Hong Kong Entertainment: The King of Kung Fu

According to statistics from the book "The Biography of Jin Yong" written by Fu Guoyong, since the 20s, Jin Yong's works have been at the top of the best-seller lists in Hong Kong and overseas. His novels have an average of more than 70 editions, with a maximum of 1000 editions.

According to Jin Yong's autobiography, in the 90s, his annual royalties (including movies and TV shows) from Hong Kong and Taiwan were about 1000 million yuan.

But now...Jin Yong has not gained momentum yet.

At present, the value of the copyright of his novels is not as good as that of Gu Long, because Gu Long's novels are short, concise and stand-alone, making them more suitable for making movies.

The Shaw Brothers series, represented by Chu Yuan, shoots a large number of Gu Long movies every year, and their box office results are much better than those of Jin Yong's movies.

Of course, except for "The Swordsman" filmed by Yang Ye, this was an accident.

As for TV dramas, Hong Kong has now produced a total of four TV dramas: Shujian and Three Eagles.

Among them, Shujian and Yitian were filmed wirelessly, starring Zheng Shaoqiu. The shooting vultures and the sacred eagles were taken by Jiashi.

Although both have achieved good ratings, compared with Zheng Shaoqiu's version of "Chu Liuxiang", it is almost boring.

Cheng Shaoqiu's version of "Chu Liuxiang" is probably the most popular martial arts drama in history, and it doesn't work for anyone.

Therefore, now is a good time to buy out Jin Yong's copyright.

Of course, Gu Long’s cannot be spared either.

Gu Long's copyright is easy to solve. This guy is a gangster, not like Jin Yong who is just trying to gain fame.

A year later, by saving his life, half the problem was solved.

Just throw money at the remaining half. Isn't this guy jealous of money?

……

In the recording studio, Yang Ye and Deng Lijun are recording "Iron-Blooded Heart".

It seems like I have seen it before in my dream, and my heart is filled with waves.

Put aside the sorrows and resentments of the world and accompany us to the horizon.

Chasing grass in all directions, the desert is vast (cold wind blows, the sky is blue)

How to be afraid of snow and frost hitting your face (vines and trees are connected)
  Shooting eagles draw their bows and gallop outside the Great Wall (the wind blows and the vast desert is vast)
  Smiling and proud, I will never be tired of this life (the two vines and trees are lingering)...

The continuous rapid ascending strings and the overwhelming yellow sand-like harmony instantly transport people to the scene of desert wind and sand.

The hero sang "Shooting a vulture and drawing his bow and galloping across the wall, proud and never tired of it in this life."

The beauty softly chants "the two vines and trees are lingering" and "it is still in my heart after hundreds of calamities."

Singing generously, singing softly, the heroism of chivalry and the entanglement of love are perfectly intertwined in one song.

After singing the song, Deng Lijun was affected by the emotions in the song. Like a little woman, she looked at Yang Ye lovingly, her eyes watery.

The two of them were chatting with each other, but they heard Zheng Donghan praise: "I didn't expect that electronic music and folk music can be so perfectly combined. Mr. Yang, you are a genius!"

Deng Lijun was about to say a few love words to her lover, but was interrupted by Zheng Donghan. She was very unhappy and wanted to steal a few words.

But Zheng Donghan was right, so forget it!

Yang Ye sighed and said: "Eastern Han Dynasty, even if you praise someone, you still have to choose the right time. You didn't see that we were both in emotions. This interruption of yours will have to be brewed again, right?"

"Uh... let's sing it again. Anyway, I haven't heard enough."

Deng Lijun finally couldn't bear it any longer and said, "You don't want to pay me. Let's go home and sing behind closed doors."

Zheng Donghan slapped his forehead: "Am I a light bulb again?"

"Of course!"

"That's right!"

"Then I'll go!"

……

In the following time, Yang Ye recorded songs in the morning and filmed in the afternoon. He was so busy that his two sons rarely went back to watch.

The four duets on this album, "Iron-Blooded Heart" and "Two Forgots in the Smoke and Water" are all sung with Teresa Teng.

"Mythical Love" and "All Lovers in the World" are duets with Qi Yu, but these two songs are the same song, one in Mandarin and one in Cantonese.

Every time Yang Ye recorded a song, he would release it and go on the radio to sing.

One song in three days, ten songs, played in one month, triggering a heated discussion in the city.

Hong Kong's literary celebrities have published comments on these songs in major newspapers in Hong Kong.

Liang Yanni, a talented girl from Hong Kong, personally wrote an article commenting on "Mythical Love Stories":
  Yang Shao once said that martial arts novels are fairy tales for adults. It resonated with many people.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is a wonderful flower among martial arts novels. The depth, pain, beauty, wonder, strength and chastity of Yang Long's love have already surpassed the word fairy tale and become a myth of love.

Now, Yang Shao's song "Mythical Love Words" is sung for the unprecedented love affair between Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu.

Earthly love is mixed with too many earthly considerations. How can it be matched with this song?
  Another talented woman Li Bihua wrote: Yang Ye composed seven theme songs for Jin Yong's seven novels, and I like "The Hard Sutra" the most.

This song sums up the characters in the novel in just a few lines, and it fits so perfectly that it's the only song I've ever seen.

The reluctance to part with the bright world is about Xiao Feng, the relief of being unable to escape infatuated love is about Duan Yu, the inability to find a substitute for the color is about Xu Zhu, and the problem of not being able to understand the whole life is about Murong Fu...

Huang Zhan directly announced: He will not write songs for Jin Yong's film and television dramas in this life, because Yang Ye has already written them all.

Even Jin Yong himself was blocked by reporters for interviews.

Jin Yong remained calm and faced reporters, smiling and said: "I like all eight songs."

The reporter asked: "Which one is your favorite?"

After struggling for a while, Jin Yong said: ""The Hard Sutra", this song fits the theme and is very good."

Probably because I didn’t speak well during the interview, I went back and wrote a review myself and posted it in Ming Pao.

He believes that this "Hard-to-Recite Sutra" has beautiful writing, and at the same time, the philosophical meaning and hierarchical structure are very good. Taking meditation as the general argument, the hero is short of breath and the love between children is stronger than the argument. The two are summarized into life, and then back to Zen, they are integrated and exquisite.

After a month of continuous speculation, Yang Ye's album named "Martial Arts" was released on New Year's Day in 1980 after sufficient warm-up.

It instantly triggered a panic buying effect, with long queues forming in record stores across the city, making it hard to find anything.

……

Jin Yong received the revision opinions of Yang Ye's novel. After reading it carefully, he felt that many of the opinions were very reasonable.

Not only did he point out the errors in the novel, but many of his views coincided with his own. He couldn't help but feel like a confidant, so he invited Yang Ye to dinner and Huang Zhan to accompany him.

Yang Ye went happily, and Xia Meng also went to the banquet with him.

The siblings arrived at the restaurant where Jin Yong was treating them. The four of them chatted for a while, then entered a private room and started serving food.

Yang Ye personally presented the new album "Martial Arts" as a gift to Jin Yong.

Jin Yong took it with both hands and was very happy.

With Yang Ye's super popularity, excellent lyrics and music, and Jin Yong's blessing, this "Martial Arts" has sold like crazy.

Record companies continue to print more copies, and audio and video factories work day and night to rush for goods. No one knows how much the final sales will be.

Distributors in Nanyang and Taiwan are also waiting for help. Due to the urgent need to rush for goods, Baiyang Records has to cooperate with overseas record companies. For example, in Taiwan, Baiyang cooperates with Gelin Audio and Video Publishing House, which distributes vinyl records on its behalf.

At this time, "The Swordsman" has been released in Taiwan for more than five months, with a box office of more than NT$4700 million.

Not only did it break the box office record set by "A Boat in the Ocean", but the song "A Laugh in the Sea" was also sung to the public.

Now, the whole album has been released, and the first song can be called a classic, and there are two Taiwanese singers, Teresa Teng and Qi Yu, to help out. It would be weird if it doesn't sell well!
  As a newcomer in the music scene, Qi Yu was also pushed to the forefront by this "Martial Arts".

The song "Mythical Love Words" that the two sang together in the album is sad and lingering, and they love each other to death.

Because Yang Ye, a romantic and talented man, is so popular, many boring people have wild imaginations.

Wherever Qi Yu went, there were a lot of reporters interviewing her. Most of them asked her why she got Yang Ye's favor.

Qi Yu tried hard to explain it at first, but later found that it was impossible to explain this kind of thing, so he just shut up. The song would be popular anyway.

Jin Yong said: "Little friend Yang Ye, I have read all the suggestions you gave me for revising my novel and thought about it carefully. They are really insightful. After I finalize the draft, I will write this in the preface of the revised version. Write things down to show your gratitude.”

Yang Ye smiled and said: "Then I will take advantage of it."

Huang Zhan ate the food and said: "Old Cha, you are just a petty person. Xiaoye has given you so many suggestions, and it's all just a thank you? You have to pay. Miss Yang, am I right?"

Xia Meng smiled and said: "That's right!"

Give money? That would cost Jin Yong his life!

Yang Ye quickly said: "The money is free. In fact, I also got a lot of benefits. If I didn't read this novel again, I wouldn't be able to release the album "Martial Arts"."

Huang Zhan nodded and said: "That's right, your album has cut off a lot of my money!"

Yang Ye said: "It's you who insists on saying that you won't write songs for Jin Yong's film and television dramas in the future, so don't blame me!"

Huang Zhan took a sip of wine and said, "You've already written like this, and I have no energy to write anymore."

Yang Ye said: "Then I will make Cha Sheng's movie again, and I will pay double the price for you to write songs. Will you write them?"

Huang Zhan was shocked: "How could you do this? I'll write it!"

With Huang Zhan as a living treasure, the atmosphere at the dinner table was very good. After half the wine, Yang Ye said seriously: "Mr. Cha, I guess many people have approached you recently to buy movie rights, right?"

Jin Yong nodded: "Except for authorizing Shaw Brothers to film "Flying Fox Story", I rejected everything else."

Yang Ye said: "I want to buy out the rights to adapt all your novels at once in the name of Baiyang Film Company. Is that okay?"

Jin Yong said in surprise: "All?"

Yang Ye said: "Yes, and it is an exclusive copyright. After you authorize it to me, you cannot authorize it to others unless our company agrees."

Jin Yong asked: "Why do you want...an exclusive buyout?"

"Of course, this is to prevent following trends and ensure the quality of movies. I hope to launch more high-quality Jin Yong movies in the future and make the word Jin Yong a signature in the film and television industry. But now many people are imitating me and making movies. If I make a movie about Jin Yong, they will also make Jin Yong. All kinds of messy movies will flood into the market, which will only mess up the brand. Therefore, I plan to buy out your copyright at once and cut off the thoughts of those people. .

With all due respect, the influence of your novel is currently limited to the Chinese world, but if you add the audio-visual language of my film, it can spread to other parts of the world. For example... Japan. The Japanese version of "The Swordsman" is now on sale at Kadokawa Bookstore in Japan and is selling well. In addition to the brilliance of your novel itself, the promotion of the movie plays a huge role. "

Jin Yong nodded, Yang Ye was telling the truth, he had to admit it.

Yang Ye was promoting the filming of "The Swordsman", but Kadokawa Haruki came to the door and wanted to translate "The Swordsman" and publish it in Japan. This is the influence Yang Ye brings.

If other movies adapted from Jin Yong's novels can continue to be released in Japan, they will definitely bring continued influence to Jin Yong.

Jin Yong was a man who loved money and cherished fame even more. He valued being able to expand his influence very much.

After weighing it up, Jin Yong asked: "How much money are you prepared to pay for my copyright?"

Yang Ye stretched out a palm and said: "The fixed price is 5000 million Hong Kong dollars. I will buy out the film, TV, and video game adaptation rights for fifteen of your novels."

Huang Zhan on the side took a breath, this was definitely a sky-high price. Jin Yong only sells the copyright once for only [-] yuan, but Yang Ye actually offered such a high price?
  Jin Yong is relatively calm. Although there is no specific data, Yang Ye made "The Swordsman" into a movie and made tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars in local and Nanyang alone. In Europe and the United States, Japan and South Korea have also gained considerable income.

The one-time price is 5000 million, which seems like a lot, but it’s just that.

Jin Yong asked: "What is the total box office of your "Swordsman"?"

Yang Ye said: "I did not deliberately cater to European and American audiences like I did when I made "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", so the box office in Europe and the United States was weaker than my previous movies. But the global mainstream market still reached [-] million US dollars. box office."

The Japanese box office of "The Swordsman" is 28 billion, which is the same as "Food Truck" and much worse than "ET". However, thanks to the appreciation of the Japanese yen, it can be converted into US dollars as high as 1200 million.

The combined value of Hong Kong and Taiwan is more than 800 million U.S. dollars, and the total value of Nanyang is about 1500 million U.S. dollars.

The combined European and American box office revenue is over [-] million.

In total, it is one of Yang Ye's movies that has a relatively small box office, but compared to other Hong Kong movies, it is still a crushing level.

All this was due to Yang Ye's use of "Shaolin Temple" to hit a king bomb at the beginning.

Subsequently, it continued to output at the rate of one film per year, and each film was innovative and would not bore the audience, forming a good reputation effect.

Therefore, he also has a basic base that other stars can't match.

Jin Yong appeared to be a scholar, but in fact he was a businessman and a nationally famous Zhejiang businessman.

As the saying goes, "There is no business without treachery." Although Yang Ye has offered a sky-high price, Jin Yong will not be satisfied with it.

He frowned, his small eyes gleaming, and he began to think. Since he is not good at words, he must organize his words before speaking out.

Xia Meng didn't wait for him to think, and said: "Although the box office of "The Swordsman" is very high, that is Ah Ye's ability. If it were anyone else, let alone 5000 million US dollars, not even 500 million Hong Kong dollars. With Ah Ye With Ye's ability, his own original movies are still a hit. So, to be fair, 5000 million is too high."

Yang Ye said: "Otherwise, if our company doesn't buy out the copyright, then others can make Jin Yong movies at will, which will disrupt the market and I will also suffer losses. But if Mr. Jin Yong only sells the copyright to me, he will lose money." I paid a lot of copyright fees. Therefore, I paid a high price to make up for Mr. Jin Yong’s losses.”

The two siblings sang a double act, which made Jin Yong blush.

Xia Meng's meaning is very clear. This film is valuable because Yang Ye filmed it. It would not be valuable if it had been filmed by someone else.

That's Yang Ye's ability, you Jin Yong are just the icing on the cake.

In this world, only Yang Ye can pay such a high price. Otherwise, you can sell them for [-] yuan each until the end of the year of the monkey!
  My brother is already very kind, but you still want to raise the price while you are riding a horse. What are you thinking?

If you lick someone for a long time, you will feel a little embarrassed for her, and you will not be able to pull her up in front of her. This is the case with Jin Yong.

So as soon as Xia Meng spoke up, the words Jin Yong had been holding back for a long time were all ruined.

Jin Yong had no choice but to ask: "Xiaoye, will you star in all these novels adapted into movies?"

Jin Yong asked this question very strangely, but it would not be surprising if he knew that Ti Lung acted in a lot of Shaw Brothers' Gu Long movies.

Yang Ye shook his head: "The protagonist of your novel has rich characters and different images. How can I be played by myself? But I can guarantee that I will personally participate in every work."

Jin Yong asked again: "You run a film company, so what's the use of the copyrights for TV series and... video games?"

Yang Ye smiled and said: "Maybe one day I will be involved in these businesses, so I am planning ahead."

Jin Yong nodded and finally made up his mind: "You are probably the person who understands Jin Yong's novels best in this world. I am very relieved to hand over the adaptation rights to you..."

Yang Ye was very happy and stood up to toast Jin Yong: "Then I wish us a happy cooperation. To show our grandeur, we will hold a signing ceremony in two days and invite all the Hong Kong media to witness it. What do you think?"

Jin Yong said: "Okay!"

Huang Zhan laughed at the side and said: "I accidentally saw a big deal worth fifty million."

Yang Ye smiled and said: "Uncle Zhan, I won't let your witness be in vain. I will give you ten boxes of Remy Martin later!"

Huang Zhan was overjoyed: "That's great!" (End of this chapter)