HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 239 [239] A Model Idol for China, a Role Model for Chinese Youth

It only aired two episodes and it suppressed all the TV dramas of the first three months. Is it really necessary to be so ruthless?

In the 2000s, Jin Yong dramas were a guarantee of high viewership ratings.

Every time Zhang Dahuzi casts a role, so many artists are eager to get one because Jin Yong's dramas have high ratings and can make actors famous.

The combination of Jin Yong's drama and CCTV production is already a winning formula, and adding Qi Yuan, a top-tier celebrity, makes it an absolute ace in the coin.

It's safe to say that as long as it's not made into a complete mess, it's hard for the ratings to be bad.

Right now, everyone is reporting on "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".

"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" has also become a topic of conversation for many ordinary people during their leisure time.

Movies may be highbrow, but when it comes to promoting people, they're nowhere near as good as TV dramas.

Later, Zhang Ziyi, in terms of actual achievements, was in a class of her own among the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China), and she always felt very frustrated when she clashed with the others.

Because she mainly acts in movies, she has a very poor public image and not many fans. The general public hears more about her scandals.

The others all started out acting in TV dramas, and have already gained widespread popularity, boasting a large fan base. When their idols encounter problems, their fans come from all directions to offer support.

Zhao Yanzi's popularity and national recognition were unmatched among mainland actresses at the time thanks to "My Fair Princess," and no one could rival her.

It's her own actions that ruined her public image; otherwise, she would be the number one cash cow among mainland Chinese actresses.

The same principle applies to Qi Yuan.

Last year's "The Mission" achieved excellent box office results in mainland China, second only to Feng Xiaogang's "Be There or Be Square" and on par with Zhang Yingmou's "Not One Less".

But as for how many people in mainland China have seen this movie, probably not many.

In vast rural areas, people watched television; in 1999, VCD sales were only 30 million units.

Only about one in twenty or thirty households had a VCD player, and not all households with VCD players would buy the DVD of "The Mission".

Movies are naturally less effective at spreading than TV series.

There's no way around it; unless TV stations broadcast it for free, ordinary people either have to buy or rent DVDs or go to the cinema to watch movies. Watching TV series is much more economical.

……

Shandong Province.

An old man praised Linghu Chong on TV, saying he was quite handsome and his swordplay was beautiful. He liked him very much and asked his granddaughter if this handsome young man had acted in any other TV series.

The granddaughter replied, "Grandpa, his name is Qi Yuan. This is his first TV series. Don't you know him? He sang 'Dong Feng Po' that you and Grandpa Liu played together in the park last time."

Grandpa's pupils dilated in shock: "So young? I thought the people who sang that song were all in their fifties or sixties."

……

Guangdong and Guangxi.

Some families in rural areas have installed satellite dishes and can receive signals from CCTV-8.

Several children were impressed by Linghu Chong's Dugu Nine Swords. Since they didn't have swords, they carefully selected a few straight sticks and tucked them into their waistbands to pretend to be swordsmen.

Upon seeing the yellow rapeseed flowers, he would draw his "sword" and start slashing, shouting things like "broken sword style" and "broken knife style," all while looking quite professional.

The kid had a blast during the day and thought he was incredibly handsome.

At night, the village was filled with crackling sounds and the cries of children.

The parents beat and cursed at the same time: "Linghu Chong taught you the Dugu Nine Swords, but did he teach you how to braise pork with rattan? Now I'll teach you."

...Across the country, many uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas got to know Qi Yuan because of the TV series "Swordsman" and remembered Qi Yuan's face.

In the small village, the members of the "Military Intelligence Group 8" at the village entrance, besides gossiping about whose family it is, also discuss the popular TV series "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".

Even Gao Yuanyuan and Zhang Tong participated in the discussion.

One day, Qi Yuan accompanied Zhang Tong to watch a TV series and happened to see Yue Lingshan causing all sorts of trouble.

Zhang Tong pointed at Gao Yuanyuan on TV and instructed Qi Yuan: "Did you see that clearly? You can't have a woman like that. You give her your heart, and she turns around and gets together with another man. In real life, if you encounter a woman like that, stay away from her."

While watching the drama with Gao Yuanyuan, Qi Yuanyuan saw Ren Yingying and said in a sarcastic tone, "You should be careful when you encounter this kind of woman in the future. You can tell at a glance that she is not a good person."

Qi Yuan: "..."

……

The ratings for "Swordsman" have been soaring, rising from an average of 7.4% on the first day to over 8% on the second day and 8.51% on the third day, making it an absolute hit.

To promote their work, Qi Yuan and Zhang Dahuzi appeared on a CCTV talk show.

"Producer Zhang and Qi Yuan, 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' was a success and was hailed by audiences as the best martial arts drama of 2000. Some people believe that your version has surpassed previous versions. Do you have any plans to remake other martial arts dramas? This is what the audience wants to know. Many netizens have specifically requested that Qi Yuan play Yang Guo."

Zhang Dahuzi glanced at Qi Yuan out of the corner of his eye. He also wanted to answer, but Qi Yuan wouldn't give him a definite answer, so he told Qi Yuan to answer first.

Qi Yuan didn't mince words: "As everyone knows, Jin Yong's works are nationally renowned IPs, and many actors from Hong Kong and Taiwan became famous by acting in Jin Yong's dramas."

The host smiled and nodded, listening attentively to Qi Yuan's answer.

Qi Yuan's answer was quite appropriate, giving Jin Yong face and affirming the value of Jin Yong's adapted works in the 2000s.

Then Qi Yuan changed the subject and said, "I'm already famous enough. Acting in another Jin Yong drama wouldn't mean much to me. I probably won't be acting in any more Jin Yong dramas for the time being."

The female host pressed on with curiosity, "If you don't act, other male actors will become famous and may become your competitors."

"A garden full of spring colors is better than a single flower blooming. The mainland film and television industry needs more actors to become famous. With more good actors, good screenwriters, and good directors, we can bring more good works to the audience, and Chinese-language films and television can go beyond the mainland and even go abroad to the world stage."

Zhang the Bearded Man: "..."

So you're going to take the civil service exam, huh?

And what's wrong with you, kid? You don't even want to act in Jin Yong dramas anymore. Currently, Jin Yong dramas and Qiong Yao dramas are both popular IPs in the television drama industry.

Zhang Dahuzi felt that Qi Yuan was getting a little too cocky.

The host and the production team were quite satisfied with Qi Yuan's answer.

The production team didn't cut a single word that Qi Yuan said.

After this episode aired, the *China Youth Daily* published a report about Qi Yuan, titled: 'A Model Idol for China! A Role Model for Youth!'

At the same time, Li Xue received an invitation from CCTV.

In November of this year, Qi Yuan will represent the mainland Chinese music scene at the second China-Korea Song Festival in South Korea.

It is said that a higher-ups at CCTV specifically mentioned Qi Yuan.

Upon receiving the invitation, Qi Yuan accepted without hesitation.

The importance of the China-Korea Song Festival is self-evident; it's not something you can just sing if you're popular and have a lot of fans.

Moreover, this is the second China-Korea Song Festival, and the first time it has been held in South Korea. South Korea is the host country, so the singers sent there must be carefully selected to represent the highest level of Chinese pop music.

Furthermore, Qi Yuan is the first person to represent the Chinese music scene at the China-Korea Song Festival in his early twenties, and it is unlikely that anyone will be able to do so again.

(End of this chapter)