National Tide 1980.

In September 1991, the entire port city was enveloped in a scorching heatwave.

It's not the weather that's hot, it's people's hearts.

Because the floods in East China have been affecting people across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, this month, the Hong Kong entertainment industry has made an unprecedented effort to put aside all grudges, schedules, and salaries, and has done two major things that people will remember forever.

The first thing is that the public welfare film "The Banquet of the Rich and Powerful", funded and produced by Ning Weimin, officially started filming at the beginning of this month, and completed filming and editing in just fifteen days, so that it was successfully released in theaters.

It should be said that this film broke unprecedented records in terms of its cast, boasting an absolutely unparalleled and strongest lineup in the history of Hong Kong cinema.

The 90-minute film featured over 200 artists and more than 500 film professionals.

It brought together the then-popular "Four Heavenly Kings"—Anita Mui, Tony Leung, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Leslie Cheung, and Stephen Chow—who also played minor roles in the film.

In reality, apart from Chow Yun-fat and Jackie Chan, who, as in previous years, were unable to participate in filming due to scheduling conflicts, most of the big names in the Hong Kong film industry were unable to participate.

Even Jet Li and Teresa Teng, who were originally absent, made appearances in the film this time.

There were also Yao Peifang, Zhao Hui, Le Yun, Yu Li, and even Ning Weimin himself. These people, who were originally completely unrelated, happened to be invited to play roles this time.

It is especially worth mentioning that all the participants, big and small, came voluntarily and participated without receiving any payment.

Ultimately, the film lived up to expectations, achieving a remarkable box office of 28 million after its release.

To be honest, this box office performance is still not comparable to the HK$30 million that "two Chows and one Jackie Chan" (referring to the three major film stars) earn.

But the significance of this film has long transcended the film itself. It can be seen not only as an epitome of the glorious years of Hong Kong cinema, but also as the best embodiment of the patriotism of the artists.

Moreover, Ning Weimin's actions created a butterfly effect, allowing the film to be released more than two months earlier during the peak season, which significantly increased the number of viewers.

Therefore, compared to the original film's box office of only 22 million, the 28 million Hong Kong dollar figure is a significant improvement.

Moreover, don't forget that Ning Weimin's investment in filming was also donated free of charge, which is fundamentally different from the original history. As a result, the actual box office revenue donated to the disaster area reached 18 million, far exceeding the original 4 million.

It's a pretty satisfactory and gratifying result.

As for the second matter, it is also closely related to the first matter.

It turns out that, in order to raise more funds for charity, the Hong Kong celebrities did not disperse after filming of "The Banquet" wrapped up.

Instead, under the organization of the Performing Arts Association, everyone worked together to hold a special performance – the Port City Performing Arts Mobilization Grand Performance.

The time was set for 9 p.m. on September 28.

On the day of the performance, everyone gathered at Happy Valley Stadium, and the scene was truly magnificent.

Hung Hom, Clear Water Bay, and Causeway Bay were almost completely blocked by vehicles.

Helicopters hovered overhead taking photos, while reporters on the ground surrounded the area in layers, and even the police officers maintaining order couldn't help but glance at them frequently.

The stage wasn't lavishly set up, but it was still impressive.

In the center of the venue, a huge banner hung high: "We stand together through thick and thin, care for our compatriots, and put on a selfless grand performance. Every bit of love is precious."

The stage was surrounded by tens of thousands of people, all seated in a bustling yet orderly atmosphere.

Almost every famous star in Hong Kong came out, and the lineup that day was even larger and more complete than when filming "The Banquet" half a month ago.

From superstars and movie stars to stuntmen, TVB artists, music groups, and opera stars, more than two thousand people gathered in one place.

Everywhere I looked, I saw familiar faces; under the bright daylight, it was like a constellation of stars.

Even Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat, who were absent from the filming of "The Banquet", arrived on time this time.

Moreover, they not only came in person, but also brought personal donations, seemingly to make up for their absence from the filming of the charity movie. In fact, each of them performed a wonderful show on the spot to raise funds.

Jackie Chan was asked by a wealthy businessman to do five somersaults and donate 250,000 yuan.

As a result, he immediately did seven somersaults and donated 200,000 yuan of his own money to make up the difference.

Chow Yun-fat – In his capacity as president of the TVB Artist Training Class, he led a group of stars in a grand sing-along of "Tomorrow Will Be Better" and personally donated HK$100,000.

That's not all; besides them, many other celebrities also brought out their hidden talents.

In order to raise more funds, some people have completely abandoned their celebrity status and adopted "any means necessary" methods. Some of these scenes are even worthy of being recorded in history, and they still move people when they are thought of them many years later.

For example, Brigitte Lin, who was filming in the United States, boarded a flight to Hong Kong without even taking her luggage after receiving the invitation.

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, they didn't even catch their breath or change their clothes before heading straight to the performance venue.

She took to the stage with her friend Teresa Teng, where they performed Peking Opera and Cantonese Opera together.

Then the two of them stood on the stage and emotionally cried out, "Save our compatriots! Please reach out and help your own people!"

Andy Lau's performance was equally heart-wrenching; he took on the extremely dangerous task of "breaking a boulder on his chest," much like a street performer.

It took several hammer blows to break the stone slab. Having finally completed his performance, he shouted "Blood is thicker than water" with blood in his mouth, raising millions of dollars in donations on the spot.

Leon Lai also disregarded his personal safety, nearly suffocating during a performance where he wrapped a steel bar around his neck.

Especially after learning that a female fan was willing to spend 500,000 to request a song, he immediately turned back and went back on stage to perform, even though he had already finished his performance and was about to leave.

Unfortunately, the lack of communication with the band led to two embarrassing instances of his voice cracking during the performance, which subsequently resulted in Leon Lai being criticized for decades.

But the most dangerous act belonged to Asian sprinter Ko Shou-liang, whose act involved leaping a motorcycle over two human walls.

At the time, due to safety concerns, very few people volunteered to form a human wall. At this critical moment, Anita Mui, Jackie Chan, and Andy Lau all stood at the highest and most dangerous position.

They took no protective measures, risking their lives and acting out of pure passion. Because of this, the audience both at the venue and watching on television were deeply moved. As the performance progressed and each program was presented, the total amount of donations rapidly increased in waves, fueled by the surge of emotion.

Every time the donation figure was updated, the entire audience erupted in a tsunami of cheers and applause.

And so, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., the performance lasted for a full seven hours.

Some sang until they lost their voices, some danced until they were exhausted, some donated all their earnings, and some put aside all grudges to shake hands on stage together.

From noon to late at night, Happy Valley Stadium was always brightly lit and filled with singing.

When the final donation figure settled at HK$147,231,820, the performance finally came to an end.

Everyone in the audience held hands and sang together again.

The singing wasn't perfect, but it was so sincere that it brought tears to my eyes.

Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Chow Yun-fat... a host of household names sang in unison at the same time.

As for Ning Weimin, who was also present at the event and watched the performance live, he was even given the opportunity to go on stage.

During the on-site fundraising, he once again generously donated, having Yao Peifang represent Big Ship Entertainment to fill out and donate a check for HK$20 million on the spot, thus winning the title of the company with the highest on-site donation.

In return, Anita Mui and Jackie Chan, the main organizers of the performance, jointly invited Ning Weimin and Yao Peifang to the stage.

Needless to say, when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

Ning Weimin's appearance on stage led to changes in the treatment of several artists under his company.

Zhao Hui, Le Yun, and Yu Li, who were originally supposed to be in the last row, were invited to the front, although they could still only stand on one side.

But the front row is still a completely different row from the back.

For these relatively unknown artists, being able to stand on the sidelines and gently sing along with so many top Hong Kong and Taiwanese stars was already an extraordinary honor.

Especially because of their background from mainland China, before signing with Big Ship Entertainment, they were all victims of bullying and exclusion in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

Even though they came to participate in this performance today, they have no real status and are just doing odd jobs.

Throughout the event, they were either carrying buckets of water to solicit donations from the audience or staying backstage to hand microphones and bottled water to the big stars.

Who would have thought that, nearing the final curtain call, I would actually benefit from my boss's connections and have the opportunity to stand openly in front of the camera and appear on camera? What an unexpected gain!

So at this moment, Zhao Hui, Yue Yun, and Yu Li held hands tightly, standing together with artists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.

Although their voices were soft, they were quite earnest, and they enjoyed a rare moment of excitement without barriers, discrimination, or hierarchy.

Especially when watching the candles waved by 100,000 audience members below the stage, the donation figures constantly changing in front of the stage, and the artists on stage vying to raise their hands to donate more, my eyes couldn't help but well up with tears again and again.

This was, in a sense, the first time they had stood on such an important stage and personally experienced the honor of participating in a major historical event.

This was also their first experience in the port city where they truly felt that no matter where they were, the word "compatriot" was of paramount importance.

They are no longer the helpless "Northern girls" in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

They now have companies, powerful backers, a stage to perform on, and dignity.

The evening breeze was cool, but people's hearts were warm; this world is so beautiful.

So when the song ended, the entire audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers once again.

Their spirits were also elevated in some way.

Self-esteem and self-confidence were regained, and ideals and dreams were reshaped.

They finally realized that they were following not just a boss, but someone who truly gave them dignity, a sense of belonging, and a sense of national pride.

…………

However, this was not all the benefits these girls gained from this performance; the subsequent positive impact far exceeded their expectations.

Even after the performance ended, the media did not ignore Ning Weimin's donation of 20 million yuan under the company's name. On the contrary, Ning Weimin's low-key yet generous nature reignited the media's attention to him, as well as his background and the companies under his name, which in turn pushed these girls in front of the entertainment media in Hong Kong.

"It is reported that the 'Selfless Grand Performance' on September 28th raised a total of over HK$50 million. Due to the commitment of the tobacco tycoon Ho's company to donate an equal amount, the final total raised was approximately HK$140 million. However, what was quite surprising was that Mr. Ning, a mysterious tycoon from mainland China, generously contributed the most. Through his company, Big Ship Entertainment, he donated HK$20 million, once again taking the lead in on-site donations with a total amount of HK$20 million..."

"A huge shock! The large-scale entertainment company that donated HK$20 million at the gala was actually a newly founded enterprise by a mysterious mainland tycoon. Adding to the HK$8 million Mr. Ning previously contributed for the filming of 'The Banquet of the Rich and Powerful,' his total donation has reached nearly HK$30 million, surpassing even the donations of Hong Kong's four major families..."

"Donating 30 million to disaster victims, a mainland tycoon displays his extravagant wealth. Insiders reveal that this Mr. Ning from the mainland has only been in Hong Kong for two months, yet he has already registered an entertainment company, a record company, a real estate company, and a financial management company. He has also signed several artists with mainland backgrounds..."

"Big Ship Entertainment, the first mainland entertainment company to establish a presence in Hong Kong, is reportedly the producer of the recently released film 'The Peony Lantern,' according to insiders. Although the film, a period fantasy, cannot be released in mainland China due to policy restrictions, it has performed well in the Hong Kong market, grossing HK$4.85 million in its opening week. Furthermore, sources indicate that Big Ship Entertainment has already invested in three films starring Stephen Chow in Hong Kong and has reached cooperation agreements with director Xu Ke on several films, including 'A Chinese Ghost Story IV.' It has also been preliminarily confirmed that several actresses under Big Ship Entertainment will participate in Tsui Hark's latest film..."

There was no way around it; even though Ning Weimin could have kept a low profile, his strength wouldn't allow it.

The donation of 20 million was like a loud shout, once again demonstrating Ning Weimin's personal wealth to the entire Hong Kong.

The stars do not ask about the traveler's journey, and time does not betray a child's pure heart.

Through this performance, the port city remembered that magnificent act of love.

I also remembered a man from mainland China named Ning Weimin, and the group of girls behind him who held their heads high.

All the past hardships and humiliations vanished in this performance brimming with patriotism.

The acting careers of Zhao Hui, Le Yun, and Yu Li also ushered in a new beginning thanks to this act of love and Ning Weimin's support, and were truly seen and accepted by the entertainment industry in Hong Kong.

The confusion in their eyes faded, replaced by a firm belief and anticipation for the future. The road ahead was bright; they would not waste their youth. (End of Chapter)