Back to the teenage years

Chapter 564: Yanjing Love Story
The spring breeze grows colder and the night grows deeper.

Zhang Yunqi and two other people left from Xidan by car.

Taxis travel through the streets and alleys of Yanjing.

This was the capital in 1996, caught between the reform of state-owned enterprises and the wave of market economy. The air seemed to be filled with a sense of desolation as if one was struggling to survive in the folds of the times.

Zhang Yunqi looked out the window. On Chang'an Avenue late at night, the windows of state-owned stores were glowing with a warm yellow glow. The colorful signs of individual businesses cast shadows on the roof of a Xiali taxi. In the shade of the receding locust trees, he unexpectedly saw a flashing advertisement board for Xinke VCD.

In the taxi, Wang Xiaokai was very excited. He had broadened his horizons tonight in Xidan. He had been working as a salesperson at Aiwa Electronics for half a year, so he was in the relevant industry and had a flexible mind. He had some vision in this area and had been talking about the broad market prospects for pirated VCD discs in China. He was sure to make a fortune by doing this!
Li Yufei didn't understand business, and she never paid much attention to such things. But she looked at Wang Xiaokai's expression, thought about it, and said to this good friend with whom she had a good relationship, "Yunqi just said that pirated CDs are illegal. Xiaokai, why are you so excited? I remember that you are getting a good salary at Aiwa Electronics now. You should work hard and don't think about these things."

Wang Xiaokai stopped talking.

Zhang Yunqi didn't say anything either.

Of course, pirated VCD players are illegal.

It’s just that in the 90s, in order to protect employment and develop industries, local governments did turn a blind eye to this matter for a long time. Just look at Yanjing now. Even the VCD piracy market in Yanjing is so rampant, let alone other regions.

So why did this phenomenon occur in China in the 90s? Because objectively speaking, pirated VCDs did have some benefits for social development and knowledge dissemination. At least, they accelerated the popularization and dissemination of culture, set off a wave of cultural consumption revolution, made the unattainable film and television popular, and made the film and television resources monopolized by state-owned cinemas enter the homes of ordinary people, becoming a part of the market, and promoting the rise of grassroots entertainment.

As a cultural breaker, not many people would know at that time that it used a 0.5 yuan plastic CD to pry open the entertainment iron curtain that had been closed for dozens of centuries. The pirated discs of "Titanic" leaked from the underground factories in Hebei could land on the streets half a year earlier than the genuine ones. The video halls in towns and villages wove a grassroots entertainment network with a ticket price of one yuan. Those migrant workers with stinky feet could also appreciate Kate Winslet's naked body like those upper-class people who sat on the leather sofa with wine glasses in their hands.

Of course, there are always two sides to every story.

The flip side of the pirated VCD disc industry is the burning pain of the innovation ecosystem.

In 1996, Yenching's legitimate audio-visual stores began to close down in large numbers. The few remaining state-owned bookstores, such as the legitimate counters of Wangfujing Foreign Language Bookstore, have completely become cultural islands under the impact of the wave of piracy.

The reason is simple. The 120 yuan on the price tag hurts the nerves of citizens who earn 600 yuan a month. They spend a quarter of their salary for less than two hours of spiritual entertainment. In later generations, only young models in clubs can command such a price.

On the other hand, piracy has also brought great pressure to my country's negotiations to join the WTO.

Just this year, the United States made special mention of the Zhongguancun pirated market in the capital during its intellectual property negotiations with my country, listing it as a "notorious market." These pirated VCD discs are produced in factories in Hebei, Guangdong and other places, transported to wholesale warehouses in the capital by rail or truck, and then distributed to retailers through underground distribution networks.

It was not until the eve of China's accession to the WTO in 2001 that my country's optical disc piracy market gradually shrank with the upgrading of DVD technology and the strengthening of law enforcement, but the impact was far-reaching. This period of history reveals a paradox: piracy is both a brutal promoter of technological equality and a stifler of the spark of innovation.

This lesson still affects China's exploration of a balanced approach to digital copyright governance in later generations. This is exactly what happened to the online literature he loved. Piracy has expanded the online literature market and cultivated a large number of users, but it has also led to vicious market competition where bad money drives out good money, making it increasingly difficult for readers to see excellent works.

However, who among ordinary people cares about these things?

Life is not easy for everyone.

The taxi sped through the capital city under the night sky.

When the three of them got off the bus at Xuanwumen, Zhang Yunqi saw a woman on the side of the road. She was holding a child in one hand and taking out a disc from her bosom with the other. Her simple face was full of sincerity. She was selling a few discs to a young man and said, "Give me a few. These are from the daily life, these are from Korea, these are from Europe and America, and these are from Africa... Only 9.9 yuan. What? I can't watch it? Why am I hanging out in the middle of the night if I can't watch it?"

Wang Xiaokai couldn't help but sigh: "Our great capital is still the first to lead the reform and opening up trend. Even this kind of film is so good, cheap and complete in variety."

Li Yufei didn't quite understand what was said, and her pretty face showed a puzzled expression: "What kind of movie is that?"

Zhang Yunqi said "uh..." and said amid Wang Xiaokai's obscene laughter: "Let's eat first." Li Yufei was a little puzzled, but she was very smart and quickly sensed something from Wang Xiaokai's laughter. Her face turned red, and she ignored Wang Xiaokai and followed Zhang Yunqi to a restaurant at the end of the alley.

Above the restaurant’s bright red wooden door hangs a sign that reads “State-owned Fourth Shabu-Shabu Restaurant.”

Zhang Yunqi lifted the faded blue cloth door curtain. The store was not very big, only about 30 square meters, with six eight-person tables squeezed in. However, there were quite a few people, and the voices were noisy. The Beijing accent was filled with the flavor of the old Beijing market. The copper pots were steaming hot, and the waiters in white coats were carrying long-spouted copper kettles to add charcoal to each table, and the fire tongs clinked against the edge of the cloisonné pot.

"Please come in, all three of you!" The proprietress was a skillful middle-aged woman with a warm look on her face. She spoke with a Langfang accent and tossed over three sets of bowls and chopsticks.

The three of them found a seat under the glass window and sat down. Wang Xiaokai waved and took the menu and said directly: "I want three plates of lamb legs and three bottles of Arctic Ocean."

After the proprietress left, Li Yufei said to Zhang Yunqi, "Did you go to see Chu Jian this afternoon?"

Zhang Yunqi nodded: "Yes."

Li Yufei said, "Peking University is close to here, right? Do you want to call Chu Jian and ask him to come out for dinner? It's been a while since I last saw this excellent old classmate."

Wang Xiaokai glanced at Li Yufei. He didn’t know what this beautiful girl who was always smart was thinking. Damn it, could the second wife and the first wife live in harmony?
Zhang Yunqi said, "She should be asleep now, so I won't call her anymore. By the way, do you want to go anywhere when you come to the capital this time?"

Wang Xiaokai has always been quick-witted. He automatically understood Zhang Yunqi's "you guys" as "you", and tactfully buried his head in eating watermelon by himself.

Li Yufei came to Yanjing this time mainly to promote Aiwa Electronics' new product launch. She is the image spokesperson for Aiwa Electronics, and this is part of her job. Of course, it was her first time to the capital, and it felt quite fresh. She held her fair cheeks and thought for a while, then said, "I definitely want to go to the Great Wall, as well as the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square."

Zhang Yunqi said, "Let's go shopping together when we have time."

Li Yufei smiled faintly: "It's rare for you to come here, so you should spend more time with Chu Jian. Wherever I go, Xiao Kai will accompany me."

Wang Xiaokai coughed twice and was almost choked to death by the watermelon.

At this time, two waitresses came over, carrying a copper pot, charcoal fire, and mutton, cabbage, tofu, frozen tofu, pickled garlic, sesame cakes and other ingredients to the table. The copper pot soup was bubbling. Wang Xiaokai quickly said, "The mutton tastes much better than the pirated plastic taste. Eat it quickly."

The three of them picked up chopsticks and started eating.

The soup base, the tender lamb cooked in hot pot, and the secret dipping sauce really have a simple and fresh taste. They talked about some things in high school while eating, which was quite enjoyable.

After eating the mutton hotpot, the three returned to the Kempinski Hotel.

They passed by a video store on the way. The night was long, so they bought a few genuine VCDs to kill time. However, the prices were not very attractive. A few genuine discs cost more than 90 yuan. There were the movies "Tokyo Love Story" that Li Yufei wanted to watch, "Rumble in the Bronx" that Wang Xiaokai wanted to watch, and Zhang Yunqi picked out "The Soul Returns at Night" by Stephen Chow. There were no movies in the s that he wanted to watch but had not seen, but at least he still had the desire to watch Stephen Chow's movies to kill time.

After arriving at the hotel, the three returned to their respective rooms.

Zhang Yunqi took a bath. After washing up, he was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang.

Zhang Yunqi opened the door and Li Yufei was standing at the door.

She must have just finished taking a shower. Her hair, which usually draped over her shoulders, was tied up and casually pinned with a blue hairpin, revealing a fair and slender neck. Her perfect little face, like blue and white porcelain, had a faint smile on it. She was wearing a white silk nightgown. The knee-length lace skirt swayed gently in the breeze. Her calves were slender. Under the warm yellow light, her extreme purity was mixed with a hint of hazy sensuality, and her beauty was breathtaking.

Zhang Yunqi asked, "What's wrong?
Li Yufei said softly, "I slept for a long time this afternoon, and I'm not sleepy now. Do you want to watch Tokyo Love Story with me?"

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