Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 920 Sharing the Burden
Chen Fan had only told Yang Kangnian and Ma Jiajia about the promotional video project before, and it wasn't until a few days ago, when he asked the Writers Association for help, that he told the leaders about the plan.

When Chen Fan first reported to the Tourism Bureau, He Qingsheng had mentioned wanting to help and asked him if he had any solutions. At the time, Chen Fan kept it a secret and didn't tell him directly.

At this moment, He Qingsheng asked him a question, and Chen Fancai smiled and said, "Yes, we're going to shoot a scenic film, but not to attract people to Yunhu Lake."

He got up and made two cups of tea, saying, "How much money do ordinary people have? Even if they have money in their pockets, they don't dare to spend it easily. We should look for overseas tourists, attract them to come and travel, and earn foreign exchange."

He Qingsheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately understood what he meant. "So you asked the Writers' Association for help to write a filming script for every place along the Yangtze River, so that you can make a scenic film about the entire Yangtze River for overseas audiences?"

Seeing Chen Fan nod with a smile, he immediately frowned and couldn't help but gasp. "This is a huge project. From Shanghai to Yibin, how long will it take you to film? And such a large operation will not only be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also cost countless funds. Where are you going to raise the funds? Don't think the tourism bureau will approve it for you. They may have money, but they don't have enough money to approve funding for dozens of films at once. The most important thing is that it doesn't make sense."

He had read the requirements sent by the headquarters. The shooting scripts for each city had to be prepared in the amount of a movie. If fully utilized, it would mean that Chen Fan would be shooting a series of more than twenty movies.

Even if we assume a minimum budget of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan per film, the total budget would be at least six million yuan. How much can six million yuan accomplish? Can the tourism bureau afford that?
Besides, this is just his estimate; what if it's higher?
Chen Fan brought over a cup of tea, handed it to him, and said with a smile, "I have my own plans regarding the funding. The key is whether we can convince the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television to agree to film this travelogue."

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng suddenly remembered what he had said last time and quickly asked, "Last time you said the time wasn't right and that you would wait until after 'Silk Road' aired. Is the time right now? Also, you said you had your own plans. Could you explain that more clearly?"
"No matter what, you're from Jiangnan Province. We shouldn't compare ourselves to other places, but we can't let other places surpass us, can we?"

Chen Fan snapped his fingers, took a sip of hot tea, and laughed, "Very good, that's the mindset I'm looking for."

He Qingsheng was somewhat confused. "What do you mean?"

Chen Fan walked to the chair and sat down, put the teacup aside, looked at him and smiled, "I have persuaded the commissioner of the Yunhu District Administrative Office. He agreed to invest one million to film a scenic film of the Yunhu District, not including the hotels, restaurants and transportation companies that have already begun to be built to receive foreign guests."

Uncle He, what do you think the provincial government leaders would do if they found out about this?

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng raised his head and opened his mouth wide. After a while, he finally understood and turned to stare at Chen Fan with wide eyes, saying, "Your move is ruthless."

With such a large investment in Yunhu, how could the provincial capital possibly outdo them? Besides, Yunhu has always been ahead of the provincial capital, which is understandable given the historical issues. But now they're investing heavily in tourism, the kind that's internationally renowned. It would be strange if the provincial capital didn't fight tooth and nail to surpass Yunhu.

From specific points to broader implications, this time, all twenty-odd regions along the Yangtze River, unless they consider themselves inferior to others, will likely have to compete with each other.

Chen Fan smiled and shrugged. "What's so ruthless about it? It's just like Jiang Taigong fishing—those who are willing will take the bait. If a region doesn't want to compete for the continuous stream of foreign exchange earnings from tourism, it can just approve some funds to get by."

They can even refuse to spend the money or agree to the filming, which saves me a lot of trouble. The choice is theirs, and no one is forcing them. What does it have to do with me, right?!

He Qingsheng pointed at him speechlessly, "Dark, extremely dark. Sure enough, all those who wield pens are dirty."

After saying that, he slapped his own mouth and said, "Pah, pah, pah, I even curse myself."

He then stood up and said seriously, "I roughly understand your plan. Alright, that's all for today. You go ahead and do your thing, and I need to hurry up and finish my work."

Chen Fan stood up, looked at him, and asked, "What task are you going to do?"

He Qingsheng straightened up and looked at Chen Fan, saying helplessly, "Why did you think I rushed over here as soon as you arrived?"
"It's all because of your scenic film script. And you were right, after the provincial governor heard about it, he asked me to come and find out what happened. I understand now, but I have to go back and report."

Then he pointed at him, his face full of strangeness, "One million for Yunhu, not including hotels, restaurants and transportation. Tsk tsk, I can't even imagine what kind of price Commissioner Li from the provincial capital would offer if he heard this. And you still say you're not greedy."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out.

Chen Fan stepped forward and said loudly, "Uncle He, just tell the truth. Don't push things too far. We have to respect their choice."

He Qingsheng waved his hand without turning his head, left the courtyard, got into the provincial writers' association's minibus, and quickly drove away.

Chen Fan took the two teacups to the kitchen, washed them briefly, then picked up his backpack, got into his car, and sped off.

Soon we arrived at the Provincial Tourism Bureau and leisurely entered the gate.

He didn't know the people working there, but they seemed to know him very well. People kept greeting him as he walked in, and the greetings only stopped when he entered the office.

This was his second time here, but it seemed like someone cleaned it every day, as the tables and chairs were very clean.

I had just sat down, lit a cigarette, and picked up the phone to ask the office director if Director Lan was there when there was a knock on the door.

He looked up, put down the receiver, and shouted, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Director Lan walked in.

Chen Fan quickly put the cigarette on the ashtray, stood up and went to greet him, "Director, why did you come all the way here in person?"

Director Lan waved his hand in acknowledgment, walked to his desk, pulled out a chair and sat down, raising his head and smiling, "I heard you were here, so I came to see you."

Chen Fan didn't go back to sit down immediately, but instead went to a corner to prepare tea. However, when he picked up the kettle, it was empty.

Director Lan quickly waved his hand and said, "Just come and sit down. Someone will bring hot water over in a bit."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "That's fine too."

He then turned on the ceiling fan, and a gust of wind dispelled the early summer heat before he returned to his desk and sat down.

Before he could speak, a woman came in carrying two kettles of water, then quickly made two cups of tea, brought them over and put them away, before quietly leaving.

Only then did Director Lan light the cigarette Chen Fan had given him, and looked at him with a smile, saying, "You've come at the perfect time today. I happen to have something I'd like to ask you."

Chen Fan asked with a smile, "What is it?"

Director Lan leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, and asked in a low voice, "I heard that a few days ago the Writers Association issued a notice to all the provincial branches along the Yangtze River, asking them to select a group of scholars who are knowledgeable about local customs to jointly write a related film script."

"Some people are saying this is in response to your application. Is that true?" Chen Fan laughed and said, "Nothing's even started yet, and rumors are already flying everywhere."

Without hesitation, he nodded and said, "Yes, I asked the Writers' Association to help with this."

Before Director Lan could speak, he suddenly picked up his backpack, opened it, took out a document, glanced at it, and then turned it upside down and placed it in front of Director Lan, saying, "Please take a look at this first."

Director Lan glanced at him, then picked up the documents and carefully opened them.

I had only read the beginning when I couldn't help but look up at Chen Fan.

However, he didn't say anything, but continued to look down at it.

After watching a short segment, he couldn't hold back any longer. He suddenly looked up at Chen Fan, his face full of surprise, and asked, "A documentary, with only the beginning shown, has managed to pique the interest of so many people? Make them want to travel to China?"

Chen Fan nodded and said seriously, "Back in early May, a trailer was broadcast on a small TV station, which caused a great stir. At that time, I had the idea of ​​shooting a scenic film to showcase the beautiful landscapes of our country, the stable social environment, and the wonderful lives of our people, in order to attract overseas tourists to travel to China."

However, the initial trailer wasn't enough to generate a buzz. It wasn't until the three episodes of "The Silk Road" aired and the show became a hit with viewers, with many inquiring at travel agencies about domestic travel, that I took advantage of my time in Beijing to ask the Writers' Association for help in compiling materials for filming the scenic documentary.

After a pause, Chen Fan took a puff of his cigarette, flicked off the ash, and smiled at Director Lan, "However, this was just my personal idea before. Whether or not to shoot this scenic film, and how to shoot it, will need to be reported to you before a decision can be made."

If it doesn't work out, I'll wait for another opportunity to shoot a folk-themed film, so that I won't waste this material.

However, I have reached an agreement with Commissioner Yang of the Yunhu Special Administrative Region Office in my capacity as General Manager of Yunhu Tourism Company, to jointly produce a scenic promotional video with funding from the Yunhu region.

However, Yunhu Lake's fame ultimately doesn't match that of the Yangtze River, and the effect is far inferior to shooting a series of scenic films about the Yangtze River.

Director Lan nodded immediately, but did not express any opinion. Instead, he pointed to the documents and said, "Let me read this first, and then we'll discuss it."

Chen Fan wasn't in a hurry; he leaned back in his chair and silently smoked.

In a short while, Director Lan quickly skimmed through Chen Fan's proposal, then looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "After filming, will the entire movie be broadcast on American television? Are you sure you can do that?"

Chen Fan nodded slightly and smiled, "As you probably know, my uncle has some assets in the United States, and they happen to be expanding their business, which includes a television station..."

Upon hearing this, Director Lan's eyes widened instantly, seemingly incredulous. "Can private individuals in the US really run television stations?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Capitalism is all about money. You can do anything, even weapons companies, private detectives, and private armies. As long as you don't break the law, you can do anything."

Director Lan stared in disbelief, and after a long while, shook his head and sighed, "Wouldn't that be chaotic?"

However, he did not seek the answer to this question. After pausing for two seconds, he put the documents on the table, looked up at Chen Fan, and said seriously, "From my own perspective, I strongly agree with your plan. After all, being able to get broadcast on American television stations would greatly benefit our country's image and attract a group of tourists to come and visit."

After pausing for two seconds, he softened his tone and said, "However, this plan is too big, involving all the provinces and cities along the Yangtze River, especially the source of the Yangtze River. It is a very large project."

"We can make decisions about things within Jiangnan Province, but we can't do anything about things outside the province, especially since they need to contribute money and manpower. We can only report this to the General Administration and ask for their approval."

Chen Fan smiled to himself, thinking that he wouldn't have come here if it weren't for needing to report to the General Administration.

Although he was in Beijing yesterday and could have gone there directly, that's not how work is done.

The most basic reporting procedures should still be followed.

The Jiangnan Provincial Tourism Bureau has already given him the greatest convenience. If he doesn't even report his work and directly bypasses them to report to the General Administration, then he is showing a complete disrespect to them.

Director Lan was equally clear-cut: as long as it was confirmed that the broadcast of "The Silk Road" in the small theater, as mentioned in Chen Fan's plan, had indeed sparked the interest of many viewers in traveling to China, then the plan was worth approving and implementing.

He picked up the proposal and waved it around, then said to Chen Fan, "There's no time to lose. I'll go talk to Secretary Jianfeng now. If he has no problem with it, I'll take this proposal to Beijing immediately and report to the leaders of the General Administration."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Actually, if possible, it would be best if you came with me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's face fell, and he said with a bitter expression, "Director Lan, I just flew back from Beijing today, and then immediately wrote this proposal before coming to see you."

If you take me to the capital again, I'll really be a frequent flyer.

Upon hearing this, Director Lan couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. What kind of official flies around all day long? What if that iron lump falls down while floating in the sky? Isn't a soft sleeper on a train much better?
But that's not the point. The question is whether it was necessary to make Deputy Director Chen make this trip.
Seeing that he didn't speak immediately, Chen Fan glanced at him twice and continued, "Director Lan, really, I've written everything that needs to be written in the proposal. Now, I think the most important thing is to ask the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Japan to help verify this. They can ask Takahashi Hideo, the president of Takahashi Publishing, to help see if 'The Silk Road' has caused a sensation in Japan."

After a pause, before Director Lan could speak, he continued, "By the way, Hideo Takahashi also has a wide network of connections in Japan. If needed, once the promotional video is finished, I can ask him to help connect us with Japanese TV stations and see if it can be broadcast on their channel, just like 'Silk Road'."

Furthermore, I have some connections with Liao Yiyuan, the general manager of Hong Kong's New Union Film Company. I can ask him for help in negotiating with the local television stations to have the film broadcast on Hong Kong television.

When Director Lan heard this, he was shocked. They hadn't even gotten the approval for the promotional video, yet Deputy Director Chen dared to say it could be broadcast on TV stations in the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong.

No wonder they say that writer Chen has connections that reach far and wide, even overseas. Meeting him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved.

Just as he was about to speak, Chen Fan suddenly said softly, with a hint of grievance, "Director Lan, such a big matter can't be left for me to handle alone. Your leaders should also share the burden, don't you think?"

Ok?
Director Lan blinked, looked at him for two or three seconds, and then it took her a moment to understand.

What do you mean by sharing the work? It's clearly about sharing the credit!

If we let Deputy Director Chen do every step, how much credit would we and Secretary Mingfeng have?

Without further hesitation, he said seriously, "Alright, since you've prepared the plan, let me and Secretary Mingfeng handle the rest. I'm determined to get this done!"

(End of this chapter)