Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 251, Page 249: 'King vs. King'

Almost at the same time that filming for "Happy Family" began, another piece of news, like a boulder thrown into a lake, stirred up even bigger ripples—

The film "Party A, Party B," jointly produced by Beijing Huayi Yalian Film & Television Culture Co., Ltd., Beijing Huayi Brothers Advertising Co., Ltd., Beijing Television Art Center, and Beijing Forbidden City Film Industry, officially began filming at another film set in the suburbs of Beijing.

Director: Feng Xiaogang.

Screenwriters: Feng Xiaogang and Wang Shuo.

(Wang Shuo still could not sign his name; the lingering effects of the 96 scandal remain, like an invisible shackle.)

This lineup, this combination, is very meaningful.

Behind Huayi Yalian is Dong Ping, who is skilled in capital operation; Huayi Brothers holds advertising channels and has emerging marketing capabilities; Beijing Television Art Center is headed by Zheng Xiaolong and has produced phenomenal dramas such as "Aspiration" and "Stories from the Editorial Department". It is still a powerful force in the national-level TV drama field; and Forbidden City Film Industry is an important force in the distribution and screening of local films in Beijing.

But the most crucial thing is that name—Wang Shuo.

This man, widely recognized as the creative core and soul of the previous generation in the Beijing literary circle, who in the late 1980s and early 1990s defined the cultural trend of an era with his unique "hooligan literature" style and spicy Beijing humor through works such as "The Troubleshooters," "Half Flame, Half Sea," and "Stories from the Editorial Department," has finally... officially returned after experiencing a storm of censorship in 1996 and fleeing to the United States for a period of time to avoid the limelight!

He chose to join hands with Feng Xiaogang again.

Those in the industry know that "The Dream Factory" is adapted from Wang Shuo's novel "You Are Not a Common Person," and the script was created by the two of them in seclusion.

This means that this is not only Feng Xiaogang's desperate attempt to return to the big screen and prove himself, but also Wang Shuo's declaration to regain his voice after three years of silence!

The news immediately caused an uproar in Beijing's cultural and film circles.

Teahouses, banquets, offices, rehearsal halls... wherever there's even a hint of it, people are buzzing about this "battle of the two kings."

"Wow! Commander Wang is making a comeback! He's joined forces with four different factions; he's up to no good!" An elderly intellectual wearing glasses sipped his tea and exclaimed in amazement.

"Wang Shuo and Feng Xiaogang, that was a golden combination! How popular was 'Stories from the Editorial Department' back then! If it weren't for that incident later..." Someone chimed in, their tone filled with nostalgia for the past glory.

"Things have changed!" a more well-informed young man interjected, lowering his voice: "Look at the situation now! Beijing Film Studio has become China Film Group, with Han Sanping in charge. Was Wang Sheng's title of 'Chief of the Army' just for show? Sheng Ying and Enlight Media together have tens of thousands of employees! They have the resources and distribution network of thirty-one film studios across the country! I heard that they can produce hundreds of TV movies a year alone, supporting countless people! This kind of power is something that Commander Wang could never match with just a few novels, TV series, and movies back then!"

“You can’t say that.” The old cultural figure shook his head: “Wang Shuo represents the ‘spirit’ of our Beijing culture, its essence! He writes about people, about the soul!”
Wang Sheng… his business is certainly large, starting with wedding videography, then forming alliances and handling distribution—he's really impressive. But as for his creative core… his films, like *30 Days*, *The Pursuit of Happyness*, *Flying Colors*, and even his current film *Happy Family*, are ultimately commercial films. They don't have the same flavor as Wang Shuo's works, which are rooted in real life and imbued with criticism and reflection.

"Can cultural heritage feed you?"

The young people disagreed: "The market now only cares about box office and ratings! Mr. Wang's '30 Days' grossed nearly 100 million yuan, and 'Flying Colors' is almost 60 million! 'The Legendary Twins' swept the ratings of all the major TV stations!"

The actors he promoted, like Fan Bingbing and Cecilia Cheung, were all incredibly famous. That's called controlling the distribution channels! Even if Commander Wang was powerful back then, he couldn't possibly get over 600 TV stations across the country to broadcast his shows simultaneously, could he?

"I heard that Wang Shuo's investment is quite substantial, with Dong Ping and Huayi Brothers pouring in real money, aiming for the year-end holiday season! They're going head-to-head with Wang Sheng's 'Happy Family'!"

"A worker's son rose to prominence through the Beijing Film Studio system; a typical privileged son of a high-ranking official, returning with the old guard of the Beijing film circle. Heh heh, this is going to be interesting!" someone gloated, fanning the flames.

"What 'workers' children' or 'compound children'? What era are we living in? Why are we still talking about this?" Some people felt that such a classification was outdated. "You don't understand, there's a lot more to it than that! Wang Sheng represents the 'regular army,' a new force that has integrated the resources of state-owned film studios, following an industrialized and market-oriented path. Wang Shuo's side is more like the 'old Beijing circle' centered around the Beijing Television Art Center, emphasizing connections, circle culture, and that 'master' attitude. It's interesting when these two sides collide!"

Public opinion is fermenting, and comparisons are inevitable.

People fascinate by the two men's vastly different backgrounds and paths to success:
Wang Shuo, a child of privileged background, possesses an innate sense of superiority and rebellious spirit. His works are satirical and critical, deconstructing the sublime and accurately capturing the confusion and restlessness of a segment of urban youth during the social transformation period. He is a cultural icon of a specific era.

At his peak, he was surrounded by a group of privileged children and cultural figures, including Ye Jing, Ma Weidu, and Zheng Xiaolong. He held absolute power in Beijing's elite circles and was known as "Commander Wang."

Wang Sheng, the son of an ordinary employee at Beijing Film Studio, started from an even lower point, but with his amazing business acumen and courage, he revitalized the studio's idle resources by starting with the unexpected entry point of "customized wedding films." Then, with the support of Han Sanping, he managed to build a "television content distribution alliance" that included 31 film studios across the country.

He not only creates content, but also builds a vast system that extends from production to distribution, and even to artist management, animation, and television programs.

He recruited the children and employees of 31 film studios, creating numerous jobs and forming a strong sense of community and shared interests.

Its influence and actual control of resources have long surpassed the scope of simple content creation, and it is revered by those in the industry as the "Chief Master".

One leads the way with words and ideas, while the other expands its territory with business and resources.

One represents the tradition and heritage of Beijing's elite circles, while the other symbolizes a new order under the wave of reform.

One is "Commander Wang", and the other is "Chief of the Alliance".

Now, these two "core members of the Beijing entertainment circle" from different eras have been pushed to the point of potential opposition because of Feng Xiaogang's New Year's film project.

Although Wang Sheng himself may not regard Wang Shuo as a direct competitor, from the outside perspective, this is undoubtedly a head-on collision between two forces and two models, old and new.

……

During a break on the set of "Happy Family".

Wang Sheng sat in a folding chair, drinking the warm water that Li Tingting handed him.

Wu Yiyi walked over with the script and reported to Wang Sheng, "President Wang, news has come from below that the movie that Feng Xiaogang and Wang Shuo were working on has started filming."

Although the crew of "Party A, Party B" is composed of people from the Beijing Television Art Center, nowadays, any film crew that starts production in Beijing will use people from Sheng Ying Group, unless they are all borrowed from other places. But even if they are borrowed from other places, they will still come into contact with people from Sheng Ying Group.

"I see."

Wang Sheng held the water glass and said in a calm tone.

"Yes."

Wu Yi turned and left.

(End of this chapter)