Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

After a pause, Yang Che continued, "The Grand Mansion will be China's first original high-definition TV series. How high-definition? It's about 207 million pixels, which is more than five times the detail and clarity compared to the current standard definition of 400,000 pixels.

This is a pioneering achievement, a technological innovation.

Some people might say, "It's just using Sony's new camera to shoot, what's the big deal?"

I want to say this is remarkable. High definition requires much more detailed lighting and set design during shooting. Its shadow detail, motion smoothness, and anti-aliasing capabilities are completely different from standard definition. Moreover, it requires extremely high-performance rendering and storage in post-production because it has a wider color gamut and a higher frame rate.

This represents a transformation in the production of Chinese television dramas, moving towards cinematic-level meticulousness. That's why I mentioned earlier that 1500 million is just the production cost; post-production costs are also substantial.

The reporters understood immediately and were astonished; this was a record!

The reporter from the Workers' Daily had already come up with a headline.

Indeed, the next day, the Workers' Daily published a front-page headline in extra-large font: "First High-Definition TV Series 'The Grand Mansion Gate' Begins Filming!"

.......

Yang Che waited for more than ten seconds before speaking: "All of this is for 'The Grand Mansion Gate,' because it is worth it. Investing in 'The Grand Mansion Gate' was very sudden. A few months ago, I was filming a movie for the Olympic bid committee with Zhang Yimou. During the conversation, we talked about his youth. He said he was especially grateful to Bao Ye. Without Bao Ye, he wouldn't know what he would be doing now."

Then the conversation turned to the matter of the investors withdrawing their funding when Bao Ye was filming "The Grand Mansion Gate" in 96. Upon hearing this, I immediately said I wanted to visit Bao Ye. We chatted for about five minutes, and then I asked Bao Ye for his bank account number.

Guo Baochang, sitting in the audience, had tears in his eyes: "Less than a minute."

Yang Che smiled and said, "I'll say it again, 'The Grand Mansion Gate' deserves all this. As for why, let's invite Master Bao to come up on stage and explain."

Thunderous applause erupted.

The host, Lin Mo, on the side of the stage cheered even more enthusiastically, saying, "You should do it all!"

Standing on the stage, Guo Baochang's hands were trembling. After calming down for more than ten seconds, his eyes were still moist: "This story has been buried in my heart for forty years. The first attempt to film it in 96 failed, and it went through countless twists and turns. The story is hard to tell... Today, we are restarting filming. There is heartache, excitement, and emotion. I won't say more. Let's take a look at some sample footage we have shot."

The next part of the program involved the lead actors taking the stage one by one: Siqin Gaowa, Chen Baoguo, Jiang Wenli, Liu Peiqi, He Saifei, Lei Kesheng...

Also invited was special guest Ning Jing.

Then came written congratulatory messages from Zhang Yimou and other directors of the fifth generation, as well as actors of the same generation such as Zhang Fengyi.

The final activity was answering reporters' questions.

The reporters today were very professional; at least they didn't manage to catch Yang Che asking about Wang Fei. Of course, it could also be because there were too many big names present, even though these big names didn't generate much buzz.

"I heard that a large number of famous directors and stars will make cameo appearances without receiving any payment, including Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Jiang Wen. Is this just a publicity stunt by the production team?"

Guo Baochang: "It's not a publicity stunt. It's just that we've been acting out of sentimentality for over twenty years. It was Tian Zhuangzhuang who first suggested that everyone help me out. Everyone is acting voluntarily, without asking for any remuneration. Everyone is simply helping me fulfill a wish. I will make arrangements for those who can come, and I will never force those who can't."

I also randomly answered some questions about Lejia, Tongrentang, and "Dream of the Red Chamber"...

"The project failed in 1996. Now that you're investing, isn't there a risk of financial loss again? Can you explain the source of your funds? Where did you get so much money?"

Yang Che: "The funds are fully invested by Doubao, and there is a professional accounting team to manage the funds. The project management will also be standardized, so there are no problems. As for the source of funds, I have said many times that it is a legal source, and we welcome supervision from the public and the media."

Have subsequent broadcast channels been finalized?

Yang Che: "Many TV stations are interested, let's keep it a secret for now."

"Were you involved in the scriptwriting?"

Yang Che: "No, I only participated in the discussion of the actors."

"..."

At the final buffet lunch, the veteran actors who had been praising Guo Baochang in front of the reporters expressed their gratitude and respect to Yang Che.

Yang Che was extremely polite and showed great respect to these veteran artists, repeatedly promising to do his best in providing logistical support.

After the press conference, Yang Che participated in several meetings for "The Grand Mansion Gate" to ensure that everything was in place.

Yang Che never offers his opinion on creative topics unless Guo Baochang asks him.

The public wasn't particularly interested in the first high-definition TV series or the start of filming for "The Grand Mansion Gate." Instead, thanks to media outlets like the "Life Times" focusing on "how much money Yang Che has," the topic sparked various casual discussions. Some said he was living off Wang Fei, others said he was laundering money for coal mine owners, and still others said he earned 200 million yuan from "My Sassy Girl"...

However, things are different within the industry. After this press conference, Yang Che's identity in the eyes of everyone in the industry has undergone a change. Oh, he's also a boss.

The number of script submissions, which had cooled down for a while, started to increase again. Of course, Doubao was now willing but unable to do so.

Yang Che did call Lao Fan, but Lao Fan and his friends were going through a very difficult time, losing money on every truckload of coal they hauled...

This also demonstrates just how influential "The Grand Mansion Gate" is within the industry.

After all, all the actors could be proud of playing this role. Zhao Yi said years later, "At that time, I felt that playing the role of Bai Jingye was the most important thing in my life."

On July 16, at the invitation of Jiang Zhiqiang, Yang Che, along with Cheng Er, Wu Shixian, Gong Beibi, and Liu Chang, went to the premiere party of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The young people looked very out of place on the red carpet.

It's not just because all five of them are wearing white shirts and black trousers; it's because they're so young. Of course, they are very handsome.

The person who greeted them at the entrance wasn't Jiang Zhiqiang, but Dong Ping, the boss of Huayi Films and also an investor in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Hmm... after Yang Che withdrew his investment, Jiang Zhiqiang approached him again.

Oh, it's not called Huayi Film & Television yet, it's called Huayi Asia Union, since private enterprises aren't qualified to be called film and television companies.

Dong Ping is from Inner Mongolia, but he is considered part of the Northwest region.

So Zhang Yimou came to show his support, along with Gu Changwei and his wife Jiang Wenli, Huang Jianxin and Teng Wenji—all from the Northwest circle. There were also some from outside the Northwest circle, like Feng Xiaogang and Xie Fei.

Besides Jiang Wenli, the cast also includes Wang Zhiwen, Jiang Shan, Xu Fan, and Ju Xue (He Qun's ex-wife, the one who plays Empress Ma).

Just these people.

Having evaded the reporters' entourage, Zhang Yimou greeted Yang Che warmly, saying, "I thought you weren't coming."