Huayu: Starting from managing the Mahua FunAge Theater Troupe

March 21, around 3 a.m.

Inside a residential building in the southern part of Beijing.

Yu Hong, who is forty years old this year and has just divorced her wife, is suffering from insomnia again and is in a very bad mood.

As a member of the post-60s generation, Yu Hong has been a loyal listener of the radio since childhood, listening to storytelling, opera, crosstalk... a small box contains all sorts of strange stories.

But Yu Hong was already tired of those stories; now he just wanted to hear something that would make him happy and improve his mood.

Yu Hong picked up the radio and tuned it to FM103.9, Beijing Traffic Radio.

He remembered that at this time, Beijing Traffic Radio had a late-night program called "A Laughing Hall," which was meant to make people happy.

After tuning the radio, the host Wei Dong's voice came through: "The next segment is a new recording from a pretty interesting crosstalk troupe in Beijing, called 'Yunshe.' Just listen to the name, it sounds so solid. This piece is a new work by their troupe leader Guo Yigang and Yu Qian, called 'The Dream of the Western Expedition.' Alright, let's not say any more, just listen."

"The Dream of the Western Expedition"?

Yu Hong lay on the sofa, put the radio aside, and started listening.

This was a completely new story he had never heard before.

"The Dream of the Western Expedition" is a work created by Guo Gang in 2003. He took this work and Yu Qian to participate in the "2003 Beijing Crosstalk and Sketch Invitational Competition". In this competition, they won the third prize in the professional group. It is worth mentioning that the champion was Jia Ling.

This work was not Guo Gang's original work, but rather an adaptation of a traditional crosstalk performance.

Its story prototype can be traced back to "The Dream of the Piled-up Soldiers" in the late Qing Dynasty, which evolved into "Beating Bai Lang" in the Republican era.

Guo Gang's version simply changed the background to the contemporary era and added elements such as US President Bush.

Even so, it is still a very avant-garde and innovative work among the current traditional and new crosstalk performances.

Yu Hong listened to Guo Gang and Yu Qian chatter away, finding herself increasingly amused. Just as she was getting into the swing of things, the program suddenly ended.

No, this isn't finished yet, is it?

Having listened to the radio for so many years, Yu Hong still has the ear to judge whether a program is complete.

Sure enough, a pre-recorded clip was then inserted.

It was Guo Gang's voice: "Alright, don't worry, this isn't over yet. We're just leaving you a cliffhanger. Want to hear Guo Gang and Yu Qian finish telling you 'The Dream of the Western Expedition'? Thursday to Sunday, Tianqiao Le Tea Garden, 7 PM, we'll be there for you. Tickets are 30, 50, or 80 yuan—something for everyone. Once you come, you'll know exactly what this dream is like. Ticket inquiries:..."

"That son of a bitch is a real bastard."

After cursing for a moment, Yu Hong stared at the ceiling for two seconds.

Tianqiao Le Tea Garden, Guo Gang...

……

The next few days.

December 21st - January 24th.

BJ Arts Radio's "Airborne Laughter Forest" program broadcasts crosstalk performances from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, reaching early morning viewers.

BJ Arts Radio's "Happy Teahouse" program broadcasts crosstalk performances from 3 PM to 4 PM, reaching viewers who are driving in the afternoon.

"Yixiaotang" targets night shift workers and insomniacs.

With the broadcast of three top-rated programs, Guo Gang and others who only told half the story and then ended it have become "true grandsons" recognized by tens of thousands of listeners.

The radio station and Le Tea Garden's phone lines were ringing off the hook.

Listeners strongly requested that the radio station broadcast the full version of the crosstalk performance.

Meanwhile, ticket enthusiasts asked when they could buy tickets, as they wanted to support their "grandson."

……

While radio was gaining momentum, print media also demonstrated considerable power.

Numerous national newspapers, including Guangming Daily, China Literature Daily, and China Youth Daily, as well as local Beijing newspapers such as Beijing Evening News, Beijing Youth Daily, and The Beijing News, all published reports on Guo Gang's apprenticeship, which attracted widespread attention.

Zhao Benshan's fame played a significant role, with the media describing his role as a "half-master" and suggesting that he intended to enter the world of crosstalk.

Of course, the reporter who received Shen Feiyang's travel expenses did not take the money and do nothing. He wrote a few words in the article and packaged Guo Gang's ten-year struggle into a deeply moving and inspirational story. He also packaged the comedy troupe as a veteran folk comedy troupe that had been established for nearly ten years.

The public relations and publicity department of Happy Twist is also actively carrying out online publicity work, and it has been very effective.

Netizens who downloaded the 㯖雲社 crosstalk collection from the forum were furious, thinking they would hear the complete version, but it turned out to be a censored version.

With promotion through radio, print media, and the internet, it's fair to say that Guo Wengang became famous overnight in Beijing.

Compared to Shen Teng, Guo Gang was far too easy to promote.

……

3 month 24 day.

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Harbin Taiping International Airport.

Guo Gang and Yu Qian boarded China Southern Airlines flight CZ6207 back to Beijing.

Economy class.

Guo Gang and Yu Qian sat side by side.

Yu Qian held the magazine that came with the plane and flipped through it casually.

Guo Gang looked out the plane window at Harbin under the night sky and thought of the news that came from Beijing earlier that day.

Lok Cha Yuen started selling tickets for its March 25th performance this morning, and they sold out immediately.

All 40 tickets priced at 80 yuan, 80 tickets priced at 50 yuan, and 80 tickets priced at 30 yuan were sold out, generating 9,600 yuan in revenue from tickets for a single event.

A month ago, Guo Gang was worried about having only a few dozen audience members at the venue, but now, his first performance back in Beijing was completely sold out.

Is this what Shen Feiyang meant by "operation"?

Guo Gang thought of the contract he was supposed to sign again.

Every single clause is domineering.

Two weeks ago, Guo Gang could only accept those terms. Now, although he has the means to argue, he still has no choice but to accept them.

Shen Feiyang's position on Zhao Benshan's side was somewhat beyond Guo Gang's expectations.

The main issue was the performance on March 19th, where Zhao Benshan angrily rebuked the manager of Baihua Theater and arranged a seat for Shen Feiyang. This was then exaggerated and spread around, and somehow it became the rumor that Shen Feiyang was the future successor of Benshan Media, as recognized by Zhao Benshan.

It's pretty outrageous.

Afterwards, Guo Gang investigated the matter carefully and found that it was indeed true that Zhao Benshan had angrily rebuked the theater on behalf of Shen Feiyang. However, it was hard to say what Shen Feiyang's status was in Zhao Benshan's eyes.

Guo Gang pondered for a moment.

He wouldn't be where he is today if he hadn't signed the contract.

If Shen Feiyang treats him well in the future and gives him a raise when it's due, he'll repay the favor properly; otherwise...

Guo Gang calculated how much money he could earn.

According to the contract, for performances in small theaters like Tea Paradise, the company settles accounts on a per-performance fee basis.

For example, for a performance at Tea Paradise, the company would give him a fee of 1,000 yuan per show, but the company would take 60%, so he would only get 400 yuan.

If he holds a stand-up comedy show in a large theater with more than 900 seats, he can get 10% of the total box office revenue.

He can get 20% of the box office revenue if he holds a solo crosstalk performance in a large theater with more than 900 seats.

Other income, such as film and television, GG (Girls' Love), and external commercial performances, is split 60/40 with the company.

Guo Gang thought that a 60/40 split might be too unfair. It seemed that Shen Feiyang's initial tiered revenue sharing plan was better. However, he was not sure if the business would continue to be successful. He decided to sign a fixed 60/40 split.