Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 621 Cultural Export of Short Dramas

In a scenic area in China, a group of tourists stared blankly at a drone flying in the distance!
"Is this the X14 drone that's been talking about online?"

"Wasn't this supposed to be a military aircraft? How come we can see it in a tourist area?"

"I even saw a video online before, saying that foreign countries use them in war, and that they are more effective than helicopters!"

Many people were puzzled when they saw the large X14 drone flying ahead...

The X14 drone is not a new thing. Xiaojiang Technology released and sold it several years ago, and since then, the X14 drone has been seen in various military exercises and even actual combat in various countries in various online videos.

Even the Americans use this thing in West Asia to transport supplies to their front-line outposts; it's safe and fast.

In China, there are also quite a few X14 drones in use for domestic purposes.

The X14 drone is hailed by some military enthusiasts as the best solution for solving the last 30 kilometers of the supply line!
Unlike ground vehicles, which are slow, confined to fixed routes, and easily ambushed, they are more vulnerable to suicide drone attacks.

Unlike traditional transport helicopters, which are large, valuable, and require pilots... More importantly, helicopters are said to be able to fly at treetop height, but due to the complex airflow changes in the low-altitude environment and the pilot's skills and physical fitness, they cannot maintain low-altitude high-speed flight for a long time.

The X14 drone, on the other hand, has very simple requirements for take-off and landing sites, even lower than those for light helicopters, and can maintain ultra-low-altitude, high-speed flight for extended periods.

In terms of speed, it can reach speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour... which is much faster than ground vehicles.

It flies fast and low... and you don't have to worry about losing your precious pilot if it gets shot down... This is a drone, it doesn't need a pilot.

Then, a load capacity of over 300 kilograms is acceptable, and a range of 100 to 200 kilometers is sufficient.

These characteristics give the X14 drone a unique value in the field of military transport... In fact, it can be used not only for transporting supplies, but also for transporting personnel when necessary.

With a payload of over 300 kilograms, it can carry several fully armed soldiers.

In addition, it can also replace traditional transport helicopters or vehicles for emergency evacuation of the wounded when necessary.

Therefore, since its introduction, the X14 drone has only sold so-so in the civilian sector, with limited applications in some special fields, such as logistics transportation in complex terrain areas. Most of it has been sold to the militaries of various overseas countries... Of course, it doesn't matter if it's sold to those militaries, and the price is even higher.

The X14 drone doesn't have a fixed price. The price of tens of millions per unit only refers to the standard commercial purchase price, and that's just the price of the bare unit.

If it's sold overseas, and the onboard software has an open interface for them to modify, such as replacing it with their own communication module, removing restrictions on flight altitude and dangerous flight maneuvers, the price will increase several times over.

The X14 drone is not widely used in civilian applications, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

There are actually quite a few X14 drones abroad, especially in countries or regions with fewer airspace restrictions. Some wealthy people even use them instead of helicopters for commuting. For example, some people who live in luxury homes in the suburbs but work in the city center, and whose workplaces have helipads, also use them.

In China, it's quite troublesome and complicated for individuals to purchase and use it, as it involves a management issue...

The most successful example so far is that Xiaojiang Technology has secured a policy for the cargo version of the X14 drone to operate on fixed routes with no civil aviation routes, in non-sensitive airspace, with no large number of buildings or people along the way, and at an airspace altitude of less than 300 meters.

For an individual, buying one and flying around like driving a car is currently impossible.

In this way, the X14 drone has been used in fixed cargo transportation in some mountainous areas, and some logistics companies have also tried to use it in logistics transfer... However, the scale of use is not large and it is still exploratory.

The X14 drones that tourists see in this scenic area today are of this type, flying fixed routes within the area to transport goods to shops on the mountains.

It is still very difficult for large-scale civilian commercialization of the X14 drone, a type of large vertical take-off and landing multi-rotor electric drone.

Fortunately, there are many military orders from various places, and military orders often require the opening of some software interfaces, so the price is higher and the profit is also higher... If we don't open the software interfaces and let them replace the communication system themselves, they won't dare to use it.

Compared to the difficulties in commercializing the X14 drone for civilian use, Xiaojiang Technology's other remote-controlled small and medium-sized drones have a much better market.

Consumer-grade aerial drones are being purchased in large quantities by enthusiasts and social media professionals around the world for use in shooting, circling, and high-altitude photography.

Industrial-grade aerial drones are specifically designed for professional photographers to capture high-quality footage. They are now widely used by film and television production crews and sports broadcasters around the world. They are very cost-effective, much cheaper than helicopter shooting, and can also replace large-scale crane camera modes.

In addition to professional aerial photography drones, Xiaojiang Technology also has two other major product lines.

One type is agricultural and industrial drones, mainly used in the agricultural field for pesticide spraying, fertilization, and cargo hoisting in complex areas. For example, if a project needs to build a huge telecommunications tower on a mountaintop, and vehicles cannot pass through, the traditional method is to use mules and horses for transport, which is costly and time-consuming. Now, drones can be used for hoisting, which is much faster.

Meanwhile, after the harvest of agricultural products in some mountainous areas, drones can be used to lift them onto the road for loading and transportation.

Secondly, there are drones used in the fields of public security and patrol. For example, they are very suitable for use by traffic police to patrol highways. In addition, they can also be used to patrol forests and rivers, and even some law enforcement agencies can use them to patrol borders.

In addition to cameras, this patrol drone is equipped with infrared drones, intelligent tracking, high-definition image transmission, and other functions, making it quite powerful in terms of features.

Incidentally, this type of security patrol drone is also a type of drone that many overseas countries like to purchase and modify for military purposes... because it has a relatively long battery life and is equipped with infrared and intelligent tracking and recognition functions, it can be used as a low-end version of a reconnaissance drone.

In many local conflicts, these small-scale security patrol drones can be seen... and even some of the firefight videos circulating in many local conflict areas were taken by these security patrol drones.

Xiaojiang Technology has firmly occupied the vast majority of the global civilian drone market share by relying on its three major product series: consumer-grade aerial photography drones, industrial-grade drones, and security patrol drones.

Other drone manufacturers also have their own, but their technology and costs are not competitive enough, so they cannot shake Xiaojiang Technology's market dominance.

The US has been calling for sanctions against Xiaojiang Technology for several years, citing reasons such as Xiaojiang Technology's drones stealing secrets and affecting security... but it has never come to fruition.

Even their military has purchased quite a few X14 drones... and there are even more small, zombie-like remote-controlled drones.

Of course, these drones were not directly purchased by their military, which is against regulations. The small zombie drones they have are all leased from domestic American companies... and the rental fees are astronomical!

As for who pocketed the rent... that's no secret, it was naturally Commissioner Smith who pocketed it.

Xiaojiang Technology is doing quite well, so Xu Shenxue doesn't have to worry too much. The company's management is quite reliable, and they haven't needed Xu Shenxue to worry about them all these years, nor have they used many extra resources to support them... They have built themselves into a global giant in the civilian drone industry.

Compared to Xiaojiang Technology, which is relatively worry-free, other companies require Xu Shenxue's attention to varying degrees.

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After returning from Dongguan, Xu Shenxue first went back to Zhihai Garden to spend time with Lin Yaxian and other family members, and then went to the seaside villa to visit Xi Wanqing.

Xi Wanqing hasn't been going to work recently, staying home to rest and prepare for her pregnancy. However, she is still handling some work through working from home, although the workload is very light overall.

Xu Shenxue specifically instructed the person in charge at Xinyun Technology not to assign any projects to Xi Wanqing in the near future, so as not to overwork her. However, Xi Wanqing is also a working woman. Although she is pregnant, the workload of working from home is not much. After finishing her work each day, she feels a bit bored. Although she has been in Shenzhen for some time, she doesn't have many friends.

They were all former colleagues, and a few classmates who also work in Shenzhen.

It's inconvenient for her to go out and have fun, and she doesn't have many friends, so Xi Wanqing's daily life is quite boring, and she's even become addicted to watching short dramas!
Xu Shenxue only realized that short dramas had appeared and become popular when he saw her watching them.

However, upon closer examination, this is normal; it's an inevitable consequence of technological development reaching a certain level.

With the rapid rise of the mobile internet era, and its current large-scale maturity, 4G and 5G networks, as well as the very convenient Wi-Fi available in almost every household, have all contributed to the extremely rapid development of the mobile internet.

Film and television dramas have inevitably been greatly affected.

Previously, there were various online movies, online TV series, online variety shows, and other long-form video programs... However, these long-form video programs are still an extension of traditional film and television dramas, only the broadcasting platform has shifted from TV dramas or cinemas to computers and mobile phones.

However, this kind of long film does not meet the needs of most people... It's too long, and people don't have that much free time.

In the mobile internet era, fragmented time is a very important concept.

This has been true since the rise of mobile games and mobile reading, and it remains true now with the emergence of short videos.

The same applies to film and television dramas, with a large number of short dramas that are only a few minutes long, or even just one or two minutes long, emerging... People watch them in their fragmented time.

When Xu Shenxue saw Xi Wanqing watching short dramas, he couldn't help but sigh. Unconsciously, he had traveled back in time again... The scene in front of him looked very familiar.

After taking a closer look, I discovered that the short drama app that Xi Wanqing was using was actually developed by the company of the second brother of the Lin family!
This piqued his curiosity. He remembered that in recent years, Lin Yaxian's second brother had been involved in the influencer economy and live-streaming e-commerce. He had even stopped doing much of his previous work with girl groups and celebrity management. In the last two years, he had focused entirely on live-streaming e-commerce and had done quite well, earning a lot of money and becoming a billionaire.

When did he start making short dramas?
Moreover, this short drama was quite well-made. He watched it with Xi Wanqing for a while, and it was quite addictive... This kid really knows how to stir things up!

Lin's second brother has never had a good relationship with his parents, and he is not well respected by Lin's eldest brother and his sister Lin Yaxian... They always felt that he was a playboy when he was young, and that he was always hanging out with female celebrities.

Later, he was kicked out by his parents and they wouldn't even let him inherit the family business. Then he started to seriously work in the entertainment industry, doing celebrity management business, getting involved in some film and television production, and forming several girl groups... However, he didn't make much money, and instead, he was looked down upon even more by the Lin family.

Later, they started doing influencer marketing, using influencer marketing and live-streaming e-commerce. They had many top live-streaming hosts under their wing and made a lot of money... This is when they were on the right track.

Now they've started making short dramas, and it seems to be doing quite well. Their short drama platform app has a lot of short dramas, and some of them have high viewership, so it looks like the revenue from recharges won't be small either.

This person is quite good at seizing opportunities; they jumped into the short drama market as soon as it took off, and they've done quite well.

After thinking it over, Xu Shenxue sent an email to the people at Yihai Technology, asking them to pay attention to the short drama market and explore the cultural impact of short dramas going overseas.

While Xi Wanqing watches short dramas for the plot, Xu Shenxue sees the potential of short dramas as a new cultural medium for cultural export.

Cultural export... This is also an important task for Yihai Technology, according to Xu Shenxue.

Making money or not doesn't matter. First, export our culture so that people from other countries around the world can have a perception of China as prosperous, developed, and advanced... especially China's high-tech products.

To put it bluntly, it's about continuously brainwashing people in various overseas countries to facilitate the sale of various high-tech consumer products from companies under the Zhiyun Group and Hailan Auto, such as smart terminals, smart robots, and smart electric vehicles.

Why engage in this kind of cultural export? The reason is actually quite simple: Would ordinary people in China buy the mobile phones or other high-tech products manufactured by a high-tech company from India or Africa?
Just hearing the words "Africa" ​​or "India" makes me frown... These places don't have any high-tech companies or high-tech products!
Undeniably, many people overseas, due to long-term information cocoons and the smear campaigns by Western media, still believe that China is a backward country.

When I think of China, what comes to mind is still the image of China in the last century... many of which I saw in domestic movies.

Koreans know that when filming movies and TV dramas, they only film the good parts... In Korean dramas, Korea is portrayed as a paradise, which drives the export of cosmetics and electronic consumer products and attracts a large number of tourists to Korea.

Xu Shenxue has spent a lot of money every year trying to project a positive, developed, and high-tech image overseas in order to sell his products abroad. He can't stand these clowns jumping around.

The company and its affiliated partner companies have ceased business cooperation.

Banning the export of defamatory works overseas has become an unwritten rule in the entertainment industry... No one has ever said it or made a demand for it, but everyone knows that it cannot be done.

Xu Shenxue doesn't care about artistic freedom or how much they yearn for overseas awards. In his view, if you hinder me from selling goods abroad, you are an enemy!
As for the enemy, we must strike them mercilessly!

Xu Shenxue is serious about cultural export. He had tried exporting online novels overseas before, but the results were not very good. After several years of effort, there was still no significant progress, mainly because there are still huge differences between Chinese and Western cultures.

As for supporting Western authors to create their own local web content, that would be meaningless to Xu Shenxue.

Later, we focused on cultural export through film and television, producing TV series and movies, which was quite effective, especially in Asia.

They even came up with projects like the Zhiyun Annual Advertising Blockbuster... Every year, the marketing department of Zhiyun Group would commission the entertainment division of Yihai Technology to produce a TV series and an online movie for the global market.

Then we launched a global campaign... We didn't expect to make money, we just wanted to achieve the greatest possible reach, so we played the videos for free on TikTok and also licensed them to major video websites and platforms both at home and abroad.

A truly epic annual advertising campaign!
After years of doing this, there have been some results. At least in many countries, a group of viewers have been cultivated who accept or are used to watching Chinese films and television dramas. Of course, it is difficult to quantify this effect into actual sales revenue.

Now, when Xu Shenxue saw this short drama, his first thought was to export it overseas, so that foreigners would also fall in love with watching it and subtly receive some key information while watching it: the prosperity and development of modern China, and the advanced nature of products from companies like Zhiyun/Hailan.

To put it bluntly, it's still about selling products!

However, the way they promote products is subtle and pervasive, leaning towards cultural export!

Short dramas are a good fit for this type of work... Although they may seem 'outdated', they have a wide audience, and a significant portion of that audience has limited cognitive abilities... This means that this group is easily 'marketed'.

Imagine a short drama about a young, handsome, and domineering CEO who falls in love with a menopausal cleaning lady. The CEO rides in a top-of-the-line luxury sedan, an Aquamarine SLC, and occasionally drives a top-of-the-line supercar, an Aquamarine SR.

I'm using the Zhiyun S21 Man Pro and a series of Zhiyun smart terminals.

There's also a customized flagship-level intelligent robot maid in the house.

Subtly and gradually, this marketing effect will be significant.

Moreover, compared to TV dramas and annual blockbuster commercials, this method is lower in cost, more effective, and reaches a wider audience.

After thinking it over, Xu Shenxue felt that this approach had great potential. While Xi Wanqing was still watching short dramas, he went upstairs to chat with Huang Jianian from Yihai Technology about the topic of short dramas.

He decided to give a short drama to shock groups with limited knowledge in various countries around the world!
Whether the short drama itself makes money or not is not important; what he values ​​is its cultural output and the sales potential behind it!
(End of this chapter)