1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 448 Communication
The elite troops returned to Hong Kong, and without a moment's rest, the first thing they did was accompany their boss to the cinema to watch a movie.

In the VIP screening room of Ngau Tau Kok 1024 Cinema,
Zhai Yuan led Tao Zongyi and his entourage into the venue. This was the first time that the foreigners and Japanese accompanying him had met the group's big boss. Seeing how young Zhai Yuan was, they were inevitably surprised.

Mr. Zhai was used to this kind of surprise and asked the theater manager to bring in some tea and snacks, using the theater as a temporary meeting room.

“Last time I went to Japan, I saw those massage chairs that looked pretty good. Are there any patents or anything like that? We could make a batch of them ourselves and upgrade the equipment in my theater.”

Zhai Yuan casually curled up in the sofa chair. When he saw Lao Tao, he didn't need to speak Cantonese anymore. He smiled and started talking about the new plan.

"You know what, I actually know about it." Professor Tao smiled and said, "When I went to Osaka University for an exchange program, I specifically learned about several genius inventors in Japan. The massage chair was designed by a man named Nobuo Fujimoto. In recent years, the public's acceptance of it has been increasing. You can see rows of massage chairs in almost every bathroom... Boss, if you're talking about patents, these kinds of gadgets don't actually have any technical difficulty. Just add a clutch to the seat to stretch and knead, and add an electric motor to rock it up and down, and it's a new product. There's absolutely no need to get authorization from the other party."

Zhai Yuan nodded in understanding and said, "Okay, I'll get a design drawing later and have the Kuaibo factory assemble it and give it a try."

After a brief chat, inquiring about each other's situation in Japan, the theater manager pushed in a food cart and, as instructed, started playing a copy of "High School Musical."

As the theater lights went out, Zhai Yuan could clearly feel that the foreigners and Japanese around him had relaxed a lot. Previously, Zhai Yuan and Tao Zongyi had been chatting and laughing, but in the dim environment, their restraint had dissipated considerably.

On the big screen, the black and yellow logo of 91 Entertainment lit up.

In the bright colors, the camera overlooks the entire Chun Qiu Performing Arts Academy. In one corner of the campus, rows of maple trees stand tall. The trees were transplanted from the maple forest on Tai Tong Shan Road. Although there are no red leaves to admire in the midsummer maple forest, the leaves are lush. On the shady path, several students in school uniforms are playing and frolicking.

The original film, High School Musical, was set during the New Year period, so Zhai Yuan incorporated the summer storyline of the second film into the script.

After all, Wong Pak-ming had worked as a manager of an Indian trading company and received a Western education, so he was adept at shooting these kinds of sophisticated scenes. In his previous film "Happy Ghost," the film was shot at Buddhist Shan Tak English Secondary School. This time, the film was shot at the more luxurious Chun Qiu Academy. The opening 30 seconds of the film were dedicated to shooting a panoramic view of the school, which could be used as a promotional video on its own.

"Old Tao, from now on you should call me Principal Zhai."

Turning his gaze away from the screen, Zhai Yuan turned to Tao Zongyi and said half-jokingly, "You know a lot of people in schools in mainland China, ask if there are any teachers who want to come and develop their careers here."

Tao Zongyi frowned and said, "For the performing arts academy, we'll probably have to look for someone at the Yenching Film Academy."

“There’s no need. I don’t actually lack teachers for professional courses like directing, cinematography, art direction, and acting.” Zhai Yuan shook his head and said, “Some of the artists at 91 Entertainment are taking the teacher qualification exam. Their classes are more effective than theoretical lectures. What we lack now are talents in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, and Faculty of Social Sciences. There are very few teachers in Hong Kong who teach the written theory in these areas, and even fewer elite teachers… In addition, it would be even better if we could invite talents from the Academy of Fine Arts to provide guidance for the animation and special effects majors.”

Spring and Autumn currently claims to have 102 teachers, but less than half are actually registered. The rest, including actors, directors, and screenwriters such as Hopkins, John Lone, Maggie Cheung, Ann Hui, and Wang Jin, are essentially guest lecturers because they do not have teaching certificates.

On one hand, he asked Tao Zongyi to help contact talents from universities in mainland China to teach. On the other hand, Zhai Yuan also asked the Federation of Literary and Art Circles to contact institutions such as Huangpu Animation Film Studio to bring over another group of professionals.

After listening to him finish speaking, Tao Zongyi nodded thoughtfully.

From this perspective, Chunqiu Academy is quite different from the ordinary performing arts academies I had in mind. Just from the few words Mr. Zhai mentioned about the professional courses, it was clear that the school's current status as a junior college was not a consideration for him at all. In the future, it might expand into a bridge for exchanges between students from the two places.

Tao Zongyi became interested at this thought, sat up slightly and said, "I'll call Tsinghua and Peking Universities to find out the situation. With your current connections in the mainland, it shouldn't be a problem to invite someone over."

"Well, this kind of thing is better suited for you cultured people to handle. I'll just take care of paying the salaries."

“Boss, you’re too modest… But most teachers from the mainland speak Mandarin, so they might have difficulty communicating with students from Hong Kong.”

“Then let them learn it,” Zhai Yuan said nonchalantly. “The school has a Mandarin proficiency test, with three levels and six grades. Those who don’t pass won’t get their graduation certificates.”

Tao Zongyi chuckled: "That's great, boss. You're practically the first person in Hong Kong to respond to the call to promote Mandarin."

Zhai Yuan smiled but didn't say anything. Actually, he didn't have such high standards. He was mainly making some plans in advance to help Jiu Yi Entertainment gain a larger market share in the future.

For a long time afterward, Hong Kong actors were able to reach a wider audience in the mainland market thanks to the support of Taiwanese voice actors. This led to the creation of a strong, unwavering fascination among moviegoers with the actors. However, as the mainland box office market became more commercialized, the audience for the original Cantonese audio will only shrink. While the original soundtrack may add some value to the film, it comes at the cost of countless moviegoers in lower-tier markets, making it a losing proposition.

Furthermore, we must consider that the voice acting profession is subject to change with the times, and the entire industry is gradually declining.

After the retirement of veterans like Shi Banyu, Du Dexun, Feng Xuerui, and Ye Qing, the dubbing business for Hong Kong films experienced a precipitous decline. Of course, the once vibrant mainland entertainment market fared no better, at one point becoming embroiled in a love quadrangle involving Bian Jiang, Zhang Jie, Qiao Shiyu, and Ji Guanlin—no matter whose face appeared on screen, it was always the same person…

In that case, the only solution is for the actors to improve their own skills and realize that voice is also part of acting. They shouldn't rely too much on Taiwanese voice actors, so that no one will complain later, "I lowered my salary but no one will hire me."

Dude, could you please improve your professional skills first? Talking about the past is just idiotic!

…………

Zhai Yuan chatted casually with Lao Tao in the VIP theater.

The outdoor screening room, which seats 100, was packed.
Because the main actors of Girls' Generation did promotional work on stage and were interviewed by the media and film critics in the front row, the movie started more than ten minutes late.

Has your idol contacted you during this time?

As the screen lit up, Ye Yuqing, sitting in the front corner of the audience, held Zhou Huimin's small hand and asked a question.

Zhou Huimin shook her head.

Captain Ye's gaze swept over the other team members, and he saw that Li Saifeng, Li Lizhen, and Bai Anni also shook their heads.

Noriko Sakai pointed towards the VIP theater and said, "I just saw my godfather go inside, accompanied by a group of old men."

"Then I'm relieved~" Ye Yuqing smiled, her eyes crinkling. "It seems he's indeed busy with serious matters." She then frowned slightly and continued, "But that's one thing, but lately my idol seems to be living like a monk. Last time he brought Wang Zuxian, Lin Qingxia, and his big-breasted secretary into the private room, and nothing happened. Tsk tsk, that's not like him at all!"

Fortunately, the people around him were his own people, and they kept their voices down; otherwise, if the surrounding audience had heard it, it would have been big news that would have rocked the entertainment industry.

Zhou Huimin asked curiously, "You know about this kind of thing too?"

Ye Yuqing blinked and smiled, "All the managers of 1024 theaters have taken my money, and they all say he's been very well-behaved lately."

"Isn't that bad?"

"What's there to be afraid of! He's at the height of his popularity right now, and those sluts are practically begging to get close to him, so of course we have to keep a close eye on him."

"Hmm...that makes sense, but I don't know what he's been busy with lately, I rarely see him."

"That's why I said he'd become a monk~ Hey, could it be that he has some health problems?"

"Huh? No way..."

Several team members who had close contact with Zhai Yuan began whispering among themselves, and the topics they discussed gradually became more and more inappropriate.

Zhai Yuan suddenly became well-behaved, which made them all a little uncomfortable.

Only Li Zi, the newest member of the girl group, stared wide-eyed and pricked up her ears, looking like she was having a good time watching the drama unfold.

"Let's just assume he has important business to attend to." Ye Yuqing narrowed her fox-like eyes, her gaze sweeping over the girls: "Anyway, we'll find out whether he's a real monk or a fake one when he goes to South Korea next month."

Zhou Huimin was shy after all. Even though they had been in the same team for a long time and had already confessed their feelings to each other, she still couldn't help but blush when she heard Ye Yuqing's words. She turned her pretty face to the big screen and pretended not to understand what she was saying.

After being removed from "High School Musical," Li Lizhen was especially eager to perform, but unfortunately, she couldn't find an opportunity recently due to Mr. Zhai's vegetarian diet. Upon hearing this, she immediately showed an eager attitude.

Li Zi, on the other hand, looked at the seniors with a hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Li Saifeng, who was two years older, squeezed her small hand and comforted her with a smile: "They can say anything when they go crazy. Don't worry, these things have nothing to do with you. Your godfather won't bully you."

Following Noriko Sakai, Li Zi became Boss Zhai's second goddaughter, but it was still a verbal agreement and they were not formally bound by marriage.

“No, Sister Sai Feng.” Li Zi shook her head, embarrassed, and asked, “I’ve already advanced my salary for next month. If I go to South Korea, how will I cover the airfare and hotel expenses…”

…………

On the big screen,

Ekin Cheng and Zhou Huimin sang a duet called "Our Memorial Album". The Twins duo had not yet debuted at this time, and it was not yet the time when Gillian Chung and Charlene Choi were in a love-hate relationship. Zhai Yuan took their debut works and stitched them into "High School Musical".

"I plan to take these girls to South Korea in September to attend the opening ceremony of the Seoul Olympics and have them be the cheerleaders for the Hong Kong delegation."

Having admired Zhou Huimin's performances on screen, Zhai Yuan noticed Tao Zongyi's lack of interest and said with a smile, "You two will come with me then, representing Kuaibo and the semiconductor company respectively, to visit the South Korean Samsung Group."

One second they were rambling on and on, the next they suddenly got to the point, catching Tao Zongyi off guard.

Old Tao paused for two seconds before nodding and replying, "South Korea is the first stop? When you called to tell me, I thought we were going to West Germany or America."

"South Korea has made great strides in communications equipment in the past two years, so I'll take the opportunity to learn more about it. As for other regions, I'll arrange those later. It would be best to settle these remaining issues in East Asia. I'm too lazy to travel any further."

Zhai Yuan stretched and looked at the foreigner and Japanese man sitting next to him, asking, "These technical personnel you brought back this time will probably stay in Hong Kong to work, but you should continue to go back to Japan to keep an eye on the wafer foundry business. After thinking about it, I think semiconductors are not suitable to be located in Hong Kong."

After securing his first order from Intel, Tao Zongyi's semiconductor orders in Japan gradually increased. Relying on his reputation for high-quality products at low prices, he squeezed Japanese sales staff to the bone, and the foundry gradually made a name for itself.

However, even after resolving the water and electricity issues, Zhai Yuan was still uneasy about transferring his hard-earned semiconductor business to a city still under foreign control in 88.

“I understand.” Tao Zongyi sat up straight and introduced to Zhai Yuan, “Those who came back with me this time are all elites in the telecommunications industry. The Japanese guys are graduates of Tokyo Institute of Technology and used to work at Toshiba Telephone Corporation. The foreigner is a mobile communications expert brought in from West Germany through Philips. Time is tight, so we can only assemble this team for now. However, given our relationship with Toshiba, it won't be difficult for us to connect with other companies with high technology in the future…”

“That’s good.” With Professor Tao’s introduction, Zhai Yuan greeted the people around him again and said, “The Governor of Hong Kong suddenly assigned me a task, and it’s enough for you to assemble this team on short notice. These days, people in Hong Kong are either in real estate or stocks. Where can you find this kind of talent?”

Following Zhai Yuan's arrangement, Tao Zongyi invited back professionals in the field of communications.

It goes without saying what kind of business will be developed on the newly approved land in Yuen Long.

"Wei Yixin asked me to do scientific and technological innovation. If it's like creating new electronic products, like VCDs, it's really not challenging."

Zhai Yuan smiled and said to Tao Zongyi, "The British Telegraph Company just acquired Hong Kong Telephone Company from Jardine Matheson's Hong Kong Land. Now, all of Hong Kong's domestic and international communications business is contracted out to Telegraph Company. But to be honest, their business level is very poor. Holding the exclusive right to mobile communications, they only deal with the pager and mobile phone market. In the entertainment field, they only have television signal business. Nowadays, American computers can share the Internet. Japan caught up with the times five years ago and started to develop commercial networks. I saw in the news that even South Korea has independently developed wireless data transmission module communication equipment."

Zhai Yuan shook his head and continued, "A perfectly good communications business has been stagnant because of the British. One step behind means one step behind. I think rather than letting them occupy the position without doing anything, we should take advantage of the Governor's support this time and do it ourselves... However, this will inevitably lead to competing with the Eastern Telegraph Company for business. Hey, I'm about 50% confident that I can cripple the Eastern Telegraph Company with one move. I just don't know if Wei Yixin can withstand it..."

(End of this chapter)