Generation Z Artists

Chapter 376 A fantastic program

Tonight, Fang Xinghe truly showed the world what extreme arrogance and willfulness look like.

Even long after he stepped down, the scene remained in a constant buzz of noise.

Chen Jinfei hurriedly stepped forward, his expression extremely respectful: "Director Fang, thank you for speaking up for me."

Liu Xiaoli held his hand, grateful and moved: "Thank you, thank you, Xiao Fang, you've worked so hard."

Little Liu stared at him with her big, bright eyes, her mouth wide open in a pure and innocent smile, occasionally letting out a strange "hoohoohoo" sound when she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Starting today, no one in the industry should dare to buy her smear articles or spread rumors about her anymore.

It's still unavoidable that audiences will criticize her and the media will exploit her, but the intensity will be completely different.

Those who spend money in the industry and those who use capital to suppress others are always the biggest source of scandals in this circle.

If you control these two things, your reputation will improve by at least half.

but……

Fang Xinghe's own reputation, however, has suffered a severe blow.

After most of the people had left, Han Sanping pulled him aside and sighed.

"Swearing in public, disrespecting seniors, abusing personal influence, and disrupting industry harmony... You really don't care about your image and status!"

"It's okay, I don't care."

Fang Xinghe smiled so calmly that he almost bewitched the young fairy into a mentally challenged state.

Looking at her excited, adoring, and adorably silly eyes, who could have imagined that she would later become the kind of tough, self-centered old lady who doesn't care about anyone else?

Director Liu couldn't help but smile wryly: "Well, I guess I can't rest today. After I finish reporting back, I'll definitely have to stay for a meeting..."

Fang Xinghe bowed slightly in apology: "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

It's very superficial.

Old An, who was standing to the side, had originally decided before coming that he would only bring his ears and not his mouth, and would remain silent throughout the entire process.

But I couldn't help myself and offered a word of advice.

"You almost caused a major upheaval in the entertainment industry. I'm sure many people will have a lot to say, so be prepared."

Fang Xinghe finally nodded obediently: "You're right, I'll be careful."

Actually, Brother An's reminder was too tactful. How could it be "almost"? It was already too obvious, wasn't it?
Director Liu's expression turned very serious.

"Xiao Fang, from my personal perspective, I think what you've done is indeed beneficial to the healthy development of the domestic cultural and entertainment industry. I also believe that you can make good use of your influence to achieve good results in this extremely difficult task."

However, my belief alone is useless. The General Administration of Radio and Television is not a one-man show, and neither are propaganda and cultural channels.

Anything that touches upon the existing power structure will not be carried out smoothly. If you take away someone's cake, they will bare their teeth at you; if you take away someone's rice bowl, they will fight you to the death.

Today's success proves nothing; the long and arduous battle ahead lies in advancing the system and finalizing the regulations…

This is the true elite within the Chinese system: extremely quick to react, extremely accurate in their analysis, and extremely clear in their thinking.

It's easy to curse people, and it's not hard to curse them into silence. After all, your Brother Fang is not only short-tempered, but also a martial arts master.

However, the silence at the scene does not equate to a complete victory.

It's too early to celebrate.

Han Ye glanced at Xiao Xian'er and used her to ease the atmosphere.

"Good lad, now you've taken all the pressure upon yourself. Sisi can finally have a couple of days of peace and quiet. You've got guts, you're a real man!"

"Uh-huh!"

Liu Yifei nodded vigorously and presented a large cake with both hands.

"Brother Xinghe, have a piece of cake! Thank you so much for today!"

Fans who have seen her early videos know that this girl is inherently very innocent and lively, to the point that she is occasionally a bit eccentric. This is typical of a girl who has been raised in a wealthy family, reflecting her rich inner world.

She wasn't good at saying nice, empty words, but many people present noticed that the little girl picked the best piece of cake and held it carefully in her hands for more than 15 minutes, waiting for an opportunity to present it.

Old An shifted uncomfortably, only to be struck on the back of the head by a profound sense of melancholy.

It doesn't hurt, but I feel like killing someone.

But when he looked up at Fang Xinghe's figure, his tone suddenly changed before he could finish his sentence.

"Another very important point is to be careful not to let public opinion affect your mood. You may think you are upholding justice and speaking out for the people, but they may not understand or appreciate it."

Tsk tsk, that hits the nail on the head. Brother An is a super smart guy...

You can't judge people today by the mindset of 2026. People born in the 00s will think Fang Ge's behavior is awesome and satisfying, but people born in the 70s will only feel uncomfortable.

This is a misalignment of ideas across generations. China has developed too fast, and each generation has its own way of thinking, so no one is like anyone else.

However, Brother Fang was already mentally prepared. It's just a little bit of powder, what's there to be afraid of?
In the past two years, his only task has been to refine and improve, because ordinary achievements can no longer bring him any benefits.

Back when he went to play in the NBA, his star rating skyrocketed.

On that road to the top, even the slightest bit of honor would trigger a massive surge of excitement from the fans, who would contribute an enormous amount of starlight and brilliance.

Today, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has swept across Japan and South Korea, becoming a phenomenal Chinese TV series. Martial arts culture is making a comeback overseas, and Xingyao has only increased by a tiny bit.

At this time, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" also began to be shown on a large scale in Southeast Asia. In the regions with the highest viewership, it even reached over 90%, and the whole nation was watching the show.

But what's the use of this?

When the news reached China, even the most observant people didn't pay it any heed, let alone ordinary citizens.

"Southeast Asia is also very popular? Oh, that place is not important. Fang Sheng himself is too lazy to go there. What's so exciting about it?"

This is the difference between reaching the summit and actually reaching the summit.

Fang Xinghe, sitting on the cultural throne, has already raised the emotional threshold of ordinary Chinese people too high. Now, whether he wins the Cannes Palme d'Or again or competes for the Oscar for Best Director, he will not gain much in terms of star power.

For a considerable period of time to come, the only event worth looking forward to is the 08 Olympics.

If the martial arts performance is spectacular enough, it will likely yield some results.

Then there's basketball. Although it's a team sport, its popularity and influence are second only to football, so winning gold should bring great rewards.

So, if you don't want fame, then so be it; if you have to lose your fans, then let them go; if you have to accept controversy, then let it come.

A smooth road is no good; it needs twists and turns to be interesting.

As a top screenwriter, Fang Xinghe knows exactly how to craft plots to maximize profits. If he viewed his entire life as a script, he would currently be in the first fifth, essentially having reached the top.

How would a clever screenwriter handle the subsequent plot structure?
It can't go on like this any longer; without any twists and turns, the audience will soon get tired of it.

Now is the crucial period for creating conflict. We need to cause a significant drop in life, making the audience feel anxious and turning the arrogant stars into worried ones, suppressing their emotions from the peak to the bottom. Only then will the next outburst trigger the greatest rebound.

If things continue like this, I won't even earn 1 Star Point in a year.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe did not rush to make another action film, but instead chose this one, "Touch of the Light".

He is confident of winning one of the three major European awards.

However, this film's box office performance is destined to be inferior to that of "Hero" and "Young Love".

The subject matter is what it is; it doesn't have the widespread social attention of "You Are My Destiny" and can create a phenomenal craze in South Korea, Japan and the United States, nor does it have the pure visual aesthetics of "Hero" and can make people excited just by looking at the scenes and fights.

The more profound its satire, the smaller its audience becomes.

While the gap between the rich and the poor and class conflicts are a common predicament worldwide, this subject matter is naturally unpopular with audiences—no one wants to confront such a cruel and helpless reality.

Think about it carefully, which similar realistic film has achieved high box office returns?
Films like Parasite, Burning, Les Misérables, The Square, and The Age of Inequality... critically acclaimed works generally perform poorly at the box office.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is okay, but it's just playing around with inspirational themes; the plot isn't heavy at all.

Like Millionaire, The Intouchables is about growth, inspiration, and is not heavy, giving its satirical core a gentle touch.

However, as an Asian film, its potential is limited. The media's hype is just a way to grab attention, and Fang Xinghe knew this even before filming began.

This movie will certainly live up to Brother Fang's reputation, but it is unlikely to continue his commercial success.

His choice to prioritize art over commerce will likely provoke many detractors who will be overjoyed.

A second attempt at an Oscar would be extremely difficult, and it would be a good opportunity for him to "suffer some grievances" in the US. Wouldn't his sisters be heartbroken for him?
This isn't about putting up with something you can't avoid, because if he still wants to win the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Chinese films, he'll have to play the role of a runner-up within their rules for a considerable period of time.

Fang Ge himself doesn't care about this Grand Slam; however, it's a necessary process to demystify the sport for the Chinese people.

The Chinese people are quite interesting. No matter how prestigious the award is, they are eager to receive it before they win it, but once they win it, the mystique quickly fades.

This is very evident in industry and technology, and the same is true in culture.

For example, after the Beijing Olympics, the number of domestic viewers for the London Olympics plummeted by 50%, and the number dropped even further for the Tokyo Olympics.

After "Hero" won the Oscar for Best Picture, this thing clearly lost its sacred status.

In the previous life, as late as 2025, many people were still talking about the Oscars.

Unfortunately, "Hero" is not Fang Xinghe's work, and the glory does not belong to him, so if he wants to establish a solid foundation, he still has to take one himself.

After receiving it, they'll tell everyone, "This thing is nothing special, just a politically correct award for a small circle to amuse themselves. It's not worth everyone remembering it for so many years."

That way, people will believe him and won't think he's just being a sour grapes.

When reasoning with ordinary people, you have to use facts.

In Fang Xinghe's original plan, aiming for the Oscars was a challenging journey. However, the unexpected win of "Hero" through a loophole of political correctness added an extra 100% difficulty to his plan.

But this is not a bad thing. The more difficult the process, the more legendary it becomes, enriching his image.

Anyway, before the film industry technology matures further, Chinese cultural blockbusters like "The Great Wilderness" simply cannot be made. Making a couple of art films can be seen as a prelude to the climax, and it's also a good opportunity to purify the "stars in the sky".

Therefore, today's outburst can also be seen as part of a play, although the negative impact will be significant, it is completely under the control of the online troll leader.

Using the entire industry as a chessboard, half of society as a stage, and reputation and status as stakes—that's the audacity of a cheat.

……

The coming-of-age ceremony, which was not long, ended hastily and dryly. The guests did not leave with joy, but rather hurriedly, anxious and bewildered.

The next morning, public opinion exploded.

What's both normal and abnormal is that no television station dared to broadcast Fang Xinghe's entire speech. To use the most popular phrase at the time, this outburst was completely disregard for the overall situation.

In fact, the Wang brothers have a very good background. Their father was a high-ranking military officer, and they lived in a military compound in the capital. Of the four Wang brothers, only the youngest brother did not join the army; the other three brothers all experienced the tempering of the military.

The eldest brother ran his own business, in the catering and car rental industries. The other three brothers started in the advertising industry. Before transitioning to film and television, the youngest brother was in a car accident, leaving the other two brothers to continue on their path to where they are today.

From the standpoint of objective historical results, we can criticize them for not setting a good example and wasting a rare historical opportunity, but we absolutely cannot call them incompetent. Incompetent people cannot create a leading enterprise in the Chinese film and television industry.

That very night, the two brothers contacted a large number of film and television company executives and market-oriented officials within the system, pleading and complaining to their superiors.

From the Film Bureau to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, then to the Press and Publication Administration, and all relevant departments, including the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, propaganda and united front work, it can be said that every possible force of opposition was mobilized.

Because both Master Han and Director Liu were present, they were summoned back for a meeting that night.

There's no need to go into the details, but the final result is... it can be reported appropriately, but the full video is prohibited from being uploaded to television stations.

The word "appropriate" fully embodies the art of Chinese politics.

Given that not all content can be broadcast, what level of reporting is appropriate?
You can figure it out yourselves.

Ji Tai was the boldest and wildest, and he couldn't suppress his desire to support Fang Xinghe. However, after uploading the video sample with one-tenth of the keywords cut out, it was rejected by General Manager Guang in less than half an hour.

The reason is that news broadcasts should fully consider the social impact.

Xie Rong, a bandit of the new era, sneered, cut off another tenth, and submitted the application again...

It was rejected again.

Important content broadcast on satellite TV must pass censorship; this is the foundation of everything.

After being refuted twice, everyone at Jilin TV understood that the live video would probably have to be edited down to just the "reasonable" parts before it could be broadcast on satellite TV.

What does it mean to have only "reason" left?
It's the part that's all well-intentioned and high-sounding!
Other domestic TV stations will certainly follow the same pattern.

No matter who's stubbornly trying to broadcast it, or who's just after money and trying to grab attention, if it can't be broadcast, it just can't be broadcast.

While continuing to edit the footage, Xie Rong waved his hand and said, "Where's the provincial TV station? Extend today's local news by 20 minutes and broadcast the whole thing so that all the men in our family can see how Fang Xinghe is running the entertainment industry!"

Satellite TV broadcasts require approval from the State Administration of Radio and Television, while local TV stations only need provincial approval to broadcast what they want.

This isn't a vulnerability; this is called legal access control.

But it's not over yet.

Xie Rong truly lived up to his reputation as a descendant of bandits; not only did he broadcast himself, but he also turned around and called a bunch of poor buddies like Yunyun, Guigui, Chuanchuan, Qingqing, and Gangan.

The first thing he asked was, "Does your local TV station have any exciting programs lately?!"

Yunyun, Guigui, and Chuanchuan's eyes lit up instantly, and they started scratching their ears and cheeks like monkeys.

We don't have any amazing programs, but if you dare send me a copy, I'll broadcast it on a loop 24/7!
(End of this chapter)