My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 954 Putting People First is Not Just a Saying
At that time, Jay Chou was definitely more popular than Chow Yun-fat in mainland China.

Children all over the country are secretly running away from home to go to the Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts.

But he wasn't tall, and he was wearing a very ordinary jacket and jeans, sneakers, and a baseball cap. He actually came all by himself by train.

The prefecture-level city where this hydroelectric dam is located is situated just outside the Three Gorges outlet, and together with Shangzhou, it guards both ends of the Three Gorges. After the reform and opening up, it has prospered and developed due to the construction of two super dams.

But at this time, the Three Gorges area still adheres to its tradition of poverty, and even when looking for local delicacies on the street, people only find dishes like spicy potatoes and radish dumplings, which don't sound like affluent food.

We finally found a hot pot restaurant specializing in fatty fish, and everyone was afraid of being exposed in front of the foreigners, so they all said they wanted to eat this.

People from South China and East China are no longer afraid of the word "hot pot".

When they sat down, they discovered that the soup base was a rich, white broth made in a clay pot, which relieved everyone.

When Wei Dong saw that there was also Tujia cured meat, he said he wanted to come and compare it with what he sold.

At this moment, Wu Shengyun accompanied Brother Jie to the arrival with a variety of expressions. It turned out that he had noticed Brother Jie's extraordinary temperament while he was still on the train, with his baseball cap pulled down. He used the social skills of a salesperson to make the conversation more engaging.

Liang Jiahui quickly got up to greet him.

Wei Dong was surprised by Jie Ge's lightness, but he also casually invited him to sit down: "We should have met up with you in Hong Kong or somewhere else, but I'll probably be in Jiangzhou for the next two months and won't be going to Beijing much, so I was afraid of inconveniencing your schedule, so I'm just troubling you to make this trip."

Brother Jie still had a bit of a young man's air about him, but he walked on tiptoe, and the Taoist priest sitting at the next table observed his legs.

He smiled and shook hands with Leung Ka-fai before sitting down: "I watched 'The King of Chess', it was very well made. At first, I really thought it was a movie starring an educated youth or someone from the mainland. 'Squad Romance' was also good. 'God of Gamblers' and 'God of Gamblers II' were just too much of a slapstick comedy."

Wei Dong cut to the chase: "Come film here with us, I can solve your problems."

Actually, at this time, Brother Jie was only one year older than Rang Weidong, both of them were in their mid-twenties and very young.

She even asked with a seemingly deliberate air of arrogance, "What worries do I have?"

Wei Dong truly embodies maturity beyond his years: "At the end of October, the HK basketball team I assembled unexpectedly defeated the national team at the Asian Championships in Bangkok. I was in Pyeongchang for a meeting at the time and couldn't personally accompany the team to the finals. If I had been there... I might have reminded them to adjust the results, but the two foreign players did indeed secure the victory. This was HK's first Asian championship and its first time qualifying for the Olympics. I think this is also an opportunity, a great opportunity in the face of the big picture."

The people from the North City Film Organization were all from Hong Kong. Sitting at the same table, they couldn't believe their ears when they heard this gossip.

The engineers also perked up their ears and exclaimed in surprise.

Besides Dong Xueqing quickly grabbing a few pieces of fish to scald for her son, even Xiaodie curiously peered into her father's eyes.

This act of putting on airs was so smooth that even Brother Jie, who had seen many big scenes at his age, finally looked at Wei Dong with some seriousness: "You... have offended quite a few people."

Let Wei Dong truly participate in the big stage: "Sports are a big deal, but if you don't talk about them, they're not so big. I want to first promote a sense of pride among Hong Kong people, rather than making them feel proud that they've been adopted by foreigners for a hundred years. But we have to strike the right balance and not let it go to the other extreme and turn them into rebellious kids who want to run away from home. So basketball is a good tool."

Even Leung Ka-fai was shocked.

Having followed Rang Weidong for almost a year, he felt he understood the cultural influence Rang Weidong had fostered through film and basketball.

I never imagined he had planned so meticulously.

What I didn't expect was that Wei Dong would tell this martial arts actor so much.

Even if "Shaolin Temple" is indeed very popular, why talk to him about this?
To everyone's surprise, the people from the Beidu Film Studio couldn't help but speak up first: "Comrade Weidong, is this your idea, or a decision made by the organization?"

It wasn't a question, it was a very enthusiastic and excited response.

Their Cantonese-accented Mandarin calling Wei Dong "Comrade" had a slightly leftist flavor, which vaguely reminded Wei Dong of a movie, the one starring the mixed-race actor on his own TV.

But he can't really say he loves movies that much. He can only remember a few classic ones, but he watches more short videos.

They don't use their brains.

But now let's fully unleash our brain cells: "Now that we're in the midst of reform and opening up, we're allowing various forms of experimentation. Do you think this direction has potential?"

The response here was enthusiastic and positive: "Yes! Definitely! It was because the negotiations on the handover issue began in 1982 that caused a huge shock in all aspects, including the economy and culture. This brought unprecedented considerations to the thoughts, spirit, and attitudes of Hong Kong people. The general collective reaction was uncertain, fragile, helpless, and insecure. The belief that Hong Kong was our home was shaken, which is why we started to merge into the Patriotic Alliance. But after the handover was completed in 1983, some problems arose."

When Wei Dong asked what was going on, Lao Wang nodded silently beside him, indicating that there had indeed been these changes at work. Now Wei Dong understood that Beidu was actually in a chaotic phase, lacking a clear leader.

The tendering and bidding bureau he represents happens to be the window department of several economic entities in Hong Kong, and thus has some say in the matter.

Then he nodded: "So I don't agree with making overly intellectual art films at this stage. We should make films that are popular with the general public and that Hong Kong audiences prefer... Personally, I think that for example, in a popular police and gangster film, if we emphasize the professionalism, reliability, and trustworthiness of the Hong Kong police, wouldn't that make the public trust the police more than if the police and criminals were in cahoots, or if there were corrupt or evil police officers?"

Because the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was exposed for its corrupt and ruthless police officers in the 1970s, a large number of such stories were indeed produced, and the police images in many Hong Kong films and TVB dramas were not so positive.

This kind of outspoken approach, using film and television to change the image of the police, is far from that of an ordinary business owner.

The expressions on the faces of the people from the Beidu Film Agency changed, and they nodded with considerable excitement.

Wei Dong named seven or eight male stars from ATV, Colorful Pictures, and Wing On Pictures. Not to mention the female stars, just his wife's several new girlfriends were enough to make a frequent appearance.

Just don't trigger the boss lady's acting tendencies.

Currently, besides Wang Xin, Yong'an also has contracts with several other directors, including Du Qifeng, which tells Wei Dong that this person is good at making action films.

Even though Hong Kong mostly uses a flexible, impromptu group format, film companies still need to sign several directors to control their style.

Wing On, which originated from a triad society, never makes art films, so it has a lot of gunfight directors under its wing.

The Patriotic Film Alliance primarily cultivates thoughtful "new directors," producing a lot of art films and reflective films. I was delighted to hear about them and kept praising them.

Now even the guards were curious, and the ship engineers looked at each other in surprise, realizing that the boss was going to make so many movies!

However, considering the massive ships under construction at Shanghai Shipyard, which cost tens of millions of US dollars, it's not surprising that they have that kind of financial strength.

For a moment, the atmosphere around the three dining tables was quite festive.

Only Brother Jie, instead of maintaining his previous high spirits, carefully observed Rang Weidong, and then Liang Jiahui carefully observed him.

Wei Dong was asked to pick up a piece of fish with the bones removed for his daughter, but he didn't bother with his son, who was busy fighting with his mother for food the whole time.

Only then did I face Brother Jie.

He said, "This is the first time I've heard you use that description. Tools... but it feels very apt."

Wei Dong continued to methodically scald the fish for Erwa's mother and daughter: "I've made some assessments. Since we've made it to the Olympics, we should strive to become famous and outstanding, and make Hong Kong famous. So, apart from the two mercenaries recruited by Citizen, the level of the others is quite low. They can lead in Asia, but they will definitely be a weakness on the international stage. So, I applied to the organization and selected five young people from the military team and the Hebei team to transfer their nationality to Hong Kong. Maybe they will never be able to play for the national team again, but they can make the most important contribution of their lives at this time."

Only Brother Jie knows why he said that.

His sharp eyes narrowed slightly: "Just this one move from them?"

Wei Dong nodded: "Yes, this kind of recruitment of players from the NBA and NCAA who have never been on the national team to serve as mercenaries in Hong Kong is called naturalization. I studied it for a long time before I found this loophole. Once we use it, many countries may follow suit in the next tournament. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We must unite the citizens of Hong Kong, work together, cheer and be proud, just like you did in the martial arts arena."

Brother Jie smiled and patted his leg: "I was only allowed to retire because of a serious injury, but my personnel file is still with the Sports Association."

Wei Dong nodded knowingly: "That's why I said I understand. The solution is actually very simple. You'll know when you return to Hong Kong. There won't be any conflict with any unit. I also hope that you only film one or two movies a year, take care of your health, and enjoy life. Your income and benefits will definitely change dramatically. Ah Hui will explain our shareholder model to you later."

Speaking of which, although there are countless film companies in Hong Kong, a few friends can easily start one.

But it was able to have Colorful Pictures, Wing On Pictures, and the North Metropolis Film Group, which was a joint venture of three film companies and studios, plus ATV as its television backing.

This definitely accounts for half of the Hong Kong film industry.

Brother Jie finally nodded: "Before I came, I asked the leader, and he said that according to your arrangements, you do have a very good reputation in various departments in Beijing."

Wei Dong laughed heartily: "Last year, our Pingjing Automobile Factory installed central air conditioning for many ministries and departments. They will definitely remember my kindness. Now I'm also doing housing reform for the Second Deputy Director. You're still living in a hutong, aren't you?"

To everyone's surprise, Brother Jie said, "I just got married last year, and my workplace allocated me an apartment. I heard it was part of the housing reform program. Last year, I was filming a lot, and it didn't go very well..."

Wei Dong thought to himself, "Oh dear, now that you're married, all my solutions are ruined."

(End of this chapter)