Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 244: The decisive moment at the press conference!

Gao Jun was a poor young man. He worked as a conductor for the 106 trolleybus and as an executive in a timber company.

After graduating from the Department of Literature at Beijing Film Academy, he was assigned to the Peking Film Company and worked as a reporter for Peking Film Circle.

Gao Jun started his career in film planning and marketing in 1990 and is currently the vice president of the state-owned New Film Association, a cinema chain in which China Film Group Corporation has a leading stake.

Boss Lu targeted him mainly to find an operator for the "Wenjie Jiahe" cinema chain that he was about to bring into his sphere of influence.

There is no need to mention the importance of marketing to a movie.

In this life, from "The Drummer" to "The Thief" and "Alien Land", Lu Kuan's personal box office and reputation in the film industry have soared.

In addition to the film's subject matter and quality, marketing is of paramount importance.

At both ends of a movie are the producers and distributors, and the cinemas.

If we want the film industry to prosper, we must maximize the interests of both parties, which requires the "cinema chain" in the middle to play an important role.

In the Chinese film industry at the beginning of the millennium, there were three top talents from the cinema chain.

Gao Jun in the north, Zhao Jun in the south, and Wu Hehu in the magic city.

These three people are all bald, but they are also extremely smart in the organization, distribution and marketing of theaters.

Among them, the New Film Association where Gao Jun worked occupied 80% of the film market in Beijing;
Wu Hehu is currently the Vice President of Shanghai United Cinema Line, the largest film distribution company in Shanghai, which holds 80% of the local market share.
Zhao Jun is the head of a Guangdong film company, which holds more than 50% of the market share in the province.

From a national perspective, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong Province together account for more than 35% of the national film market.

Around 2008, the cinema chain reform that had been implemented for many years had significant effects. Among the 50 cinema chains in the country, these three people accounted for one-third.

Specifically speaking of Gao Jun's genius works in recent years, to be honest, even if Lu Kuan is a cheater from the future, he is no less than Boss Lu.

A few examples of simple sentences:

In 1995, he was in charge of Xu Ke and Leslie Cheung's "The Feast". He also tied up with a tea merchant and launched a promotion where customers could watch the movie and get free tea. This was groundbreaking at the time.

In 1996, Ye Daying's "Red Cherry" premiered in Beijing. When the "Auction Law" had not yet been issued nationwide, he served as the auctioneer himself and created the "premiere rights auction" model, which was a great success.

The most famous one was in 1998, when he, Han Shanping and Zhang Heping of Forbidden City Pictures created the concept of "Lunar New Year Box Office".

In the marketing of "Party A and Party B" by Kuazi, the previous production model of state-owned film studios was changed. All the main creative staff adopted a bundling system in which their remuneration was linked to the box office, which eventually became a big hit.

Just one year later, Lao Han was appointed as the vice chairman and deputy general manager of the newly established China Film Group because of this pioneering achievement.

In 1999, Lao Han successfully took over China Film Group Corporation thanks to Gao Jun's strong support.
In 2004, Lao Han had a good chance of getting rid of the label of "secondary" on his head ahead of time because of his wide road and the huge hit of "Foreign Land".

But now the road is wide, and Gao Jun is about to be snatched away from him.

How could Old Han not be embarrassed? !

Han Shanping stared blankly at the young director who was still holding his hand with a smile. As a native of Sichuan Province, he didn't know whether he should say "Fuck you" or not.

The Farmer and the Snake!

Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf!

Lu Dongbin and the dog!
"Lu Kuan! This is absolutely not possible. Gao Jun is doing well at the New Film Association now. Why would he go to your place? You don't have any cinemas or theater chains."

Director Tong was also puzzled: "Yeah, if you want to poach Mr. Han's people, that's another matter. What do you want Gao Jun for?"

"Your distribution company, Wenjie Xiying, has only just started. Wouldn't it be a waste of Gao Jun's talent to send him there?"

Boss Lu sneered: "Just because there isn't one now doesn't mean there won't be one in the future!"

"If you don't plan for the future, you'll have immediate worries. The world of inquiry must definitely fill this gap. I'm also doing some talent reserve in advance."

Old Han waved his hands repeatedly: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Boss Lu looked at him with amusement.

It’s true that Gao Jun is your soldier, but you are Lao Tong’s soldier!
"Boss Han, you just said it yourself. If you have any requests, just ask. If you miss this opportunity, you'll never get it again!"

He was not afraid of Han Shanping turning against him.

As I said before, "Alien Land" brought him so much.

Especially the overseas cultural publicity and breaking of domestic box office records made the giant ship of "Titanic" completely sink to the bottom.

Not to mention the huge success of Travel Channel this year, which has generated a lot of revenue for China Film Group Corporation, which has invested in the company.

As long as you are valuable, you will not be afraid of having no friends, especially friends like Mr. Han who are "far-sighted".

Old Han could still tell which one was more important, Gao Jun or Lu Kuan.

Director Tong couldn't take care of so many things. His main task today was to mediate the conflict and let Lu Kuan stop staring at Lu Chuan and Hua Yi.

Especially Lu Chuan's father, who is a member of the National Committee of the Writers Association, who comes to harass him every day and is so annoying.

"Okay, I won't be responsible for the following matters. The organization will fully consider Gao Jun's personal wishes."

Director Tong sat down on the chair in his office, picked up the teacup and saw the guest off: "As for whether you, Lu Kuan, can convince him, that's your own business."

"Okay, okay, Director Tong, take a rest. President Han and I won't bother you anymore."

Boss Lu dragged the depressed Old Han out of the director's office with a smile on his face.

7pm, Gongjian Hutong, Bingjiao Palace.

Boss Lu didn’t invite anyone today except Han Shanping and Dong Shuangqiang.

There are only two themes. One is that "Zhu Xian" will officially end at the end of October, and "Super Girl" will end, and the prime time will continue the strategy of high-quality dramas.

These three leaders of New Vision always celebrate together and have a drink.

The second is to appease Lao Han and avoid any barriers between the two sides.

Old Han naturally had a solemn expression, but under the frequent toasts from Lu Kuan and Dong Shuangqiang, he broke into a wry smile.

"I really regret helping you coordinate this matter with Director Tong today, ah!"

After drinking two taels of white wine, Old Han felt relieved of his sorrow.

Dong Shuangqiang smiled and said, "Boss Han, you have to think so."

"You went there today, and the guide was Gao Jun who was dug up."

"If you hadn't gone today, do you believe he would have dared to poach you?"

Han Shan and the boss of Pinghe Road both burst into laughter. This old boss is a wonderful person.

"I'd rather he poached me! What the hell is going on? I just called Gao Jun and he was completely bewildered."

"Tell me what on earth you want to do with Gao Jun. I just can't figure it out."

Lu Kuan put down his wine glass leisurely. His cooperation with Han Shanping had already entered deep waters, so he was not afraid of revealing Jiahe's affairs in advance.

But Dong Shuangqiang...

Boss Lu was not sure what choice he would make between himself and Zhou Jun.

Adults don't play the same games as children. If you play with me, you are not allowed to play those games with him.

However, it was clear that Zhou Jun was trying his best to join forces with Hua Yi to fight against the powerful Wen Jie.

There is not much time left for Dong Shuangqiang to make a choice.

Today is a good opportunity to give him a good beating.

"A Fei, go to my study and get the copy of the fax that Xiang Jiang sent yesterday."

"Yes, boss."

With the document in hand, Han Shanping and Dong Shuangqiang looked at it carefully.

Beijing Wenjie Media Culture Co., Ltd. acquired all 24.78% of Golden Harvest Group shares and convertible bonds held by Zou Wenhuai and Zou Chongheng, father and daughter, for HK$2.05 million.

Han Shanping looked up at him in disbelief, and now everything became clear.

Gao Jun, Gao Jun, it seems like you’ve been targeted for a long time.

He knew that "Alien Land" was very profitable. China Film Group Corporation had a box office share of over 100 million yuan in the mainland, not to mention the wide range of opportunities to get a share of the global box office.

But when did Jiahe start thinking about taking action?

The pace of strategic planning and industry layout is extremely tight!
Han Shanping was shocked, and Dong Shuangqiang was even more shocked.

Because he knew that Zhou Jun had joined forces with Xinlang, Tom.com and other Internet companies to invest in Huayi.

As mentioned earlier, Wang Dajun's Huayi had just started making movies, and it was Dong Shuangqiang who brought him into the industry. He has a close relationship with Huayi and Zhou Jun.

Of course, interests are eternal, and the huge dividends brought by the Travel Satellite TV under Lu Kuan's operation are also a part that he cannot give up.

That's why he is in such a difficult situation.

However, just as Zhou Jun received $1500 million in Series A funding and was about to go to Hong Kong to snatch Golden Harvest, the other party had already signed the share transfer agreement.

Damn it. . .

"Old Dong, you don't seem too surprised."

Dong Shuangqiang raised his eyes and saw Lu Kuan looking at him with a smile. For no reason, the palms of this old gourmet who had been in the business world for many years began to sweat.

Lu Kuan knew that he knew Zhou Jun was going to intercept Jiahe, but he didn't say anything.

If we say nothing and do nothing now, the relationship will surely become distant...

"Oh! Brother, you're on vacation in Jiuzhaigou, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"To be honest, Zhou Jun helped Huayi secure $1500 million in funding from Xinlang, Yahoo China, and Tom.com, giving him a 30% stake in them."

"This matter was only finalized yesterday. It will probably be in the newspaper tomorrow. They... probably have their sights set on Jiahe."

Dong Shuangqiang raised his glass calmly, "Brother, congratulations, you're awesome! I, Old Dong, am truly convinced this time."

This statement has a double meaning, which can be regarded as an apology and surrender.

Boss Lu didn't expect to get him to completely stand on his side.

However, if any situation can be reported in advance in the future, it will be more advantageous to deal with Hua Yi and Zhou Jun.

This contract reached with Golden Harvest will be a small test for Dong Shuangqiang.

At the request of Boss Lu, Zou Chongheng is still feigning compliance with Zhou Jun, who is currently doing his utmost to seize the core of the film industry chain.

Since you, Dong Shuangqiang, know that Wenjie and Huayi are competing for Jiahe, I will tell you clearly now that I have succeeded.

Now I give you two options.

I don't blame you for choosing to tip off Zhou Jun. We are just strangers from now on.

Please take the initiative to transfer your shares in New Vision. Travel Channel will have nothing to do with you from now on.

If you don't transfer, I will join forces with Han Shanping to kick you out.

If you choose to keep silent, once Jiahe's acquisition is successful, Zhou Jun will find out that he has been fooled, and you, Dong Shuangqiang, know about it but don't report it, then there will be a gap between you two.

As for how to let Zhou Jun know, there are plenty of ways.

The choice is in your hands, Dong Shuangqiang.

No matter what choice you make now, no one will blame you, but if you make a choice and still want to be indecisive, you will be in trouble on both sides.

Dong Shuangqiang swallowed the wine in the glass with difficulty, but it tasted bitter instead of sweet.

The width of the road ahead put too much pressure on him.

Han Shanping roughly read the entire acquisition agreement.

"You're going to be very generous this time, aren't you? Not only are you going to take over the shares of Zou Wenhuai and his daughter, but also those of Li Jiacheng and other shareholders. That's incredible!"

In fact, Lu Kuan was also surprised when he heard about Tom.com.

Later, Tom raised funds for Huayi, and Tom’s president Zhou Kaixuan was Huanggua’s “close friend”.

Fortunately, Zou Wenhuai had an agreement with Li Jiacheng, who was the white knight at the time, and this time he directly repurchased the shares.

Otherwise, it would be really troublesome if Zhou Jun interfered through Zhou Kaixuan of Tom.com.

"It's a massive investment, and it's essentially used up all the proceeds from 'Alien Land'. Over HK$5 million, and the goal is to acquire a 52.73% controlling stake in Golden Harvest."

Boss Lu was crying poor in a very cunning way. Anyway, Han Shanping and Dong Shuangqiang didn't know the details of his income in Hollywood.

Money can tempt people, so we must be on guard.

Lu Kuan smiled and drank the wine in the glass, and it was really sad to think about it.

His butterfly wings allowed him to build a huge entertainment empire in just two or three years.

At the same time, from "The Drummer", "Thief" to the Crazy series, especially the huge success of "Alien", countless social capital and hot money have poured into the film industry.

This process was much faster than in later generations, as can be seen from the increasing number of screens.

Zhou Jun is one of the disruptors who was attracted by the blue ocean of the film and entertainment market and entered the market early in this life.

Of course, this spoiler is in terms of road width.

For Huayi, Zhou Jun was the key figure in helping them complete financing ahead of schedule, more than a year earlier than Huayi's first Series A round in later generations.

It can only be said that the demonstration effect brought by the industry and the pressure on other domestic film and television companies are too great.

Lukuan is like a catfish, constantly stirring up wind and rain and pushing the entire industry forward.

However, he has been continuously suppressing Huayi's layout and industrial logic, and the merger of Zhou Jun and Huayi is just making this fat pig fatter.

As long as the pig is not so fat that it is too wide for the pig to eat, there is no need to worry about it hurting people, and people will always eat pigs.

After the banquet, the three of them dispersed, each with their own thoughts.

Han Shanping is considering who will take charge of the New Film Association after Gao Jun leaves;
Dong Shuangqiang was considering his own position. He could certainly hear Lu Kuan's knock just now, and Zhou Jun and Hua Yi's background...

Mr. Lu was on his way to the Huabin Golf Club, thinking...

Considering what position to use with Bingbing tonight.

The scenes of "Single Men and Women" in Peking have ended, and tomorrow they will move to Suzhou. Boss Lu, who has been single for a week, is already itching to go out.

As soon as I entered the door, Bingbing had already prepared some hangover soup.

Watching a charming and beautiful actress exuding her full aura in front of people, all in riotous splendor;
When I get home, I wash my hands and cook a soup, and shyly wait for you to taste it. It is really a joy in life.

No wonder Xu Jiayin's money means he wants to set up a song and dance troupe. It's pleasing to the eyes just by lying down and watching it every day.

Bingbing carefully helped him drink the sobering soup, and then they took a bath together.

Boss Lu asked about the matchmaking he had done for her earlier: "Have you been in contact with Galliano, Wintour, and the others recently?"

"Yes! After several exhibitions, Galliano became interested in Chinese culture, so I gave him a collection of Chinese paintings."

“He was very happy and said it was his new source of inspiration.”

Lu Kuan nodded, knowing that no one needed to worry about Bingbing.

He just met me at the end of 2001, and in early 2002, she dared to go to a hotel in Jiangsu Province alone and was raped by Huang Long. Not every actress has such courage.

In fact, she knew Lu Kuan earlier than Concubine Liu Yi.

It's a pity that people have different fates.

"I saw your photo on the cover of the October issue. Where's the dress?"

"You're at home, what's wrong?"

Boss Lu kept moving his hands: "Put it on next time."

Bingbing laughed sweetly and said, "You still need that thing to cheer you up? You act like an animal every time."

He sighed again, "Su Mang and his gang are really realistic. I just posted a photo of myself with Galliano and Wintour on my blog, and right after I returned to China, Harper's Bazaar found me."

"Boss Lu~~~How can I thank you?"

The famous actress leaned her head against him and licked his earlobe with her tongue, doing her best to be seductive.

Boss Lu gently held Bai Xue’s hand. The tender pudding was fragrant and soft. “Thank me like this.”

The bathtub overflowed onto the floor, and the scene was filled with springtime.

"Can I have one too?"

"You? Smoking is not good for women, stop it."

After the conversation was over, the two chatted, and Lu Kuan was flipping through the October issue of Harper's Bazaar that she mentioned.

Fashion publications often talk about the "Golden September and Silver October".

These two months are considered the most important time periods in the fashion industry.

September marks the beginning of a new year in the fashion world. Last year's popular styles are phased out, and major brands release blockbuster new fashions and trends.

October is slightly worse than September.

These two months are important because they are the concentrated release period of fashion information and the key period for advertisers and brands to compete for market share.

For fashion magazines, September and October are the busiest periods for editorial and advertising departments, and are also the best time to demonstrate their comprehensive strength and influence.

For celebrities, appearing on the cover of fashion magazines in the past two months is obviously the most convincing proof of their status and position in the fashion circle.

In his previous life, Bingbing didn't appear on the cover of Harper's Bazaar until 2008, let alone the golden September and October.

Of course she understood the meaning of this, so how could she not be completely devoted to Boss Lu?

But the more she gets, the more her ambition grows.

I knew you before she did, and I gave more than she did.

Why am I not the female lead in the mainland box office champion movie?

Why wasn’t I the one showing off in Hanfu in Paris?

Of course, Lu Kuan did not have the ability to see through people's hearts, and he did not notice Bingbing's expression as he looked at him intently.

Love and fear.

"The photos are great. In a year or two, you'll be the undisputed number one female star in the domestic fashion world."

Boss Lu smiled and waved to her, asking Bingbing to sit on his lap.

Such a soft, tender and fragrant body, it feels so comfortable to hug.

I wonder what it feels like to be held by Xiao Liu?
Emm
Boss Lu was getting impatient.

Bingbing put his arms around Lu Kuan's neck, his heart full of melancholy and resentment, but a beautiful smile still appeared on his face.

What is a big flower girl?
Even though my heart is chilled to the bone, my face is still burning with anger!

Just like Bingbing in later generations, he was determined to release his ambition despite stepping on countless slanders and negative information.

She embodies what it means to be vivid, magnificent, full of ups and downs, full of bright lights and wine, and to rise to prominence. She is the epitome of the top female stars in the entertainment industry of an era.

Of course, if you do something wrong, you have to admit that you deserve the punishment and there is no way around it.

It was still early, and the two continued working on tonight's KPIs. Inside the room, the creaking of the dragon and phoenix chairs could be heard again...

The domestic entertainment industry is in turmoil. The friction between Huayi and Wenjie has subsided for a while, but they have started an "arms race" again.

First, Huayi announced its cooperation with Tom.com, Yahoo China and Sina at a press conference at the Media Center.

The amount of financing, as high as $6000 million, is staggering.

The share ratio is clear; the larger the number, the higher the valuation Huayi has received from related companies and venture capital. Following Wenjie, another major Chinese entertainment company is about to launch.

This investment of nearly 5 million RMB means that Huayi can invest in any blockbuster, develop distribution and cinema businesses, and invest in building film and television studios.

It can further improve each link in the film industry chain.

Besides, this is only the first round.

The pressure was put on Wenjie, but unfortunately there was no movement.

Huayi took advantage of the victory and officially announced through professional media such as "China Film News" and "Peking Daily" that it had reached a preliminary agreement with Hong Kong Golden Harvest Co., Ltd.

The final round of negotiations on the transfer of shares held by Zou's father and daughter will be held soon. This is the first move after the huge financing of 6000 million US dollars.

Quite unexpectedly and rarely, a senior writer from the Policy Research Office of the Reform Commission published an editorial in the People's Daily:
"On the Significance of Huayi Brothers' Acquisition of Hong Kong Golden Harvest Shares under the New Services Trade Agreement."

The new service trade agreement mentioned here is the Cepa mentioned above, which stipulates that Hong Kong films can enter the mainland without quota restrictions.

The article details:

The marriage between mainland film giants Huayi and Golden Harvest will greatly promote the integration of film resources between the two places and enhance cooperation in funding and technology.

At the same time, Huayi Co., Ltd., under the leadership of Wang Dajun, can promote the integration and innovation of film genres in the two places with a more open mind and a more positive attitude.

This is of great significance for jointly building Chinese-language film brands and expanding international market channels. It is a good thing that will benefit the industry and audiences in every way!

Boss Lu also read this editorial, which simply praised Huayi as the savior of the mainland film industry, as if it would be a crime not to sell Golden Harvest to Huayi!

This is equivalent to putting pressure on Golden Harvest through official editorials, hoping that they can understand the current situation.

At the same time, the foreign exchange accounts of mainland companies are subject to strict supervision, and the Administration has suspended exchange on the grounds of abnormal transactions.

This is to restrict the free flow of funds in Wenjie's accounts and prevent Wenjie's large amount of "Foreign Land" box office revenue in its overseas accounts from flowing back to the mainland.

An attempt to slow down the pace of the industry getting involved in Golden Harvest.

Zhou Jun and Wang Dajun took turns to fight for nearly two months. Although Zou Chongheng always welcomed them with a smile, they were never able to reach a consensus.

That's why they were trying their best to build up momentum on the surface while secretly creating obstacles and intercepting Jiahe.

This was the reason why Boss Lu asked Zou Chongheng to hold them back.

He wanted to see who was behind the Zhou army and the kings in such a situation, and how much power they could gain.

We can also take targeted precautions in the future.

The situation is very good. At the Beijing Huayi headquarters, Zhou Jun and the Wang brothers are celebrating in the office, with Xiao Gangpao and Lu Chuan joining in the fun.

Dong Shuangqiang was here today too, having been dragged here by Zhou Jun.

As mentioned earlier, Dong Shuangqiang is a veteran in the film industry and started making movies earlier than Huayi.

He himself has close ties with the Beijing circle.

Zhou Jun said earnestly, "Old Dong, as brothers, we're not against seeing you do well, but you and Lu Kuan are a little too close."

Wang Xiaolei praised Mr. Zhou: "Brother Dong, you brought me into the film industry back then. I'm very grateful to you."

"Indeed, Lu Kuan is talented, and your Travel Channel is doing quite well, but what about the current situation?"

"With Bingbing, Nara, Binbin, and dozens of top artists under Wang Jinhua, and 5 million in financing in hand, Brother Jun is determined to acquire Golden Harvest."

"Brother Dong, that guy can't even get the money into his overseas account now. There's no hope."

Dong Shuangqiang smiled bitterly and drank a sip of tea to hide his embarrassment.

He felt embarrassed for these people.

"Brothers, please don't embarrass me. I won't get involved in the fight between the gods on both sides."

Xiao Gangpao, who had just recently recovered from a scandal involving him assaulting and scolding a reporter, laughed and said, "I saw a comment today that said something really good."

"Now the masters are among the people, and the clowns are in the palace. Isn't that what we are talking about that kid?"

Lu Chuan was also filled with righteous indignation: "When Qu Yuan was exiled, he wrote the famous poem 'Chu Ci Bu Ju' in anger."

"The golden bell is broken and discarded, the earthen cauldron roars with thunder, the slanderers are high up, and the virtuous are unknown!"

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Wang and Mr. Wang, I want to thank you. Thank you for upholding justice, fighting against slanderers, and speaking out for Hoh Xil."

"We are now on the side of justice, and Huayi is about to win. I am very much looking forward to the future of the mainland film industry, which will be written and portrayed by pure filmmakers like us!"

If we ask who is the most active in Huayi's current dominance, it would be Lu Chuan and his father, who is a member of the National Committee of the Writers Association.

The collaboration between Huayi and Golden Harvest gave him hope of realizing his dream of replacing Lu Kuan and becoming the number one young director in mainland China.

Starting from Cannes in 2002, he has watched this villain director who only knows how to hype marketing and sensationalism rise to prominence!
Shamelessly flaunting his identity as a commercial film director!

He betrayed the group of directors at the Beijing Film Academy's Seven Gentlemen's Symposium and became a tool for the authorities!

They frequently use endless hype methods to output garbage movies and fool ignorant audiences!

This means that truly good art films, such as his two masterpieces, do not receive the screening rate they deserve.

Is it okay now?
With the combination of Huayi and Internet capital, who can’t hype it up in the future?

Xinlang is a much older website than Blog.com!
Huayi acquires Golden Harvest Cinemas. Who won’t be able to get high-profile screenings in the future?

Your "Alien Land" can rank 90%, right?

In the future, the Huayi theater chain will only give you 10% at most!

Go play somewhere else!
Taro happily began to fantasize about a bright future, as if he wasn't so sad after his film "Kekexili" was disqualified from the Golden Horse Awards.

At this moment in the Huayi office, only Dong Shuangqiang felt uneasy, as if something was stuck in his throat and a thorn in his back.

Lu Kuan, oh Lu Kuan, you really have a good trick up your sleeve!
Today, these idiots celebrated in front of me. When they realize they were fooled and think about what happened today, how can I, the boss, meet with them again?

Awkward, so fucking embarrassing.

The Chinese arts scene is bustling, while the world of literature is silent.

Reporters are good at stirring up trouble. When Huayi was on fire, they kept blocking the door of Wenjie's newly purchased Ideal Building.

Apart from Lu Kuan, who devoted himself to editing and fixing the loopholes in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", they have no access to it.

Basically, everyone from senior executives including Sun Wenwen, Lu Yao, Zhong Lifang, and Liu Hong to male and female artists scattered on various sets were interviewed.

Including Tong Liya, who just enrolled in Beijing Film Academy this year, was confused.

"Could you please tell me what the world has in store for the challenger Hua Yi's actions?"

"What do you think of the current trend of top artists flocking to Huayi?"

No comment, no comment, no comment at all.

The two Wang brothers were full of vigor and ambition. Recently, they were interviewed by a reporter from the Peking Daily. When talking about the competition between the two companies, Wang Xiaolei spoke righteously:

"Huayi is now qualified to say that, based on its strength and position, it has officially challenged the world of entertainment and is on par with the domestic entertainment industry."

If the scales of victory were originally balanced, then under the subtle guidance of public opinion, Huayi seemed to have taken the top spot in the domestic entertainment industry.

For the spectators, the most obvious sign is that Zhang Jizhong, who has always been on good terms with Lu Kuan, has also signed a contract with Huayi.

This big boss in the drama industry, who has been working with Boss Lu since his debut and is currently working on "The Return of the Condor Heroes" for the "Wenjie" actress Liu Yifei, has also thrown himself into the arms of his rival.

This is another big name in the TV drama circle that has joined the team after the strategic cooperation with Hairun Film and Television and the signing of Zhang Guoli.

The fire that Huayi started at the end of October burned fiercely and also shook the confidence of many forces in the world.

Huo Wenxi called Li Shoucheng at the Peking headquarters.

"Mr. Li, Huayi got the script for 'Chinese Paladin III' and sent Tang Yan an audition invitation. What about us?"

"Go ahead, it's just an audition, what's the big deal."

Li Shoucheng is watering flowers in the garden. He is 61 years old this year and has become more secluded as he gets older.

"I'm just afraid of Lu Sheng..."

"What are you afraid of? I've already sold the copyright of 'Mythology' to him. Lu Sheng isn't that stingy."

Huo Wenxi probed, "Then our attitude towards Huayi and Wenjie from now on..."

Li Shoucheng pondered for a few seconds and decided to brainwash his female subordinate again to strengthen her thinking.

"Mani, do you know why I sent you to Peking two years ago?"

"boss..."

"Let me put it bluntly. Just because you're a woman, Lu Sheng likes to mess with women. Do you understand?"

Of course Huo Wenxi didn't dare to get angry with his boss, but these words were telling himself clearly.

The priority of Wenjie and Lukuan is higher than any other, and she cannot afford to be indecisive.

Perhaps in this world, apart from Concubine Liu Yi, who trusted Lu Kuan 100%, Li Shoucheng was the only one she trusted.

Xiao Liu was brainwashed, either intentionally or unintentionally, or influenced by her surroundings since she was 15, when her worldview and outlook on life were being shaped;

However, Li Shoucheng was convinced by his belief in supernatural powers because of Uncle Chen's last words, which had made this old man in his fifties completely convinced.

Not to mention the benefits Eagle King got from "Foreign Land".

Thinking of the little god, Boss Li called him.

"Lu Sheng, the money has arrived. Have you received it?"

"Mr. Li, it's already on Zou Wenhuai's account, haha!"

"Okay, I'll go join in the fun when you hold the press conference."

"Welcome!"

The situation is raging in the open, but unpredictable and treacherous in the dark.

Just like the "mutual blackmail" and "arms race" between Huayi and Wenjie this time:
No one knew that during his vacation in Jiuzhaigou, Boss Lu had a deep conversation with Big Beard.
No one knew that as early as October, the day after Liu Yifei's negative information was leaked, Xinlang, who later acquired shares in Huayi, had already become the prey of Lu Kuan and Chen Tianqiao;

No one knew that when Zhou Jun imposed various policy obstacles on the mainland community and even directly cut off the inflow of foreign exchange funds, Boss Lu borrowed 3 million Hong Kong dollars from Li Shoucheng's Eagle King to pay for the equity transfer.

No one knew that in mid-November 2004, Boss Lu and Gao Jun, who had "surrendered", appeared at Zou Wenhuai's house on Kimberley Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.

After the acquisition agreement and procedures were officially completed, a press conference was officially held on the morning of the 17th at Golden Harvest Building, 687 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, Hong Kong.

Whether it is a premiere or a celebration party in the mainland, except for the Tiehua Art School, basically everyone else gives face and comes to celebrate.

In today's Hong Kong, it seems that Boss Lu's appeal is no less than that in the mainland.

On the surface, there were celebrities from the film industry invited by Zou Wenhuai, Eagle King and Hua Guoxing who provided great support, and Mei Yanfang, as the big sister, who appealed in the circle of friends.

Of course, publicity is also indispensable, with Travel Channel broadcasting the entire event live and Blog.com providing text live broadcast.

Stars such as Liang Jiahui, Zhang Manyu, Fang Long, and Liu Dehua were all present. Even Tingfeng, who had a grudge against Boss Lu, sat calmly in the audience.

Even today, he is no longer so ambitious.

They are not from the same world at all, so what's the point of talking about catching up or being convinced?

But the little king of Hong Kong in this life is really miserable. Offending Boss Lu is secondary. Lu Kuan doesn't have so much spare time to deal with him later.

Mainly in terms of love, Wang Fei and Yapeng have officially announced that they will get married next year.

Zhang Baizhi broke up with him after the phone call incident because after the hit of "33 Days of Love", the market in mainland China also opened up.

Although both of them are now filming for "The Promise", they are basically strangers.

When the news reached the mainland, the usually diligent Wang Dajun was unusually absent from the office on time for the morning meeting with department managers.

Zhou Jun's face turned pale as he took his wife to visit some of his father's old friends to see if there was any chance of redemption.

Wang Xiaolei was so angry that he broke the excellent bracelet he had just collected at home, and watched dejectedly as the large and small yellow pear wood beads fell to the ground.

The clanging sounds were like heavy hammers, hitting the hearts of the Huayi people who were celebrating before.

Dong Shuangqiang in front of the TV was also shocked.

Looking at Lu Kuan, who still had a calm expression on the Travel Channel screen, he made a secret decision in his heart.

The press conference started without any fanfare. Zou Chongheng, as the former general manager, will continue to serve as the deputy general manager of Golden Harvest as a transition.

Therefore, the news of Jiahe's change of ownership was announced by her.

"Recently, Wenjie has purchased a total of 24.78% of the shares held by Mr. Raymond Chow and Ms. Zou Chongheng, and 8% held by Mr. Li Jiacheng, becoming the largest single shareholder of Golden Harvest."

"At this point, Wenjie has acquired a cumulative 32.78% stake in Jiahe Shares and will launch a tender offer."

Since Lu Kuan arrived in Hong Kong a few days ago, Jiahe shares have been suspended as required due to "major events".

At that time, no one could have imagined that this so-called major event was actually a mainland entertainment giant's southward prey hunt.

Except for Li Shoucheng, Mei Yanfang and other people who knew the situation, the media at the scene were in an uproar.

Then, Zou Wenhuai came to the stage to speak tremblingly. He wanted to use his influence to build momentum for Boss Lu and help him win over the team before he took over Golden Harvest.

"To be honest, I negotiated the share transfer with Mr. Lu while playing bridge."

"He deliberately lost the game to me to make an old man like me happy."

Mei Yanfang, Fang Long and others laughed when they heard this, and they also truly felt Zou Wenhuai's recognition of Lu Kuan.

Zou Wenhuai sighed deeply: "Maybe it's because I'm getting older this year, I haven't been sleeping well, and I always have dreams at night."

"One day I dreamed of Xiaolong."

"He kept asking me: 'Mr. Zou, how is Golden Harvest? How's our movie going?'"

"I can't answer that."

Older Hong Kong filmmakers feel a little sad, as it has indeed been a long time since the era of Eastern Hollywood.

The glory of Hong Kong films will never be reproduced.

"Until the day Chongheng and Lusheng reached an agreement, she told me, 'Daddy, it's done.'"

"It's a pity that I couldn't sleep that night. I really want to dream about Xiaolong again. I want to talk to him!"

"Xiao Long, I handed Golden Harvest over to a young man from the mainland. His movie this year won the weekly championship at the global box office, and he made a lot of money in Hollywood!"

"Those foreigners are all saying, 'Wow, your Chinese monsters are so beautiful and romantic, and your Chinese girls are so good at fighting.'"

Zou Wenhuai burst into tears as he spoke: "I can almost imagine Xiaolong dancing with joy."

Zou Chongheng's eyes also turned red when she heard this. She knew that this was her father's unfinished business.

Now, I have finally found someone worthy of my trust.

Lu Kuan walked over and shook Zou Wenhuai's hand: "Mr. Zou, take good care of yourself. When the day comes that Chinese-language films surpass Hollywood, you can talk to Mr. Bruce Lee in your dreams again!"

There were both crying and laughing at the scene.

Rather than saying that this is an incursion of mainland capital into the Hong Kong film industry, it would be more accurate to say that it is the entrustment of the previous generation of Hong Kong film industry bosses.

Travel Channel has more young viewers, but there are also many middle-aged people who were attracted by the Hanfu gathering that day and prime-time movies such as "The Disguiser".

These middle-aged people also grew up watching Golden Harvest movies in their youth.

Almost all of them have watched an entire generation of Hong Kong classics and are familiar with Golden Harvest's "Dang Dang Dang" opening credits.

Blogs also began to flood the screen with comments, and the host of the live text broadcast asked everyone to interact and talk about the Golden Harvest movies they had watched when they were young.

With Zou Wenhuai entrusting his son to the care of others, these sentimental memories transferred the love for Golden Harvest to the new "Wenjie Golden Harvest".

All movie fans are looking forward to the new Golden Harvest being able to recreate its former glory under the leadership of the country's top director.

These movie fans will also become the biggest help for Golden Harvest Cinemas when it expands its territory in the mainland.

The power of emotion is infinite.

After Zou Wenhuai and his daughter said their goodbyes, the leading role naturally went to Boss Lu.

A reporter from Wen Wei Po asked, "Is Director Lu's massive acquisition of Golden Harvest a sign that he's planning to focus his business on the Hong Kong film market?"

"The two places are one, but the overall industry trend is definitely moving from south to north, whether it's capital or talent. This is an indisputable fact."

"The combination of Wenjie and Golden Harvest will be an integrated operation of film production and distribution."

"As a director and chairman of Wenjie, I also look forward to using this bridge to collaborate with outstanding colleagues in Hong Kong."

Immediately afterwards, Mei Yanfang, Fang Long, Liang Jiahui and others present at the scene were interviewed.

They sang praises for Lu Kuan himself and the involvement of the industry, believing that this was a powerful alliance between the two film industries and would be beneficial to the development of the entire Chinese-language film industry.

A few days later, Jiahe shares resumed trading on the Hong Kong stock market and immediately began to soar, with the share price increasing by as much as 6 times and finally reaching a price close to 3 yuan.

Boss Lu's tender offer to other shareholders and advance purchases in the secondary market finally cost him nearly HK$5 million and he completely took control of Golden Harvest with a shareholding ratio of about 52.7%!

All domestic industry insiders, entertainment reporters, film reporters, and even those who just want to have fun and understand the situation on the Internet were shocked.

What does it mean to be silent or make a big splash when you do?

While Huayi was engaged in an arms race and was trying to occupy the top position among domestic entertainment companies, Wenjie, under the leadership of Lu Kuan, had quietly completed the construction of the entire industry chain.

The Zhou army suffered the most.

He felt that he had learned about the industrial trends of Wenjie and Lukuan in advance and intended to intercept them, and he also set up obstacles to the acquisition at the policy level, but he did not expect that he would still fail.

If it weren't for using his connections and background to facilitate the cooperation between Internet companies such as Xinlang and Huayi, he would probably have lost the qualification to compete with Wenjie forever.

For a person like Zhou Jun who prides himself on his academic qualifications, background and intelligence, this is a major blow to his lofty ambitions.

In the following days, the "change of dynasty" of Jiahe shares took place quietly.

Lu Kuan serves as the chairman of the board of directors of Golden Harvest Entertainment, and Gao Jun serves as the general manager.

Zou Wenhuai has retired but remains as an honorary consultant. His daughter Zou Chongheng serves as deputy general manager to assist Gaojun in the transition.

The acquisition of Golden Harvest not only completed the last link in the global film industry chain, but also brought many additional benefits.

For example, some films could not pass the review in the mainland due to the subject matter, and even could not pass the review as co-productions. Now they can be produced under the name of Golden Harvest.

For example, Wenjie wanted to obtain loan financing, but apart from the Ideal Building that he later purchased, he had no real estate as collateral, so the amount of financing was limited.

Now with Golden Harvest’s Golden Harvest Building in Hong Kong and so many cinemas and movie studios across Hong Kong and the country, financing convenience has been greatly improved.

In addition, Lu Kuan and Gao Jun studied Golden Harvest's current cinema resources in addition to those in mainland China and Hong Kong:

In Taiwan, Golden Harvest is the majority shareholder of Warner Village Cinemas, the largest cinema chain in Taiwan. The chain has 9 multiplexes and 87 theaters in Taiwan, accounting for approximately 33% of the market share in Taiwan.
In Singapore, Golden Harvest has nine cinemas and holds over 9% of the market share;

In Malaysia, the cinema chain jointly operated by Golden Harvest and local Western Films owns 10 cinemas and also occupies a considerable market share.

what does this mean?
This means that from now on, Wenjie and Lukuan’s films will no longer need the help of Eagle King and Anle in Southeast Asia, and can be distributed directly by themselves!
Controlling Golden Harvest means controlling a distribution network throughout Southeast Asia, which is priceless!
If Lukuan were to invest money to build this network again, it would be impossible to do so without paying several times the price.

The media reprinted the news and published reports.

Among them, a comment from China Film Report aroused widespread recognition among movie fans:
Lu Kuan criticized the unprofessionalism of some young Hong Kong actors in 2002, and this year's beating incident on the set of "Little Fish" once again proved his point.

In 2003, Lu Kuan proposed that the northward expansion of Hong Kong films and the trend toward commercial films would be two major future trends, and this has become almost a consensus this year.
When Lu Kuan was communicating with Hong Kong director Wu Yusen at Cannes in 2004, he said that Hong Kong filmmakers should abandon their condescending attitude and bend down to integrate into the mainland film scene.

When some people thought that this young director, who was only 23 years old at the time, was just making annoying comments.

This time, he finally got serious.

When the opponents and doubters woke up, they found that the Golden Harvest, which they were once proud of, had changed hands.

Looking back, the boat has passed through thousands of mountains.

　Two updates tomorrow, a total of 2 words
　　
　
(End of this chapter)