Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 788 Douyin's Online Launch May Be Devastating
Southern Metropolis Entertainment Report
"A blogger on Weibo has released exclusive news that the movie 'The Great Wall,' directed by Zhang Yimou and featuring a host of stars, has finished filming and posted photos of the main actors on set."

"Today, the official Weibo account of Legendary East Pictures and the Weibo account of Zhang Yimou's wife, Chen Ting, both reposted the Weibo post, confirming the news."

After finishing filming "The Great Wall", Lin Gengxin rested for two days and then immediately joined the cast of "So Young 2". Since joining Rongchen, Lin Gengxin feels that every month she works is equivalent to three years and seven months at Tangren.

So the moment he saw this junior sister handpicked by the big boss, he began to teach her by example: "Nannan, you are much luckier than me. You joined our company and were handpicked by the big boss. You won't have any detours in the future. All the roads to Rome are straight ahead!"

Zhang Ruonan blinked her innocent big eyes, smiled, and nodded frequently as she listened to the earnest teachings of her senior brother, "Lin Gou".

"Brother Lin, why didn't you just join the company back then?"

Lin Gengxin blushed and stammered.
Beijing News reported

"The 72nd Venice International Film Festival recently announced its opening and closing films, as well as the list of films selected for the main competition. In addition to La La Land, the Chinese documentary 'The Beast' has also been selected for the main competition."

"The Lunar New Year film 'Mr. Six,' directed by Guan Hu and starring Feng Xiaogang, has been confirmed as the closing film of the Venice International Film Festival."

"Mr. Six tells the story of Liu Ye, an ordinary man played by Feng Xiaogang, and is also a story of how to win dignity in the underworld. The film is full of commercial elements such as crime and action, and is also a commercial transformation work of director Guan Hu."

The Venice International Film Festival officially praised the film, saying it "explores the clash of ideas between two generations from a completely new perspective, reflecting the changes and development of Chinese society in this era."

Venice still has a strong preference for Chinese filmmakers.

Even a film like "Mr. Six" can reflect the changes of China over time.

In Li Chen's view, it was nothing more than the old story of a gangster in the capital who, after retiring from the life of crime, returned to the underworld to confront his fate when faced with challenges to family ties.

-

For Liu Yifei, the most important thing in August was the trial operation of Douyin, even more important than the Venice Film Festival.

For Yang Siwei, the acting CEO of Youku, in addition to focusing on the listing process, the premiere of the web series "Candle in the Tomb" at the end of the month is equally important.

The web series "The Lost Tomb", which premiered on iQiyi last month, set a new record for the highest viewership ratings for a web series premiere.

Although the character designs, plot, and character development were criticized to the point that the original author blamed the production company, the viewership ratings were indeed very impressive.

This month it's the turn of "Candle in the Tomb," and Yang Siwei suggested injecting the marketing of "Candle in the Tomb" into Douyin's trial operation.

Li Chen had this idea all along, and Liu Yifei also wholeheartedly agreed.

August is the month of celestial beauties, so the trial operation launch date was set for Liu Yifei's birthday.

Rong Chen's artists were all recalled to Yixin Media by Yang Siwei, and those who joined the crew also conveyed the Douyin trial operation strategy through video conference.

Dilraba Dilmurat, Zhao Liying, and several others participated in the video conference from the hotel.

Zhang Hanyun went straight back to the company.

It wasn't until Yang Siwei announced the trial operation of Douyin that everyone realized that the company invested in by the boss's wife, Zijie, had quietly made a big move.

"What is a music short video?" Dilraba asked the question that evoked the confusion among all the Rong Chen-affiliated artists present.

Everyone knows about short videos, but this is the first time I've heard of music short videos.

After all, the musical.ly app is still in its early stages overseas.

Yang Siwei didn't really understand the effects and potential of Douyin.

I can only offer my understanding based on the explanations given by Zhang Yiming and the other senior executives at Rongchen.

"For example, Dilraba could post a 30-second dance video on this app, along with a meaningful ancient-style song, and the hashtag 'Qingqiu Bai Qian Fox Clan Dance,' inviting fans, netizens, or people like Han Yun to take on the challenge."

"This will not only drive traffic to Douyin, but also promote 'Eternal Love' and expand your influence."

"In the boss's words, Douyin may replace Weibo in the future."

Yang Siwei's words immediately caused an uproar at the scene.

"Replace Weibo? Really? This thing is that powerful!" Zhu Yawen exclaimed dramatically.

"If someone else said this, I definitely wouldn't believe it, but since the boss said it, I can't disbelieve it. I'll go online right away and post a video of a Macau casino to guide people towards good and discourage them from gambling, drugs, and prostitution!"

Deng Jiajia smiled as she stayed at the hotel arranged by the film crew of "Finding Mr. Right" in Macau.

"The boss's wife's net worth is about to skyrocket again." Zhu Yilong, who had just joined the cast of "The Disguiser," reacted faster than anyone else upon hearing this.

This means the company has made up for its relatively weak position in social media.

"The boss felt that Weibo was not stable on one leg, so now with the addition of the boss's wife, the couple is a perfect match and invincible."

Everyone was very happy, chatting away, and they were even more overjoyed at the thought of the stock options they would receive at the end of the year.

"Alright, alright, the reason I called everyone here today is to inform you that as the first batch of traffic drivers to join Douyin, you should do your job well."

“You all know what kind of temper your boss’s wife has!” Yang Siwei said with a smile.

"clear!"

"Understood! I'm going to cling to Sisi's coattails forever!"

"If the boss hears you say that, you're dead, you little pig!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get the wrong idea, I didn't mean that."

The following day, Zijie held a press conference in Beijing, and Liu Yifei, as the major shareholder, also appeared.

The event immediately attracted nearly two hundred media outlets from various industries to gather at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Soon, news of Douyin's trial operation went viral on social media and across various media outlets.

Sina Entertainment News

"Major announcement: Douyin Music short video officially launches on August 25th! National goddess Liu Yifei's birthday marks the beginning of a new era for short videos."

“2015年8月3日，字结跳动今日正式宣布，旗下音乐短视频平台抖因将于8月25日刘一菲生日当天正式上线试运营。”

"Liu Yifei, an angel investor and major shareholder of ByteDance, will bring a lineup of top artists from Rongchen Pictures to Douyin, opening a new chapter in China's short video industry."

"Zhang Yiming, CEO of TikTok, said: 'Choosing August 25th as a special date is to pay tribute to our important investor, Ms. Liu Yifei. TikTok will redefine the way we socialize and entertain in the mobile internet era.'"

“Liu Yifei, a major shareholder of TikTok, representing Rongchen Pictures, revealed: This is just the beginning. In the future, all of Rongchen’s film and television IPs will achieve audio-visual synergy on TikTok.”

"Currently, the number of pre-registrations on Douyin's official website has exceeded 300 million. This summer, let's witness together the dream collaboration between the nation's goddess and a national-level app!"

-

"Music short videos! How come I've never heard you mention them before!" Cao Guowei immediately called Li Chen.

The arrival of Rongchen Group's top celebrities on Weibo has sparked a frenzy, and it is inevitable that more celebrities will join the platform.

This is not good news for Weibo.

Li Chen didn't want to answer Cao Guowei's question. No one would reveal such a thing beforehand, especially not a potential competitor. "It's not too late to know now. In the short term, Douyin isn't a threat to Weibo, after all, Douyin doesn't have social networking features," Li Chen said politely.

Cao Guowei also realized that he was being too nervous, mainly because the Weibo buzz was too astonishing.

A single Douyin influencer could very well change the landscape of short videos in China.

Cao Guowei could already foresee that the days of Kuaishou's monopoly were gone forever.

"You're really something! Kuaishou is probably having a meeting right now, all night, to figure out how to deal with the impact from your Rong Chen faction!" Cao Guowei exclaimed.

Rong Chen, a top-tier artist, has joined Douyin.

The impact on Kuaishou can be described as a devastating blow.

Previously, Kuaishou focused on the "old friend economy" and grassroots culture, but now it faces a comprehensive impact from capital, celebrities, traffic and algorithms.

Kuaishou currently has around 2000 million daily active users, and its growth mainly relies on organic growth.

But Douyin is different. It not only upgraded short videos, turning them into music videos, but also far exceeded Kuaishou's maximum of seventeen seconds, becoming thirty seconds.

With top-tier celebrities like Liu Yifei and Rong Chen joining the platform, it will quickly attract a large number of young users from first- and second-tier cities.

Back then, Weibo grew rapidly by attracting celebrities from Rong Chen's faction, especially Liu Yifei.

Cao Guowei was anxious because he was afraid that Li Chen might act rashly and cause the entire Rong Chen faction to withdraw from the doctoral program.

Now that I've calmed down and thought about it, I realize I was too concerned and made a mistake.

After all, Li Chen is still the major shareholder of Weibo, while Liu Yifei is the major shareholder of Zijie.

The couple is truly beyond words.

The internet is in an uproar.

"Looking forward to the first Douyin short video on the fairy's birthday! See you at midnight on August 25th!"

"Before, when I was on Kuaishou: 'Hey guys, give me a heart!' Now, when I'm on Douyin: 'Liu Yifei gave me a heart, I'm dead!'"

"Kuaishou: Recording real life; Douyin: Recording Liu Yifei's daily life."

"Tencent: Can Weishi still be saved? Zhang Yiming: No, you can't, I have a celestial being protecting me!"

The conference room at Kuaishou's headquarters in Beijing was unusually oppressive.

No one expected that the knotted character would suddenly unleash such a powerful move.

The relaxed expressions on the faces of Cheng Yixiao and Su Hua, the two founders of Kuaishou, could not ease the tense atmosphere in the meeting room.

All of Kuaishou's executives are experts who are well aware of Kuaishou's inherent disadvantage of relying on amateur creators and lacking the support of top celebrities.

Financial support is far superior to that of the company.

Behind them stands the Rongchen Group, whose assets exceed 100 billion yuan.

"Don't be nervous, everyone. Zijie's actions were exactly what I expected. Therefore, I can give you some advance notice: the company is in contact with Alibaba and is about to reach an agreement."

"With Alibaba's financial support, we don't need to care about Douyin at all. Douyin is just a newborn. We are the kings of short videos!"

Cheng Yixiao even believed his own boastful words.

But it did ease the tense atmosphere in the meeting room.

Everyone knows that the Alibaba group and the Rongchen group have fallen out and are now at odds. No one expected that President Cheng would actually turn to Alibaba.

Indeed, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Su Hua remained silent. Ali's man was no pushover. Cheng Yixiao, Xiao Yanzi, Ali, and the others quickly approached, giving Su Hua a chilling feeling.

It feels like trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin.

In contrast to Kuaishou's tense atmosphere, the conference room at Jinxiu Mingzuan headquarters was relaxed.

"President Liu, President Yang, in addition to the Rongchen Group's entry, I also hope to receive President Li's full support." Zhang Yiming was flanked by senior executives of Zijie, Liu Yifei, and Yang Siwei.

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "What other support do you need? I'll talk to President Li about it!"

As soon as Liu Yifei finished speaking, all the senior executives in the meeting room, including Zhang Yiming, laughed.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear from Mr. Liu. Everyone knows that Mr. Li is henpecked.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Mr. Liu."

Liu Yifei smiled and nodded. Zhang Yiming continued, "I hope that Youku and Weibo can use splash screen ads for the first three days after the launch, with just one sentence: August 25, the fairy is waiting for you on Douyin."

Yang Siwei smiled and said, "Youku has no problem. I can promise Mr. Zhang on behalf of Youku that the fee will not be overcharged."

Zhang Yiming nodded and continued, "It would be even better if WeChat Moments could accurately target and fully cover the 18-35 age group."

Liu Yifei thought for a moment before saying, "I'll have President Li take care of that!"

Zhang Yiming was overjoyed: "Then there's nothing else. I'll leave it to General Manager Liu and General Manager Yang."

"The countdown advertisement will also be simultaneously displayed on landmark screens in eight cities, including Sanlitun in Beijing and the Bund in Shanghai!"

"We will conduct comprehensive viral marketing, hoping to reach 500 million users on the day of launch."

After the meeting, Yang Siwei drove Liu Yifei back to the villa, and the two chatted on the way.

"Mimi, Tangtang, and the others must have called you a lot today," Yang Siwei said with a smile as he drove.

Liu Yifei nodded slightly. Today, not only Yang Mi and Tang Yan, but almost all her WeChat friends were asking her what Douyin music short videos were.

She patiently explained it to everyone one by one, and as a result, they all eagerly expressed their willingness to join and support her.

Yang Mi, in particular, blamed her for not telling her about this beforehand. She was supposed to bring all the artists from Jiaxing Entertainment to move in, since she was considered part of Rong Chen's faction.

"MiMi is ambitious, but her intelligence doesn't match her ambition, which is why she became the third-in-command of Jiaxing."

"If she were still with Rongchen, Dilraba's position today would be hers. Is an option really worth less than a few shares in Jiaxing?"

"With a 4.1 million bet, it doesn't matter whether it's a mule or a horse."

When Yang Siwei mentioned Yang Mi, Liu Yifei just smiled and remained silent. After a while, she said, "Actually, I understand some things. Mi Mi is too ambitious."

"She's around me not because of the fate we formed as eagles, but because I married Li Chen."

Yang Siwei gripped the steering wheel without saying a word, thinking to himself that anyone who treats the boss's wife as an ethereal being untouched by worldly affairs will suffer a great loss sooner or later.

Although they are in heaven, their hearts have long been with the human world.

(End of this chapter)