Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 326, Section 324: Siba's Ambition
In December, a cold front swept through Northeast Asia, and on the streets of Seoul and Tokyo, the white breath exhaled quickly dissipated into the dry, cold air.

As primary, secondary, and tertiary schools begin their summer holidays, throngs of students flock to commercial districts, amusement parks, and—the modern multiplex cinemas that have recently become a fashionable pastime for young people.

At this juncture, after months of preparation, promotion and anticipation, "My Sassy Girl," produced by Shengying Media, directed by Wang Sheng, and starring Fan Xiaopang and Deng Chao, officially landed in the South Korean and Japanese markets.

In South Korea, the person in charge of importing and distributing the product was Jung Tae-won, the president of Tae-won Entertainment, who already had a successful working relationship with Wang Sheng.

However, standing in the Tae Won Entertainment office in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, looking down through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the huge posters hanging downstairs to promote "My Sassy Girl," Jung Tae Won's mood was not as bright and radiant as the dazzling sea of ​​lights outside the window, which was deliberately created to cater to the festive atmosphere. Instead, it was filled with an indescribable complexity and solemnity.

He witnessed firsthand the box office miracle of "My Sassy Girl" in China.

For this acquisition, he also invested huge promotional resources, collaborating with Park Jung-hyun again to promote the theme song, launching a carpet bombing campaign on major TV stations, radio stations, and internet forums frequented by young people.

The pre-sales are going quite well, and he is optimistic about the film's opening week box office performance.

But profit has never been Zheng Taiyuan's only pursuit, nor is it what he values ​​most at this moment.

His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the desk, making a dull thud.

His thoughts drifted to a grander, and more anxiety-inducing level—South Korea's "culture-based nation" strategy.

Since the South Korean government explicitly put forward this national strategy in 1998, it has been a consensus between the political and business circles in South Korea to vigorously develop cultural industries such as film, television dramas, and popular music, and regard them as pillar industries of the country and core means of exporting its image to the outside world.

The government has spared no effort in providing policy support and financial assistance, with a clear and firm goal: to spread the "Hallyu" wave to Asia and the world.

Against this backdrop of national progress, what is Jung Tae-won, the president of an entertainment company, doing at this moment?
He is bringing a Chinese film to South Korea.

This behavior itself carries a subtle sense of "political incorrectness" within the current South Korean cultural context. Admittedly, while the government encourages "cultural exchange," importing excellent foreign works can enrich the domestic market and inspire creative ideas.

But at its core, the essence of "building a nation through culture" is "exporting" and "dumping," like Hollywood, packaging its own cultural values ​​and lifestyles as commodities and forcefully pushing them to other countries.

Currently, it seems that only Hollywood in the United States possesses the absolute power and status to dump culture globally, including in South Korea.

South Korea itself is still in the stage of striving to catch up and aspiring to become an "exporter".

So what does it mean that he, by taking the opposite approach and bringing in works from a neighboring country—a country with a rich cultural heritage, huge market potential, and which is also catching up in the cultural industry?
This means that he failed to keep up with the mainstream of national strategy.

This means that his company lacks sufficient local creative and output capabilities.

This means that, to some extent, he is doing the work for "the other".

While his colleagues outwardly congratulated him on his keen eye and thriving business, behind his back they might have scoffed that "Jung Tae-won is just a middleman" and "makes money by importing Chinese films." Though these voices were faint, they were like tiny thorns, pricking his pride and ambition.

He knew that if it weren't for the momentum of the "China-Korea Cultural Exchange Year" and the positive atmosphere and business model created by the unexpected success of "First Love," he would have had a hard time getting "My Sassy Girl," a film produced entirely in mainland China and imbued with a strong Chinese urban atmosphere, into South Korean theaters so smoothly.

For every transaction like this, the "pioneer" label diminishes, and the "distributor" label grows stronger.

The profits it brings are real, but its effect on enhancing his status within the South Korean cultural and entertainment industry is limited, and may even have a negative impact.

This is by no means the long-term foundation he desires.

What he aspires to is to become an industry giant like CJ Entertainment or Showbox, not only dominating the domestic market but also successfully promoting Korean films, stars, and culture overseas, especially the vast and nearby Chinese market.

Thinking of this, Zheng Taiyuan's brows furrowed even more.

The Chinese market... Wang Sheng...

His collaboration with Wang Sheng appeared close; the copyright transaction for "A Little Thing Called First Love" and the Sino-Korean co-production of "Happy Family" both demonstrated a good working relationship. However, Zheng Taiyuan keenly sensed that Wang Sheng held an extremely cautious, even conservative, attitude towards market openness.

What Wang Sheng seems willing to share mainly is the Hong Kong market and opportunities for co-productions.

Wang Sheng has never given a clear commitment to allowing purely Korean films to enter the Chinese mainland market, and his attitude remains ambiguous.

China's control over imported films is notoriously strict.

Apart from the very few revenue-sharing blockbuster slots available each year (which are basically monopolized by Hollywood) and some films imported through "cultural exchange" channels, it is extremely difficult for foreign films to enter mainland Chinese cinemas.

That invisible wall is more troublesome than any business negotiation.

How do you compete with Hollywood giants who have global distribution networks and strong negotiating power for those precious spots?
Zheng Taiyuan was self-aware; he had no confidence whatsoever.

His only hope seemed to rest on Wang Sheng.

He dreamed of gaining something akin to a "franchise" through his special relationship with Wang Sheng—becoming a key bridge, or even the only channel, for Korean films to enter the Chinese market.

Even if he can only successfully get one Korean film officially released in mainland China in a year, his status in South Korea will be completely different.

He will no longer be an "introducer," but a "strategist" who holds scarce resources and can open up a market of one billion people.

To achieve this goal, he must offer enough leverage to deepen his connection with Wang Sheng.

Besides continuous collaborative projects and profit sharing, Zheng Taiyuan knew that catering to their preferences in certain areas might yield unexpected results.

He recalled Wang Sheng's admiration for Kim Hee-sun and the subtle, ambiguous relationship between the two.

This gave him a direction.

So, over the past six months, Jung Tae-won has used a lot of his connections and resources, searching tirelessly in South Korea like a talent scout.

He was looking for a girl who could rival or even surpass Kim Hee-sun's beauty, and who was young, had potential, and was easy to control.

Ideally, the candidate should be around eighteen years old, not yet officially debuted or not well-known, like an unpolished gem that he can personally package as a special "gift" or "significance of cooperation" and present to Wang Sheng.

His requirements are extremely high: not only must one have impeccable facial features and physique, but also a unique temperament that can attract attention instantly and leave a lasting impression.

He went through the graduation albums of various art high schools, contacted countless modeling agencies and trainee groups, and interviewed countless girls who dreamed of becoming stars.

This process is not easy.

Kim Hee-sun's top-tier beauty is a rare resource.

But he didn't give up, searching almost obsessively.

They actually found him a few suitable ones.

Son Ye-jin, Han Ga-in...

He picked up the phone and connected with his secretary: "Contact Chairman Wang Sheng and tell him that I have some new ideas about further cooperation next year, especially in cultural exchange and talent discovery. I hope to arrange a meeting as soon as possible. The location can be in Beijing, or, if it is convenient for him, I can visit him again."

(End of this chapter)