1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

When the plane's landing gear touched down, the huge vibration almost made Huang Jianzhong drop the bottle of Moutai he was holding, giving him a big fright.

"Why...why is this airport built among buildings?"

Huang Jianzhong, panting heavily, looked out the porthole. The densely packed residential buildings were only an arrow's throw away from the runway, and the shirts on the clotheslines seemed within reach.

When the plane was diving, he really thought it was going to crash into someone's living room.

Li Lianjie laughed heartily, deliberately patted Huang Jianzhong on the shoulder, and joked, "Director Huang, this is the unique feature of Kai Tak Airport! It's one of a kind in the world, flying right up to the buildings! People in Hong Kong say that you could shoot down a plane even if you just held onto a clothes pole."

Then she looked at Cheng Xuemin and saw him calmly organizing the documents. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Cheng, weren't you flustered at all just now?"

Cheng Xuemin closed the folder, which contained the English promotional translation of "Tai Chi." He had just added a few sentences to it and then said calmly, "Panic won't help! Besides, I have faith in the pilot's skills."

Besides, Cheng Xuemin had experienced it in his previous life.

It's said that the pilots at Kai Tak Airport are "masters of dancing on the edge of a knife," attracting countless aviation enthusiasts to photograph airplanes every year. You can't imagine how thrilling it is until you experience it for yourself.

Zhu Lin and Gong Xue were still in shock, sitting hand in hand, their faces pale.

Looking out the window at the rows of tall buildings, Zhu Lin said softly, "These buildings are too dense, much more crowded than the alleyways of our Yanjing."

Gong Xue nodded, his gaze falling on the neon sign on the rooftop.

The four large characters "Golden Harvest Pictures" shone brightly, reminding her of what Cheng Xuemin had told her: Hong Kong is the Hollywood of the East, and good domestic films are not successful if they don't try their luck here.

So Gong Xue was also wondering if their film "Romance on Lushan Mountain" would still be shown in Hong Kong after it went to Bolin.
When he got off the plane, Huang Jianzhong hugged his canvas bag tightly, as if it contained not Moutai, but rare treasures.

The ground staff at Hong Kong Airport wore crisp uniforms and spoke Cantonese and English, which left Huang Jianzhong, who only spoke Mandarin, somewhat at a loss. He could only follow Cheng Xuemin step by step.

“This way, the exit is in that direction.” Cheng Xuemin’s Cantonese was a little broken, but he was the only one in the group who could communicate with some difficulty.

Of course, he had visited Hong Kong a few times in his previous life and still had some impression of the layout of Kai Tak Airport. It was pretty much the same and hadn't changed much, even though several decades had passed.

Li Lianjie had originally intended to lead the way, but upon hearing that Cheng Xuemin could speak Cantonese, she paused, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face before quickly regaining her smugness.

"Brother Cheng's Cantonese is pretty good, it's more standard than the tour guide I heard last time."

He was half telling the truth and half lying. He was genuinely surprised that Cheng Xuemin could speak Cantonese, but he didn't forget to emphasize that he had "been here before".

Huang Jianzhong was dazzled by the duty-free shops at Hong Kong Airport.

The watches, perfumes, and imported cigarettes in the glass cabinet were things he had only ever seen in magazines.

When he saw the price tag "$500", he couldn't help but stick out his tongue: "This bottle of perfume is enough to buy ten bottles of Moutai!"

Gong Xue's eyes stopped in front of the cosmetics counter. Looking at the English printed on the bottles, she whispered to Zhu Lin, "Do you think my mom will like this brand?"

Just as Zhu Lin was about to answer, she heard Hu Jian shout from ahead: "Hurry up and go, the people at the Great Wall are already waiting!"

The two had no choice but to hurry on, their eyes still filled with reluctance.

Cheng Xuemin noticed that trailers for Hong Kong movies were playing on the airport screens, including Great Wall Film Company's "The Haunted Cop Shop".

"Xuemin, what are you watching?" Xie Jin walked over and followed his gaze to the screen. "Hong Kong's film industry is amazing. We should learn from them."

He recalled that "Romance on Lushan Mountain" took several months to film on Lushan Mountain, while Hong Kong films could often be completed in one or two months, which was incredibly efficient.

Cheng Xuemin nodded and said in a low voice, "This is a good opportunity to see how their distribution channels operate."

Hu Jian, who was in front, overheard it, but he only frowned and didn't say anything more.

Logically speaking, Cheng Xuemin's comment about wanting to check out other people's distribution channels already violated the rules of China Film Group.

It's important to understand that all new films produced by domestic film studios must be submitted to China Film Group for unified distribution; individual studios have no independent distribution rights whatsoever.

They don't even have domestic distribution rights, let alone overseas ones, including Hong Kong.

Previously, Yanying Film Studio's insistence on independent distribution rights had greatly angered their General Manager Ding, who then instructed him to be wary of Cheng Xuemin from Yanying Film Studio.

Okay!

He's definitely a restless individual, actually trying to secretly contact people in Hong Kong to find out about their distribution channels.

Tell me, what does he want to do?

"Welcome, welcome! Director Hu welcomes you to Hong Kong to provide guidance!"

Outside the airport, Fu Qi from Great Wall Motors greeted the passengers in a very low-key manner, bringing only a few people with him, and not even attracting the attention of the news media.

Upon seeing that Hu Jian was leading the China Film Group team, they quickly stepped forward to shake hands and express their welcome.

"Manager Fu, thank you for personally picking us up!" Hu Jian also greeted them politely.

"It should be!"

Fu Qi nodded, then greeted Cheng Xuemin and the others: "Director Xie, Factory Director Zhao, welcome! Teacher Cheng, welcome to Hong Kong!"

"Perfect timing! Our 'Ghostly Horror' is launching tomorrow. Thank you so much for coming to support us!"

"Hello, Manager Fu!" Xie Jin and Deputy Factory Director Zhao greeted him with a handshake.

"Mr. Fu, thank you so much! I've seen it. Wishing you great success!"

Cheng Xuemin greeted Fu Qi warmly, then pointed to the trailer playing on the billboard and said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, thank you! @Thank you!" Fu Qi nodded repeatedly, and after welcoming Huang Jianzhong and Zhu Lin behind him, he said, "There are too many people around here, let's go back to the hotel first!"

"Okay!" Hu Jian, who was leading the team, nodded upon hearing this.

Everyone knows that Lao Zuo is now facing difficulties in Hong Kong. If the news media and paparazzi were to photograph Fu Qi of Great Wall walking together with someone from the mainland, it would definitely cause a huge sensation.

Moreover, tomorrow is the release date of Great Wall's "The Haunted Cop Shop". If it gets filmed by the Golden Horse Awards at this crucial moment, then forget about tomorrow's box office.

Therefore, Fu Qi taking a great risk by coming to pick him up at the airport was quite an act.

On the way to the hotel, Fu Qi gave a brief introduction to the scale of the screening of "The Haunted House".

Originally, Great Wall Film Company had two leading cinema chains, Nanhua and Nanyang, which were known as the "Double Nanyang Cinema Chains".

The initial construction was funded by the land sold by Haizili. At its peak, they accounted for seven of the top ten box office films of the year, truly the most glorious moment for Lao Zuo.

Unfortunately, after the peak came the waterfall. Everyone probably knows what happened in those years. They were so focused on the movement that there were no new films produced for more than a decade, and theaters could only show those model operas.

As the year went by, things got worse and worse. Coupled with the fierce counterattack from the Golden Horse Awards, Great Wall Film Company was really finding it difficult to make any progress in Hong Kong.

However, the support for "The Haunted Cop Shop" this time is quite substantial. Not only has the entire Shuangnan Cinema Circuit been opened up, but an additional ten cinemas from Shaw Brothers have also been rented, bringing the total to forty cinemas. The box office performance is still somewhat promising.

"How are the other guys from our cohort doing?" Cheng Xuemin nodded after listening to Fu Qi's explanation. He had already learned about the distribution channels in Hong Kong before coming here.

In Hong Kong, the distribution of films in theaters is not based on the number of screenings, but rather each entity operates independently, with each having its own private territory.

As Fu Qi mentioned, the Great Wall Shuangnan Cinema Circuit has fifteen cinemas in each circuit, and new films produced by Great Wall are generally released and distributed in the Shuangnan Cinema Circuit.

If you are very optimistic about a film, you can spend money to rent a movie theater from another theater chain, but usually you would choose a neutral party.

Actually, it was just Shaw Brothers Studio.

Now, apart from being able to rent cinemas from Shaw Brothers, Great Wall doesn't even want to work with Golden Harvest or New Union.

Because the Golden Horse Awards also have three cinema chains in Hong Kong, with nearly fifty cinemas, and almost all of them are in prime locations. Hong Kong filmmakers are envious of this, so they don't want to offend the Golden Horse Awards and all want to release their films in the Golden Horse cinema chains.

Moreover, behind the Golden Horse Awards lies the entire Taiwanese market, which is the second largest market for Hong Kong filmmakers, even larger than Japan's. Therefore, it's definitely something to avoid at all costs.

Fu Qi nodded solemnly and said, "They are all very strong!"

"The New Year's Day film season is essentially a warm-up for the Spring Festival film season. Companies like Golden Harvest and Xinliancheng have been gearing up for a while, while Great Wall is just scrambling to prepare for the big day."

"You all probably saw the promotional video when you were at the airport!"

"This time, Golden Harvest has 'Industry Rules.' I heard that their boss, Mr. Zou, personally went to the Golden Horse Awards and said that he negotiated with two cinema chains. Combined with Golden Harvest's original three cinema chains, the film will be released in nearly a hundred cinemas at the same time!"

"Xinliancheng's 'Meiling and Shangwen' is also good, and we've secured contracts with sixty or seventy cinemas!"

"Although the Hui Brothers are a satellite company, they are quite powerful, having secured contracts with over forty cinemas! Moreover, their film 'Half a Catty of Eight Taels' last year grossed over eight million, setting a box office record since Hong Kong opened. This year's 'Money Crazy' is also a comedy of the same genre, making it a very strong contender and the one everyone is most optimistic about!"

"However, we are also confident, after all, the investment is only about 500,000, plus more than 100,000 for publicity, which is a small cost!"

"This is our advantage. I heard that the Hui Brothers' 'Money Crazy' had a production cost of two million just for filming. With the cinema rentals, the cost was three or four million. He won't break even without a box office of seven or eight million!"

"Golden Harvest's 'Industry Rules' and New Union's 'Mei-ling and Monk Wen' are even more outrageous. They seem to be locked in a battle. The rent for theaters they rented from Golden Horse alone was more than two million. With the cost, it might be at least five or six million. I really don't know how they make money. Last year's box office record was only more than eight million!"

Fu Qi marveled at the distribution capabilities of the other companies, then changed the subject and started calculating costs.

After hearing what he said, the fact that "The Ghostly Horror" had a budget of less than one million yuan made it very advantageous.

If it only grosses two million at the box office, it's considered a profit.

"If Mr. Fu thinks this way, then we've already succeeded halfway! Besides, we have forty cinemas, so the box office shouldn't be bad!"

After listening to Fu Qi's brief introduction, Cheng Xuemin had considered the difficulties the Great Wall faced here, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.

They've actually fallen so low that they're not even as good as satellite companies like the Xu brothers.

They brought in more than forty cinemas, but Great Wall only has forty, and they even have their own private cinemas, the Shuangnan Cinema Line.

In other words, apart from the Shuangnan Cinema Circuit, Great Wall Cinemas has no ability to expand its cinema network, which is a significant blow.

After all, the number of screenings is key to box office success.

In Hong Kong, everyone operates independently, each doing their own thing, and the number of cinemas is king.

Given Great Wall's current situation, how can it compete with Golden Harvest, which launches campaigns with hundreds of cinemas simultaneously? And how can it compete with the rising star, New Union?

They're not even as good as the Xu brothers from the satellite company; there's no way they can compete!

Fortunately, Fu Qi remains optimistic!

Although they have fewer cinemas on the Great Wall, their production and distribution costs for new movies are a significant advantage.

However, while Fu Qi sees it as a major advantage, Jiahe Xinliancheng sees it as self-deception and a laughing stock!

Hong Kong has never been a place where low-budget productions can create blockbusters.

Low budget means bad movie!

In Hong Kong, no one will laugh at you for making a bad movie and getting paid for it, but making a movie like The Great Wall is a huge shock.

When did the Great Wall fall to such a level, resorting to making bad movies and raking in easy money?

So everyone is waiting to see the joke, and they also want to see just how bad this terrible movie, The Great Wall, can be.

"Thank you, thank you! You guys get some rest, we won't bother you any longer! See you tomorrow!"

Fu Qi thanked them repeatedly. After settling Cheng Xuemin and the others in, he immediately went back to check for any omissions or deficiencies.

The next day, Cheng Xuemin and his group strolled around Hong Kong. After having dinner in the evening, they were led to a movie theater by Mr. and Mrs. Fu Qi.

Because there are hardly any people at the cinema during the day on weekdays, new movies in Hong Kong are usually released in the evening.

At the entrance of the movie theater, there was a huge poster for "The Haunted Cop Shop," with a friendly reminder in the corner that read "Enter at your own risk if you are easily frightened."

It's Liu Xuehua!

The poster featured a photo of the female lead, and Cheng Xuemin recognized her immediately. It was Liu Xuehua, a specialist in melodramas from the 80s and 90s and a national goddess of that era.

However, Liu Xuehua is still very young and inexperienced, and may have just debuted.

indeed!

Liu Xuehua was originally from Beijing. When she was young, she moved to Hong Kong with her parents. A few years ago, she was admitted to the Great Wall Acting Training Class and acted in many movies with a few of her girlfriends, but she has never become very popular.

When she first entered this circle, she didn't understand, but as those sisters left one after another, Liu Xuehua began to understand.

It's not that they lack looks or acting skills, but rather that Changcheng is an old leftist. In Hong Kong, leftists have always been ostracized and have no future!

Those sisters who left either joined Jiahe or went to Xinliancheng. They all became successful and bought their own houses. She's the only one left.

Fortunately, it's not too late for her to realize this. Her contract with Great Wall will expire after the New Year, and she will not renew it no matter what. Her friends at Golden Harvest have already made arrangements for her, and she can get a good price when she goes there.

However, to Liu Xuehua's surprise, she was given a leading role in a new film before her contract expired!

This must have made Liu Xuehua, who had been working at the Great Wall for four or five years without ever making a new film, excited and a little expectant.

If this movie becomes a hit, won't she become famous along with it?

Unfortunately, the wish was beautiful, but reality was cruel. When Liu Xuehua, dressed in a beautiful dress, entered the movie theater for the premiere, she saw only a few scattered audience members and her good mood instantly vanished.

He muttered to himself, "With so few people, the Great Wall might as well close down sooner or later!"

……

Please vote with monthly tickets and subscribe to the full chapter! (End of this chapter)