Exciting 1979!

Chapter 327 A Feast for the Senses, Boom Boom Boom!
While Wei Ming was inspecting the performance venue and equipment, Melinda and Sarah Brightman finished their breakfast as instructed by him and prepared to leave.

As soon as Melinda entered the lobby and saw tourists with cameras, she exclaimed, "Oh dear! I just realized I'd forgotten something—I forgot my camera!"

This is something I learned from Wei Ming. How can you meet important people without leaving evidence?

Melinda went upstairs to get her camera, telling Sarah to stay put.

Sarah: "Could you also bring me an orange?"

When Melinda came down from the guest room, she saw Sarah chatting with a middle-aged man, who was also a foreigner.

Their conversation was nearing its end. When they saw Melinda coming over, Sarah introduced them: one was her friend, and the other claimed to be her fan.

He is also the owner of this hotel, Michael Kadoorie, the third-generation head of the Kadoorie family, a British Jewish Hong Kong tycoon family.

Melinda had heard of the Kadoorie family, who had been developing their business in China since the Qing Dynasty and had even been granted a title by the Queen.

Before parting ways, Michael smiled and said to Sarah, "See you at the concert tonight."

"Okay, see you tonight."

After seeing them off, Michael Kadoorie immediately called the Xinhua News Agency branch, saying that the invitation to the charity concert at the stadium that evening had been lost by the staff and asked if they could send a replacement.

The other party was embarrassed and quickly said they would resend it immediately.

This was indeed an oversight, because the main purpose of this event was to bring Chinese people around the world closer together, and all the wealthy businessmen invited were Chinese, regardless of whether they were from Hong Kong or not.

Even though Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok was invited because he was in Hong Kong, he did not send a letter to the Kadoorie family.

The other party immediately patched the loophole, and while there was still time, they not only sent an invitation to Michael Kadoorie, but also to the heads of foreign banks such as HSBC and Citibank.

However, only Michael was willing to go. The Kadoorie family has always been close to the mainland, and recently they have been seeking to cooperate with Guangzhou to build a nuclear power plant.

Moreover, the Kadoorie family has always been very enthusiastic about public welfare and never lags behind in charity.

Also, Michael had heard his father, Laurence, say how wonderful it was to hear "Only Time" at the Prince's wedding. Michael wanted to hear it too; he had heard Sarah's earlier work, "Moonlight Shadow," and loved it very much.

So when he learned that this rising international star singer was staying at the hotel, he immediately went over to get to know her. After learning that she was there to attend a charity concert, he took the initiative to get her a ticket.

~
Wei Ming had not considered the Kadoorie family beforehand, but there were still foreigners among the invited targets, including Governor Murray MacLehose, who was also someone Wei Ming specifically requested the branch office to send an invitation to.

Although the branch office had sent a letter, Wei Ming had Sarah personally invite him again to ensure he would definitely come.

Murray MacLehose, the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, was the longest-serving and most accomplished governor, and is highly regarded by the people of Hong Kong.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was established during his tenure. The large-scale construction of public housing estates, the promotion of free compulsory education, and the construction of underground transportation were all achievements of his term. His policies laid the social foundation for modern Hong Kong.

After all, he is the highly respected Governor of Hong Kong. If he takes the lead in participating, he might also attract some wealthy people to come, and they will definitely have to show their appreciation.

The Government House is located on Albert Road in the Mid-Levels of Central, Hong Kong Island, backing onto Victoria Peak and overlooking Victoria Harbour. Murray MacLehose and his wife lived and worked here.

The Governor of Hong Kong is 64 years old and had just returned from London. He learned from his deputy, Wilson, about a charity concert to raise funds for the Sichuan disaster area, which has recently become a hot topic in the city.

At first, he thought that a stadium with more than 20,000 people wouldn't be so easy to fill.

"Who did they invite? Sam Hui?"

Sam Hui had previously held a concert at the stadium. He's a legendary singer, so his influence is strong. It was a lively event, but it was also complained about for disturbing the peace.

Then Wei Yixin read out the long list from the newspaper. MacLehose had lived in Hong Kong for nearly ten years, so he knew the significance of the list. It didn't include the God of Songs, but it was even more amazing than the God of Songs.

"I didn't expect the Chinese government to have such a strong influence in Hong Kong."

Wei Yixin laughed and said, "If it were really initiated by the Chinese government, there probably wouldn't be so many people responding. This time it was actually initiated by an individual, and a mainland Chinese at that. He gained the support of the music industry through his personal charm and extraordinary creative ability."

"Alone? Or from mainland China? Who is he?"

"Wei Ming, whose English name is Mr. Why, should be quite famous in the country."

MacLehose immediately thought of Princess Diana's interview. It all matched up! It turned out that the outstanding artist was referring to raising funds in Hong Kong!
Upon learning that he had also been invited, MacLehose really wanted to bring his wife along. Regardless of where the funds were being raised, doing charity was always a good thing, and his wife also enjoyed doing public service.

Moreover, both MacLehose and Wilson, who had secretly visited Yenching, knew that Hong Kong would eventually return to China, and that was unstoppable.

While they couldn't make all Hong Kong people love Britain, they cultivated a sense of pride in the people of Hong Kong during their tenure. They couldn't be subdued by any patriotic propaganda. If mainlanders were to try to carry out any pro-British propaganda, it might backfire.

As they were chatting, they heard that someone was visiting. It turned out to be Sarah Brightman, a singer they had met once in London. MacLehose and his wife were deeply impressed by her song "Only Time," saying that her voice was simply kissed by an angel.

He was puzzled as to why Sarah was in Hong Kong instead of playing the wildcats in London.

When they invited her in, they learned that she was also there to attend the charity concert and had even come specifically to invite them.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Both of her debut songs were written by Mr. Why, who can be considered her mentor.

When asked what she would sing at the concert, MacLehose replied, "Will you sing 'Only Time'?"

"of course."

MacLehose laughed and readily agreed.

Melinda and Sarah exchanged a glance, and it was settled.

Later, Wei Ming at the stadium learned from Song Duanwu that Governor Murray MacLehose had agreed to attend.

Besides pushing for MacLehose's attendance, Wei Ming has other actions to take.

Xinhua News Agency's branch office was responsible for inviting wealthy individuals on behalf of the government, while Wei Ming invited a group of second-generation rich kids and celebrities from the film and television industry, especially female stars.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have many successful film works yet, and it's unknown whether people would be willing to give him the opportunity.

~
Jackie Chan is currently hesitating about whether to go or not. He really wants to attend the concert, as there are so many popular singers there, and it looks very exciting. However, he doesn't want to do charity work.

"Senior Brother, do you think we'll be laughed at if we go and don't donate a single penny?" Cheng Long asked, the young Cheng Long not yet having such a profound understanding.

Hong Jinbao, who was also invited, said, "Then you can donate one cent."

"Wouldn't that be a laughing stock? Garlic Bird, let's go check it out tonight. Anyway, we've been promoting it for so many days, and the Freedom Association hasn't said we can't go."

Because the domineering Freedom Association did not issue a ban on this charity event to raise funds for disaster relief in mainland China, many of the invited artists were tempted.

And like Jackie Chan, I want to attend the concert for free, but I don't want to donate money.

The rich kids, on the other hand, are not short of money and enjoy excitement because they are young. Some are more obedient and know to ask their parents for permission, while others are more self-centered and drive their sports cars there.

I heard that the talented mainland singer who alarmed the British royal family wrote a new song for every singer who participated. For these rich kids who enjoy entertainment, this is the most attractive thing.

~
The concert will start at 8 p.m. and is expected to end before midnight.

Starting at 6 p.m., audience members began to enter the venue one after another.

At all the entrances to the Government Stadium, there are volunteers who are responsible for guiding people. These volunteers are all young, and some even come from prestigious universities such as the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

There is a huge donation box at each entrance. It's not mandatory; you can donate a little when you leave if you enjoy the experience.

It roughly means that subscribing is a basic obligation, and if you enjoy the content, please vote with a monthly pass or give a reward.

Old Gui arrived at the scene at seven o'clock with Zhou's mother and Liu Bin and his wife, along with several employees from the store. Holiland closed early today.

Their seats weren't VIP seats, just regular seats, but they were near the front. VIP seats are reserved for ripping people off.

As for Ah Long and Ah Ying, they came with the Madman Comics team, but in different positions.

Zhou's mother stared nervously at the stage, because her daughter was going to perform today.

"What's the rush? It's just a chorus," Old Ghost said nonchalantly.

“That was a chorus of more than 20,000 audience members,” Zhou’s mother emphasized.

Zhou Huimin and her classmates had already arrived backstage. They were the last performer, but the first to arrive.

This incident even caught the attention of their principal, who was thus awarded a VIP ticket to cheer on the students.

Zhou Huimin kept looking for Amin, but couldn't find him. He was in the VIP area greeting today's big spenders.

Other performing guests arrived one after another, and compared to the middle school choir dressed only in school uniforms, the real singers were dressed much more formally.

As she looked around, Vivian Chow suddenly noticed a head of fiery red hair. Two foreigners had entered, and all eyes in the room turned to them.

There were no foreigners during the rehearsal, at which point the evening's main host, Liza Wang, immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Miss Sarah Brightman, welcome."

Everyone then realized, "Oh, it's her! She's currently the most sought-after female singer internationally, a legend with just two songs."

However, behind the deification are two god-level works by Wei Ming, so this is Wei Ming's secret weapon tonight!

While everyone's attention was focused on Sarah Brightman, only Vivian Chow was staring at the red-haired woman next to her, who was dressed casually but was even more beautiful.

Melinda? Armin's first love?
Zhou Huimin immediately thought of this person. She and A-Ming were very close and knew everything about each other, so she knew all about A-Ming's first love.

She couldn't help but add the background music of "First Love" to Melinda's video. She felt it suited her, but at the same time, she felt a pang of jealousy. She didn't dare to go up and say hello, but she was just wondering if Amin would introduce them if he came in.

Amin: I'm busy, I don't have time.

Wei Ming first shook hands with Jin Yong and Run Run Shaw, whom he already knew, and invited them to take their seats. Both of them had helped a lot with today's show, with Ming Pao and TVB being two important platforms for promotion.

Then he met someone named Qiu Degen.

Wei Ming also had some connection with him. They had previously organized an elephant tug-of-war at Lai Yuen Zoo to promote a movie. Lai Yuen Amusement Park and Songcheng were both his properties. Watching Qiu Degen and Run Run Shaw enter, Wei Ming thought that their ties were actually deeper. After Qiu Degen moved into RTV and changed its name to ATV, it was also the period when the two companies were fighting the most fiercely.

Then came another person with deep ties to the television industry, Lim Por-yen of Lai Sun Group, the new owner of ATV after Chiu Te-ken.

Wei Ming also sent an invitation to his son, Lin Jianyue. It's a pity that Wang Zuxian hasn't debuted yet, otherwise he would have invited him as well.

He also invited Joseph Lau, but unfortunately, Lau is only 30 years old and not yet a big shot. He's just a small boss of a ceiling fan factory. Wei Ming made him sit at the same table as the kids.

Next, the real big shot arrived: Mr. Y.K. Pao, the world's number one shipping magnate, came with one of his daughters. He had four daughters in total. Unfortunately, the shipping empire eventually no longer belonged to the Pao family.

The 63-year-old Y.K. Pao is still very enthusiastic about today's charity concert. In July of this year, he also went to Yanjing with his family, donating libraries and building hotels, showing that he is very close to the mainland.

Recently, foreign media ranked the world's seven shipping magnates based on the tonnage of their ships, much like the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The number one shipping magnate is Y.K. Pao, with a tonnage of 1300 million tons. The second shipping magnate is also from Hong Kong, named Tung Chao-yung, whose tonnage is 200 million tons less than Pao's.

Old Master Dong was too old to come, but his eldest son did, as he was still quite young at the time.

Hong Kong's shipping conditions naturally gave rise to many shipping magnates, including the Xu family, including the late Republic of China shipping magnate Xu Aizhou, but that's an even earlier story. His grandson, Xu Jinheng, is only 19 years old this year, and Wei Ming has also sent him an invitation.

Meanwhile, in another VIP area, a number of young people had already taken their seats. Some were sons of businessmen, some were popular celebrities, and some were young small businessmen like Joseph Lau, who were huddled in a corner like lackeys.

Liu Luanxiong's brother-in-law, Ma Qingwei, is younger and has more capital. His father was once one of Hong Kong's five richest men, though he is now somewhat less so.

He brought a woman with him, but not his girlfriend; it was his sister, Ma Jingyi, who played Ruan Xingzhu, the mother of A Zhu and A Zi, and still retains her charm.

Before them was Julian Hui, who was studying at the University of the Pacific in California. He returned to Hong Kong for summer vacation and received an invitation from Mr. Why, who is now very well-known in the Western world. Of course, he had to come and see what was going on.

Unexpectedly, I ran into an old friend here.

"Pansy!" Julian Hui greeted Pansy Ho, his sister, with delight. They were old friends.

Pansy Ho had a smile on her face the whole time, but it disappeared when she saw Julian Hui.

"Oh, Young Master Xu."

"Don't be so formal, you can call me by my English name, Julian."

~
Backstage, singers such as Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, and Michael Kwan saw their boss, Cheng Tung-han, arrive, accompanied by his 10-year-old son, Chung-kei, whose eyes were not big even as a child.

However, he is quite passionate about music and naturally didn't want to miss such an opportunity. As soon as Xiao Zhongji arrived, he was immediately surrounded by admirers.

With the start time fast approaching, Tan Yonglin approached Zhang Mingmin and, seeing him calmly sipping tea to moisten his throat, couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you in a hurry? Aren't you supposed to be the first one up?"

Zhang Mingmin said, "No, I'm the second one."

"Ah, you're second, so who's first?" Zhang Mingmin always led the way during rehearsals.

At this moment, Tan Yonglin suddenly noticed that several more people had appeared next to Zheng Donghan.

Teddy Robin, along with his brothers Guan Weilin and Guan Wei, and others, had their clothes become increasingly colorful and flamboyant.

This is the Playboy band!

Zheng Donghan laughed and said, "That's right, the opening performance guest is the long-awaited Playboy Band. Brothers, are you ready!"

Old Zheng passionately stretched out his hand, and the other four members covered it with theirs, shouting, "For our dreams, let's not hesitate any longer!"

~
At 7:50, Huang Baiming and Xu Ke Shi Nansheng had already taken their seats. Although Wei Ming had sent them invitations, they did not request VIP seats and instead chose to buy scalped tickets themselves.

First, they were afraid of being forced to donate; second, they were afraid of being forced to take sides and express their opinions; and third, they were afraid that their good position would be seen by Maka.

At this moment, Karl Maka is probably watching the TV broadcast at home. Both TV stations are airing this program, so he has no choice.

Wong Jim, one of Hong Kong's Four Great Talents, also declined the invitation, choosing instead to watch TV at his girlfriend's house, where he could also do some intimate things.

Just as they were getting into bed, someone knocked on the door. It was Lin Zhenqiang, Lin Yanni's younger brother.

"Sister, Brother Zhan."

Wong Jim said irritably, "What are you doing here?"

Lin Zhenqiang said apologetically, "The TV at home is broken, and I couldn't buy tickets to the concert, so I can only come here to watch TV for free."

Wong Jim pulled a ticket directly from his bag: "Here, take this. Go see it live."

Lin Zhenqiang glanced at the time: "Why didn't you say so earlier? The show is about to start now."

The time has come to 7:58.

The stadium.

The stage lights, which had been on, suddenly went out, leaving only some light in the audience area.

From the darkness came Liza Wang's voice: "Tomorrow will be better. Chinese people all over the world are united. Welcome to the 25,000 audience members here!"

Lai Siu-tin said, "It seems that many of these seats were added at the last minute. Thank you for your enthusiasm for charity."

Carol Cheng: "I would also like to thank TVB and RTV for their strong support of this event."

After the three people, who were not visible, finished speaking, the sound of music intro began to play.

The audience was taken aback. Hmm, is it starting right away?
As the lights came on, Teddy Robin's singing began.

"Boredness leads to hesitation / Reaching one's ideal is not easy / Even with confidence / Fighting spirit is suppressed..."

Next up is Zheng Donghan: "Who decides whether I go or stay / Who decides the universe in my heart / I only want to wave to my ideals with my own hands / And ask, how high is the sky..."

Then came a chorus.

In front of the television, Wong Jim stopped chasing away Lam Chun-keung. He listened attentively and affirmed, "The new song is really good."

Although Lam Chun-keung had not yet entered the music industry at this time, he had good taste: "The melody is catchy and the lyrics are very inspiring. It should be Mr. Why's work."

Lin Yanni, a famous talented woman from Hong Kong, excitedly said, "I knew it! Mr. Why is a genius. I'm currently reading his novel."

Wong Jim pushed up his glasses and said sourly, "He's a mainland Chinese, and he can barely write Cantonese songs. Maybe this is the only one that's not bad."

At Maka's house, he watched Teddy Robin jumping around on TV with great enthusiasm and was so angry that he wanted to smash things. That little brat had indeed gone to endorse someone else's product, and for free no less!

However, Huang Baiming, Xu Ke, and others felt that this free platform was well worth it.

Although Playboy has a long history, they don't have many breakout hits, not as many as the later Wynners. But now, after disbanding for many years, they finally have a successful representative work.

Backstage, the three members of The Wynners – Tam Yung-lun, Kenny Bee, and Anthony Chan – who were hearing the song for the first time, shook their heads in envy.

Wei Ming had originally said that if the Wynners could reunite, he would write an extra band song for them, and he probably already has. Unfortunately, the two members were unwilling to come, so this song "No Longer Hesitating" was probably originally written for the Wynners.

Tan Yonglin shook his head: "What a pity."

Kenny Bee said, "Yes, what a great song."

"I really like its lyrics, I just want to wave to my ideals with my own two hands / Ask how high the sky is / My ambition is higher than the sky..." Master Chen Youdao sang it out directly.

The first song was a great success, receiving positive feedback from the audience. Viewers across Hong Kong were intently watching their televisions, temporarily putting aside what they were doing. It's a song that can encourage everyone who is striving for their dreams.

Even the first-generation entrepreneurs present were deeply moved. The 74-year-old Run Run Shaw couldn't help but think of his own experience of developing the film market in Southeast Asia with his third brother.

If all songs are of this quality, then Wei Ming's sincerity is quite evident, and donating a little is fine.

After the performance ended, the three hosts came on stage, and Zheng Donghan took the opportunity to announce that PolyGram was willing to record an album for this concert, with all profits donated to the disaster area.

His statement immediately garnered a lot of goodwill, and he received enthusiastic applause.

Shaw Run Run, the boss of rival record label Capital Artists, snorted, "It seems that donating a little bit isn't enough."

Next, the host invited Governor Murray MacLehose to the stage to speak.

The Governor of Hong Kong, whom the people of Hong Kong love most, directly stated that on behalf of the government, the stadium would be provided free of charge for the charity concert, saving Wei Ming a sum of money in rent.

He then donated a month's salary, as he had indeed been moved by the musical passion of several middle-aged men.

Many Hong Kong tycoons who did not come to the scene immediately told their drivers to prepare their cars when they saw that the Governor had taken out money, as there was still time to go.

Host Liza Wang said, "Our charity initiator, Mr. Wei Ming, has composed many excellent songs for the concert. Next up is a new song that will give everyone a refreshing experience. However, in order to encourage everyone to donate generously, how about we play a bidding game?"

Carol Cheng: "Oh? How do we play?"

Liza Wang: "In this way, after the singer finishes performing, everyone bids to let him perform another song, and the song can be chosen by him."

Lai Siu-tin: "Wow, this is good."

As he spoke, he pulled out a small wooden hammer: "I've got everything ready."

So the rules of the game were set, and the key was whether the singer could impress the wealthy businessman.

The most crucial of all was Zhang Mingmin, who made his first official appearance.

His popularity is among the lowest in tonight's lineup, given the decline of Mandarin songs in Hong Kong and his lesser influence compared to artists like Tam Yung-lun.

However, today he wasn't singing a Mandarin song, but rather a Hokkien song, which is even more niche than Mandarin songs...

……

(This is my minimum estimate for today; I researched this part so much I almost threw up!)

(End of this chapter)