1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 90 Father and Daughter (2)

Muliya flipped through her notes: "Last year, calculated in constant dollars, the island nation's per capita GDP officially exceeded $2.6... It has been eight years since it entered the ranks of developed countries (a per capita GDP of $2 is considered a developed country)."

"After eight years of glory, the island nation is also in a state of [struggle + enjoyment], and even a little indulgent, but it is undoubtedly much more confident and restrained than quasi-developed countries like South Korea, and has shown a very obvious need for [self-worth satisfaction and display]."

"To put it simply, if South Korea is now a small upstart that has suddenly become rich after a long period of poverty, then the island nation is an old landlord who has been used to eating lavish food and fish and has turned around to play the game of low-key luxury."

"It is precisely because of this that, since the 70s, the cultural industry represented by film, television, animation, games, and novels has developed rapidly in the island country and has grown at an extremely terrifying speed... I forgot to mention that the per capita GDP reaching 1.5 US dollars is an extremely important variable line. If this line is broken, the proportion of expenditure on basic survival materials will drop rapidly, while the willingness to pay a premium for non-material things will rise rapidly... The island country reached this number in 1972."

“Simply put, when the per capita GDP exceeds the $1.5 mark, people will have a stronger desire for spiritual culture, and will be more and more eager to [express their own personality]… Especially in island countries where the pace of life is fast, social pressure is high, and the overall atmosphere is depressing, relieving mental stress, finding emotional sustenance, and highlighting the value of one’s existence through details have become the three new rigid needs… And with the further evolution of moving away from the real and moving towards the virtual, this situation will be further exacerbated.”

"One point that needs to be emphasized is that spiritual and cultural needs are not limited to listening to songs, watching movies, and reading novels as you think... Any behavior that can demonstrate self-worth, highlight the value of the circle, and achieve self-satisfaction falls into this category... And this is often organically carried together through the three elements of products, services, and public opinion."

"In fact, if you go to the island countries now, you will find that although the people there look polite and the same, they are trying their best to be different in their own private space and time... It is hard for us to imagine that if young people in the island countries find that someone around them has the same schoolbag pendant, they will throw it away without hesitation when others are not paying attention, because the pendant is a [personal property], and they think it will make them lose their uniqueness... The merchants in the island countries are very troubled by this phenomenon, but they are helpless."

Speaking of this, Muliya concluded: "This half-buried but extremely strong need for self-expression is reflected in various aspects, from skin care, fitness, exercise, reading, private space display, personal documents, and even a pen or a notebook. As long as you can show your unique side and resonate with consumers' values, you can gain market recognition."

"Of course, since these demands are too fragmented, each segmented product will not have a big market even though it will be sold well. The costs of merchants, especially labor costs, will rise to an extremely high level... But this also happens to complement the actual situation in our country. With our abundant labor force and low costs, even if the market is more fragmented, we have enough capacity to meet them one by one;"

"Although I really don't like the island country, there is one thing you must admit... The reputation of companies in the island country is generally good, and it can even be said that they are unique in the world. Not only will they not easily change partners, but no matter what the product is, the reserved profits are also relatively generous. As long as the regulation is appropriate, it will not cause a vicious cycle for us."

"So... now you should understand why the two regions have such different definitions of sustainable foreign trade projects, right?"

His daughter's words were a bit jumpy and each sentence contained a lot of information. Mu Siyuan thought carefully for five minutes before he roughly figured out the logic.

After thinking for a while, she glanced at the small note on the document and asked in confusion, "Why is it specially marked above? If it is a cultural product, the only valid IP is Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the effective window period for entering the island country is only seven years?" Mu Liya looked a little embarrassed, "Because although we are all in the Confucian cultural circle, in terms of culture, we are currently at a low ecological level and in a state of continuous decline... Distance creates beauty. The reason why the people of the island country still have a certain cultural yearning for us is partly due to historical reasons, but on the other hand, they still don't understand our current situation."

"But as the two sides get to know each other better, this situation will soon cease to exist, and the window period for our cultural products to enter the island country will pass... In fact, there were early signs of this situation. In 1984, the famous island animation director Hayao Miyazaki visited the Shanghai Animation Studio, which was no secret in the industry... Even a well-known person like Hayao Miyazaki who has great affection and respect for our country would express disappointment, let alone others."

"In a word, the economic foundation determines the cultural architecture. If we don't quickly introduce our cultural products to foreign countries while the veil of mystery has not faded away, then unless one day our economic niche returns to a high position, there will be no more opportunities... The current window period is actually very short. In fact, with the speed of cultural exchanges between the two sides, the golden period for entry has passed, but fortunately we have a solid foundation... However, as the speed of foreign exchanges continues to accelerate, it will take less than seven years. If we cannot effectively enter within five years, it will be difficult for us to gain a foothold."

Mu Siyuan's expression was even more embarrassed than his own daughter's. After coughing as if to cover up, he said with some dissatisfaction: "The point of my question is... why is it that only "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has the opportunity to be included?... Among the four great classics, there is "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Water Margin". We also have Tang poetry and Song lyrics, and the various schools of thought... We are all in the Confucian cultural circle, so these things can be promoted!"

Mu Liya looked at her father with a slightly strange expression, then shook her head gently: "IP genes and IP products are two different things. In between, there needs to be a cultural medium that contemporary people like and enjoy as an intermediate carrier... There is currently no suitable concrete carrier for what you said."

"In fact, we are currently in a weak position in the cultural ecology and do not have the ability to actively create heavyweight IPs... This is a systematic and huge task, and it often depends on luck. It is not something you can just find an old book in the warehouse and be done with it."

"The reason why the report believes that only Romance of the Three Kingdoms has the opportunity to be included is actually that it has no direct connection with the four great novels that we think of."

"In 1688 during the Edo period, a man named Hunan Wenshan translated Romance of the Three Kingdoms into Japanese. Based on the characteristics of the times and the personality traits of the Japanese people, Romance of the Three Kingdoms has become a super IP that has flourished for hundreds of years in Japan.

"But in fact, this translated version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is very different from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms we have seen. A lot of content and character descriptions have been added, deleted and modified... Even its tendency has changed significantly. It can almost be regarded as two different books."

"If you don't do research, it's hard to imagine that under the influence of this book, in the eyes of Japanese people, Lü Bu and Cao Cao are positive characters worthy of admiration, and even Dong Zhuo is not that hateful. This is unimaginable to us... But there is no way. Japanese people have always only worshipped the strong. After modern times began to admire Europe and the United States in all aspects, the only IP that still has enough influence in Japanese countries is "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which has been completely changed."

(End of this chapter)