Siheyuan: I have a multi-dimensional chat group!

There was no other way!

This sale of Hong Kong RTV to Xiaoshan is a strategic move to sacrifice a pawn to save the king.

It was essential to protect John Bull's interests in his homeland, as Hong Kong was ultimately just a colony.

This also reflects the economic downturn in the United States and the urgent need for a large amount of funds to be brought back home to save the country.

The Taishan Group, which rose to prominence in Hong Kong, could not only solve a large number of employment problems, but also possessed foreign exchange reserves and the ability to attract foreign exchange, making it a tempting target for the British government.

MacLehose really wanted to suppress Taishan Group, even if it meant forcing Taishan Group to go public and raise huge sums of money, it would be better than having all the power in Xiao Shan's hands.

Once Taishan Group's media operations form a closed loop in Hong Kong, where will the Governor's House be placed?

Unfortunately, John Bull's attitude in the UK was very clear: he was determined to support Taishan Group.

Hong Kong's interests and security development are very important, but not as important as John's homeland.

Even as governor, MacLehose was powerless to do anything about it, as the priority had to be protecting the interests of the British Isles!

Meanwhile, in the Jiahe office.

Boss Zou nearly flipped the table: "Damn it, how dare he do this!"

Whether it was the Shaw Brothers era or the Golden Harvest era, the Hong Kong film industry adopted a policy of suppression towards European and American films, strictly guarding against the invasion of foreign culture.

However, Taishan United Cinemas dared to allow foreign films to flow in.

Allowing foreign films to enter the market will siphon off Hong Kong's box office revenue.

This money, which should have belonged to the people of Hong Kong, was instead earned by foreigners. Taishan United Cinemas' actions are completely irresponsible.

Furthermore, compared to Hollywood blockbusters, Mr. Zou is well aware of the level of Hong Kong films.

Allowing Hollywood blockbusters to broaden the perspective of Hong Kong audiences will only make them more discerning, leading them to completely embrace Hollywood and become increasingly disappointed with local Hong Kong films.

If this continues, Hong Kong cinema will surely perish!

If Hong Kong cinema were to be completely destroyed, then Taishan Film Industry would definitely be the culprit!

Golden Harvest's two most recently released films have been completely overshadowed by Hollywood blockbusters.

Due to the sheer size of Taishan United Cinemas, films often reach their limit after twenty to twenty-five days of release.

Golden Harvest films, however, require 30 to 45 days to complete.

As a result, Golden Harvest's films were often overshadowed by newly released films from Taishan United Cinemas in the later stages of their run.

Moreover, since the Taishan United Cinema Circuit introduced the no-minimum-guarantee-fee system, the number of films choosing to be screened at Golden Harvest has decreased significantly.

Even the films chosen for screening at Golden Harvest were mostly those rejected by Taishan United Cinemas, which deemed them unworthy of being shown in the United Cinemas.

As a result, the films released by Golden Harvest were at two extremes.

Either they're films that Taishan United Cinemas doesn't want, and they grit their teeth and choose to release them at Golden Harvest to gamble on luck.

The outcome was predictable; they were often cut short in less than half a month.

Either they are big-budget productions with extreme confidence in their own films, preferring to pay a minimum guarantee fee rather than accept the revenue-sharing system of Taishan United Cinemas.

The former type cannot reach the end of its theatrical run, while the latter type will not earn Golden Harvest much money.

Even Japan and South Korea, which are considered strongholds for votes, are now in a precarious situation, as production companies have become more shrewd.

If Golden Harvest dares to demand overseas distribution rights, they will immediately invest in Taishan United Cinemas.

Compared to the national cultures of Japan and South Korea, Southeast Asia has a higher acceptance of Hong Kong films.

Moreover, almost all films shown at Golden Harvest are subject to suppression by Taishan United Cinemas.

If you can fight, use regular videos; if you can't, use a bunch of videos at once.

If that doesn't work, they'll send in Hollywood productions to suppress the enemy indiscriminately.

Golden Harvest's films have long release cycles, which gives Taishan United Cinemas ample preparation time. Securing three days' worth of box office revenue for a high-quality Golden Harvest film is enough to establish its ranking.

The decision is whether to use ordinary films, high-quality films, or Hollywood blockbusters to compete.

With both cinemas and films struggling, Golden Harvest is now facing losses.

The polarized reviews were a major headache for Mr. Zou. 398? 351? 697?

Currently, all 19 cinemas under Golden Harvest have a Taishan Cinema under renovation next to them, clearly indicating a move to destroy Golden Harvest.

Of its 11 affiliated cinemas, 6 have joined Taishan United Cinema Circuit, while the other 5 remain undecided.

Mr. Zou believes that once Taishan Film Industry sets up a Taishan Cinema near their home, the other five franchised cinemas will also be unable to survive.

Beset by internal and external troubles, Mr. Zou finally understood what it meant to struggle and felt deeply lost about the future.

Most of the production companies under Golden Harvest no longer dare to make films, fearing that if they do, Golden Harvest will send them to be used as cannon fodder.

Meanwhile, at Lou Bancheng's home.

Since the Taishan Rubik's Cube and Taishan Blocks became famous, there have been countless powerful figures in Hong Kong and Macau who want to get to know Xiaoshan.

However, they had basically no prior contact with Xiaoshan, so it wouldn't be appropriate for them to go directly to their door.

Therefore, the Lou family, who have close ties with Xiaoshan, have been lowering their threshold several notches these past few days!

Chapter 631, Acquiring the Japanese Game Company! (Please Subscribe!)

After seeing off several more dignitaries, Lou Bancheng couldn't help but sigh.

Who would have thought that the little welder from Beijing would rise to such heights in Hong Kong?

If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have insisted on marrying my daughter to him instead of that good-for-nothing Xu Damao!

However, now that his daughter has become the general manager of the Taishan Investigation Institute, she can be considered to have boarded the big ship of the Taishan Group.

As a father, he naturally couldn't hold his daughter back.

So Lou Bancheng went straight back to his study and called Lou Xiao'e to tell her about the powerful figures who had come to see him.

After listening to Lou Bancheng's account, Lou Xiao'e said that she would handle the matter herself and that he shouldn't go to Xiao Shan.

Lou Bancheng naturally had no objection to this.

After hanging up the phone, Lou Xiao'e immediately called Xiaoshan.

After listening to Lou Xiao'e's story, Xiao Shan smiled and said that he had caused trouble for Uncle Lou.

After Xiao Shan hung up the phone, Luo Huiling came to tell him that the people from the Japanese game company that he had just acquired had arrived.

Xiao Shan nodded and asked Luo Huiling to bring the person to his office.

With the successful hosting of the first World Rubik's Cube Championship, orders from all over the world poured in like snowflakes.

This forced Taishan Toy Factory to expand its production capacity to meet supply demand.

This toy factory, which reached its peak right from the start, overshadowed many established toy manufacturers and firmly held the top spot in Hong Kong, a region where the toy manufacturing industry is thriving.

Suddenly, the prices of raw materials soared, greatly reducing Rubik's Cube's profits.

This forced Taishan Toy Factory to purchase goods from overseas and inland areas, and to transport them via the slow method of shipping.

At the same time, sales of Taishan Arcade surged, showing a strong momentum to overtake Taishan Rubik's Cube.

The inherent profit-generating properties of games are unmatched by toys.

The orders for 5 units from Japan and 8 units from the United States alone completely stunned Taishan Games.

After receiving a large influx of foreign exchange, Taishan Games Company spent money like water.

While busy purchasing motherboards and displays, they also acquired factories for assembly.

In order to further develop Taishan Games, Xiaoshan directly packaged up a small game company in Japan, taking over the employees and the boss along with it.

Soon, Kurai Jiro, the owner of the Japanese-style game company that Xiaoshan had acquired, arrived at Xiaoshan's office.

Facing Xiao Shan, Kurai Jiro respectfully said in broken Chinese, "Hello, Mr. Xiao, I am Kurai Jiro."

"Hello!" Xiao Shan replied with a smile.

Browsing through the information of this company called Kurai Games, it was clear that all the core members, from top to bottom, were outstanding. The boss, Kurai Jiro, was not only a top student who graduated from the management department, but also a very honest and kind person.

Japanese people are universally recognized for their serious work ethic, but relatively speaking, they can be a bit rigid in their thinking.

Limited by his imagination and struggling in the early stages of the game industry, Jiro Kurai's company never achieved much success and had to be sold.

It must be said that the talent pool in Japan is unmatched by that in Hong Kong.

"Mr. Cangjing, we're offering $100 million to acquire Cangjing Games. Your annual salary is $30, and the technical staff's annual salary is $12..." Xiao Shan launched a direct money offensive at Cangjing Jiro.

For Xiao Shan, what he values ​​are the employees of Cangjing Games Company.

For the nascent gaming industry, this price is quite high.

After all, these people have come from overseas and left their homes, so Xiaoshan can't be stingy.

Jiro Kurai was not satisfied with the acquisition price, but the annual salary was very considerable.

For Taishan Games, which has already made a name for itself in the international market, Cangjing Games certainly doesn't fetch a good price.

After much discussion, both parties finally finalized the terms and reached a cooperation agreement.

Having secured the cooperation with Kurai Jiro, Ximen Jun took him to familiarize himself with the handover process.

Xiao Shan said to Luo Huiling, who was standing next to him, "Later, go and tell Ximen Jun privately to dismantle the staff of Cangjing Games Company! Mainly recruit technical programmers, and Cangjing will only be responsible for game development!"

“Okay, boss!” Luo Huiling nodded.

Xiaoshan is taking precautions against Kurai Jiro's potential betrayal, granting him only management authority and preventing him from accessing the money and technology.

As Xiaoshan became more proficient in managing Taishan Group, his management skills improved slowly, but his personnel management skills became increasingly adept.

In the afternoon, Luo Jiwang and Jiang Zhiqiang came together to report to Xiaoshan on the situation of Taishan Film Industry.

With all of Taishan Film Industry's profits being invested in expansion, the number of cinemas has increased from the initial 21 to 29, with another 8 still under renovation and not yet in operation.

Including the joint ventures of Shuangnan and Lisheng, as well as 15 other cinemas of various sizes, Taishan United Cinema Circuit has reached a total of 59 cinemas.

Currently, there are only about 80 cinemas in Hong Kong, and Taishan United Cinemas accounts for nearly four-fifths of the total number of screens in Hong Kong.

Even so, it still didn't meet Xiaoshan's expectations.

After all, Xiao Shan was well aware that the next twenty years would be the most glorious twenty years for Hong Kong cinema!

"How are the cinemas under Golden Harvest doing now?" Xiao Shan asked Luo Jiwang and Jiang Zhiqiang.

Xiao Shan believes that only by defeating Golden Harvest can Taishan Film Industry become the true hegemon of the Hong Kong film industry.

Jiang Zhiqiang replied, "We are using Hollywood films to suppress Golden Harvest. Golden Harvest's affiliated cinemas have shown great dissatisfaction. Currently, seven cinemas have defected and joined us, while four others are still entangled in equity disputes and unable to leave!"

"In addition, Jiahe shareholders have recently been discussing whether to follow our example and also cancel the guaranteed fee system."

Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Shan's expression turned somewhat solemn.

The abolition of the minimum guarantee fee system is an inevitable trend, but Jiahe made this decision faster than expected.

"Where are Taishan's agents and Taishan's talent scouts?" Xiao Shan asked, turning around.

Looking at the documents in his hand, Luo Jiwang said, "Recently, Taishan Talent Scouts have discovered 57 new talents, and we are currently focusing on training 5 of them!"

"At the same time, Taishan Film and Television established a junior artist training class, which includes artists from the TV station for training. There are 15 mentors and 83 trainees."

"Currently, Taishan Entertainment has 3 top-tier artists, 7 senior artists, 16 mid-tier artists, and 247 junior artists."

"Due to the large investment so far, we haven't made a profit yet, and there are only 6 agents available. We are still recruiting..."

Xiao Shan nodded slightly. These artists will be the foundation of Taishan Film and Television, and Taishan Film will also cultivate them into thriving cash cows.

Chapter 632, The Banquet at the Governor's Mansion! (Please subscribe!)

Xiao Shan nodded and looked at Luo Jiwang, saying, "When discovering artists, don't just focus on action stars; when cultivating artists, don't just focus on commercial value. Future potential is more important..."

“Okay, boss!” Luo Jiwang nodded.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Shan said, "Taishan Film Studio is prohibited from using artists from Golden Harvest. Starting next month, any film that employs artists from Golden Harvest will not be shown in Taishan cinemas!"

"On the contrary, with the same pay and price, we can hire artists and filming staff from Taishan at will."

Luo Jiwang and Jiang Zhiqiang immediately understood Xiao Shan's plan.

The battle for theater distribution rights may not be resolved immediately, but it is possible to start planning and address the problem at its root.