Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 433, Section 431: I Alone Am Enough

After intense communication with various higher-level departments, on July 3, 2002, Shengying Media's public relations department released a strongly worded and assertive announcement through the company's official website and partner media platforms.

The announcement was personally drafted by the public relations director, but it was permeated with Wang Sheng's unique tone, a blend of the sharpness of a business tycoon and the responsibility of a cultural leader.

The announcement's title was quite elegant, yet subtly pointed: "Announcement on Inviting Distinguished Figures from All Walks of Life to Discuss the Future Path of Chinese Cinema."

The main text does not directly address the recent turmoil at the beginning, but instead reviews the exploration and achievements of Chinese films in the wave of market-oriented reforms with a broad perspective, emphasizing that commercial success and cultural dissemination and artistic exploration are not mutually exclusive, but can complement each other.

Then, the tone shifts:
"...However, recently, there has been much discussion in the public, with some saying that commercial value erodes the soul of art, and others saying that market success is equivalent to cultural surrender. The debate is raging and there is no consensus."

Truth becomes clearer through debate. Since its inception, Shengying Media has always adhered to the philosophy of "content is king, the market is the mirror, and the audience is the yardstick," navigating the turbulent waters with unwavering determination and daring not to slacken for a moment.

"Today, Mr. Wang Sheng, President of Shengying Media, is willing to invite all the distinguished guests to gather here with an open mind, to stimulate ideas, and to discuss whether the artistic value or commercial value of Chinese films is more important, or whether they can coexist and create brilliance together?"

Subsequently, the announcement directly quoted Wang Sheng's original words, which was quickly extracted by the media and became the second bombshell that ignited public opinion:

"I, Wang Sheng, hereby declare that whoever wants to gain fame by stepping on the initial success of China's film reform or on the initial achievements of Shengying Media, I will fight them to the end!"

Shengying operates with integrity and uprightness. Every achievement we have made is the result of our hard work, our audience, and our market efforts, guided by the policies of China's film market reform!
We will not tolerate anyone using vague and unfounded accusations to slander and defame others!

The announcement stated that this highly anticipated debate would be broadcast live on Hunan Satellite TV at 10:00 AM on July 7, 2002.

The choice of Hunan TV was the result of a tacit understanding between Wang Sheng and Ouyang Changlin.

Hunan TV, which is on the rise and known for its entertainment programs and bold innovations, urgently needs such high-end and highly topical content to enhance its channel brand and ratings.

Ouyang Changlin, who has been promoted to executive vice president of Hunan TV, laughed heartily during a phone call with Wang Sheng: "President Wang, you're going to deliver a feast of ideas to the people of the whole country! Hunan TV will give you our full support and guarantee a smooth live broadcast so that audiences across the country can see what true cultural confidence is!"

The announcement concluded with a supplementary "registration requirement" for participating in the debate, a clause that further revealed Wang Sheng's arrogance:

"To avoid pointless disputes, this debate will not accept challenges from unknown individuals. Those who wish to debate Mr. Wang Sheng face-to-face must provide evidence to prove their reputation and influence in the cultural, film and television, or related fields (such as, but not limited to, the average sales of their column in newspapers, the sales of their representative works, proof of major awards, etc.). Sheng Ying Media's public relations department will be responsible for verifying qualifications."

The announcement caused a public uproar.

Supporters cheered for Wang Sheng's toughness and confidence, believing that this is the kind of spirit a leader in China's cultural industry should have—daring to accept any criticism in the sunlight.

The opponents, on the other hand, were like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up, and their anger was palpable.

"Arrogant! Too arrogant!"

Ms. Hu from the Lingnan Culture Daily slammed her hand on the table in the editorial department, exclaiming, "Who does Wang Sheng think he is? He has a few stinking coins and has made a few blockbuster movies, so he dares to look down on all the heroes of the world?"

"This is a blatant provocation against the intellectual community!" Mr. Yan, a freelance writer, exclaimed in his social circle. "We must fight back! We must let this young upstart know that the right to speak about culture cannot be controlled by box office numbers!" "Registration requirements? Proof of reputation? It's simply an insult to scholarship!" A cultural scholar in Shanghai, known for his critique of modernization, also felt offended.

Wang Sheng's move cleverly set a threshold, keeping out those "pseudo-celebrities" who only hide behind keyboards or rely on small circles to praise them, forcing those self-important opponents to speak with their solid "status in the literary world".

After a brief period of anger and chaos, the various forces opposing Wang Sheng realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If they can defeat Wang Sheng in this highly anticipated live debate, they can not only completely crush his arrogance, but also establish their own "cultural authority" status in public opinion.

They quickly began to secretly coordinate and negotiate.

After intense discussions and weighing of interests, they jointly selected three highly respected "public intellectuals" (public intellectuals) who were known for their sharp and critical remarks, as representatives to challenge Wang Sheng.

These three individuals, in their original historical trajectory, became quite controversial due to their increasingly extreme remarks later on:
Hu Manli (female): Chief commentator and columnist for *Lingnan Culture Daily*. Known for defending traditional culture and criticizing Western cultural invasion and commercialization, she has a sharp and outspoken writing style and often refers to herself as a "cultural guardian." Her columns have a wide influence in southern intellectual circles, and the newspaper she works for has a considerable circulation, meeting the requirements of "prestige."

Yan Xiaoqiang: A renowned freelance writer and cultural critic. He excels at using essays to critique social phenomena, offering sharp critiques of cultural phenomena under the market economy. He has columns in several metropolitan newspapers and weekly magazines and enjoys a considerable following.

Zhang Yuan: A visiting professor at a university and a researcher of film and television theory. Compared to the previous two, he focuses more on academic criticism, often deconstructing contemporary Chinese film and television works from the perspectives of postcolonial theory and cultural studies, arguing that they generally lack intellectual depth and spiritual height, catering to lowbrow tastes. He has published several collections of cultural criticism and has a certain influence among academics and some high-end readers.

These three selected individuals each represent a perspective in criticizing Wang Sheng and Shengying Media: cultural conservatism, social critique, and academic theoretical examination.

They jointly published a statement in several influential newspapers, accepting Wang Sheng's challenge, but in order to show "magnanimity," they feigned magnanimity in the statement, saying:
"...Given that Mr. Wang Sheng is not a professional academic researcher, although the three of us have different views, in order to be fair, we cannot bear to bully the few. Mr. Wang Sheng may choose any one of us to debate, or he may debate with one of us each day for three days, in order to show fairness."

This seemingly humble but actually arrogant statement was immediately widely reported by the media, creating a public opinion atmosphere of "the master yielding first".

However, they underestimated Wang Sheng's decisiveness and momentum.

Sheng Ying Media's public relations department responded extremely quickly, appearing in newspapers the very next day. The response also quoted Wang Sheng's original words, consisting of only a few brief and powerful sentences:

"Shengying Media's Public Relations Department, entrusted by President Wang Sheng, solemnly responds: President Wang is too busy to debate for several days. Since all three of you are here, let's do it together. July 7th, 10:00 AM, Hunan TV, President Wang alone is enough."

"Let's go together!"

"President Wang alone is enough!"

These two sentences, along with Wang Sheng's cool and confident official photo, instantly swept across the front pages of all media outlets and the headlines of portal websites.

mad!
Incredibly arrogant!

(End of this chapter)