Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 162, page 160: A thief broke into the house! (Revised)
Tuesday, December 23, 1997.

As the year draws to a close in Shanghai, the air is filled with the restlessness of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, as well as a hint of belated anger unique to metropolises.

Xiao Lin, a young reporter for the Shanghai Culture Daily, is a typical Shanghai girl: quick-witted, with a keen sense of smell, and a touch of artistic youth.

His interest in "30 Days" began the day its national tour arrived in Shanghai.

He also wanted to cover the premiere, but spots were limited and he didn't have the connections, so he only took some photos on the periphery and wrote a bland short news article, which was drowned out by the wave of doubts about the Beijing Film Studio Alliance at the time.

Later, "30 Days" was a huge hit in The Nine Cities, with box office numbers soaring, but it remained unseen in Shanghai and couldn't be seen at all.

Xiao Lin felt a pang of unease, like being scratched by a cat. The occasional snippets of conversation from his colleagues who had seen the film only fueled his curiosity.

He also considered going to see the show in the surrounding cities, but firstly, he was busy with work, and secondly, he heard that tickets were extremely difficult to buy. He was unfamiliar with the area and was afraid that he would go through all that trouble and still not be able to see it, so he put the idea aside.

The turning point came around December 18th.

He was waiting for someone at a coffee shop he frequented near his workplace when he overheard several stylishly dressed young people excitedly discussing their trip to Suzhou, mentioning things like "movie bus," "package tickets," and "guaranteed seats."

He listened intently for a long time, and then it dawned on him—there's such a thing?
His professional instincts compelled him to act immediately.

He managed to get the contact information for the "Suzhou-Shanghai '30 Days' Movie Tour," and, claiming to be a movie fan in Shanghai, successfully signed up for the bus tour last weekend (December 21).

The whole process went so smoothly that he was astonished.

On Saturday morning, I boarded the bus at a designated location near People's Square. Surprisingly, the bus was decorated with a dazzling poster of "30 Days".

The bus was mostly filled with young people from Shanghai around his age, and the atmosphere was as lively as if he were going to a party.

After an hour and a half drive, we arrived near Guanqian Street in Suzhou. Upon arrival, staff members guided us directly into the Kaiming Grand Theater.

The theater was packed.

Xiaolin keenly noticed that at least 30-40% of the audience, judging from their accents and attire, were from Shanghai.

As the film began, the long-lost laughter, gasps of amazement that belonged to the entire cinema, and the faint sadness at the end deeply moved him, an "industry insider."

This movie is really good!

It's not the kind of highbrow, niche good that's appreciated by the average viewer, but a good production with solid craftsmanship!

Stephen Chow's transformation was just right, Li Xiaoran was fresh and natural, the story was both funny and touching, and the pace was brisk... The articles in the Shanghai media that were pessimistic before now seem so pale and... malicious in the face of the most genuine reactions of the audience at this moment.

After the movie ended, he strolled along Guanqian Street with the lingering crowd and saw many viewers from Shanghai spending money in restaurants and shops, creating a small consumer trend.

He even interviewed several Shanghai audience members who came on the same train, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

"A brilliant idea! Absolutely brilliant! It's so much more exciting than watching pirated movies in video arcades!"

"This time, Xingxing is different; it's quite touching."

"Why won't they release Alamo? I don't understand!"

"Suzhou is so close, it's convenient to come here. I'll treat it as a short weekend trip."

A strong urge to "tell the truth" surged within Kobayashi.

On the bus back, he took in the fleeting night view of Jiangnan outside the window and wrote furiously in his notebook.

Back in Shanghai, he stayed up all night and meticulously crafted a 3,000-word movie review and commentary.

Instead of simply recounting the plot, he approached the topic from his unique perspective as a Shanghai film enthusiast on a "journey" to Suzhou, describing in detail the convenience of the "direct movie-watching bus," the enthusiastic atmosphere of Suzhou cinemas, the sheer size and passion of the Shanghai audience, and the surprises and reflections the film itself brought him.

He deliberated for a long time before finally deciding on the title of the article: "Viewing Notes on '30 Days': A Laughter and Tears Blocked by Administrative Barriers, My 'Breakthrough in Suzhou' with Hundreds of Movie Fans in Shanghai".

In the article, he highly praised the artistic achievements and commercial value of "30 Days", calling it "a beautiful 'Pearl Harbor-style attack' on the road to the marketization of domestic films", and believed that Stephen Chow's performance "showed skill in restraint and true feelings in the ordinary", and that Li Xiaoran "has a promising future".

He devoted considerable space to describing the enthusiasm of Shanghai audiences who "went to great lengths" for the event, and directly criticized the local distribution system:

"When our neighbor Suzhou is able to provide such a convenient and high-quality movie-watching experience for its citizens and even moviegoers in surrounding cities through flexible market means, our international metropolis, which calls itself the 'Pearl of the Orient,' is still arguing and hesitating about when to release an excellent domestic film that has received such a warm market response?"
Is this prudence or conservatism? Is it respect for market rules or protection of vested interests? When hundreds of young people from Shanghai have to take special "movie-watching buses" to other provinces just to catch a glimpse of a film, have our film distributors heard the clear and sharp alarm bells ringing from the market?

After finishing the article, he nervously handed it to the department head. The head read it, remained silent for a moment, and then decisively said, "Publish it! Publish it tomorrow! Put it on the front page of the culture section!"

……

December 24th, early morning.

The latest issue of the Shanghai Culture Daily was delivered to every corner of Shanghai by newspaper vendors.

That eye-catching and uniquely insightful film review was like a boulder thrown into a calm pond.

At first, there were ripples.

Several middle-aged women who had gotten up early to buy groceries were chatting in front of a newsstand: "Wow, Suzhou is so convenient now! There are even private cars for going to the movies?"

Then came the waves.

White-collar workers on their way to work, holding newspapers, are drawn in by the "Shanghai movie-watching group" described in the articles and the charm of the films themselves.

"Is it really that beautiful?"

"No wonder Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li from the company went to Suzhou last weekend..."

By 10 a.m., it had become a wave.

The phone at the editorial office of the Shanghai Culture Daily started ringing non-stop. Readers called to praise the article for "expressing our feelings," others inquired about the specific registration methods for the "movie-watching express," and reporters from other media outlets called to request to contact the author, Xiao Lin, hoping to follow up with their reports.

Newspaper sales saw an unexpected small peak that morning.

The newsstand owner smiled and said to the customer who came to restock, "It's unbelievable, this newspaper is selling exceptionally well today!"

……

Meanwhile, in the office of the general manager of the Shanghai Film Distribution and Screening Company.

The office director arrived almost at the last minute, placing a still-scented copy of the *Shanghai Culture Daily* on the general manager's large mahogany desk, his finger trembling slightly as he pointed to the headline article on the front page.

"Mr. Wu, please take a look at this..."

……

"boom!"

The conference room of the Shanghai Film and Television Company.

There was a loud bang.

Wu Mengchen slammed the newspaper onto the conference table, making the teacups bounce around.

"A thief broke into my house! I didn't even know!"

Wu Mengchen said in extreme anger, "What?! They've come right under our noses and hauled away our audience from Shanghai by the truckload! They're undermining us on our own turf! And what are you all doing?! Huh?!"

He grabbed the newspaper and shook it violently, the pages rustling: "Look! Open your eyes wide and see! What is this? This is a slap in the face! This is like shitting on our necks! Our Shanghai Film Company has been utterly disgraced!"

The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Several vice presidents lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him, their faces burning with embarrassment.

They had heard rumors before, but they all thought it was just sporadic and insignificant. Who would have thought that the other side would actually make such a big fuss and even make it into the newspapers! They've become a positive role model!

“Direct movie ticket… package ticket… guaranteed seat…” Wu Mengchen repeated the words from the article through gritted teeth, each word feeling like a slap in the face.

"You're really good at this! You have a real business mind! And what about us? What are our people doing? Drinking tea? Reading newspapers? Are we just waiting for someone to hand over the market to us?!"

He slammed his fist on the table, the sound deafening: "Investigate! Investigate immediately! Right now! Who approved this damn direct train? Who's pulling the strings in Suzhou? What role does Wang Sheng from the Beijing Film Studio play? I need to know every single detail! Every single one!"

He was panting heavily as he glanced at his trembling subordinates, his voice forced out through clenched teeth: "Also, contact Suzhou immediately! No, lodge a formal protest directly with the Jiangsu Provincial Film Company! This is malicious competition! Disrupting market order! They must immediately stop this behavior that harms the interests of our brother company!"

(End of this chapter)