Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 206, Section 204: A New Era Has Arrived

In December 1998, amidst the social debate and box office success sparked by "The Pursuit of Happyness," the film quietly came to an end.

Despite a commentary in the People's Daily setting the tone and guiding the film's mainstream values ​​toward a positive level of "showcasing the spirit of the times and individual struggles," debates among the public and intellectual circles regarding the film's narrative logic, social significance, and even whether it "whitewashes reality" have not completely subsided.

This mixed reception proves that the film has touched the most sensitive nerve of the times, and its influence has far exceeded that of an ordinary Lunar New Year film.

Like a boulder thrown into the center of a lake, its ripples spread to all levels of society, sparking deep reflection on the pains of reform, individual destiny, and social responsibility.

Meanwhile, within Beijing's film industry, another discussion concerning the future fate of a long-established film studio was also underway amidst the cold winter at the end of the year.

This discussion was of a higher level and had a more profound impact. Its core issue was the position and role of the Beijing Film Studio in the upcoming major restructuring of the Chinese film industry.

The atmosphere in the conference room of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television was heavy with solemnity and caution.

Outside the window, the gray winter sky contrasted sharply with the serious expressions of the attendees inside.

This was an internal discussion and coordination meeting regarding the formation of a large film group.

In addition to the main leaders of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and heads of relevant departments, the attendees included the general manager of China Film Group Corporation, as well as several key figures such as Han Sanping, director of Beijing Film Studio, and director of Children's Film Studio.

A subtle atmosphere permeated the air, a mixture of agreement with the general trend of reform and anxiety about the uncertain future of their own organizations.

The leader of the State Administration of Taxation, who chaired the meeting, got straight to the point, explaining the background and necessity of this reform.

With the deepening of market economy reforms and the anticipated challenges brought about by China's imminent accession to the WTO, the "fragmented, weak, and small" nature of the Chinese film industry is considered a major bottleneck restricting its development.

Integrating resources to build an "aircraft carrier" capable of initially competing with international media giants and enhancing overall competitiveness has become a consensus from top to bottom.

The plan to establish China Film Group Corporation (hereinafter referred to as China Film Group) has been basically finalized after multiple rounds of research and demonstration.

"The determination to reform is firm, and the direction is clear."

The leader's voice was steady and powerful: "The goal is to break down existing departmental barriers, optimize resource allocation, and form a comprehensive large-scale film group that integrates production, distribution, and exhibition, and even expands into related industries such as television and audio-visual products. This will be a profound transformation for the Chinese film industry."

The conversation quickly turned to the ownership of core production units such as Beijing Film Studio and Children's Film Studio.

The core idea of ​​the plan is to integrate the main state-owned film resources in the Beijing area, based on China Film Group Corporation.

The general manager of China Film Group Corporation spoke with an unquestionable confidence: "We believe that in order to maximize the integration effect and avoid internal waste, each film studio should break away from its original structure and fully integrate into the group's overall framework."

The brands of Beijing Film Studio and Children's Film Studio can be preserved as historical legacies, but in actual operation, they should be subject to the unified planning and scheduling of the group, and will no longer retain independent legal person status and a complete film production system.

Upon hearing this, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze even more.

Completely breaking with the established structure means that the Beijing Film Studio, a brand that carries the glory and dreams of countless filmmakers, will be reduced to a historical symbol within the group, or even an empty shell.

This is undoubtedly unacceptable to many veteran filmmakers present who have deep feelings for Beijing Film Studio, especially Han Sanping, who is full of confidence because of the studio's brilliant achievements in recent years.

The director of the children's film studio frowned, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

The Children's Film Studio was relatively small in scale and specialized in children's films. It was already in a difficult position in the market competition, and it had almost no bargaining power in the face of such a strong integration.

When it was Han Sanping's turn to speak, he did not immediately refute, but instead gently pushed a document in front of him.

That was the performance report of Beijing Film Studio over the past two years, as well as a summary of the social influence and market performance of films such as "30 Days", "Postmen in the Mountains", and "The Pursuit of Happyness".

The data is comprehensive and the case studies are vivid.

"Leaders, comrades,"

Han Sanping's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable weight: "We firmly support the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's strategic plan to establish a film group and deepen reforms."

As a key state-owned film enterprise, Beijing Film Studio should play an important role and contribute its strength to this reform.

He then changed the subject: "However, I believe that the purpose of reform is not to eliminate excellent brands and successful models, but to better stimulate vitality and create greater value. Beijing Film Studio is not just a name, but a spirit, a golden brand, and a creative and production mechanism that has been proven effective in market practice over the past few years."

He pointed to the figures on the performance report: "From the nearly 100 million yuan box office of '30 Days' to the foreign exchange earnings from the overseas distribution of 'Postmen in the Mountains', and now to the nationwide discussion and continuously rising box office of 'The Pursuit of Happyness', this is not just luck. Behind this is a path that Beijing Film Studio has explored in the process of market-oriented reform. It is a reflection of our ability to integrate internal resources, boldly use new talents, and keenly capture the pulse of society."

"Productions from Beijing Film Studio" have re-established a benchmark for quality, reputation, and market appeal in the eyes of audiences and within the industry.

He looked around sharply: "If we simply break down the existing structure and completely assimilate the Beijing Film Studio into the group, this newly formed and vibrant mechanism is likely to collapse. This would not only be a loss for the Beijing Film Studio, but also a loss for the entire group that is about to be established."

A group that has lost its core creative vitality and market brand recognition, no matter how large its scale, will likely struggle to form genuine synergy and may instead fall into the predicament of being "large but not strong."

He then put forward the core demands of Beijing Film Studio: "We suggest that, within the framework of the soon-to-be-established China Film Group, Beijing Film Studio should be retained as a relatively independent production institution. It will no longer be a completely independent legal entity, but it should enjoy greater autonomy in creative planning, project development, talent utilization, production management, and even some profit distribution, becoming a powerful and distinctive 'production center' within the group."

This proposal clearly clashed directly with China Film Group's idea of ​​"complete integration".

The meeting descended into heated debate.

Those who support "full integration" emphasize the importance of unified command and reducing internal friction; those who support "retaining relative independence," mainly represented by Han Sanping, emphasize brand value, creative principles, and established market mechanisms.

The debate also centered on the future of the Children's Film Studio.

Seeing that Beijing Film Studio was striving for independence, the director of Children's Film Studio also mustered up the courage to state the special characteristics of children's films and the necessity of retaining a dedicated production force.

The meeting reached a stalemate.

The leaders of the General Administration listened quietly to the debate between the two sides, occasionally tapping their fingers lightly on the table.

During private communications during recesses and in subsequent meetings, Han Sanping demonstrated outstanding negotiation skills and strategic vision.

He no longer adhered to the "complete independence" of Beijing Film Studio, but emphasized "relative independence" and "complementary advantages within the group".

He proactively suggested that Beijing Film Studio could transfer its powerful distribution network and some management functions to the group for unified integration, in order to support the group's overall distribution and control capabilities.

He also implied that Beijing Film Studio's current strong profitability and growth momentum are crucial to the new group's asset quality, cash flow, and market confidence.

He also proposed a more constructive solution: since the goal is to preserve the production brand and vitality of Beijing Film Studio, why not take this opportunity to further integrate resources?
He suggested merging the China Children's Film Studio, which also has its own unique characteristics but faces development bottlenecks, into the Beijing Film Studio system.

"The Children's Film Studio has an excellent tradition of creating children's films and specialized creative talents," Han Sanping explained, "but its production capabilities, market power, and financial support are relatively weak."

If the Children's Film Studio could be merged into the Beijing Film Studio in some form, becoming a 'Children's Film Production Center' or a similar department under the Beijing Film Studio, it could not only be revitalized by leveraging the Beijing Film Studio's platform, resources, and market experience, and better fulfill its social responsibility of making children's films, but also enrich the Beijing Film Studio's product line and achieve complementary advantages.

This is a win-win situation for the Children's Film Studio, the Beijing Film Studio, Future Film Group, and the development of children's films in China.

The proposal to "retain the relative independence of Beijing Film Studio and merge it with Children's Film Studio" was approved by the leaders of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television after much negotiation and repeated demonstration.

It not only took into account the strong brand awareness and creative demands of Beijing Film Studio, preventing the powerful brand from being weakened during the integration, but also achieved further optimization of resources through the merger with Children's Film Studio, demonstrating the strength of the reform.

Meanwhile, Beijing Film Studio's commitment to support the group in key areas such as distribution also alleviated China Film Group's concerns about the group's control.

By the end of December, the final plan was basically finalized:
With China Film Corporation at its core, the China Film Group Corporation was formed by integrating major state-owned film production, distribution, and screening resources in Beijing, such as Beijing Film Studio and Children's Film Studio.

Among them, Beijing Film Studio will be retained as a relatively independent production base under China Film Group, maintaining its brand and main creative production system, and enjoying greater autonomy in project development and management under the group's unified strategic planning.

At the same time, the Children's Film Studio was formally incorporated into the Beijing Film Studio, becoming an important part of the studio and focusing on the creation and production of children's films.

……

When the news reached the Beijing Film Studio, it caused quite a stir.

Some veteran employees were relieved that the Beijing Film Studio brand was preserved, while some young people were excited about integrating into a larger platform. Others felt a little confused about the merger with the Children's Film Studio and its future operations within the group.

Han Sanping announced the decision at the factory meeting. His expression was calm but tinged with fatigue, and even more so with a renewed determination.

"Comrades, a new chapter has been turned in the history of Beijing Film Studio."

He addressed the many familiar faces in the audience, saying, "We have achieved a relatively ideal result, preserving the 'Beijing Film Studio' brand and the mechanisms and teams we have painstakingly built up over the years. However, this does not mean we can rest easy. Merging into China Film Group is an opportunity for us, but even more so a challenge."

"We will be competing on a bigger stage. Can we maintain our lead? Can we produce more critically acclaimed and commercially successful works like '30 Days' and 'The Pursuit of Happyness'? Can we truly make the best use of the resources of the Children's Film Studio and live up to the expectations placed on children's films? All of this requires us to put in more effort than in the past."

He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels: "The future of Beijing Film Studio is not in the arrangements of others, but in our own hands."

From today onward, our focus will no longer be solely on the development of Beijing Film Studio, but rather on how to position ourselves within the overall strategy of the group, maximize our value, and ensure that the name "Beijing Film Studio" shines even brighter in the era of China Film Group!

The meeting room fell silent, then erupted in enthusiastic applause.

This applause is both a farewell to ZTE over the past few years and a declaration of a new journey full of unknowns and challenges.

Under such circumstances, they are like ants.

Wang Sheng, sitting in the back row, clapped his hands silently.

However, this is already the best possible outcome.

(End of this chapter)