Huayu 93, I'm the ceiling of combat power from the moment I appear.

Chapter 171 [Hongwu] becomes a hit, creating a military-themed stage play?

In late April, the air in Beijing was dry and yellowish.

"It's sandstorming again. That's just how it is this time of year. It's alright, it'll be over soon."

Faced with the oncoming sandstorm, the airport taxi driver habitually grumbled but didn't take it seriously.

The dust storms that plagued Beidu for centuries, despite ongoing efforts to control them, still persisted thirty years later.

This struggle against nature is not something that can be accomplished by one person alone, nor is it something that can be done overnight.

It's not just about controlling sandstorms; it's also about confronting those old-fashioned people who glorify period dramas.

However, just like desertification control, He Xi has already taken the first step, and things will naturally get better and better in the future.

At the Beijing People's Art Theatre, He Xi and Su Min watched a performance of the play "Hongwu's Private Visit".

After it ended, the entire audience erupted in applause.

The stage is not limited to serious stories like "Thunderstorm" and "Rickshaw Boy".

Comedy modern urban works such as "The Deer and the Cauldron," "Du Lala's Promotion," and "Cuihua Serves Sauerkraut" are also frequently performed on the stage.

And the Beijing People's Art Theatre has done just what Su Min said: they perform whatever the people want to see.

【Hongwu's Private Visits】This is a story about the emperor leaving the palace, posing as a commoner, fighting against treacherous officials, killing corrupt officials, and encountering beautiful women.

This is exactly what the public wants to see.

It's much more appealing than traditional dramas.

Therefore, the impact of this wave is much greater than that of the previous "Mr. Donkey" incident.

"Tickets for our prime-time shows are already extremely difficult to obtain; scalpers have inflated the prices several times over!"

Su Min looked at He Xi with a smile.

"The tickets for our seats would cost several hundred yuan for just two!"

"That's almost a month's salary for me!"

Su Min joked about what happened last time, but "Hongwu's Private Visit" really became a hit.

Not only do viewers enjoy watching it, but the drama production department of Hokuto TV has also become interested.

"Not long ago, a director from the Taipei Television Production Center contacted us, wanting to buy the television adaptation rights to this play."

"We didn't agree, after all, you're the screenwriter, and the copyright belongs to you."

"When would be a convenient time for you two to meet so we can discuss this?"

"This 'Hongwu Emperor's Private Visits' is very suitable for adaptation into a TV series. The Taipei Television Production Center has also produced many very popular dramas recently."

"Dramas like 'Aspiration' and 'Stories from the Editorial Department' had very high viewership ratings in mainland China. I don't know if you've heard of them."

Upon hearing the names of these two TV series, He Xi raised an eyebrow.

"Teacher Su, the director you mentioned, isn't surnamed Zheng, is he?"

Both "Desire" and "Stories from the Editorial Department" were filmed by Zheng Xiaolong. Since Su Min mentioned it, He Xi felt it was highly likely.

Sure enough, Su Min nodded.

"That's right, his surname is Zheng, and his name is Zheng Xiaolong. Have you heard of him?"

He Xi smiled.

"The last time I came to Beidu, I went to visit Shanshan on set with Hongmei. I wrote two songs for director Zhao Baogang on set."

"Later, Director Zhao treated me to a meal to express his gratitude. I met some friends at the dinner table, including Director Zheng Xiaolong."

Su Min was also taken aback, not expecting that He Xi already had such connections in Beidu.

However, he was very happy.

"Yes, that's him. That's perfect. You two can talk it over yourselves; I won't get involved."

That evening, He Xi met Zheng Xiaolong.

Zhao Baogang, Wang Shuo, and others accompanied him.

When these people heard that He Xi had come to Beidu, they all rushed over to meet with him as soon as possible.

It was only during the meal that I learned that "The Story of Emperor Hongwu's Private Visits" was actually written by He Xi.

They all immediately gave a thumbs up.

"This young man of mine may be young, but he's a real talent for writing; I'm no match for him!"

Wang Shuo gave a thumbs up and said.

He is not someone who is willing to accept defeat.

However, He Xi's talent forced him to admit defeat.

The movie "Sex Is Zero", the albums "Next Stop, Superstar" and "Hungry Wolf Legend", the novel "Zhu Xian", and so on, have all been introduced to mainland China.

The newspaper exposed He Xi's identity as an investor, lyricist, composer, and producer, saying that he could earn at least HK$2000 million. Wang Shuo and others had also seen the news.

HK$2000 million! All these people have worked hard for half their lives and their combined assets don't even amount to that much.

You have to admit it.

Of course, most of the feeling was envy.

After all, the platforms are different.

Wages on Hong Kong Island are much higher than on the mainland.

Wang Shuo, a content creator, believes he is quite capable and wants to try to earn Hong Kong dollars.

He Xi frowned.

Wang Shuo's works are quite good; they have substance and humor.

The problem is, it has too much of a Beijing flavor.

Just like how Zhao Benshan's sketches don't make Southerners laugh, comedies with strong regional characteristics find it difficult to spread across regions.

Hong Kong films were able to reach the mainland because Hong Kong's economy was developed, its people were affluent, and its entertainment industry was thriving. Mainland people were curious and longed for such things, so they took the initiative to accept them.

Thirty years later, the mainland economy has taken off, and Hong Kong films have gradually become small-scale regional productions.

It's like a Northeast folk opera.

People from other places know about it, but they have no interest in taking the time to appreciate the fun it offers.

Wang Shuo's works are just like that for people in Hong Kong today.

Unless it's a mythological or historical war drama like "Journey to the West" or "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Otherwise, it would be difficult to arouse the interest of people on Hong Kong Island.

Or perhaps they would take the framework of his work and apply it to a story set in Hong Kong?

He Xi raised an eyebrow, having actually come up with a pretty good idea.

"Brother Shuo, how about selling me the adaptation rights to your novel, 'You're Not a Common Man'?"

"You Are Not an Ordinary Person" is a novel published by Wang Shuo in 92.

In 1997, this novel was adapted into the film "The Dream Factory" by Feng Xiaogang, and it was released at the end of December.

With an investment of 400 million, it raked in more than 3000 million at the box office, thus pioneering the Chinese New Year film season in mainland China.

Later films like "Big Shot's Funeral" and "Personal Tailor" can be considered continuations of this movie.

However, after the film was released, director Feng Xiaogang received a full 120 million yuan, but he only sent 5 yuan in royalties to his elder brother Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo felt insulted, and the two broke up immediately.

Later, we had the despicable and humble Feng Kuzi in "Days Related to Youth".

He Xi wasn't going to get involved in their feud; she simply felt that adapting "The Dream Factory" into a Hong Kong version was a very promising project.

More than 20 years later, the Japanese film "Special Actors" also copied this movie's concept, and it also had a very high box office.

Wang Shuo was satisfied and prepared to leave, but He Xi stopped him again.

"Brother Wang, could you tell me about the mainland troops sometime? Just something that doesn't involve secrets."

"I'm preparing to write a military-themed play for the Beijing People's Art Theatre."

(My legs are hurting terribly, I can't sleep well, and I can't even type. It's so awful!)