1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 645 Team
"Although Hong Kong is hailed as the world's second-largest film production base after Hollywood."

Fu Qi rubbed his temples, looking somewhat tired. "You could say there are a lot of movies, or you could say there are very few. The major cinema chains are fighting tooth and nail for the right to release films."

"Xiao Jiang."

Fu Qi paused for a moment and then said, "I heard that you've recently starred in several TV dramas in mainland China, and they've been very well received there. How about we bring them to Hong Kong for broadcast?"

"sure."

Jiang Xian agreed very readily.

The left-wing-controlled Shuangnan Cinema Circuit, which consists of several cinemas centered around Nanhua Cinema and Nanyang Cinema, is also facing considerable difficulties.

The South China Cinemas chain is mainly funded by mainland Chinese capital, which is obvious to anyone who knows. The chain mainly shows films produced in mainland China, and although there may be spare slots, they are usually empty, which deters some Hong Kong film distributors.

They dare not list their films on that list, fearing that the province will label or sanction them, which would prevent their films from entering the provincial market.

The most classic example is the BANGBANG film company, which emerged in the late 70s and early 80s.

This company was founded by Yip Chi-ming, who runs "BANG-BANG" fashion company specializing in trendy clothes and jeans. He is also the brother of Yip Yuk-hing.

This man had a life full of hardships. Later, his son, Ye Chongren, dated Elaine Ng, who later gave birth to Jackie Chan's daughter. However, due to relationship problems, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day and later died in a car accident after drinking. Not long after, Ye Zhiming became a monk.

Ye Zhiming also faced considerable setbacks in his career.

He spent 40,000 yuan to start the "BANG-BANG" jeans brand, building a empire worth over a billion yuan. Later, he also started the BANGBANG film company, producing movies such as "Jump Ash", "Fox Bat", and "Inside and Outside the Wall".

The movie "Jump Ash" was a big hit back then, with box office revenue exceeding 400 million, becoming a popular topic of conversation. The movie's songs "Ask Me" and "Big Man" were also very popular.

Seeing the potential profits in film, Yip Chi-ming also took on distribution work. In addition, due to the needs of his fashion business, he established an advertising company to purchase a large number of films for distribution in Hong Kong.

His actions caused Golden Harvest to disagree, and they began to deliberately ostracize him. In addition, he had a falling out with Golden Princess Cinemas, and in the end, none of the more than 20 provincial films that Ye Zhiming had signed could be scheduled for release in Hong Kong.

Left with no other option, Ye Zhiming turned to the Leftist Shuangnan Cinema Circuit, which had always struggled with a shortage of films and limited release schedules.

As a result, it angered the rightists and the provincial authorities, and the company could no longer continue operating. In the end, it had no choice but to sell it to Qiu Degen of the Far Eastern Group.

Fortunately, Yip Chi-ming's business wasn't limited to movies. In the early 80s, he developed the Beihai Fishing Village and made a fortune. He then raised tens of millions to develop the Qiaozui Island Resort Area. However, last year, he sold it to Yuehai Investment and only got back HK$65, a loss that made the whole of Hong Kong feel sorry for him.

However, Ye Zhiming was not content with the status quo and founded Fitto, becoming known as the "founding father of karaoke". He spearheaded the release of karaoke discs, and his artists included his sister, Veronica Yip, and Liang Yanling, who sang "Like Fog, Like Rain, Like Wind".

As a result, the business declined within a few years, and the company was sold off to start Feitu Dream Cinema in Panyu.

As a result, they went bankrupt very quickly.

In the end, they had no choice but to sell the cinema to Yingxin Amusement, in which Stanley Ho's fourth wife held shares.

In short, the repeated setbacks in his business, coupled with the death of his son, led him to completely disillusion with the world and choose to become a monk.

This person has made significant contributions to the music industry, nurturing the first generation of singers such as Julian Cheung (husband of actress and former Miss Hong Kong Anita Yuen) and Hui Chau-yee, as well as the second generation of singers such as Leung Ngan-ling and the third generation of artists such as former Miss Hong Kong actress Tsang Hing-yu.
However, her younger sister, Veronica Yip, didn't contribute much. In her early career, Veronica Yip starred in a series of Category III erotic films, such as "Uncontrollable Passion." Later, she finally met a good director and made a pure love comedy, "Moonlight on the Rooftop," which transformed her career and allowed her to successfully change her image.

Returning to the topic of the Shuangnan Cinema Circuit, it is precisely because of this squeeze, as the cost for film distributors or producers to screen films in the Shuangnan Cinema Circuit is too high, leading to a shortage of film sources, that they are eagerly producing films in mainland China to expand their film supply.

In this situation, it wouldn't hurt for Jiang Xian to provide support to Shuangnan Cinema.

He even thought that films distributed by "Today Films" could be brought to Hong Kong and distributed to the Shuangnan Cinema Circuit.

"Dad, we have guests."

Jiang Xian and Fu Qi were talking in their living room when a girl who looked to be in her early teens pushed open the door and looked curiously at Jiang Xian and Zhu Lin.

"Ah."

Fu Ming nodded first and said, "Come over and greet the guests. This is Mr. Jiang Xian, and this is Ms. Zhu Lin."

She then introduced him to Jiang Xian, saying, "This is my daughter, Fu Mingxian, she just turned 18 this year."

As Jiang Xian listened, he looked up and glanced at Fu Qi's daughter, Fu Mingxian. As expected of Fu Qi and Shi Hui's daughter, she inherited their excellent genes. She was incredibly beautiful, with a charming face. To put it more poetically, she was a stunning beauty with a captivating smile and bright, sparkling eyes.

"Hello Mr. Jiang, hello Ms. Zhu."

"Oh, hello, hello."

Jiang Xian smiled and waited for Fu Mingxian to leave before saying to Fu Qi, "We also have a daughter. I hope she will be as beautiful as Miss Fu when she grows up."

"Haha."

Fu Qi laughed heartily, "You're too modest. You and Comrade Zhu Lin are a perfect match, and your daughter has inherited your excellent genes. How could she be bad-looking? No way."

"Is Miss Fu currently in school?"

"Uh-huh."

Fu Qi nodded. "A few years ago, she was young and naive. She saw that Cinema City was casting for 'Happy Ghost Summer Vacation' and secretly auditioned without telling me or her mother. She was actually accepted. That little devil, because her mother's real name was Sun Huili, secretly gave herself the stage name Sun Hui and filmed this movie behind our backs."

"Wow, you have film and television experience at such a young age." Jiang Xian feigned surprise. In reality, he had watched every episode of Happy Ghost at least n times, so how could he not remember Fu Mingxian?

“Sigh, neither her mother nor I want her to enter this industry. I plan to send her to the University of York in England to study for a few years, and then she can think about whether she really loves this industry when she grows up,” Fu Qi said, rubbing his temples.

Seeing his headache, Jiang Xian couldn't help but feel wary. He knew that Fu Qi doted on his daughter. Later, when Fu Mingxian returned from her studies and wanted to enter the entertainment industry, Fu Qi directly called Run Run Shaw. Soon after entering the industry, Fu Mingxian played Guo Fu in the 95 version of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, where she slashed Louis Koo's arm, leaving a deep impression on the audience and earning the title of "Most Beautiful Guo Fu"—both beautiful and adorable.

The roles that followed were even better than the last.

Lin Xian'er in the wuxia drama "Little Li Flying Dagger", Lu Xiaodie in the period romance drama "The Lion Roars", and Hua Diao in the period romance drama "Drunken Master".
It can be said that he has a wealth of advantages, including a distinguished family background, the support of Run Run Shaw, and classic roles.

Logically speaking, with such strong assets, one would naturally be able to achieve great things in the entertainment industry.

As a result, Gigi Fu embarked on a path that left many sighing with regret.

People often discuss how Gigi Fu went from being a second-generation star to a popular TVB actress, then a wealthy socialite, only to end up with a ruined reputation—her life story is more dramatic and exciting than any TVB drama.

He instinctively held onto the best cards that countless people dream of, but due to his willful and reckless behavior, he ended up losing everything. He even underwent plastic surgery, completely changing his appearance, and was mercilessly ridiculed by the media as a "socialite turned into a withered flower."

If asked to explain why, Jiang Xian felt that Fu Qi's doting affection was also a factor. She couldn't help but think of herself, who had spoiled Jiang Niannian so much that she wanted to pluck the stars and the moon down for her.
Reflect!
We must reflect on this!
"Xiaoming, it's been a long time."

At Xu Xiaoming's home, Jiang Xian met the director whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Jiang Xian, you've finally come to Hong Kong! I can finally be the host and you the guest, so I can show you the hospitality." Xu Xiaoming was also very happy to see Jiang Xian.

Back then, TVB's "The Bund" swept Hong Kong. Chow Yun-fat and Angie Chiu's portrayal of the grudges and love stories of the Republican era brought tears to the eyes of countless Hong Kong people.

RTV was unwilling to let TVB steal all the ratings, so it was eager to create a blockbuster drama to overshadow TVB. Later, Jiang Xian and Xu Xiaoming collaborated to produce "Huo Yuanjia", which was a sensation.

After the huge success of "Shaolin Temple", Tsui Siu-ming directed the TV series "Chen Zhen", "Huo Dongge" and "Going to Tiger Mountain Again", which were all as successful as "Huo Yuanjia".

However, Xu Xiaoming was also blacklisted for going north to film movies.

A few years ago, after the release of "Shaolin Temple", it achieved great success and a wave of "Shaolin movies" was set off. Taking advantage of this trend, Tsui Siu-ming also filmed a kung fu movie co-produced with the mainland called "The Cotton Robe".

However, unlike most "Shaolin movies" which are poorly made, Tsui Siu-ming's "The Cotton Robe" is meticulous in both script and filming, and has a very high level of completion.

It is said that the sacred robe left behind by Bodhidharma, the founder of Shaolin Temple, is called the cotton kasaya. It has been passed down through generations of abbots and has become a symbol of the abbot's power and identity.

It happened to be the end of the Ming Dynasty, when treacherous officials were in power and the Eastern Depot had seized power.

Years of famine left the Central Plains littered with corpses of the starving and the people destitute.

Wang Cheng, the minister in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, disregarded the lives of the people and levied exorbitant taxes, forcing people from all over the country to raise the banner of Shaolin martial arts masters to fight against Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng already harbored deep hatred for Shaolin Temple. Seeing that many people not only fled to Shaolin Temple for refuge but also used Shaolin Temple's name to oppose him, he summoned the assassin Qi Tianyuan and ordered him to steal the cotton cassock from Shaolin Temple, promising him that he would take over as abbot after the success.

Qi Tianyuan was originally a Taoist priest who was expelled from Wudang Mountain. He used the Wudang boxing skills he learned from Wudang Mountain to commit all kinds of evil deeds and ruin the Wudang sect.

Under Wang Cheng's instruction, he adopted the alias Master Liaokong and, together with thugs from the Imperial Guard, stormed into Shaolin Temple and wreaked havoc, forcing Master Yuanhui to hand over the cotton cassock and relinquish his position as abbot.

Caught off guard, the Shaolin monks were outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties, with most of them killed or wounded. Master Yuanhui was also seriously injured and had no choice but to retreat to the Sutra Repository.

When Huineng, the senior disciple who was away, rushed back to the temple, the temple had already been completely taken over by Qi Tianyuan.

In order to preserve their strength and prevent the cotton kasaya from being stolen by villains, Yuanhui ordered his men to lead the surviving Shaolin disciples to break through the encirclement, deliver the kasaya to Fahua Temple, and entrust it to his uncle Yuanxiu for safekeeping. He then committed suicide by self-immolation.

After a fierce battle, Huineng and his group of Shaolin disciples finally broke out of the Shaolin Temple.

Unexpectedly, they were pursued by Qi Tianyuan and the Imperial Guards on their way to Fahua Temple.

During the battle, Huineng was injured and jumped off a cliff. He was rescued by a passing horse trader. However, Qi Tianyuan relentlessly pursued him. The horse trader was also killed while trying to save Huineng. Huineng and the horse trader's daughter, Lin Ying, went through many hardships and finally escaped from the clutches of evil. They were rescued by Master Yunwan of Wudang Mountain.

Hui Ci, who was wearing the cassock, also died in the fight with the Imperial Guards. The cassock fell into the hands of Qi Tianyuan, who, under Wang Cheng's instructions, prepared to take up the post of abbot of Shaolin Temple.

After Huineng and Lin Ying mastered the unparalleled martial arts that surpassed Qi Tianyuan's under the guidance of Master Yunwan at Wudang Mountain, they returned to Shaolin.

Just as the bells and drums were ringing out and Qi Tianyuan was preparing to put on the cotton robe and take over as abbot, Huineng appeared in the Great Hall.

With the help of Lin Ying and the Wudang Taoists, after a fierce battle, Huineng finally neutralized Qi Tianyuan's ultimate move, killed Qi Tianyuan, drove away the imperial guards, and regained the cotton cassock. Huineng put on the cotton cassock and was elected by all the monks of the temple as the 28th abbot of Shaolin Temple.

In short, if this movie were made in later generations, all the Shaolin disciples would probably be furious. Could it be that our Shaolin kung fu is inferior to Wudang kung fu?
However, no one was talking about this at the time. Everyone thought it was exceptionally well-made. When the movie was released in Hong Kong, it grossed HK$1500 million and immediately entered the top ten of the year, becoming a pillar film of the Shuangnan Cinema Circuit at that time.

Xu Xiangdong became an instant hit as the male lead, while Yu Rongguang's cold and ruthless demeanor left a deep impression on audiences when he first appeared on the big screen.

The most ridiculous thing is that when one side saw that Xu Xiaoming's "The Cotton Robe" was a great success, they decided to "change from suppression to appeasement" and asked Xu Xiaoming to write a letter of repentance so that the matter would be over.

Xu Xiaoming ignored him completely.

The clowns were so angry that they lost their temper and said that Xu Xiaoming was never allowed to enter their territory again.

In short, Tsui Siu-ming is an upright person, and it is under his influence that more and more people are trying to co-produce with the mainland, pioneering new ventures and making great contributions. Jiang Xian is very happy to get to know him, and from "Huo Yuanjia" to now, the two have become quite good friends.

"You want to open a film company in Hong Kong?"

After having a meal with Jiang Xian and hearing about his plans, Xu Xiaoming offered some advice: "If you're going to make a movie, make a kung fu movie first. This movie must be a huge hit. Kung fu movie, kung fu movie! That's right. I remember you worked with Li Lianjie before. That kid is a treasure. He went to America a couple of years ago. Try to see if you can get him back to Hong Kong."

"You've really hit the nail on the head."

Jiang Xian couldn't help but laugh when he heard Xu Xiaoming's words. "To be honest, that's exactly what I was thinking."

(End of this chapter)