American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 319 The Realm of the Three Extreme Mountains

Lin Yu'an not only thought of it, but also planned out the specifics of how to promote it, and it perfectly aligned with their core goal of attracting people to Yunnan.

“Yu’an, your idea… is very bold, and also… very thoughtful!” Zhang Chengzhi’s eyes shone with admiration, but he quickly grasped the crux of the problem.

"But, Comrade Yu'an, how can you guarantee your safety if you're alone in a primeval forest like the Ailao Mountains? And most importantly, what about your food source, which is... hunting? This is an absolute red line in China."

Finally, we got to the most crucial part.

Lin Yu'an's expression turned extremely serious. He knew this was the biggest concern he had to personally address.

"Director Zhang, you've touched on the most crucial point, which is also something I've given careful consideration to."

He solemnly promised: "First of all, regarding safety, I will carry a GPS tracker and an emergency distress beacon with me, and the support team behind me can monitor my location in real time. I have confidence in my professional abilities, and I will not joke with my own life."

"Secondly, and most importantly, regarding hunting," he said firmly, "I assure you that all my actions within China will strictly comply with the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China. I will not cross any legal red lines."

He paused, then added the most crucial point: "As for large animals, I know there are quite a few wild boars in the Ailao Mountains. If the local forestry department has a relevant population control plan, I would be very happy to participate as a volunteer."

"In this episode, what I want to show the world is not conquest, but the wisdom of survival within the rules. It's about how to survive by relying on knowledge and skills while respecting nature and the law."

"I believe this is itself a more advanced and positive form of cultural export."

These words were like a reassuring pill, completely dispelling the last trace of doubt in Zhang Chengzhi and Liang Wenbin's hearts.

It's legal, backed by a top international team and platform, creatively incorporates new media, and its publicity strategy perfectly targets their weaknesses... This plan is almost flawless.

A genuinely satisfied smile finally appeared on Zhang Chengzhi's face. He raised his wine glass and gestured towards Lin Yu'an.

"Yu'an, we are relieved to hear your words!" His voice was full of praise. "You not only have a global perspective, but also this respect for the country's laws, which is truly commendable!"

"We will discuss the specific details of the cooperation with your team representatives at the summit tomorrow. But tonight we will only talk about one thing."

He stood up and said warmly, "Welcome home, Comrade Yu'an!"

The atmosphere at the dinner became even more harmonious after a consensus was reached.

The following day, after the Kunming International Tourism Industry Summit concluded, a multi-party meeting was held in a high-security, closed-door conference room, where all media were prohibited from entering. The meeting was designed to determine the final form of "Lin Yu-an: The Wilderness of the Mountains".

The atmosphere around the huge conference table was solemn yet full of anticipation, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible seriousness.

As the key figure in the project, Lin Yu'an took the seat of honor without hesitation, despite the modesty of Director Zhang Chengzhi.

To his left sat a truly impressive lineup. Besides the host, Director Zhang Chengzhi and Director Liang Wenbin of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, several other distinguished guests who had traveled from afar were also seated there.

Li, the deputy director of the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, had only one purpose for his trip: Changbai Mountain. Yang, the director of the AB Prefecture Culture and Tourism Bureau of SC Province, represented the magnificent Siguniang Mountain.

The gathering of the top officials from the cultural and tourism systems of these three regions has far exceeded the scope of an ordinary commercial project; it is more like an internal bidding meeting centered around the super IP of Lin Yu'an.

To his right was a senior producer from the international production team CAA, who was well-versed in multinational productions.

At the other end of the conference table, the atmosphere was equally star-studded. Mr. Li, Vice President of Tencent Video, and Mr. Wang, head of Douyin's entertainment business, both from China's two internet giants, personally flew from Beijing and Shanghai to Kunming.

This can be described as a dream team that brings together top global content production, distribution channels, and national and local government resources.

Everyone present knew perfectly well that the presence of these usually busy tycoons was not just for a small program.

What they valued was the political significance and strategic value of cultural export behind Lin Yu-an's project, which could not be measured in monetary terms.

As Zhang Chengzhi privately told Lin Yu'an before the meeting: "Yu'an, your trip to New York was even more effective than we expected. The higher-ups attached great importance to it, believing it to be an excellent opportunity to showcase beautiful China and cultural confidence to the world."

"So your program is no longer just your personal matter; it carries a... special mission."

The meeting began without much small talk, getting straight to the point.

Lin Yu-an first explained his overall concept for the first season of "Above the Wilderness," which involves challenging three highly representative Chinese landforms: the subtropical jungle of Ailao Mountain in Yunnan, the extremely high-altitude snow-capped mountains of Siguniang Mountain in Sichuan, and the temperate snow forest of Changbai Mountain in Jilin.

The idea was met with enthusiastic responses from the cultural and tourism officials of the three regions, who all expressed their willingness to provide the highest level of support.

Zhang Chengzhi first smiled and nodded, and as the host, he said confidently, "Ailao Mountain is the perfect first stop. Yu'an, Yunnan will definitely use all the resources of the province's cultural and tourism sector to create the most perfect opening for you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li, the tall deputy director of the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, let out a hearty laugh, with the straightforwardness typical of Northeasterners. He leaned forward slightly and looked intently at Lin Yu'an.

"Director Zhang, the opening is important, but the grand finale is even more crucial! Yu'an, jungle survival is certainly exciting, but imagine being in the snow-covered forests of Changbai Mountain at minus thirty degrees Celsius, where your breath freezes into ice and everything is silent—that is the ultimate test of human will!"

"We'll even incorporate the legend of the Tianchi Lake Monster into your package, making it a truly unique topic of conversation worldwide! We guarantee to provide you with the highest level of logistical support, and we can even coordinate with the border troops!"

Deputy Director Li's words were so vivid and impactful that even Mark Williams, the Asia President of Discovery Channel, nodded unconsciously.

At this moment, Director Yang of the Sichuan AB Prefecture Culture and Tourism Bureau, who had always appeared gentle and refined, gently pushed up his glasses and spoke in a calm yet charming tone.

"Director Li makes a lot of sense, but the challenge of survival is not only about physical limits, but also about spiritual heights."

His gaze turned to Lin Yu'an, filled with poetry and philosophy, "Four Sisters Mountain, it is the Alps of the East, after the mountains of Sichuan. Yu'an, what we can offer you is not only magnificent snow-capped mountains and glaciers, but also a spiritual pilgrimage that is close to the sky."

"Imagine you're at an altitude of 5,000 meters, facing the golden sunrise over the mountains, telling a story about the relationship between humanity and nature. The emotional impact of that cinematic language is unparalleled by any jungle or snowfield. This is the true embodiment of cultural export and Eastern philosophy."

Director Yang's words instantly elevated the program's message to a new level, giving the Penguin Video and Douyin executives present a fresh perspective.

For a moment, the conference room was filled with a healthy competitive atmosphere.

One represents a survival test against extreme cold, while the other represents a spiritual ascent to new heights; both possess unparalleled appeal.

Seeing the scene before him, a battle of titans, Lin Yu'an knew his plan had succeeded. He smiled and spoke calmly, his voice not loud but clear enough to reach everyone's ears.

"Director Zhang, Director Li, Director Yang, thank you very much for your enthusiasm. In fact, in my opinion, these three locations are not in competition, but rather form a perfect whole narrative."

He stood up, walked to the huge screen, and brought up a map of China.

"The Ailao Mountains are the cradle of life. There, I want to show the world the biodiversity of the subtropical jungle and its primitive survival skills." "The Four Sisters Mountains are the ladder of the spirit. There, the challenge will rise from survival to climbing, exploring the relationship between humanity, faith, and limits."

"And Changbai Mountain is a crucible of will. There, all skills will return to instinct, and the ultimate test will be completed in the face of the purest cold."

"From south to north, from green to white, from the clamor of life to the silence of will. These three chapters together form a complete story about humanity and China's magnificent nature. None of them can be missing."

These words instantly elevated the competitive relationship among the three parties to a shared, ambitious goal. The three leaders exchanged glances, each seeing satisfaction in the other's eyes.

Zhang Chengzhi was the first to stand up. He took a deep breath and delivered a concluding speech on behalf of the governments of the three regions.

“Yu’an, your vision is grand and far-reaching, and we in all three regions fully support it! Now, on behalf of all three parties, I would like to make our official commitment to you and your team, and also draw the bottom line that we must all abide by.”

He held out one hand and said clearly, "We can provide three highest levels of support."

"First, the highest level of administrative coordination. Starting today, we will establish a joint support team composed of cultural and tourism, forestry, public security, and even foreign affairs departments from the three regions."

"All filming permits involving national nature reserves and virgin forests are submitted to the relevant national ministries and commissions by this group."

“Yu’an’s team only needs to submit an application to us once, and we will handle all the subsequent complex procedures. This can save you at least three months of communication costs.”

"Second, the highest level of scientific support. We will coordinate top experts from the Kunming Institute of Botany, the Chengdu Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, and the Northeast Institute of Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to form a national-level biological and cultural advisory group for you."

"They not only provide consultation, but more importantly, they will act as the scientific endorsement unit for the project, providing you with a detailed and legally binding 'White List of Wildlife and Plants for Scientific Expeditions.' This list serves as a legal shield for all your collection and survival activities in front of the camera."

"Third, the highest level of security. At your safe camp, we will coordinate with the most elite forest police or reserve patrol personnel, and apply for emergency rescue helicopter routes."

"We will grant high-priority temporary airspace clearances to the military to ensure the fastest possible response in any extreme weather conditions. The coordination with border troops that Director Li from Jilin just mentioned is not a joke. We will do this in the Changbai Mountain border region."

These three commitments, each carrying significant weight, clearly demonstrate the terrifying power of "national strength": providing overwhelming support within the framework of rules that no other commercial company in the world can match.

Zhang Chengzhi's expression immediately turned extremely serious, and he changed the subject: "However, with support comes red lines. I hope you and all the business partners present understand that these three red lines are absolutely not to be crossed."

"First, the legal red line. Any first- or second-class protected animals or plants from countries that are not on the white list of the Wildlife Protection Law are absolutely prohibited from being touched."

"In particular, hunting activities must be strictly limited to trapping small animals such as rabbits and bamboo rats that are not on the protected list, as well as fishing."

"The hunting of any large animal is strictly prohibited unless it is a recorded act of volunteerism that is in line with our forestry department's population control plan."

"Secondly, the safety red line. Your personal safety is the premise of all our protection. You must wear the military-grade Beidou satellite emergency distress beacon we provide at all times."

"If the rear security team determines that your vital signs are extremely abnormal, or if you actively send out a distress signal, we have the right to unconditionally stop the challenge and immediately intervene in the rescue. This is not a suggestion, this is an order."

"The third, and most important, is the red line of culture and ideology."

Zhang Chengzhi's gaze swept over everyone present, including CAA and David Cohen. "With this program, we hope it will show the world a beautiful, confident, and open China, and an Eastern philosophy of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature."

"We welcome real challenges and difficulties, but we will never allow any deliberate attempts to distort the environment, misrepresent the facts, or use sensationalist footage to create a gimmick."

"In the final editing of the content, we hope to have a fact-checking process to ensure that all scientific and cultural contextual statements are accurate."

After he finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent. Zhang Chengzhi not only reassured everyone but also laid out clear constraints, which served both as protection for the project and as a well-intentioned warning.

Lin Yu'an nodded solemnly: "Director Zhang, please rest assured, you and all the leaders. The core of 'Wilderness Mountain Realm' is precisely to respect nature and respect the rules. We fully accept all the requirements you have put forward and will strictly abide by them."

"Good!" Zhang Chengzhi finally showed a genuinely satisfied smile. "The macro-level strategic and policy support is officially finalized today."

"Next comes the specific commercial implementation, which is the domain of you professionals."

He smiled and extended his hand to CAA producer David Cohen and the heads of Tencent and TikTok, saying, "We, the service staff, won't take up your valuable business negotiation time."

These words completely ignited the tense atmosphere, transforming it into a consensus and expectation among everyone.

After warmly shaking hands with Lin Yu'an and the business tycoons, Director Zhang Chengzhi, Deputy Director Li from Jilin, and Director Yang from Sichuan left the venue first, accompanied by their staff.

Their mission is complete, paving the most crucial path for this epic project.

As the heavy conference room door slowly closed, the composition of the people in the room also underwent a subtle change.

The departure of the officials meant that the atmosphere in the meeting room had instantly shifted from a strategic level filled with national sentiment to a more purely direct commercial negotiation filled with the struggle for interests.

David Cohen glanced at his watch and smiled at the rest of the group. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen. The first half is over. Now let's move to the small conference room next door, have a cup of coffee, and then begin the second half."

In the more private and sophisticated small conference room next door, everyone adopted a more relaxed posture, but the keen business sense in the air became even stronger.

David Cohen, a senior producer at CAA, broke the silence first. Instead of rushing to discuss distribution, he laid a heavy foundation for the negotiations.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, taking a sip of his coffee with an elegant air, "before we discuss the biggest piece of the pie—the distribution rights—I'd like to share some good news that will allow us to build our discussion on a more relaxed foundation."

He pressed the remote control in his hand, and a silver three-pointed star logo slowly lit up on the display screen on the side wall.

David's voice was full of power: "Mercedes-Benz has officially signed a chief strategic cooperation agreement with us."

"They will provide an exclusive title sponsorship of $300 million for the first season of Wilderness Mountain and provide our ground support team with the latest G-Class off-road vehicles as support vehicles throughout the project. This funding will be used as part of our production budget."

This news was like a reassurance, and both Mr. Li from Tencent and Mr. Wang from Douyin showed expressions of approval.

With the backing of top international brands, the program's quality and commercial prospects are guaranteed, which means that the bidding wars ahead are likely to be exceptionally fierce.

“Now that the production budget is secured,” David Cohen smiled at Mr. Li and Mr. Wang, “let’s talk about today’s real focus – the exclusive distribution rights for Greater China.”

Mr. Li took the lead in making the offer, demonstrating the composure of a long-form video giant: "We at Tencent Video are willing to offer $350 million to acquire the exclusive online streaming rights for the first season of 'Wild Mountain' in Greater China. We will provide S+ level in-platform resources and coordinate the entire Tencent ecosystem to drive traffic to it, ensuring the show reaches its peak upon release."

This is a very reasonable price, and it aligns with the market price for top-tier content.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became subtle.

(End of this chapter)