Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 540, Section 538: An Energetic Dance
The convoy crossed the Han River and entered the heart of Seoul. Instead of heading to any commercial office buildings, it arrived at the Shilla Hotel Guest House, a traditional Korean-style building complex located in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu.

With its blue-tiled roofs, white walls, deep courtyards, and towering ancient trees, this place is one of the important venues used by the South Korean government to receive state guests and hold the highest-level foreign affairs events.

Choosing this location, rather than any entertainment company's conference room, sends a clear signal that the South Korean side is elevating this meeting to a strategic level of "cultural exchange" and "industrial cooperation."

Wang Sheng, accompanied by Vice Minister Park Jin-hwan and Chairman Lee Kai-dong, entered the main reception room.

The interior is elegantly furnished, with modern and comfortable sofas and chairs complementing traditional Korean-style screens and ceramic artworks. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows is a meticulously manicured courtyard landscape.

At this time, several people were already waiting in the reception room.

Upon seeing Wang Sheng and his entourage enter, they all stood up, their faces displaying just the right amount of enthusiasm and respect.

Aside from Zheng Taiyuan, who followed him closely, Wang Sheng's gaze swept over the others, and he immediately recognized their identities.

These were the true leaders of the South Korean entertainment industry in 2004, and the core driving force behind the "Korean Wave" strategy.

Lee Mi-kyung, vice chairman of CJ Group, effectively controls CJ Entertainment, an entertainment behemoth encompassing film production and distribution, cinemas, music, and television channels.

Born into the prestigious Li family, she carved out her own territory within the CJ Group with her exceptional business acumen. She possesses an elegant and noble demeanor, yet her eyes reveal the sharpness and shrewdness characteristic of a powerful businesswoman.

In reality, their family was kicked out of the competition for the position of family head.

CJ Entertainment is not only one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, but also a major sponsor of the Busan International Film Festival, ambitiously promoting the globalization of Korean cultural content.

This shows that film festivals are a disguised manifestation of industry power.

Lee Soo-man is the founder and chairman of SM Entertainment.

This man, hailed as the "Godfather of K-POP," is not tall, wears glasses, and appears gentle, but his brows reveal a unique stubbornness and visionary spirit characteristic of a pioneer.

It was he who single-handedly created the idol legends of H.O.T. and S.E.S., and is now brewing even more powerful second-generation groups such as TVXQ and Super Junior.

He represents the core of South Korea's idol industry's star-making system and music output capabilities.

Bang Si-hyuk, who is still an important producer at JYP Entertainment, has already demonstrated extraordinary musical talent and business acumen, and is Park Jin-young's right-hand man.

JYP, along with SM and YG, is known as one of the "Big Three." Although Yang Hyun-suk of YG was not present at the event, the presence of Bang Si-hyuk was enough to represent the backbone of Korean pop music creation.

In addition, there is Kim Jong-do, the CEO of Showbox Films, a company known for distributing and investing in high-quality films and a major player in the Korean film market.

This was a collective appearance by the core members of the "regular army" of the South Korean entertainment industry. The purpose was self-evident: to demonstrate the overall strength of the South Korean cultural industry to Wang Sheng and to explore any possibilities for their company to cooperate with the behemoth that is Shengying Media.

The brief introductions and pleasantries were conducted with the assistance of a translator, in a friendly yet formal atmosphere.

After both sides were seated, Vice Minister Park Jin-hwan, as the official representative, delivered a brief welcome speech, emphasizing the importance of cultural exchanges between China and South Korea, praising the achievements of Wang Sheng and Shengying Media, and expressing his hope that this meeting would open a new chapter in cultural industry cooperation between the two countries.

After finishing his speech, Vice Minister Park smiled slightly, clapped his hands, and said, "To welcome Chairman Wang Sheng, who has come from afar, we have specially prepared a small program, hoping to let Chairman Wang Sheng experience the vitality of contemporary Korean pop culture."

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen on one side of the reception room was quietly moved aside, revealing a small but well-equipped live band and a group of dancers in place.

Immediately afterwards, five bright and beautiful girls dressed in matching stage outfits walked briskly to the center of the temporarily empty "stage".

The music started, a typical K-POP dance track with a brisk rhythm and catchy melody.

The girls' dance was synchronized and full of energy, their faces beaming with sweet smiles, and their eyes actively engaging with every important person present.

Wang Sheng thought for a moment and recognized the group Baby VOX. In 2004, although Baby VOX had passed their peak (debuted in 1997), they were still one of the most representative girl groups in South Korea with hit songs such as "Get Up" and "Accidental," and they also had many fans in China.

Their emergence represented the mature industrial level of South Korean girl groups at that time.

However, as he watched the vibrant performance before him, Wang Sheng's thoughts drifted away, recalling a performance he had seen in the news in his previous life by a South Korean girl group at the opening ceremony of a Winter Olympics—a stage effect that attempted to blend tradition and modernity but appeared somewhat abrupt and "weird" against the backdrop of a grand stadium.

That strong intention to showcase culture, or even to some extent "indoctrinate," seems to have a strange connection with the performance before us, which is intended to please important guests.

He understood perfectly well, but his face remained impassive.

At this moment, almost all the media cameras on site were focused on Wang Sheng's face, with telephoto lenses trying to capture any subtle change in his expression—was it amazement? Disdain? Curiosity? Or indifference?
These will all become headline images in tomorrow's entertainment and even finance sections.

Wang Sheng simply leaned back slightly, his right hand casually resting on the sofa armrest, his left hand holding the ginseng tea that the waiter had just served him, a peaceful and appreciative smile on his face, his gaze fixed on the performing girls, and occasionally nodding slightly at a particularly brilliant dance move or a perfectly synchronized harmony.

His facial expressions were impeccable; he neither showed excessive enthusiasm, which would have seemed frivolous, nor did he reveal any criticism or incomprehension, which would have seemed rude. He displayed the demeanor of a well-traveled industry veteran appreciating a decent or even excellent commercial performance.

When the song ended, the girls bowed, panting, but their faces still held perfect smiles.

Polite applause rang out, and Wang Sheng put down his teacup and clapped earnestly.

Chairman Lee Kai-dong, who was chairing the meeting, smiled at Wang Sheng and asked in English, "Chairman Wang Sheng, how do you feel? This is Baby VOX, a very popular girl group in South Korea. What are your thoughts on this kind of K-POP culture, especially our vibrant girl group culture?"

This question, seemingly random, is actually a carefully designed "test question".

In such a semi-official, high-profile setting, any comments made by Wang Sheng are likely to be amplified and misinterpreted.

Wang Sheng understood this perfectly.

He must first offer positive affirmation; this is basic diplomatic etiquette and business acumen.

His smile remained unchanged as he replied in clear and steady Mandarin, “A very wonderful performance. The members of Baby VOX danced with power, sang sweetly, and their overall coordination and stage presence were impressive.”

He paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts, and continued, "This idol group operation model, which closely integrates music, dance, and visual image, reflects a very high level of industrialization and market insight."

It accurately captures the aesthetic needs of the younger generation, creating a powerful cultural appeal and fan base. I believe this is a very successful area of ​​innovation and strength in the South Korean pop culture industry.

His remarks first specifically praised the performers, then rose to the level of "industrialization level," "market insight," and "cultural appeal," completely hitting the nail on the head for the South Korean side.

Sure enough, when they heard Wang Sheng not only accurately call out the group's name but also give such an expert and positive evaluation, the Korean bigwigs present, from Park Jin-hwan and Lee Jung-dong to Lee Mi-kyung and Lee Soo-man, all showed uncontrollable smiles of satisfaction and pride.

Media reporters were also quickly taking notes, and their cameras were flashing incessantly.

In their view, Wang Sheng's statement was undoubtedly an endorsement of South Korea's cultural export model by a world-class entertainment giant, greatly satisfying their national vanity and industry confidence.

The purpose of the warm-up segment has been exceeded.

The atmosphere in the venue became more relaxed and lively.

Chairman Lee Kai-dong, satisfied, gestured for the members and band of Baby VOX to leave, then cleared his throat and steered the conversation toward the core of today's talks.

"Thank you for your praise, Chairman Wang Sheng. We believe that the vitality of culture lies in exchange and integration. Next, we look forward to hearing Chairman Wang Sheng's specific ideas on Sino-Korean co-productions, especially the 'Seoul Farewell' project you envisioned. We firmly believe that with Shengying's strength and Chairman Wang Sheng's vision, combined with the excellent production capabilities of China and South Korea, we will definitely be able to create a work that will shock the world film industry."

(End of this chapter)