Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 328 The First Batch of Cultural Relics Returned
Inside the Ministry of Culture's conference room, the atmosphere became tense as Wang Yang and Liu Peiran glared at each other.

Given their status, they wouldn't normally lose their composure like this; they were simply trying to express their strong dissatisfaction and put pressure on the ministry and China Film Group.

Normally they would address each other as "Comrade Zhou Yang" or "Comrade Xia Yan," but today they shouted "Leader" directly, their voices sounding full of grievances.

Zhou Yang and Xia Yan secretly thought that they shouldn't have called this meeting today. Their original intention was to use the film screening and copy orders as a form of publicity.

Now it's turned into a lamentation session for Wang Yang and Liu Peiran, and it doesn't seem right for the two of them not to express their opinions.

The key issue is that this attitude isn't so easy to express.

The August First Film Studio and Beijing Film Studio invested a total of one million yuan, but the actual final filming budget was only 500,000 yuan.

Under the current revenue-sharing policy, a film can sell for a maximum of 108 million yuan. For films with no more than 120 copies, China Film Group pays 9000 yuan per copy, which is a maximum of 108 million yuan.

For the best films (more than 120 copies), China Film Group no longer pays based on the number of copies, but instead pays a flat price of 99 yuan. Even the worst films, as long as they pass censorship, are still paid 99 yuan to the film studio.

The reason for this is that it relies on national policy adjustments, using the profits from good films to subsidize the losses caused by bad films to China Film Group.

Therefore, film studios rarely produce films with a budget exceeding one million yuan; the two studios set their budget at one million yuan. Prepared for modest profits, the two studios engaged in high-budget productions partly out of social responsibility and partly to enhance the image of their film studios.

In addition, if they really lose money, they can join forces and go to the Ministry of Culture to plead for subsidies.

However, during filming, it was discovered that the military was incredibly supportive, providing substantial financial assistance that saved the two film studios 500,000 yuan in expenses.

Based on current figures, each company can earn a profit of 24.5 yuan.

Seeing that China Film Group is making so much money, how could the two companies not be envious? Upon seeing this, Ding Daming, the general manager of China Film Group, also said with grievance: "Since 1980, China Film Group's profits have dropped to 8.12%, and in the last two years, it has even suffered losses."

If all your movies could be made to the high quality of "Triumph at Midnight," we would be willing to give each of you a million in profit.

How can you even have the nerve to make a movie that sells four or five copies a year?

Upon hearing the other party's retort, Wang Yang immediately said, "Some films are policy-driven films. If the copies don't sell well, it has nothing to do with us. If you give us the filming and distribution rights, I guarantee that the profits we hand over in a year will be more than your China Film Group."

Ding Daming slammed his hand on the table: "Well then, let's hear what our grievances are like. The annual profit of domestic films is close to one billion yuan. How much of that does China Film Group take? Can we raise the price of film prints and redistribute the profits? Besides keeping China Film Group afloat, a large portion of our profits goes to the Ministry."

We're making money from dubbed films now, and while your film studios are unhappy, we at China Film Group are also aggrieved!"

China Film Group earned ten million yuan today with "Triumph at Midnight," which should have been a happy occasion. However, after the uproar caused by the August First Film Studio and Beijing Film Studio, the joy of making money vanished.

When the representative of Suzhou Film Company saw that the fire had spread to local film companies, he quickly stubbed out his cigarette: "That's not how it works. We're in a tough spot too. A lot of the profits go to the local government, and local cultural institutions rely on that money to make a living!"

Besides, this is a meeting of higher-level leaders. We've finished placing our orders, so we won't stay any longer. The local company has a lot of things to do. Comrades, I'll take my leave now.

After Su Ying Company finished speaking, they were the first to stand up. Seeing this, the other film companies whispered among themselves, "Yes, yes, we still have things to do!"

One by one, they slipped away quickly, as if their feet were greased.

Zhou Yang and Xia Yan didn't want the local authorities to see such a commotion within the ministry, so they simply waved their hands and let the people leave.

As the person in charge of the film, Xia Yan had to make a statement. He first gently slammed his teacup on the table to intimidate the noisy group.

"Look at Wang Yang, Liu Peiran, and Ding Daming from China Film Group, they're all quite something. In a meeting with dozens of people, including reporters, they slammed their fists on the table and threw a tantrum. You might as well just dismantle the meeting room!"

Xia Yan's voice wasn't loud, but after she finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent.

"If you want to force the ministry to make a decision, and you don't have enough chairs to throw, I'll go get you more!"

Wang Yang hurriedly said, "Comrade Xia Yan, that's not what I meant, but the ministry should also consider the actual situation of the film studio. We're in a difficult situation!"

Liu Peiran didn't say anything; they were directly under the management of the General Political Department.

"Difficult? Isn't it difficult for the ministry? Isn't it difficult for the country?"

After slapping them, Xia Yan started offering sweet words: "Comrades, we know everyone is having a tough time. Our country's economy is undergoing transformation, and there are many things we need to adapt to. We must overcome these difficulties. The film studios' profits have increased now, but don't think that just because China Film Group guarantees the minimum profit, you can ignore the quality of the films."

The films we prioritize must be of high quality, but the rest also need to be good. We must proactively seek change. "The Mysterious Buddha" was quite good, in my opinion; both China Film Group and the film studios made money, and it enriched the cultural life of the people.

Zhou Yang said, "Since everyone is sitting here, let's have some private conversation and talk about how the film industry can develop and make money. Films bring in nearly a billion yuan in revenue for the country every year, and it's estimated that it will be even more in the future. Everyone should think about this carefully."

Domestic movie tickets cost only one or two cents. It's truly remarkable that they could accumulate wealth so easily with such low prices.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin sat to the side, trying their best to act as if they were invisible, letting him make noise as he pleased.

However, Xia Yan still called on Liu Yimin: "Yimin, you're not exactly a bystander, but you are. Tell us what you think!"

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Liu Yimin coughed. Wang Yang and Liu Peiran winked at Liu Yimin, telling him that they were "one of us".

"Distinguished leaders and factory directors, I don't know much about film, so I dare not speak without permission! Both the film studio and China Film Group are facing difficulties. As mentioned earlier, 'The Mysterious Buddha' is a prime example. Low-budget, high-profit films like this are indeed a future trend, and we need to cater to the interests of the masses. In addition, while film studios cater to the market, they cannot blindly pursue profits; proper overall planning is still very necessary."

I think film studios should be given certain rewards for films that can generate high profits, otherwise they will lack motivation.

"General Manager Ding, if the film studio loses its enthusiasm and just spends a few hundred thousand to make a terrible movie, then you're left with 99 to buy it? Aren't you losing out too?"

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, Wang Yang and Liu Peiran from the film studio gave Liu Yimin a thumbs up in their hearts, thinking that their own people were truly their own people.

Ding Daming wanted to speak, but Liu Yimin's words did make sense. The garbage films produced by small film studios had left him speechless with despair.

However, he couldn't simply agree, so he said, "What if no one wants the film we make? Should we deduct a portion of the money?"

Upon hearing this question, Wang Yang and Liu Peiran were speechless. Liu Yimin agreed with Ding Daming's words, but he couldn't find the words to say.

Just then, Xia Yan spoke up: "How about this, for films with high profits, the department will allocate funds to reward them in next year's budget. We'll discuss the specifics later!"

After the meeting, reporters interviewed the film studio and China Film Group. Both sides smiled and talked to the reporters about "working together in production and distribution to meet the growing cultural needs of the people," and so on.

After interviewing them, the reporter also interviewed the lead actor, Zhu Lin.

Taking advantage of this break, Liu Yimin went to Xia Yan's office. Xia Yan sat down on the sofa and let out a long sigh: "Yimin, I'm sorry you had to see this!"

“Not at all, every industry has these kinds of conflicts,” Liu Yimin said. “Yes!” Xia Yan changed the subject: “More than a thousand copies, that’s something to be happy about. The department thought they would sell a lot of copies, but not this many. I wonder how many movie tickets we can sell! Shen Yun has been saying he wants to see it for a while now!”

More than a thousand copies—Xia Yan hadn't expected it, nor had Liu Yimin. Even so, it would probably still be difficult to see them in many places.

After all, China is too big. Even if Jiangsu Province takes a hundred copies back, some counties may not be able to get even one copy.

The only way to ensure screenings in each cinema is to constantly move the film between different theaters.

"There's another piece of good news I have to tell you. The comrades from the Cultural Relics Bureau made contact in the United States, and it was effective!" Xia Yan said, his eyes shining with even more joy than when more than a thousand copies of "Triumph at Midnight" had been sold.

"Is the United States willing to return cultural relics? How many pieces will be returned?" Liu Yimin couldn't help but ask.

"The staff from the Cultural Heritage Bureau called to say that, based on preliminary calculations, they could bring back 12 cultural relics. However, most of them were donated by Chinese collectors, only two were returned by the Asian Art Museum, and one was from a private collector."

The museum's collection largely comes from an American collecting family. Unfortunately, they have no intention of directly returning the artifacts to China.

"With the first batch, there will be a second batch. Thank you for your hard work, comrades from the Cultural Relics Bureau!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Xia Yan pointed at Liu Yimin: "You deserve the most credit. Although it wasn't accomplished by you, you definitely deserve some credit for this success!"

"And the other members of the delegation!"

Xia Yan handed the list of returned items to Liu Yimin for a look. Liu Yimin didn't know much about cultural relics, but he could tell from the names and photos that they were probably not of great value. The only high-value item was a bronze artifact, which was a gift from a Chinese person.

Seeing the huge public outcry, the other party is just trying to fool people.

"The Asian Art Museum wants to complete this return quietly. What do you think?"

Liu Yimin smirked and joked, "It's not like they can just keep a low profile whenever they want. They've done such a great thing, we have to give them some recognition. Let's make a big splash in America and give them a proper compliment."

The other party wanted to end this public outcry quietly, but we couldn't let them have their way. We had to stir up public opinion and make the return of the cultural relics a consensus in order to have a next opportunity.

"Good, good, you're really something. The comrades at the Cultural Relics Bureau thought the other party was doing a good deed anonymously. Now that you say it, it's really true. This is going to be big news."

Xia Yan asked Liu Yimin to attend the cultural relic reception ceremony at Yanjing Airport, as the occasion couldn't be held without him.

"When are you coming back?"

"The staff from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage should be celebrating the Spring Festival in the United States, probably around mid-February. After all, the handover process is quite complicated."

"That's no problem. The comrades from the Cultural Heritage Bureau shouldn't be idle in the United States; they should do more interviews."

After leaving Xia Yan's office, Zhu Lin had already finished her interview.

The reporter waited patiently: "Comrade Liu Yimin, may I ask you a few questions?"

Liu Yimin glanced at his watch and said, "Reporter, please ask your question."

After the interview, Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin walked out of the Ministry of Culture hand in hand. On the way back, Zhu Lin couldn't hide his joy: "Professor Liu, we sold over a thousand copies! That's amazing!"

She was thinking to herself whether she could win another award for "Triumph at Midnight," but she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

She has always regretted not being able to accept the award in person last time.

"There's more good news: the comrades from the Cultural Relics Bureau will bring back a batch of cultural relics from the United States this time!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" Zhu Lin said with a smile, then added, "Professor Liu, we have to thank you for bringing these cultural relics back!"

"Alright, stop flattering me!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

After leaving the Ministry of Culture, he went straight to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, planning to visit Mr. and Mrs. Zhu for a better meal in the evening. It was also a good opportunity for Liu Yimin to check on how the rehearsals for "Green Book" were going.

Zhu Lin went directly to the rehearsal hall, while Liu Yimin went to Cao Yu's office to greet him and tell him the good news about the return of the cultural relics to China.

Cao Yu complained, "That old Shen, he didn't even bother to let me know first! Have you been writing anything lately?"

"Lately, I've mainly been writing the script for 'The Acacia Tree in the Minefield.' I also have a magical realism literary work in the works, which I just finished writing!"

"Magical realism? What is it about?"

"Like 'Green Book,' this article is also planned to be published in the United States in its original English form. As for the specific content, I'll keep you in suspense for now!"

Cao Yu tapped the table in dissatisfaction, but did not press the matter further: "The whole world is talking about magical realism now, and it's being discussed domestically as well. It seems that if you don't talk about magical realism, you're not considered mainstream literature."

"That's a good idea. Let them see that we Chinese can also write magical realism. But, after you're done, let me take a look first, to give it my feedback. Just in case—I mean, just in case—it's not good enough, don't take it to America!"

Cao Yu knew Liu Yimin's level of skill, but this was, after all, magical realism. It was something that most domestic writers couldn't understand at first glance. To be honest, Cao Yu wasn't sure if Liu Yimin could write it well.

"Okay, I'll definitely let you see it first when the time comes! Magical realism isn't anything profound or mysterious. I learned a lot during my trip to America, and I can't contain my thoughts, but I don't dare to rush into writing it!"

"That's good. Our domestic writers should also have an international perspective and provide cultural products to the world. There's one more thing. This year is the first year of your marriage with Comrade Zhu Lin. Little Zhu is going back to Henan Province, right?"

Liu Yimin nodded.

“Going back to Henan Province, three days of holiday for the Spring Festival is definitely not enough. I asked the theater to give you four more days of holiday, plus your wedding leave. The wedding leave was taken from the film crew, not from the theater, so we have to make up for it for you two.”

"Teacher, I'm so touched!" Liu Yimin rubbed his eyes a few times.

"Come on, look at your hypocritical face. It's a pity that the national family visit leave doesn't apply to spouses' parents, otherwise I could take a reasonable leave!" Cao Yu said with a laugh.

"Teacher, I will definitely work hard next year and write more scripts for our Beijing People's Art Theatre!"

Cao Yu said cheerfully, "Great! The more scripts you get, the longer your vacation will be!"

Liu Yimin emerged from Cao Yu's office with a much lighter step. This truly proved the saying, "Having connections in court makes things much easier!"

(End of this chapter)