he is praised. The social interaction of courtesy and reciprocity is the essence of Chinese civilization.

Judging from the order of Wang Yuan's introduction, he first introduced Han Zhongping, a cultural figure. Although he was the editor-in-chief of the former Shenghai News Agency, this position does not seem to be a very prestigious one. Superficially, he should not be in the same circle as Zheng Zhongwei, who has the financial strength to invest in a film studio.

But Wang Yuan introduced Han Zhongping first and then Zheng Zhongwei. I think there must be some explanation behind this.

Perhaps Han Zhongping and Wang Yuan are of the same type of people, the second generation of the cultural circle, with family members who are officials.

And this Zheng Zhongwei is most likely just the capital that Wang Yuan brought in to invest in the screenwriting industry.

"Brother Chu, President Zheng actually has some connection with you. When you produced "Legend of Sword and Fairy", Wenzhou Television Production Center was one of the investors. Tang Ren also outsourced part of his work on this drama to President Zheng and his team, including some montage editing of your plots of Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Linger." Wang Yuan interrupted with a smile.

"There is such a situation?" Liu Yifei was a little surprised. She really didn't know that her and Chu Xuan's "Legend of Sword and Fairy" had such a connection with the person in front of her. This was a bit strange.

Chu Xuan was also surprised. He was still at Huayi when the filming of "Chinese Paladin" was going on, so he naturally didn't know a lot of things. But this was just a small matter to get closer. He replied modestly: "Liu Yifei and I became famous because of this drama. I didn't know that Wenzhou Television Production Center was a supporter. From this point of view, President Zheng can be regarded as our benefactor."

"I don't deserve that! Mr. Chu is so funny." Zheng Zhongwei waved his hands repeatedly and had a positive impression of Chu Xuan in his heart. In just a few sentences of conversation, he didn't show off his true colors. He seemed to be too humble, but in fact he was in control of the initiative in the current situation. He was so sophisticated at such a young age. It's true that one can't judge a hero by his age.

Wang Yuan introduced the third person: "Liu Feng, a well-known screenwriter, my buddy, is also a member of the Shenghai Screenwriters Association and has participated in the creation of scripts of various themes."

"Hello, Teacher Liu." Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei shook hands and greeted each other.

Liu Feng seems rather shy. He does not have the confidence of Han Zhongping who seems to have an official background, nor the smoothness of Zheng Zhongwei who has the capital. He seems to be a pure screenwriter.

From this perspective, if Wang Yuan's career as a screenwriter is confirmed, then Wang Yuan must be the one who controls the overall situation, while Han Zhongping is the person who coordinates the industrial human and material resources structure, Zheng Zhongwei is the investor, and Liu Feng is probably the screenwriter who leads the script creation.

With such a rough guess, Liu Feng's attainments in script writing must be extraordinary.

"Wei Zheng, you all have met him. He is the director of 'Love Apartment' and also my current partner." Wang Yuan introduced the last person.

"Hello, Director Wei." Liu Yifei didn't know him, but Chu Xuan had met him once or twice. He introduced the acquaintance last. This Wang Yuan was also well versed in traditional etiquette.

Chu Xuan had already understood this point. From the moment Wang Yuan called him "Brother Chu", he knew that Wang Yuan had a strong confidence in the culture of his country.

It is also based on this point that Chu Xuan has a good impression of Wang Yuan, and is willing and confident to plan the basis for the expansion of the Brilliant Times screenwriter industry on Wang Yuan.

Whether you are pursuing profit or not is another matter, but whether you love your country or not is the basis. What is more important is to have confidence in your national culture. Otherwise, how can you talk about the industrialization of screenwriting that suits China's national conditions?

"We'll just meet today, mainly to get to know each other, and the rest will come later."

"Also, welcome Mr. Chu and Mr. Liu to our Dashenghai. Today's table of wine and food is also to welcome you two. I also wish you two to win the prize at the Magnolia Awards Ceremony tomorrow."

Wang Yuan spoke first, and together with Han Zhongping, Zheng Zhongwei, Liu Feng, and Wei Zheng, they raised their glasses to toast the couple.

Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei felt the politeness and enthusiasm of the crowd. Although this was only due to the other party's requests and the capital strength of the couple themselves, it was still very honorable to be warmly received by a group of local dignitaries as soon as they arrived at Shenghai.

Both sides toasted each other politely at first, and after a few drinks, the dinner party gradually became lively due to the effect of alcohol.

So, although many people hate alcohol, sometimes we have to admit that alcohol is a good thing. It just depends on whether we can grasp the right degree.

"Teacher Han, isn't Shenghai News Agency good? Why did you quit?" The atmosphere became harmonious, and Chu Xuan was no longer embarrassed. He found a topic that he was curious about but difficult to ask at first, and took advantage of this lively atmosphere to ask about other people's private affairs.

"It's hard to explain in a few words." Han Zhongping shook his head, chewing the food, not answering for the time being, sorting out his thoughts.

The topic was stopped halfway to avoid embarrassment. Wang Yuan spoke for him, "Teacher Han is a righteous and patriotic man. When faced with some ugly and strange things, he would naturally not compromise, but he could do nothing to stop it, so he resigned in anger, out of sight, out of mind."

Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei glanced at Han Zhongping. They could understand the superficial meaning, but they were not sure what he meant specifically, which made them curious.

What is ugly and weird?
What is unstoppable?
It seems that Teacher Han Zhongping is also a person with a wonderful story.

"Yilin, Youth Digest, do you know these reading materials that have been popular since the 1980s and 1990s?" Han Zhongping mentioned two reading materials.

Liu Yifei still didn't understand, but Chu Xuan raised his eyebrows and immediately knew something in his mind, as if he understood something.

Chu Xuan nodded and reached out to pick up some food: "I've read an article before, saying that Chinese people go to the island country to work as waiters. According to the so-called island country standards, they have to wash the dishes seven times and bow to greet people. The main purpose is to beautify the island country and how civilized and clean it is."

"I also read an article about the exchange students between China and the United States. The American exchange student went to a Chinese family for dinner and took the initiative to help wash the vegetables and clean the table. He said that the Chinese family's own children only know how to stretch out their hands for the bowls and open their mouths for the food. The main point is to glorify how sensible the American children are."

"The core content of these books, both explicitly and implicitly, is to only give an example of China's shortcomings and compare it with the fictitious good side of foreign countries. The purpose is to distort the thinking of Chinese children and cause them to belittle their own country and worship foreign things."

"Yes, that's right." Han Zhongping put down his chopsticks and frowned, "These books are incredible. They are required extracurricular readings for many primary and secondary schools across the country, and are also recommended readings for some schools. Mr. Chu, think about it. If students whose minds are still immature read these things and they can't change their minds when they grow up, what impact will it have?"

"The school also recommends it?" Liu Yifei was incredulous.

Han Zhongping nodded. "It was popular throughout the country in the 1990s, and was gradually replaced after the millennium, but it is still spreading. A real bad incident was dug out from the news to increase credibility, and then it was generalized that the whole of China was like this, and then a corresponding incident was fabricated abroad, and the two were combined into one story, which triggered a series of doubts about the country and society and admiration for foreign countries."

"The problem is that many teachers in China don't know the situation abroad, and the cases described in China are real events. Then when fictional stories from abroad are interspersed, these teachers can't tell what is true and what is false. What's worse, some teachers are misled."

“When I was working a few years ago, as the editor-in-chief of a news agency, I received the task of publishing stories from these reading materials.”

"I didn't notice anything at first, but after reading more, I found the problem. How come the country's own reading materials are all ideologically bad for the country?"

"That's weird."

Han Zhongping took a bite of food and said, "This kind of articles describing foreign countries are particularly popular among people. People who buy newspapers and magazines think that they can understand the foreign environment through an article, but in the end they are brainwashed without knowing it."

"I couldn't go on like this. The potential impact on society was too great. I stopped publishing similar articles, but that affected the news agency's revenue."

"At that time, the salary was not high, and many colleagues were living a tight life, so my decision was equivalent to stopping the publication of the best-selling newspapers, and their lives became difficult."

“We don’t know who is behind these publications. If we can’t solve the source of the problem, it’s useless to just rely on a news agency to stop publishing.”

"It's just one or two reasons. I'm going to quit. Just like Wang Yuan said, out of sight, out of mind."

"Ah." Liu Feng sighed, picked up the wine glass and drank with Han Zhongping: "Cultural invasion has existed for many years. Even if we strike at the source, it is only a temporary solution. Even if we take down the overseas capital agents, there are still countless people like this who emerge for profit."

"If we can see through this, then can the relevant departments not see through the essence of this?"

"Many things seem to be ignored by the relevant departments, but in fact the root of such problems does not lie in ideological infiltration, but in the public's cognition."

"The public's cognition has been raised. The so-called ideological infiltration is bullshit! This is the root cause!"

"Well said." Chu Xuan agreed very much. He felt like he and Liu Feng had known each other for a long time. He raised his glass and toasted him with a glass of wine.

After putting down the wine glass, Chu Xuan said, "It's like some Hollywood movies, where white people shout for love and peace, black people roar about democracy and freedom, and yellow people can only follow behind them. The idea conveyed is that yellow people are not as good as white and black people. This is reflected in the perception of some audiences that foreign countries are better than China."

"Little do people know that this is just political correctness set for certain themes of movies overseas. White skin must be designed in this way, black skin must also be set in this way, and dispensable yellow skin must be lower in class than the other two. Only in this way can movies of this theme be released."

"Once you understand this rule, Hollywood movies like this are a joke. Whether it's The Shawshank Redemption or The Godfather, they are all movies that use this kind of ideology to differentiate between skin color and race."

"Yes." Zheng Zhongwei nodded. "But there is nothing we can do about it. Their film and television industry is indeed strong. If we want advanced things in China, we naturally have to give in. We know that their films and TV series have problems, but we can only import them into China, so as to learn their open technology and film and television industry knowledge to make up for our own shortcomings."

Wei Zheng said: "After the reform, the country opened its doors and introduced foreign investment. If any industry wants to develop, it must lose something if it wants to gain something. As various industries develop, they will naturally enter a stage of development where they will make up for what they have lost."

Wang Yuan picked up the chopsticks and picked up the food. He smiled at Chu Xuan and said, "Brother Chu, isn't that what you are doing? Whether it's the screenwriting industry or the film and television industry, as long as we have our own film and television system, those overseas troublemakers and domestic compradors will have to follow our standards. Isn't this making up for what our domestic entertainment industry has lost in the pursuit of development over the years?"

"That's right." Zheng Zhongwei nodded slightly and looked at Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei: "So, Mr. Chu and Mr. Liu are the ones who really do big things. They should be called the leaders."

"Indeed. Come, let's toast to Mr. Chu and Mr. Liu together." Han Zhongping was very considerate and took the lead in toasting.

“No, no, no, no.” Chu Xuan smiled bitterly and shook his head: “You are all my teachers and seniors, please don’t be like this, please don’t be like this. I am just thinking about these things. I am a junior who has not made any progress. I have requests but no plans. You teachers think too highly of me.”

"That's right." Liu Yifei raised the cup with Chu Xuan: "Chu Xuan and I are just students in front of you teachers. It is our honor to meet you teachers today. We hope that you will give us more guidance in the future. We toast to you teachers."

Everyone raised their glasses and drank together, chatting about some in-depth topics. This was a gathering of like-minded people, and the atmosphere with cultural connotations was even higher.

It seemed like this was the first time that Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei had encountered such a dinner atmosphere. Driven by their determination, the couple started to communicate enthusiastically with everyone.

(End of this chapter)