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

Of course I agreed!

Brian didn't even haggle over the price this time; he immediately agreed to sign the contract and even paid a deposit of 1.5 million yuan in one lump sum, as stipulated in the contract!
Because Brian knew that he was guaranteed to make a profit on this deal as well!

Because the Japanese market is part of this!

Although it may not be as large as their North American domestic market, it is still the world's second largest film market. In addition, with the strong pressure that the United States has on Japan, Brian is confident that the Japanese market alone will allow him to recoup his five million dollars.

Other Eastern European markets are pure profit.

As for how to make money? After all, that's the Eastern European market of Russia, which is difficult for North America to penetrate.

But cats have their ways, and mice have their holes. With a blockbuster like "Tai Chi" in hand, why worry about not being able to sell it?
This is also what Cheng Xuemin thought of!
Although we ourselves cannot openly contact the Soviet Union, it does not prevent us from directly selling the copyrights of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to the Americans.

As for how the Americans operate, that's none of Cheng Xuemin's business.

Moreover, evil people will be punished by evil people!
The Japanese devils actually dared to try and get their hands on my "Tai Chi" for free. Then don't blame Cheng Xuemin for selling them off to their own father.

With this American guy, Brian, barging into their Japanese market, just wait and see!
The Japanese will surely be squeezed dry by this wave of attacks.

Cheng Xuemin might have sold it to them for a perfectly good two hundred US dollars. But they insisted on getting it for free. Well, let's see if Brian, this American, can recoup his losses in the Japanese market.

To be even more ruthless, we need to make a little more money in their Japanese market.

“Scholar, last night it was five million nine hundred thousand US dollars, plus ten million US dollars from North America today, and five million US dollars from Brian!”

"We made a total of 20.9 million US dollars this time!"

Huang Jianzhong had already calculated the final amount, and then continued to say to Cheng Xuemin, "This is the cash check they made, Xuemin, you must keep it safe! It's a deposit of six million three hundred thousand US dollars!"

All contracts signed with Cheng Xuemin required a 30% prepayment, with the remaining balance due after they returned to China and produced a formal copy.

Although all that's done so far is signing contracts, they've already received advance payments of up to six million six hundred thousand US dollars.

Bringing back this foreign exchange earnings result would be absolutely fantastic.

"Old Huang, you can't say we're selling it. If Director Hu hears that, he'll find fault with us!"

"To generate foreign exchange!"

"Our trip to Bolin generated over 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange for the country!"

Cheng Xuemin was also happy, but he couldn't be too happy, because there was still Lao Hu from China Film Group at the hotel.

Next, we need to figure out how to deal with our Director Hu.

“Yes, yes, yes! Xuemin, you’re right! It’s about earning foreign exchange, not like those capitalists who talk about how much they sold and how much they made!” Huang Jianzhong was overjoyed upon hearing this, his hands trembling as he held the contracts signed by film companies from various countries.

When has he ever handled so much foreign currency, US dollars?
More than 20 million!
According to Huang Jianzhong's understanding, even in his hometown of Henan, the province's total annual foreign exchange earnings are just over 10%.

However, their trip to Bolin this time directly created a foreign exchange earnings record that took a province two years to achieve.

If this gets back to China, the whole country will be in an uproar!

Huang Jianzhong was already impatient and couldn't wait to fly back to China right now. He then asked urgently, "Xuemin, should we go back now and meet up with Director Hu and the others to tell him this good news?"

"Old Huang, there's no rush! I've already made plans with someone!"

Now we can indeed go back and share the good news, but it's far from over yet.

While "Tai Chi" has indeed achieved a foreign exchange earnings of up to 20 million US dollars, this does not necessarily mean that the foreign exchange earnings were achieved by Cheng Xuemin.

Hu Jian, from China Film Group, is also among them.

Hu Jian was specifically assigned by Ding Daming of China Film Group to keep an eye on Cheng Xuemin.

Given Ding Daming and the Central Motion Picture Corporation's style of doing things, what would be their first thought if they saw Cheng Xuemin bypass them and achieve a foreign exchange record of up to 20 million US dollars?
I absolutely cannot believe it!
On second thought, it must have been someone trying to steal the credit!
Before Cheng Xuemin and his team even flew back and landed, they had already taken all the credit.

Should we go and tell Fujian the good news now?

It's possible that before Cheng Xuemin and his team even land on their return flight, there will already be a massive publicity campaign in China, praising how successful China Film Group's trip to Bolin was.
Under their overseas distribution by China Film Group, they achieved a foreign exchange revenue of up to 20 million US dollars.

That's for sure!

When Cheng Xuemin and his team fly back and land, the 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange earnings will have absolutely nothing to do with them.

The people at China Film Group might even try to downplay Cheng Xuemin's efforts in the filming of "Tai Chi".

In short!

All the credit goes to China Film Group. Without their strong support and promotion, Tai Chi could not have achieved such a miraculous foreign exchange earnings.

Don't be so skeptical!

In fact, it may be even more realistic than Cheng Xuemin predicted.

Although!

With $20 million in foreign exchange earnings already achieved, it's not impossible for Cheng Xuemin to be a behind-the-scenes hero.

After all, all the leaders in Haizi knew that the script for Tai Chi was written by Cheng Xuemin, the Tai Chi crew was assembled by Cheng Xuemin himself, and the filming of Tai Chi was personally directed by Cheng Xuemin.

Taiji's trip to Bolin for foreign exchange earnings was also led by Cheng Xuemin!

Ultimately, everyone in Haizi knows who was responsible for Tai Chi's achievement of generating 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange.

However, if China Film Group directly takes credit and launches a massive publicity campaign to highlight their achievements while downplaying the hard work and contributions of Cheng Xuemin and his team, then China Film Group will inevitably gain the upper hand.

In this case!
The hopes and full support of the old factory directors Wang Yang and Xu Sangchu have all gone down the drain.

The old factory director and his colleagues were still eagerly awaiting Cheng Xuemin and his team's triumphant return, hoping to ride this wave of momentum to overthrow Ding Daming and his group at China Film Group.

They want the right to issue shares independently, and they also want the right to issue shares overseas, so as to make achievements in generating foreign exchange for the country.

If Cheng Xuemin doesn't fight for them and lets China Film Group steal this huge achievement, then what's the point of revolution?
Therefore, from beginning to end, Cheng Xuemin has been on the opposite side of China Film Group.

Although such scheming is a bit unfair to our veteran comrade Hu Jian, showing sympathy for the opponent is being cruel to our own teammate.

Cheng Xuemin was perfectly clear about which side he favored!
"You made plans with someone else?"

"Xuemin, who else?! North America, Japan and South Korea, Eastern and Western Europe, Malaysia and Singapore... even the Russian bear has been secretly sold off, are there any others that haven't been sold yet?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Jianzhong flipped through the contracts he had painstakingly prepared, pointing out which ones he had missed.
There aren't any left!
Apart from these well-known overseas markets, the rest were all sold off in one go, almost all of them were sold!

"coming!"

Cheng Xuemin ignored Huang Jianzhong and went to greet Consul Wang's car as it pulled up in West Germany.

"From the consulate?"

When Huang Jianzhong saw the car coming in, he seemed to understand what Cheng Xuemin was up to!

"Hello, Comrade Xuemin!"

"Our staff stationed abroad are already aware of your deeds in China!"

Consul Wang, dressed in a sharp suit and wearing glasses, greeted Cheng Xuemin personally after getting out of the car, saying, "Especially your 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain,' which Hai Zi called on the entire army and the whole nation to read, I have also read it!"

"Consul Wang, you flatter me!" Cheng Xuemin also stepped forward to shake hands, offering a simple and polite greeting, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Consul Wang, to take time out of your busy schedule to come over for such a small matter of mine!"

"No, no!" Consul Wang waved his hands repeatedly and said, "This invitation from our domestic films to participate in the Berlin Film Festival is the first step for Chinese films to enter the overseas market. It is only right for our consulate in West Germany to cooperate with you!"

"Unfortunately, I heard from Director Hu that our entry, 'Romance on Mount Lu,' seems to be a bit out of place and hasn't received a very good response!"

Lushan Love's trip to Bolin was not ideal; in fact, it was quite terrible.

This greatly dampened Consul Wang's enthusiasm for the Bolin Film Festival.

So I haven't come here to offer my condolences or visit them since.

I received a call from this young comrade Cheng Xuemin today. I know that this young comrade is no ordinary person. He is arguably the most well-known young comrade in China today, and his future is limitless.

So, while one could disregard the feelings of others in the film festival exchange group, Consul Wang dared not disrespect Comrade Cheng Xuemin.

"It's possible that they're experiencing some acclimatization issues!"

"Of course, if foreigners could easily understand our domestic cultural exports, then it wouldn't be considered to have a profound cultural heritage!"

"So next time we have the chance, we should still give those foreign devils something superficial!"

Cheng Xuemin said with a smile, without any politeness.

"Uh……"

"Yes, yes, yes! Comrade Xuemin, you're right! The less they understand, the deeper our cultural heritage is!"

"If they could understand it so easily, then the cultural heritage of China, spanning five thousand years, would be far too shallow!"

Consul Wang had already expressed his regret, but he never expected that this pioneer of reform and opening up would actually escalate the matter to the level of criticizing others.

No wonder he's so good with his pen; he's got a silver tongue too. "Exactly!" Cheng Xuemin nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Comrade Xuemin, speaking of which! I heard from Director Hu that in addition to the entry for the competition, there should also be an entry for the peripheral exhibition, and he said that you, Comrade Xuemin, are in charge of it!"

"So, if I may ask, how did this other exhibited work perform?"

On his way here, Consul Wang had already anticipated that this young pioneer of reform and opening up had come to him most likely because of this peripheral exhibition work.

What puzzled Consul Wang was...
The entries, carefully selected domestically, were not well-suited to the local context and their results were not ideal.

How good could the results be for those peripheral entries that were only a small number?

It seems I didn't pay enough attention to it. Aside from giving some minor attention to the entries, I didn't even bother to inquire about the other entry.

I was suddenly called over, which put me in a very passive and embarrassing position!
Seeing the doubt in Consul Wang's eyes, Cheng Xuemin did not answer directly. Instead, he turned around and took out a thick stack of cash checks from his briefcase.

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the hotel's lounge, casting a dazzling light on the gold-embossed amount on the checks.

The numbers on each check were clearly visible, ranging from tens of thousands to three million, totaling exactly six million six hundred thousand US dollars.

"Consul Wang, this is the achievement of 'Tai Chi' at the Berlin Film Festival!"

Cheng Xuemin gently placed the check on the table, his tone calm and relieved, and continued, "From last night to today, we have successively signed copyright contracts with publishers in more than a dozen countries, including France, Britain, West Germany, the United States, and South Korea."

This is a 30% deposit, totaling US$6.6 million. Once the remaining balance is received, the total foreign exchange earnings will reach US$20.9 million.

"Two... twenty-nine hundred thousand?"

Consul Wang's voice changed instantly. He subconsciously pushed up his glasses and picked up a check with trembling fingers.

This is a three million dollar deposit check issued by Columbia Pictures. The bank seal and signature on it are clearly identifiable and it is definitely not a forgery.

He picked up another check, a $1.5 million deposit check issued by Brian Films, which was also genuine and valid.

Consul Wang has been stationed in West Germany for six years, and the problem he encounters most often in his daily work is the "foreign exchange shortage".

The consulate's operating expenses require regular remittances of valuable US dollars from China, and the introduction of advanced Western equipment and technology necessitates repeated applications for foreign exchange quotas.

But he never thought of that!

It's astonishing that a Chinese film could bring back so much US dollar foreign exchange from overseas, and that it was even cashed out on the spot in the form of a "deposit".

"This...is this true?"

Consul Wang ran his fingers over the check repeatedly, as if to confirm that it wasn't an illusion.

He looked up at Cheng Xuemin, his eyes filled with unparalleled shock and excitement, and a hint of disbelief.

Then, trembling, he said, "Comrade Xuemin, do you know what this means?"

"This is equivalent to three years' worth of foreign exchange quota for our consulate in West Germany, enough to import three sets of state-of-the-art film projection equipment and to fund ten domestic film academies!"

In the film industry, if Consul Wang were to speak about the development of the film industry, this $6.6 million would encompass far too many advanced foreign technologies and equipment that they would like to buy but cannot afford.

Cheng Xuemin nodded and said, "I know the importance of foreign exchange to the country!"

"So the reason I asked you to come here is firstly to ask the consulate to help verify the authenticity of these checks and ensure the safety of the funds;

Secondly, we hope to remit this foreign exchange back to China as soon as possible through formal channels and include it in the national foreign exchange reserves.

Even though Little Li is a great fighter, if he were to be robbed, we wouldn't be able to protect him if he were in our hands!

Cheng Xuemin stated his request, and at the end, he also made a joke.

With Cheng Xuemin's current skills, he might not be able to protect Zhu Lin and Gong Xue, but he certainly has the ability to protect himself and successfully bring these cash checks back to China.

But it would be much better if the money could be sent back through national channels than if Cheng Xuemin took it back himself!

“No problem!” But Consul Wang wasn’t joking at the time. He stood up abruptly, his tone more urgent and serious than ever before, and said, “Verifying the checks is simple. We’ll go to the West German Federal Bank now!”

"They are the largest state-owned bank in West Germany and can verify the validity of all cash checks on the spot."

"As for remittances, the Federal Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in Hong Kong have a direct cooperation. You can first transfer the money to ICBC in Hong Kong, and then they will transfer it to the central bank. This is both safe and fast, and it can also avoid the risk of international exchange rate fluctuations."

Consul Wang's excitement was no exaggeration!
In 1978, the total foreign exchange reserves in China were less than 500 million US dollars. However, the more than 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange generated by a single film was equivalent to the total foreign exchange earnings of a major foreign exchange earning province in China for the entire year.

Therefore, such achievements can not only alleviate the country's foreign exchange pressure, but also open up new channels for the export of Chinese culture.

Let the people of the whole country know, and let the people of the world know, that Chinese films have a market and can earn US dollars!

Half an hour later!

Cheng Xuemin, Huang Jianzhong, and Consul Wang entered the West German Federal Bank together. They sent Li Lianjie back to the hotel first and ordered her to return to the hotel as well, forbidding her from uttering a single word!
Even if Lin Jie and Xue Jie ask, he cannot utter a single word.

As for Director Hu of China Film Group, he couldn't utter a single word. Otherwise, if he couldn't control his mouth, Cheng Xuemin would blacklist him and prevent him from ever making movies again.

How could Li Lianjie withstand Cheng Xuemin's intimidation?
All he ever dreamed of was following his brother Cheng, traveling all over the country and the world to make movies, participate in film festivals and win awards, and earn foreign exchange for the country.

If he were to reveal Brother Cheng's good deeds because of his loose tongue, and Brother Cheng were to stop including him in the group, that would be unacceptable!
So Li Lianjie simply stated that he would hide outside the hotel and not go in until Cheng Xuemin and the others returned, and then they would meet up and go back to the hotel together. Would that be alright?

With Li Lianjie's assurance, Cheng Xuemin felt reassured and released him back.

To avoid suspicion, Aunt Gu Qiuna hadn't shown herself to Consul Wang since early on. Anyway, Cheng Xuemin should have two more days in Bolin, so there would be a chance to say goodbye!
Upon learning that it was business with the Chinese Consulate in Germany, the bank manager personally came to receive them.

When Consul Wang handed over a stack of checks, the manager's eyes lit up!
These checks come from well-known banks in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, with extremely high credit ratings and virtually no risk of default.

"All checks are genuine and valid, and the funds have been deposited into the corresponding accounts and can be cashed or transferred at any time."

The manager reported to Consul Wang in German, his tone tinged with surprise, "I never expected Chinese films to achieve such great success overseas. I heard about this film, 'Tai Chi,' at the film festival yesterday, and many audience members were discussing it."

Cheng Xuemin didn't need a translator; after hearing these words, he felt completely relieved.

The authenticity of the cash check has been verified, meaning the foreign exchange is secure and there's no need to worry about the issuer changing their mind at the last minute.

"How long will it take for the transfer to reach the ICBC Hong Kong branch?" Cheng Xuemin was most concerned about the arrival time of the funds.

"Submit your application today, and the funds will arrive within three days," the manager replied with a smile. He continued, "ICBC Hong Kong has a fast transfer channel with us, so we can confirm the transaction by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Then, ICBC Hong Kong will transfer the funds to your country, and it is expected to arrive in your central bank account in about ten days."

"Ten days!" Cheng Xuemin calculated in his mind. They planned to set off for China in three days, and ten days later they would receive news of the funds arriving in China. The timing would be just right.

In this way, even if China Film Group wanted to claim credit, it could not deny that this foreign exchange was generated by "Tai Chi".

Bank statements and transfer records are the most powerful evidence.

Consul Wang patted Cheng Xuemin on the shoulder, his tone full of praise: "Comrade Xuemin, you've thought this through so thoroughly! Going through the consulate via official channels ensures the safety of funds and leaves complete documentation. No one can take credit for this."

After leaving the Federal Bank, Cheng Xuemin took out a stack of copyright contracts from his briefcase and handed them to Consul Wang, saying, "Consul Wang, there's one more thing I'd like to trouble you with."

"These contracts are formal agreements we have signed with publishers in various countries, which clearly specify the scope of copyright, amount, and payment method."

I would like to request that the consulate, in an official capacity, mail these contracts back to Yanying Film Studio for safekeeping.

Firstly, this would prevent the contract from being lost, and secondly, it would allow people in China to quickly understand the overseas distribution of "Tai Chi."

Consul Wang took the contract, carefully flipped through a few pages, his eyes growing increasingly determined, and said, "Don't worry, I'll arrange this personally."

"The consulate has a diplomatic pouch channel, which is faster than regular express delivery. It is expected to arrive at Yanying Film Studio in ten days to half a month."

Furthermore, diplomatic pouches are exempt from customs inspection, ensuring the contract remains intact.

Consul Wang understood Cheng Xuemin's deeper meaning!
These contracts are not only proof of copyright, but also key evidence for determining "attribution of credit".

If China Film Group wants to claim credit, the "signatures of Party B" on these contracts are all Cheng Xuemin and Huang Jianzhong, and have nothing to do with China Film Group.

The fact that the contract was signed in Bolin at both the time and place proves that Cheng Xuemin bypassed China Film Group and completed the distribution work independently.

So even though he knew that doing this favor might offend Hu Jian of China Film Group!

But let's compare!
Comrade Cheng Xuemin, a pioneer of reform and opening up, is even younger and has a limitless future. Anyone with a brain knows how to invest and build good relationships!
"Thank you so much, Consul Wang!" Cheng Xuemin said sincerely. "Without your help this time, we don't know how many detours we would have taken."

"You're too kind, Comrade Xuemin!" Consul Wang waved his hand, his tone filled with pride. "It's my honor to be able to participate in such a meaningful event."

After you return to China, I will write a special report to give you a detailed account of the overseas foreign exchange earnings of "Tai Chi," so that more people can understand the potential of Chinese films!

After expressing their gratitude once again, Consul Wang escorted Cheng Xuemin and his group back to their hotel!
As they got out of the car and were about to confront Hu Jian, Huang Jianzhong grabbed Cheng Xuemin and said worriedly, "Xuemin, this means we've completely broken ties with Hu Jian and China Film Group!"

"What should we do next?"

The foreign exchange earnings of over 20 million US dollars certainly excited Huang Jianzhong, but after Cheng Xuemin's actions today, he realized that this was a complete break with Hu Jian, who was following China Film Group, with no room for reconciliation.

So, how should we deal with Director Hu from China Film Group?
"Old Huang! Revolutionary struggles have always been brutal!"

"You don't want all the hard work and expectations of the old factory director and the others to go to waste because of your momentary reluctance, do you?"

…………

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