Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 857 The First Wave of Economic Boom

On the television, six middle-aged men holding musical instruments sat in a corner, each with a serious expression, looking at the sheet music in front of them.

First, the erhu played, followed by the flute and pipa, and finally the guqin, guzheng and xiao.

This is the band that accompanied Chen Fan; they are very traditional and rustic.

Seeing this strengthened Chen Fan's resolve to re-record the song.

This is just the prelude. The camera begins to pan, and Chen Fan, dressed in a royal blue Zhongshan suit, stands proudly on the television screen, holding a microphone with a dangling power cord.

At that moment, the group of people perked up again. Jiang Lili smiled, her eyes crinkling with infatuation, while Jiang Tiantian tried her best to maintain her composure, afraid that someone would notice something amiss.

But in Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru's eyes, the expression was not natural enough, the body was too stiff, and the performance was too obvious. In particular, the gaze did not move even once. It was not as good as Zhou Yali, who stood up and shouted loudly next to her.

"Go, bro! Go, bro! You're handsome, bro!"

Chen Fan grabbed a sunflower seed and smashed it on her forehead, saying irritably, "You didn't shout during the recording, so why are you shouting now?"

Zhou Yali sat down, rubbing her forehead, and was about to speak when the intro ended and Chen Fan on TV started singing. She could only swallow her words.

It is February 15, 1980, the 2th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lunar New Year's Eve.

It's been three years!
Based on the fact that my country had 485 million television sets in 1979, and after deducting a very small number of broken ones, unwatched ones, and those like Chen Fan who occupied five or six sets, it means that there are currently more than 480 million households watching Chen Fan's performances.

Then, assuming each family has 5 to 10 people, and many families will move their televisions out for neighbors to share, the number of viewers at this moment is conservatively estimated to be between 3500 million and 4000 million.

Compared to his performance at the Jiangnan Arts Festival last year, the audience was dozens of times larger.

Under the gaze of tens of millions of viewers, Chen Fan on television raised the microphone and began to sing, "Perhaps when I say goodbye, I will never return, do you understand? Do you comprehend? Perhaps when I fall, I will never rise again, will you still wait forever?..."

The first line of lyrics stunned Jiang Lili, and the next second, her eyes reddened, and she unconsciously reached out and grabbed Chen Fan's hand.

Jiang Tiantian also gritted her teeth and tried hard to control her expression, and immediately turned her face slightly away so that no one could see what was on her face.

Today's program had no subtitles, and even the song titles weren't announced. Before Chen Fan started singing, they had no idea what song he was going to sing.

When Chen Fan started singing, they immediately thought of his sudden departure a year ago. He said he was going out to collect folk songs, but he ended up collecting folk songs all the way to the southwestern border. If they hadn't received a phone call later, they wouldn't have known.

And this first line of lyrics is clearly what Chen Fan wanted to say to them when he left.

It was only at this moment that he expressed it through a song.

Or perhaps this song is what he wanted to say at the time?

How could such heartfelt words not move them?

They weren't the only ones who were moved.

Almost every adult watching the program at that moment was simultaneously thinking of the war a year ago, and the heroes in the reports who never returned.

Many people's eyes reddened at this moment, and they silently took out their handkerchiefs to wipe their eyes.

On the television screen, the actors and audience members all had serious expressions. Some had hazy eyes, looking up at the ceiling with unfocused gazes, as if they were reminiscing about the heroes of that battle. Others stared intently at Chen Fan, occasionally wiping the corners of their eyes with handkerchiefs.

Several elderly comrades had resolute expressions on their faces, as if they had returned to the glorious years of the past, and the sound of gunfire could be heard again.

The atmosphere at the scene was completely different from the joyful and peaceful atmosphere during the previous performances.

Zhou Zhengdong and the others did not have any particular reaction. They didn't even know that Chen Fan had been to the battlefield. They were just a little surprised by Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian's reactions, but they didn't pay much attention to them.

Otherwise, Lao Zhou would probably have to discipline his nephew for at least five hours, and he would have to promise never to go to the battlefield again.

Chen Fan took Jiang Lili's outstretched hand, squeezed it gently, smiled at her, and shook his head slightly, indicating that it was all in the past and she shouldn't worry about it too much.

The performance on TV continued; a song with two verses was sung twice, lasting about three or four minutes. As soon as the performance ended, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Only then did Zhou Yali look at Chen Fan curiously and ask, "Brother, I remember when you were recording, although some of the people in the show were there, the scene was wrong. The number of people, the clothes they were wearing, and the seats they were sitting in were all wrong. But when I watched it on TV, it felt like they were the ones who were actually there."

Chen Fan glanced at her and couldn't help but shake his head. "Duh, can't they play a recording on the spot and then film the audience's reactions?"

Zhou Yali's eyes widened in surprise, "So that's how it's done?!"

Zhao Wanru couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "When we get back to the United States, you must speak as little as possible. If people find out that the chairman of Qianfan Group doesn't even know this basic common sense and still wants to do television media business, I really can't bear the shame."

Zhou Yali shrank her neck, her lips moved twice, and she hummed a few times, muttering something to herself.

On TV, the host was getting emotional by using Chen Fan's song to say a lot of things before turning to Chen Fan and saying, "Everyone knows that you are a famous writer, but few people know that you are also a member of the National Film Association, the National Artists Association, and the National Musicians Association. You are truly multi-talented."

So, under what circumstances did you create this song?

After she finished speaking, she held the microphone to his mouth.

Facing a national audience, Chen Fan solemnly made a few polite remarks and praised the soldiers of our army highly.

Then, guided by the host, they sent New Year's greetings to viewers across the country, and the recording session came to an end.

Watching the fleeting distorted image on the TV screen, Chen Fan couldn't help but shake his head. "The editing is too crude."

Zhao Wanru smiled and said, "It's like this now. Even in the United States, it's not much better. At most, the screen flickering time is shorter, but it can't disappear completely. Anyway, as long as it doesn't affect the viewing experience, it's fine."

Chen Fan was just venting. Not to mention now, even in the 90s, there were still splash screens in gala editing and even scene transitions in TV dramas. It is estimated that this characteristic of the era will not disappear until digital technology becomes widespread.

The party was short, lasting only an hour, and it was not even 8:30 when the show ended.

Jiang Tiantian and her sister finished tidying up the things on the table and were about to leave. Zhou Zhengdong politely tried to persuade her to stay, but seeing that she was determined to leave, he didn't say much, but just took out a red envelope and gave it to her as a New Year's gift.

At Chen Fan's urging, she blushed and accepted the gift. After thanking him, she waved goodbye.

As soon as Chen Fan and she left, he drove her home.

As soon as the car drove out of the yard, Jiang Tiantian looked back, grabbed his arm, and didn't say anything. She just stared at him with red eyes and a pout.

Upon seeing this, Chen Fan quickly grabbed her hand, slowed down the car, and said with a smile, "Why are you crying? It's alright now."

He held the steering wheel with one hand and held the small hand with the other, grinning as he said, "Come to think of it, I actually came out ahead. If I hadn't been lying in the hospital for those few days, you wouldn't have been so proactive, would you?"

Hearing this, even Jiang Tiantian, who has a good temper, couldn't help but glare at him.

Then she turned half her body to the side, put her arms around his arm, and whispered, "Anyway, don't do that again. There are so many capable people, why do you have to do it?"

Chen Fan squeezed her hand and laughed, "Okay, okay, I promise I won't try to be a hero again, okay?"

Jiang Tiantian then wiped her face and said to him, "You said it yourself."

Chen Fan nodded seriously, "Yes, I mean what I say."

Although the war will reignite next year, Chen Fan will definitely not participate again.

With lofty aspirations and a willingness to sacrifice, they dared to change the world.

Unlike last year's large-scale operation, the subsequent battles were mostly kept within a small area. This was a rare opportunity to train troops. Although there were many sacrifices, it greatly improved our army's combat capabilities. He wouldn't act recklessly.

This time the journey was relatively short, so Chen Fan didn't dare to make any advances. He dutifully drove her home and then drove back.

Back home, no one had rested yet.

Zhou Yali stopped holding her younger brother and instead hugged the two little monkeys in her arms. She asked Chen Fan, "Little brother, are we leaving tomorrow or the day after?"

Without hesitation, Chen Fan replied, "Who goes out on the first day of the lunar new year? Of course, we'll leave the day after tomorrow. The ancestral worship ceremony is scheduled for the fifth day of the first lunar month, so there's definitely enough time."

These days, people still adhere to the old rules. Apart from those assigned to duty, very few people travel far on the first day of the Lunar New Year, not even visiting relatives. Only cattle and horses in later generations would disregard all holidays and traditions, going regardless of whether it's New Year's Eve or the first day of the Lunar New Year, rain or shine.

Upon hearing Chen Fan say that he wouldn't leave until the day after tomorrow, Zhou Yali and Jiang Lili suddenly raised their hands and high-fived, "Yay, we can watch TV now!"

Chen Fan was immediately taken aback. "Watching TV? What TV?"

Are there any truly unique TV programs these days? And one that even Zhou Yali is captivated by?

Before Zhou Yali could speak, Zhao Wanru said, "You're supposed to be a filmmaker, how come you didn't pay any attention? The day after your wedding, Lili was still watching the rebroadcast on TV."

Chen Fan looked at Jiang Lili, who was smiling sheepishly, and then at the others, his face full of confusion. "So, what kind of program is it?"

Anyway, he doesn't watch TV much. He spends more time listening to the radio and reading newspapers than watching TV. Every night when Jiang Lili and the others watch TV, he hides in his room writing. His self-discipline is so great that even Lao Ying is ashamed.

So, what are some of the most popular shows these days?
Zhou Yali immediately revealed the answer: "It's a TV series imported from the United States, called 'The Man from Atlantis.' It started airing on January 5th, with one episode every Saturday night at 8:1 PM. We've been watching it for over a month now."

Jiang Lili nodded repeatedly, "Yes, it's really good. Tomorrow is Saturday, so we can watch the latest episode."

Upon hearing that the TV series was imported from the United States, Zhou Zhengdong, who was sitting next to him, immediately lost interest, lit a cigarette, and continued reading the newspaper.

He is now paying close attention to the situation in mainland China, as it involves a business deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He is afraid of any disturbances, so he reads the newspapers even more actively than Chen Fan.

Zhao Wanru already knew this, so she naturally didn't react.

When Chen Fan heard that it was "The Man from Atlantis", he immediately realized that it was that movie.

Mike Harris was a classic character who swept an era and directly ignited the first wave of fashion trends in mainland China.

That's not the main point. The main point is that the popularity of this TV series indirectly spurred the creation of the first billion-dollar market in the early 80s, greatly stimulating the domestic private economy boom!
First, there's fashion. After the TV series aired, sunglasses and bell-bottoms, which were previously only exclusive to a very small number of "trendy young people," became essential items for urban youth almost overnight.

Where there is demand, a market will naturally emerge.

If we can't find it in mainland China, then we'll look for it outside.

A cheap pair of plastic aviator sunglasses costs only about one dollar in Hong Kong. According to the current official exchange rate, 1 RMB can be exchanged for 3 HKD, but the actual exchange rate is reversed at 2 to 1, meaning it takes two RMB to get one HKD. Therefore, the price of aviator sunglasses on the island is equivalent to two RMB.

A pair of sunglasses like these can be transported to a small island in the Pearl River Estuary in the South China Sea, and the price can double, selling for four yuan.

When you arrive at Yifa Commercial Street in Panyu County, which has just become popular and is only spreading in a small area, the wholesale price is six to eight yuan.

A large number of early Northern speculators lingered here, purchasing dozens, or even just a dozen, pairs of glasses, secretly hiding them on their person to bring back to the North. In Beijing, they could sell them for 30 to 50 yuan each; in Shenyang, for 50 to 80 yuan; and in Harbin, for 80 to 100 yuan.

Meanwhile, there are also jeans produced in small workshops in Xintang, Guangzhou, or Hong Kong goods like glasses, which cost only 3 or 5 yuan to buy, but can be sold for 80 or 100 yuan in Beijing, and 200 yuan a pair in Northeast China.

However, the volume of goods cannot be large. If you import or export in large quantities and are reported, you will be investigated and found guilty. Even if you have applied for a sole proprietorship business license, it will not work.

What is a sole proprietorship? You can only be called a sole proprietorship if your business is small. If you can store a room full of goods, can you still be called a sole proprietorship?
The current strategy is to allow the sale of small batches of small commodities... These two elements are indispensable: firstly, the batches must be small, and secondly, the commodities must be small enough not to affect the overall situation.

However, it is forbidden to disrupt the market by pushing sales volume, and it is also forbidden to sell large items such as televisions.

So despite the great risks, the extremely high profits still attracted countless people to participate, thus starting the wave of private economy.

Chen Fan stroked his chin, but what he was thinking about was something else entirely. It seemed that the transport fleet in Shenzhen, which hadn't fully started operating yet, had obtained a permit to travel all over the country.

(End of this chapter)