Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 473 "The King of Fairy Tales Gets a Second Print" (One update today)
In response to Zheng Yuanjie's idea to publish the "King of Fairy Tales" comic book, Liu Yimin called Liang Xiangdong over to calculate the break-even point.

The cost of publishing the "King of Fairy Tales" magazine only includes printing and distribution costs (not counting Zheng Yuanjie's intellectual labor). If it were to be published as a comic book, then the cost of the artist would need to be added.

"If we sell it for three cents a copy, and each issue has one hundred illustrations, plus the illustrator's and other costs, we need to sell 50,000 copies to break even if we want to make a profit," Liang Xiangdong said.

Liu Yimin nodded. Liang Xiangdong's figure was similar to Liu Yimin's calculation. The printing cost of comic books was higher than that of individual volumes. Based on a selling price of three cents, the profit per volume was about four cents.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuanjie said with a headache, "Fifty thousand copies? That means even if we sell fifteen copies, we won't make much money?"

“We can raise the price to five or six cents,” Liang Xiangdong said.

"The standalone book will be released in January, and the comic book in February. We need to ensure that the artists can finish the artwork and put it into print. If we cooperate long-term, the price per artwork should be able to come down. To ensure speed, it will definitely be a collective creation." Liu Yimin pondered in a low voice.

Zheng Yuanjie waved his hand and said, "How about we forget it? I was thinking of publishing a monthly magazine. If we sell both comic books and print magazines at the same time, wouldn't that squeeze each other out of the market? And there would be practically no time left for drawing."

Zheng Yuanjie believes that *King of Fairy Tales* and *Huo Yuanjia* are fundamentally different. Most children cannot understand the standalone edition of *Huo Yuanjia* due to age and cultural barriers. The comic book version of *Huo Yuanjia* serves as a perfect supplement.

But "King of Fairy Tales" is different; both the text and the comics are for children.

“We can think about the monthly publication later. We can try publishing a few issues of comic books instead. Maybe the two markets won’t just not compete with each other, but will complement each other. We can raise the price of the comic book version and break even if we sell 20,000 to 30,000 copies,” Liu Yimin suggested.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Yuanjie said, "Alright, let's try it out in the first phase in '86. Tomorrow I'll go to the Artists Association to find painters I can collaborate with."

Liang Xiangdong returned to his office and began calculating the costs and selling prices needed to break even with 20,000 to 30,000 copies sold.

"Comrade Yimin, when did you learn to write fairy tales?" Dai Tielang asked curiously, pointing to "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen".

Zheng Yuanjie spoke first: "Him? He'll always write."

"Will you keep writing?" Yan Dingxian asked rhetorically.

Zheng Yuanjie walked over and explained the whole story to them. Yan Dingxian and the other two listened and gave Liu Yimin a thumbs up: "Comrade Yimin, you're really amazing! The first four chapters were fantastic. I think if it were made into an animated film, a lot of people would watch it!"

"What is it?" Liu Yimin asked.

Dai Tielang said, "The cost is too high. Every move needs to be drawn, and the picture needs to be outstanding and gorgeous. In comparison, Comrade Zheng Yuanjie's 'Shuke and Beta' and 'Pipilu' are much simpler, with a workload similar to that of 'Black Cat Detective'."

"Shuke and Beta" and "Pipilu" are both classic fairy tale characters created by Zheng Yuanjie. One was created in 1983 and the other began writing in 81.

Liu Yimin glanced at Zheng Yuanjie, then turned to Yan Dingxian, Dai Tielang, and Xia Bingjun and said, “Everyone can think about original animation collaborations. I thought of this when Lao Zheng created ‘King of Fairy Tales’ back then. The original material for the film can be found in the animated stories of our country.”

"Shuke and Beta" and "Pipilu" are both animated films that could be made.

Yan Dingxian and the others did not make a decision first, but instead inquired with Zheng Yuanjie about his plans for the future creation of "Shuke and Beta" and "Pirulu".

Upon hearing that it might be made into a movie, Zheng Yuanjie immediately became interested and began to enthusiastically explain his future creative ideas to them.

Yan Dingxian and his two companions came seeking cooperation. Their eager hearts met, the only imperfection being the lack of funding.

Before leaving, they took several copies of "King of Fairy Tales" with them, saying they wanted to study them. The total runtime for animation production at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio has already been divided up considerably, and without changes to current policies, they won't be able to produce anything this year.

Zheng Yuanjie shook hands with Yan Dingxian and Dai Tielang and saw them out the door. Liu Yimin said to Zheng Yuanjie, "Old Zheng, hurry back, it's windy and cold outside."

Zheng Yuanjie glanced at the crows flying over the rooftops and said, "Take care on your way."

On the way back, Liu Yimin continued discussing the original animation adaptation with the three of them. Yan Dingxian said, "Among the fairy tales we've seen in China so far, Zheng Yuanjie's is still the best in terms of quality. Of course, the best one we saw today is the one you wrote, Yimin. The fusion of martial arts and fairy tales—not to mention adults who dream of martial arts, which child doesn't?"

“The children are even more enthusiastic; they’d pick up a stick and think about doing good deeds,” Dai Tielang said with a smile.

Back at the guesthouse at Yenching University, the three of them kept pestering Liu Yimin to tell them the sequel to "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen." Liu Yimin gave them a general outline of the plot, but didn't tell them the ending.

"If only I had money," Dai Tielang said regretfully.

They believe that the production cost of each episode of "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes" is around 20,000 yuan, while "Calabash Brothers," which is being produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, only cost 60,000 yuan from start to finish.

"Calabash Brothers" was a major animated work launched by Shanghai Animation Film Studio in 86, which won a place for domestic animation in the competition with foreign animation.

Without reforms at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, even if Liu Yimin wanted to invest money, there would be nowhere for him to do so.

If the production cost of 20,000 yuan cannot be recovered, Liu Yimin will not have the funds to keep throwing money into it.

"Director Yan, our Animation Film Studio needs to find more ways to transform itself. The Institute of Literature and Art will provide you with financial support in this regard," Liu Yimin said.

Yan Dingxian then changed the subject, talking about the visit of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in 84, when the studio had many discussions about commercialization.

After hearing Yan Dingxian's account, Liu Yimin inquired about the specific content of their discussion.

There is a well-known rumor that when Hayao Miyazaki visited the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, he was interested in the studio's creative style, while the Chinese film studios were most interested in how they made money and their piece-rate payment system.

Hayao Miyazaki expressed his disappointment with the profit-driven practices of the China Animation Film Studio and vowed never to come to China again. This has become a classic "weapon" for many people to attack Chinese animation, and such comments are frequently seen.

But what Miyazaki was really expressing was his disappointment with the trend of commercialization in animation creation, believing that commercialization would cause animation to lose its innovation and unique style.

For example, Shanghai Animation Film Studio is currently accustomed to making animated films of various styles, but if it becomes commercialized, it will be like foreign studios, turning a promising animated film into countless series, thus losing the motivation for innovation.

But in Liu Yimin's view, no matter how you look at it, Miyazaki Hayao is talking without understanding the situation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio also needs to make a profit, and directors also need to support their families.

After all, Hayao Miyazaki has already made a lot of money through the commercialization of Japanese animation; a person on the verge of death cannot think about the future.

Yan Dingxian was quite interested in Liu Yimin's "two-pronged" approach: one half would follow a commercial path, with the profits from commercialization subsidizing the other half.

After Liu Yimin left the guesthouse, Yan Dingxian looked at the campus of Yenching University, thinking about how to lead the Shanghai Animation Film Studio to new heights.

Dai Tielang held the enamel mug, seemingly lost in thought.

Xia Bingjun said, "I wonder how well 'Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Swordsmen' is selling?"

Hearing this, Dai Tielang finally spoke up: "If it sells well, we might as well try making it ourselves."

“We’ll know once we get off the train in Shanghai,” Yan Dingxian said.

They needed to catch the train back to Shanghai at 5 a.m., and there were no buses running at that time. Liu Yimin made a special call to the Yenching University bus company to ask them to give them a ride the next day.

By the time they got home, "King of Fairy Tales" had been on sale for a whole day.

On January 1st, surrounded by his family, Liu Yimin hung two small lanterns at the door.

Yang Xiuyun picked Liu Yu up high and said, "The Gregorian calendar year is still a year, and hanging lanterns is auspicious for the year."

After the lanterns were hung up, Yang Xiuyun put a red envelope in the small pockets of Liu Yu and Liu Lin.

Today, it's just the five of them at home. They gave Ximei a day off to rest on New Year's Day.

At nine o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Zhu arrived, and the two families sat around in the living room making dumplings. Mrs. Zhu said, "Today, 'The Battle of Taierzhuang' started showing. When we arrived, there were crowds of people gathered at the movie theater entrance."

"We'll watch it after we finish making dumplings. Guiying Film Studio sent us a copy," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Zhu Lin looked at Liu Yimin, chuckled, and gently wiped the flour off his face. "Can you really clean your face by wiping it with flour-covered hands?" Zhu's father said with a smile.

"That's right, this child!" Zhu's mother said, feigning anger.

Zhu Lin shook her head playfully and continued quickly wrapping dumplings. Today, Zhu Lin was wearing a beige turtleneck sweater, which made her neck look long and slender.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin were playing by the sofa, and Yang Xiuyun was worried that they would bump into each other, so she was very anxious while making dumplings.

After the dumplings were wrapped, Zhu's mother went to the kitchen to boil water in the pot, preparing for dinner.

Liu Yimin walked into the movie room, plugged in the projector, and prepared to play "The Battle of Taierzhuang".

Starting at midnight on January 1st, major cinemas across China that had copies of the film began showing "The Battle of Taierzhuang," and the overcrowding has continued until now, with crowds still thronging the entrances of cinemas.

They were either queuing up to watch the movie or crowding around to buy tickets.

The audience members who came out were all moved to tears, and when asked by others, they only said, "It's worth seeing."

The film was a hit in mainland China, and it was equally popular in Hong Kong. Inside a Hong Kong cinema, Xie Zhonghou was deeply moved as he watched the soldiers charge under the tanks, using their bodies to stop the Japanese tank advance.

Xie Zhonghou saw it on site, but after the film was edited, he felt it was even more shocking than seeing it on site.

After leaving the movie theater, Xie Zhonghou hurriedly returned to the Central News Agency's editorial department to send a telegram to the island. After finishing everything, Xie Zhonghou called the Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch.

"Mr. Xie, the copy has been prepared for you. Just give us a call and the Guangxi Film Studio will deliver it to you."

Xie Zhonghou said emotionally, "I didn't expect you to have thought of this in advance. I just rushed back from the movie theater, and my tears haven't even dried yet. This is an incredibly realistic movie. Thank you for the kindness of our compatriots on the mainland."

At the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Mr. and Mrs. Zhu were eating dumplings and watching a movie with their two little ones in their arms. It was their first time watching a movie, and they were watching very attentively.

After the publication of "The Battle of Taierzhuang," Zhu's father bought a military map centered on Taierzhuang and conducted an in-depth study of the battlefield situation.

“Yimin, your movie has introduced Chi Fengcheng to many people. In the past, Chi Fengcheng was not very well-known. But this movie has made him famous,” said Zhu’s father.

At this time in the movie, Chi Fengcheng is desperately holding Taierzhuang and constantly asking his superior Sun Lianzhong for help. Sun Lianzhong organizes a suicide squad to cross the pontoon bridge to support the village. Later, in order to cut off the retreat route, Chi Fengcheng blows up the pontoon bridge and makes a desperate move.

After the movie finished playing and the film reel was rewound, Zhu's father played it again.

Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin carried the empty bowls back to the kitchen. Zhu Lin nudged Liu Yimin's arm and asked, "Teacher Liu, are you worried about the sales of 'King of Fairy Tales'?"

"Of course I'm not worried. I'm sure there are lots of kids tugging at their parents' hands to buy 'King of Fairy Tales' right now outside the bookstore," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Teacher Liu's confident demeanor is very charming!" Zhu Lin praised.

Just then, the phone rang in the study. Liu Yimin made a bet with Zhu Lin: "Believe it or not, this is Lao Zheng's call."

"I'll answer it." Zhu Lin strode into the study, picked up the phone, and upon hearing the voice on the other end, smiled and gestured for Liu Yimin to come and answer it.

“Yimin, I had nothing to do today, so I went to the bookstore entrance and took a look. I found that our sales this period will be exceptionally good.”

Based on the judgment method taught to him by Cui Daoyi, Zheng Yuanjie believed that additional printings were inevitable this month.

"Old Zheng, it's so cold, yet you still went to see it. You must be tired," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Zheng Yuanjie stubbornly replied, "I didn't have anything else to do today, that's why I went."

The two wished each other a Happy New Year and then hung up the phone.

"See, I told you there was someone even more anxious than me!"

Zhu Lin said, "It seems that Teacher Liu's martial arts fairy tales have great potential."

“When has Teacher Liu ever been lenient or negligent in his work?” Liu Yimin stepped forward and moved closer to Zhu Lin.

Zhu Lin glanced anxiously at the outside of the study. The door was still open. What if his parents saw this?

Liu Yimin stepped to the side, allowing Zhu Lin to quickly escape from the study.

The success of both "The Battle of Taierzhuang" and "The King of Fairy Tales" has once again boosted the sales of the standalone books.

On January 10, the People's Daily published data from China Film Group Corporation showing that "The Battle of Taierzhuang" earned HK$1 million in Hong Kong box office within 10 days, and the box office is still rising rapidly.

Chi Fengcheng's family publicly appealed to Liu Yimin in the newspaper, thanking Liu Yimin for clearing Chi Fengcheng's name and expressing their hope to meet Liu Yimin.

Li Zongren's eldest son, Li Youlin, returned to China again. I was moved to tears after watching just ten minutes of the movie.

The Film Bureau invited Li Youlin and Chi Fengcheng's wife to the Film Bureau's screening room to watch the film themselves.

After the movie ended, Chi Fengcheng's wife held Liu Yimin's hand, tears streaming down her face. Liu Yimin comforted her, saying, "Chi Fengcheng has done great service to the country and the people. History will judge right and wrong."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The film bureau staff helped Chi Fengcheng's wife up.

Li Youlin said to Liu Yimin, "That's great. This is a sign of facing history squarely. We, the family members and descendants, should thank you properly. Bai Chongxi's daughter wrote to me a while ago to inquire about the filming of 'The Battle of Taierzhuang.' She wants to go back to the mainland to see it, but she still has some concerns."

"Please tell her that she is free to come and go as she pleases; you are a perfect example," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Cheng Siyuan continued, "It's normal to have concerns. After all, we've been on guard against the mainland for over thirty years, and it's impossible to change so quickly. However, I believe that through word of mouth, more and more people will return, and through further word of mouth, we won't seem so scary anymore."

Inside the Film Bureau's office, a symposium titled "The Battle of Taierzhuang" was held. Reporters quickly snapped photos. This symposium was not only about the Battle of Taierzhuang, but also about conveying the mainland's policy toward the island.

The footage of a friendly discussion with Li Youlin helped many people lower their guard.

After leaving the Film Bureau, Li Youlin moved into Cheng Siyuan's house. Over the next few days, Cheng Siyuan would show him around Yanjing.

However, it's probably only Li Zongren's son who would be willing to let an old man accompany his younger generation to see Yanjing in the dead of winter.

After leaving the Film Bureau, Liu Yimin went directly to Zheng Yuanjie. Zheng Yuanjie handed him the distribution data he had obtained from the distribution office. In less than half a month, the sales of "King of Fairy Tales" had reached 130,000 copies.

"The publisher asked us if we wanted to reprint it. They estimated that by the end of January, it would sell at least 250,000 to 300,000 copies," Zheng Yuanjie said excitedly.

“Old Zheng, it’s up to you. Print as many copies as you think is appropriate,” Liu Yimin said.

Upon hearing Liu Yimin's words, Zheng Yuanjie frowned and began to think, different numbers jumping around in his mind: "An additional 50,000? 100,000? 150,000?"

Seeing that Zheng Yuanjie was hesitant to make a decision, Liu Yimin said, "Let's take a middle ground, 100,000, or we can wait until the end of the month to see how things go and print more."

“Then I’ll do as you say and print an additional 100,000 copies. Yimin, you don’t understand, we can’t wait until the end of the month. The New Year is coming soon, and if we want to print at the end of the month, it’s not certain that it will be our turn.”

"Oh, I see. Then let's print an additional 100,000 copies," Liu Yimin said.

As Liu Yimin left the courtyard, he heard many children in the alley shouting, "Hurry up and find the other seven swordsmen! Only when the seven swords are combined can we defeat Black Heart Tiger!"

(End of this chapter)