Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 118 [Fan Liu sent a mansion, Director Li sent an exhibition hall]

Jinan Railway Bureau.

“Buy a train station?”

The director looked at Zhou Bingkun in surprise, "What did they say they were going to buy the train station for?"

Zhou Bingkun said: "I heard from Miss Huo from Hong Kong that she wants to transform the train station into a cultural exhibition hall to promote patriotic education while also reminding everyone of the past shame."

"I didn't realize that our female comrade from Hong Kong has such a high level of ideological awareness?"

The director was surprised. Although he had never been to Hong Kong, he knew that it had always been under the control of Britain and was still a capitalist society.

It stands to reason that patriotic ideas would not be too strong, but I didn't expect that a young woman would say such words.

"They said it was taught by my parents since I was young."

Zhou Bingkun smiled and said, "Director, although Hong Kong was a capitalist country in the past, there are still many patriotic compatriots. When the East China flood happened last year, didn't many Hong Kong celebrities organize a disaster relief meeting?!"

"That's true."

The director nodded slightly. The 1991 Ecstasy Gala was quite a sensation in mid-last year. More than 200 singers and movie stars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and Macau gathered together, and even CCTV reported on it at the time.

Zhou Bingkun said: "Then look at this train station incident..."

"This is not easy to do."

The director shook his head and said, "It is definitely possible to sell it at the train station. But how to sell it is not something I can decide. I have to ask the city government."

Zhou Bingkun asked tentatively: "In principle, it can be sold, right? If it is possible, then I will call Director Li back. They are still waiting for my news."

"In principle, there is definitely no problem. You also said that Miss Huo can pay in US dollars."

The director smiled and said, "There is a shortage of foreign exchange everywhere in the country. Even our Railway Bureau has to contribute to earning foreign exchange. This railway station itself is going to be demolished and rebuilt. Now that someone is willing to buy it, and use US dollars, our Railway Bureau will definitely be happy to agree."

The Railway Bureau is different from other departments. They have very few opportunities to earn foreign exchange, and the bulk of the money is basically taken away by the people from the Investment Promotion Office.

It costs money for them to demolish the train station themselves, but now someone is willing to spend dollars to buy this train station that is about to be demolished. It is a win-win situation.

“What about the railway plan?”

"Planning is not a problem. There are places everywhere where railway stations can be built. But this is the only chance to earn foreign exchange."

The director is still very open-minded. It doesn't matter where the train station is built, but this opportunity to earn foreign exchange only comes once, and if you miss it, you'll miss it.

And considering the size of the train station, it would cost at least several million dollars, right?
How much foreign exchange does Jinan earn in a year? Their Railway Bureau directly contributed several million US dollars in foreign exchange this time. It will definitely be a highlight in the year-end evaluation.

Thinking of this, the director became excited. In front of Zhou Bingkun, he called the mayor directly and reported the matter to him.

When the mayor learned about this, he was also surprised, as he had never heard of a Hong Kong businessman wanting to buy a railway station.

However, when he learned that the other party could pay in US dollars, he immediately said "let's hold a meeting"!
It’s not a discussion of whether to sell or not, but a discussion of how much to sell.

After half an hour.

at the meeting.

"According to the literature we investigated, the Qing government signed a 500 million pound loan contract with Britain and Germany to build the Jinpu Railway Jinan Station."

“It took a total of four years to build, from the start of construction in 1908 until it was completed and put into use in 1912.”

"..."

After hearing this, someone suggested: "How about we sell it to them for $500 million?"

"Five million dollars? Are you sure they'll buy it?!"

The person from the Shandong (Jinan) branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange immediately refuted: "You can't use the construction price at that time, and how can you guarantee that the 500 million pounds was all used to build this railway station? Anyway, I don't see that this railway station needs to cost 500 million pounds, especially years ago!"

500 million pounds eighty years ago was much more valuable than 500 million US dollars today. A train station like this is definitely not worth that much money.

"How do you know they won't agree if you don't ask?"

"We can't cheat others. They are Hong Kong businessmen. They are willing to buy this railway station and transform it into a cultural exhibition hall, which will also enrich the lives of our Jinan people. But they don't want to invest. What if the price is too high and scares them away?"

"What do you mean by pit? I am just trying to earn more foreign exchange for our Jinan!"

"..."

After much discussion among the group, the price finally came to $380 million after discussions with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the Railway Bureau.

When the mayor heard the price of 380 million US dollars, he felt that the price should be about the same, so he nodded and asked Zhou Bingkun to contact Miss Huo Wenxi from Hong Kong.

Inside the hotel.

"Are you really going to sell it?" Gong Li was also surprised when she heard Zhou Bingkun's words. She didn't expect that the Railway Bureau would really agree to sell it.

"Yes, the city has discussed it and it can be sold to Miss Huo, but it must be paid in US dollars."

Zhou Bingkun smiled brightly. Although he was only the stationmaster of the railway station, as long as the products were sold, he would get some credit for the foreign exchange earned.

Huo Wenxi glanced at Li Yishu and saw him nod before continuing in Cantonese: "A question..."

"Ms. Huo means that there is no problem paying with foreign currency, but can I know the specific price?"

"$380 million!"

Perhaps fearing that the price was too high, Zhou Bingkun quickly said, "This price was decided unanimously after a meeting of the city. It cost 500 million pounds when it was built. Even though 80 years have passed, the building as a whole is still very solid. We also inspect the train station once a year."

"380 million...US dollars?!"

Gong Li's eyes widened and she subconsciously looked at Li Yishu. This price was enough for her to buy a luxury house in Hong Kong.

Li Yishu could accept this price. He went to the train station to see it in person and also inquired about its total area.

The building is a stone structure with 3 floors above ground and 1 floor underground. It is about 15 meters high, with a construction area of ​​3880 square meters and covers an area of ​​about 2440 square meters.

For 380 million US dollars, you can buy a building from the Republic of China era in this location. I don’t say it will appreciate in value in the future, but you will definitely not lose money.

He thought for a moment and said, "The price is no problem, but we hope to meet with the city leaders and discuss the sale in person. We also plan to buy the land around the square."

"No problem, I'll contact them right away!"

Zhou Bingkun didn't expect the other party to be so easy to talk to. Not only did he not bargain, but he also wanted to buy the large square outside!

That afternoon.

Zhou Bingkun took Li Yishu and others to the city.

The city leaders naturally welcomed Li Yishu and his three companions, and were especially enthusiastic towards Gong Li and Huo Wenxi.

The former is the pride of Jinan people, and the latter, Huo Wenxi, is even a wealthy man.

On the contrary, Li Yishu, a director who has won a major European award, is a bit mediocre in the eyes of their city leaders.

Of course, there is definitely the necessary enthusiasm.

"Six million dollars to buy the train station and the surrounding square!"

Li Yishu directly offered a price that the city leaders could not refuse. Although the supporting square outside the train station covers an area of ​​more than 1 square meters, since the train station has been sold, there is naturally not much point in keeping the square and the railway tracks behind it.

It would be better to just sell it directly.

Now that the price has been agreed upon, it is natural to arrange for a lawyer to come over for the subsequent signing of the contract.

In the end, it took three days and, in the name of Xiangjiang Art Technology Company, spent $600 million to purchase the Jinan Railway Station and the surrounding 1.33 square meters of squares and railways.

Li Yishu has also followed his promise and will renovate the railway station into the Jinan Cultural Exhibition Hall, which will be open to the public free of charge.

However, the land around the railway station is allowed to be invested in the construction of commercial buildings.

Since it is a cultural exhibition hall, it must have staff and corresponding maintenance fees. They also promised to provide it to the public for free and allow investment in commercial buildings around it, which can be regarded as a little compensation for Miss Huo, a Hong Kong businessman. After all, we can't let her get nothing in return. In the hotel room.

Gong Li looked at the contract in her hand and swallowed her saliva: "Yishu, you bought it now?"

"Yes, it's been stamped, the Railway Administration has agreed to it, and we've paid the money. We can't change it if we want to."

Li Yishu smiled brightly. Although it cost 600 million US dollars, it had a train station and 1.33 square meters of land around it, and it could also build commercial buildings. From a long-term perspective, it would definitely be a great deal.

Although he had never been to Jinan before, Li Yishu had seen the current map of Jinan. The location of the railway station was not far from the city center. If Jinan's economy was to be developed in the future, it would inevitably develop towards the railway station.

Now that the old railway station has been preserved and a new station has been chosen at another location, future urban development will definitely come here.

In this area, even if the cultural exhibition hall converted from the railway station is not used for commercial purposes, the commercial buildings built around it will be enough for Li Yishu to become a landlord and collect rent in the future.

I just didn't expect that I would become a real estate developer without knowing why.
Gong Li asked: "This is 600 million US dollars! Do you have so much money?"

Li Yishu smiled and said, "Ha, you don't have to worry about this, Sister Gong Li. 600 million US dollars is not a small amount, but I can still pay it."

"It seems like you have really made a lot of money in the past year or so."

When Gong Li saw Li Yishu taking out 600 million US dollars without even frowning, she couldn't help but think of last year's Venice Film Festival, when the other party couldn't even afford a suit worth one or two thousand dollars.

Destiny is really a thing of fate.

"Haha, I did make some money!" Li Yishu did not deny it. Gong Li was not an outsider and knew everything about her.

"So this...train station really wants to change my name?"

Gong Li also had some desire in her heart.

Once the train station is transformed into the Gong Li Cultural Exhibition Hall, as long as the exhibition hall continues to operate, it will at least have a certain lasting reputation.

"What? You don't want me to change my name to yours?"

Seeing Gong Li like this, Li Yishu grinned and said, "Okay, I'll change it to Wenxi Cultural Exhibition Hall. It was bought in her name anyway."

"No! You have to use my name!"

Gong Li immediately bared her teeth and said, "You said you bought it for me!"

"Haha, I was just joking. Of course, I have to do it in Gong Li's name!"

Li Yishu said with a burning gaze, "Director Chen of the Railway Bureau said that after they change the route, they can start the interior decoration. In the middle of next year, the Jinan Railway Station will be renamed - Gong Li Cultural Exhibition Hall!"

Hearing this, Gong Li's eyes moved, moved, excited, happy...

Many emotions completely exploded at this moment!
Gong Li suddenly pounced over, put her arms around Li Yishu's neck, hooked her legs around his waist, bit his mouth and started nibbling.

The proactive Mother Earth is truly hard to resist.

It's too vulgar for Fan Liu to use the mansion to pick up girls.

Li Yishu felt that he could use this to pick up girls in the future.

There is little land in Hong Kong, so female stars pursue houses. The housing prices in the mainland are not high now, and there are no commercial houses yet, so we can use cultural exhibition halls to highlight the style.

High-end, atmospheric and classy!

Before we knew it, it was November.

Qiu Fusheng came to Jinan from Taiwan, accompanied by his relevant staff.

Li Yishu also brought him to visit Jinan Railway Station.

The entire building has smooth lines, with attics and arched windows arranged in an orderly manner, and the distinctive rectangular doors and windows and sloping roof style are obvious.

The most eye-catching thing is its tall bell tower. On the wall below the dome, there is a large round clock installed in the east, south, west and north, which is both beautiful and practical.

The long spiral windows on the facade of the bell tower, the large arched windows above the lintel of the ticket hall, and the triangular and semicircular small skylights that are staggered up and down under the eaves of the roof tiles.

It not only adds curvaceous beauty to the building, but also increases the brightness of the interior.

The waiting hall is spacious and elegant, with the window tops three or four meters high from the ceiling.

Since the walls are made of thick bricks and stones, the hall is very cool in summer.

The high arched windows on the wall increase the lighting area of ​​the waiting hall, and are inlaid with colored glass, making the inside and outside of the hall colorful and exquisite. It is very beautiful to stand inside and admire it.

The steps at the main entrance of the station hall are made of wide stones, forming a symmetrical and coordinated solid style with the colonnade in front of the door, giving people a feeling of solidity and stability.

“This train station is really nice.”

Looking at the train station in front of him, Qiu Fusheng finally understood why Li Yishu chose this place.

Li Yishu smiled and said, "I have already bought this train station. Mr. Qiu can have people start designing the scenery for the train station later."

"Bought it?" Qiu Fusheng was surprised.

"Yes, this train station was originally going to be demolished, and I bought it after I found out about it."

"Tear it down? Director Li bought it well. It would be a shame to tear down such a good building!"

"Yeah, so I just bought it."

"..."

After the two chatted for a while, Qiu Fusheng suddenly asked, "Director Li, do you need to cooperate with Shandong Film Studio?"

"Sure...but I'll only give you 5% of the share. It's just a token of appreciation. The main thing is to get the Beijing Film Studio involved."

Ever since collaborating with Beijing Film Studio on Farewell My Concubine and Rain of Swords, Li Yishu has understood the benefits of cooperating with those within the system.

Firstly, the production cost will be very low, secondly, it can get the Dragon Mark and be released domestically, and most importantly, it is convenient.

Just like when the road was closed in Yanjing to film "Farewell My Concubine", if it weren't for the arrangement of Beijing Film Studio, Li Yishu might not have been able to do it.

As for the distribution of benefits, Li Yishu is quite open-minded.

Now is not the time to open the film market to private enterprises, and co-production is the current trend.

The reason why Li Yishu was able to film "The Mountain" with her own funds was mainly due to the influence of her parents.

So there is naturally no problem in sharing some of the profits.

It is impossible to finish the cake alone.

That is to say, "Sword Rain" was not initially considered to go to Sichuan, otherwise Li Yishu would definitely bring Emei Film Studio to participate in the production.

The share that can be given is not much, 5% is enough.

But the meaning is definitely very different.

After talking to Qiu Fusheng, Li Yishu said, "I'll trouble you, Mr. Qiu, with this matter. I have to attend the Tokyo Film Festival in Japan in a few days."

"No problem, leave it to me!"

Qiu Fusheng agreed immediately. He could feel that Li Yishu was very dedicated to the movie "Central Station", otherwise she would not have been willing to spend money to buy this train station.

Although I don’t know the exact price, it’s definitely not something that can be purchased for one or two million dollars.

The US dollar is valuable now, but not as valuable as imagined. It can buy a large railway station of several thousand square meters.

Just as Lee Yi-su was preparing to go to Japan to attend the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Yenching's Popular Film magazine published its November monthly issue on this day.

The cover character is Lee Ye-su, who won the Golden Lion Award last year, and is pictured laughing wildly.

　Two-in-one today
　　
　
(End of this chapter)