Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 367 Dimensionality Reduction Strike
"Yes, we definitely can't compare to big cities like Los Angeles!"

The passenger in the passenger seat glanced at the rearview mirror and echoed Gu Bei's words.

Speaking the truth only leads to being misunderstood!

Gu Bei helplessly spread his hands to Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming.

The two were actually very clear that Gu Bei wasn't talking about Los Angeles, but rather inland cities like Kyoto, Shanghai, or even Hangzhou.

Gu Bei's first impression of this place was that it was dirty and messy.

Everywhere you look on the streets are old buildings, gray and yellow with a touch of patina.

It's somewhat like a city in mainland China that was in the mid-to-late 1990s and about to enter the new century. Comparing it to cities in mainland China that underwent large-scale infrastructure construction after entering the new century would be unfair to this place.

Even in Hangzhou, there are now many CBD (Central Business District) areas.

Not to mention Kyoto and Shanghai.
There's only one conspicuous building here: Taipei 101.

Although this 508-meter-tall building is currently the world's tallest skyscraper,

But compared to the old city center, the Taipei 101 building looks out of place, completely out of place with the city skyline.

However, each trench is stronger than the last.

It will lose its title as the world's tallest building in a month.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai will raise this record to 828 meters.

That's right, it's the Burj Khalifa in Dubai that Gu Bei is going to film next year, and which will appear as a major scene in Mission: Impossible 4.

If it weren't for Mission: Impossible 4,

The Burj Khalifa's title as the world's tallest building didn't spread quickly.

Just like how Taipei 101 is about to be surpassed, many people still don't know that it was once the world's tallest building.

Gu Bei had originally planned to stroll around here.

But what he saw and heard on the train made him lose interest in the place.

Moreover, Liu Yifei's face is easily recognizable here; if they go out for a stroll, they'll be in the Taiwanese newspapers the next day.

Inside the hotel, we also met Zhang Ziyi, Yu Shaoqun, and others who had arrived earlier. Their itinerary was more conventional: they first flew from Kyoto to Shangri-La, stayed for an extra day, and then flew from Shangri-La to here, thus avoiding the need for the plane to make a detour in the air.

the next day.

It started again in the morning.
Liu Yifei's room immediately became a flurry of activity.

Dior's team brought two large truckloads of clothes. In addition to the haute couture gowns for the red carpet, they also needed to prepare extra gowns and jewelry for the event and reception.

By the time the rest of the crew got busy, Liu Yifei's room had already been bustling with activity for half a day.

Huang Xiaoming came out of his room and, seeing this scene, couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "So grand?"

Yu Shaoqun looked at Zhang Ziyi beside him: "Sister Ziyi, when you were a Dior spokesperson, was it this grand?"

Why are you bringing up something you don't want to talk about?

Zhang Ziyi's face darkened.

She had previously only worked with Dior as a brand ambassador.
Because Dior is somewhat unique, it only has brand ambassadors, not brand spokespeople.
Therefore, they have been reluctant to officially announce her as the first brand ambassador for the Greater China region.
When she had other options, she signed an endorsement deal with Armani.

However, given the scarcity of high-end luxury brand endorsements in mainland China these days, the press releases all mention endorsements. Since most people only know about endorsements, they wouldn't understand such intricate details.

Yu Shaoqun's words were like stabbing her in the back!

If it weren't for the fact that she had worked with Yu Shaoqun twice,
I know that "Mei Lanfang" and "The Message" are the only two works that Yu Shaoqun has done since entering the entertainment industry.
She probably thought Yu Shaoqun was mocking her.

Even so, Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but roll her eyes at Yu Shaoqun and didn't answer his question.

Gu Bei chuckled at this.
The naive are the best at dealing with the clever.

He casually replied, "This is actually the normal rule. It's just that the domestic market isn't big enough yet, so brands used to just muddle through."

When domestic luxury goods consumption surpasses that of Europe in the future, you celebrities will also be able to enjoy the same treatment.

Luxury brands are the best representatives of capitalism. Their every move reveals the most primitive flavor of capital. When the domestic economy improves in the future, the treatment of mainland entertainment stars will also rise accordingly.

Mainland celebrities may now envy the treatment they receive from celebrities in neighboring regions and countries.
In the future, these mainland Chinese celebrities will be the ones sought after by brands.

The compensation is better than in Europe, and only slightly worse than in North America.

Gu Bei was just saying it casually.
He does not mean that,
Zhang Ziyi, standing nearby, sensed something was amiss.

The implied message in Gu Bei's words is...

The collaboration that Liu Yifei and Dior initially discussed should not be limited to China, but rather a global partnership.
This made her feel a sense of urgency. The younger generation is pushing the older generation aside. Would she, the older generation, be swept away and left to die on the beach?

When the crew of "The Message" gathered in the hotel lobby in the afternoon, preparing to head to the Golden Horse Awards ceremony.

When Zhang Ziyi saw Liu Yifei's look, her face turned pale.

She found that her worries in the afternoon were justified.
I'm starting to regret being tempted by the exposure of "The Message" and choosing to walk the red carpet with the crew of "The Message".

I should have brought Yu Shaoqun along. The two of them could have walked the red carpet separately for Mei Lanfang. The exposure might have been a little less, but at least they wouldn't have had to stand next to Liu Yifei and be compared to each other.

With that thought in mind, Zhang Ziyi moved to the side to avoid appearing in the same frame as Liu Yifei.

Gu Bei noticed Zhang Ziyi's little action and could understand it.

In terms of looks, Zhang Ziyi is only thirty years old this year, and the age difference between her and Liu Yifei is not yet apparent.

However, the contrast between the Dior haute couture gown and the dress Zhang Ziyi wore was simply too obvious.

Although Zhang Ziyi is now known as "International Zhang,"
Indeed, it was once the most well-known face of China overseas.
However, Zhang Ziyi's main commercial value still lies in mainland China.
Compared to Liu Yifei's Star Fortune's $1.8 million in North America, there's a world of difference in commercial value!
As for the treatment of mainland celebrities by brands,

The treatment was already somewhat worse than that of people in places like Xiangdu and Taiwan.
The treatment in Xiangdu and Taiwan is slightly worse than in developed countries like Japan and South Korea.
Countries in Asia, such as Japan and South Korea, receive slightly worse treatment than those in Europe.
As for the gap between Europe and North America, it is even greater than the gap between the mainland and Europe. With each layer overlapping the other, it forms a kind of dimensional reduction attack!
"Aren't we being a little too flashy?"

Liu Yifei also noticed the difference and couldn't help but ask Gu Bei a question in a low voice.

The difference in money can be visibly visualized at this moment.

"Your manager Linda is just helping you ask for normal treatment, so just relax and show off your charm!" Gu Bei comforted him softly.

at this time,

A voice called out from behind, "Xiaoming!"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Gu Bei.
He also looked back.
Isn't this Huang Bo, the future box office king with billions in earnings?
Last time in Venice, I only saw bullfighting and didn't see Huang Bo, but I didn't expect to see Huang Bo at the Golden Horse Awards.

At this moment, Huang Bo walked over with a photographer who had been following him.

Just as I was about to chat with Huang Xiaoming,

Both of them are from Qingdao, and are also alumni of the Beijing Film Academy.
Although Huang Bo is three years older than Huang Xiaoming, Huang Bo entered the Beijing Film Academy six years later than Huang Xiaoming, so Huang Bo can only be considered Huang Xiaoming's junior.

I wasn't familiar with him before, but I got to know him after Huang Bo starred in two Crazy series movies.

Then, Huang Bo recognized Gu Bei: "Hello, Director Gu, I am..." "Huang Bo!"

Gu Bei immediately called out his name, "I saw your bullfight in Venice, you acted so well, you definitely deserve the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor tonight!"

"Thank you, Director Gu!"

Huang Bo was somewhat flattered upon hearing this.

However, he quickly regained his composure and joked, "Director Gu, you didn't say that just because you saw the photographer, did you?"

Liu Yifei, who was standing next to Gu Bei, turned around and explained to him, "I can vouch for you. Gu Bei said the same thing back in Venice. He said your performance deserved a Best Actor award!"

Huang Bo was genuinely shocked when Liu Yifei turned around.

Then he quickly said, "Liu Yifei, I've seen you at school before, you look as beautiful as a fairy today!"

When praised, Liu Yifei simply smiled and said, "Today's awards ceremony red carpet was full of fairies!"

"that's right!"

Huang Bo immediately chimed in, praising Zhang Ziyi beside him, "Teacher Zhang Ziyi is just like a fairy!"

Gu Bei saw that Zhang Ziyi only nodded and did not reply, clearly not appreciating his words at all.

"what about me?"

Huang Xiaoming looked at his fellow Qingdao native, Huang Bo, with amusement. "You've already forgotten about me the moment you see Director Gu?"

"You..."

Huang Bo deliberately paused for a moment, then said, "It also seems like the same person!"

"Well done, Huang Bo!"

Huang Xiaoming chuckled and patted Huang Bo on the shoulder.

Naturally, they knew Huang Bo was just trying to lighten the mood, so they didn't take it to heart.

After some greetings,
Huang Bo then led the photographer back.

"Professor Huang Bo, I never knew you had such a wide network of connections!"

Tong Zhanggui, played by Yan Ni, is the female lead in "Bullfighting." She jokingly teases Huang Bo, who has just returned.

"You have this connection too!"

While refuting, Huang Bo subtly flattered director Guan Hu, saying, "Director Gu watched bullfighting in Venice, which is why he recognized me. This connection was brought to us by Director Guan!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Hu raised his head with a hint of arrogance.

He was already much taller than Huang Bo, and when he looked up, his bald head looked exceptionally shiny. Upon closer inspection, his head was also pointed.

Meanwhile, the crew of The Sound of the Wind, who were the first to arrive outside the venue, encountered their first problem.

Although several of the films nominated for the Golden Horse Awards this year belong to mainland China.

But the Golden Horse Awards are actually the closing ceremony of a film festival.

Among the three major domestic awards, the Golden Rooster Awards and the Golden Horse Awards are awards attached to film festivals, and like the Cannes and Venice award ceremonies, they are part of the closing ceremony of the film festival.

The Hong Kong Film Awards are a little different.
It's an association award similar to the Oscars or the Academy Awards.
Essentially, they are all regional awards, so even in the future, the Hong Kong Film Awards will continue to maintain stricter entry rules and selection criteria.

Therefore, including award presenters and film festival guests, the filmmakers waiting to go on stage are still predominantly from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The appearance of the crew of "The Message"
After attracting the attention of these Hong Kong and Taiwan filmmakers,
Then they continued chatting in small groups, subtly isolating the crew of "The Message," and not a single person came over to greet them.

"Aren't you going to say hello?"

Gu Bei smiled and looked at Huang Xiaoming and Zhang Ziyi.
They've had quite a few collaborations with Hong Kong and Taiwan before, and among all these Hong Kong and Taiwan filmmakers present, there must be people they know.

"We're not very familiar with each other!"

Huang Xiaoming said with a smile.

He could also sense the subtle atmosphere at the scene.
But rather than going out to build connections now, he decisively chose to stay with the crew of "The Message".

Zhang Ziyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded and decided to stay.

Gu Bei turned his head and glanced at Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei was in a daze.
He noticed that Gu Bei was looking at him.

She suddenly winked at Gu Bei.
After a slight pause upon seeing Gu Bei, she smiled happily again.

Gu Bei couldn't help but smile.
That's true, given Liu Yifei's personality.

She'd be happy if no one bothered her; she could have a great time playing by herself.

Subsequently,

Gu Bei glanced indifferently at the crowd waiting in the wings.
A common pattern can be observed.
The younger the Hong Kong and Taiwanese filmmakers, the more likely they are to harbor a subtle hostility towards Gu Bei.

As for the older filmmakers, they were more polite and even nodded to Gu Bei in greeting.

There were indeed people among them who smiled kindly at Gu Bei.
In the slightly eerie atmosphere, they didn't come over to greet anyone, but instead remained silent along with everyone else.

"What a bunch of arrogant and insecure people!"

Gu Bei could roughly understand their mentality.

A few years ago, they could still look down on the mainland film market.

However, the domestic market has been booming in recent years.
The mainland market increasingly needs mainland stars.

These younger generations have begun to compete head-on with mainland stars, and they've started to find themselves unable to compete with them.

However, they can still cling to their past glories.
Stubbornly maintaining a bird's-eye view of the mainland,
Until the wind suddenly appeared,

With a single film grossing 500 million, and featuring an all-mainland cast, and even performing well in North America, it completely shattered the past glory of Hong Kong and Taiwan!
They naturally and instinctively rejected the crew of "The Message".
Furthermore, the younger the filmmakers are and the greater the competition they face from mainland China, the more resistant they are to the crew of "The Message".

Gu Bei also saw from this the reason for the decline of the younger generation in Hong Kong and Taiwan: they were too proud and unwilling to let go, and by the time they wanted to let go, it was too late.

Gu Bei was originally indifferent to the decline of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

After all, he went abroad during junior high school, unlike his peers who grew up watching Hong Kong and Taiwan films, so he didn't have any nostalgia to draw on.
But now he is actually happy to see the decline of Hong Kong and Taiwan. After all, even the popular celebrities are more magnanimous in character than this young generation who are both afraid of, hate and yearn for the mainland.

at this time,

The staff has arrived.

He said to Gu Bei, "Director Gu, your crew from 'The Message' is the first to appear. Please follow me!"

(End of this chapter)