"Pengpeng! 'Queen of Newspaper Industry', what a great name!"
"Who would have thought that our family would have a 'queen'!'
Tao Yumo read the newspaper, his face was dancing with joy, and he spoke plausibly, but he couldn't tell whether he was praising others or hurting others.
"Auntie, auntie, show me! Show me!"
Dongdong pulled her sleeves eagerly and begged. She reluctantly handed the newspaper to the little one and flipped through the newspaper a few times. Dongdong was disappointed to find that except for a few numbers and letters, the rest of the content in the newspaper
He didn't know any of them.
No, he also recognized his mother’s photo.
Dongdong clumsily held the newspaper and came to her mother, showing off and saying: "Mom, mom, look!"
"What are you looking at?"
"You are so beautiful!"
Tao Yushu Zhan smiled, while Lin Chaoyang laughed and scolded: "Good boy, you don't care enough about studying, but you are self-taught by flattering."
Tao Yumo said sarcastically: "Brother-in-law, your son has a family background, and you've done a lot of flattering to my father."
When Tao Yushu heard this, he slapped her hard, and Lin Chaoyang responded: "Mr. Tao really turned into a serf and sang. Is there no one in this family that you care about? You just mocked us, Mr. Tao."
Tao Yumo said quickly: "I didn't, I'm not, don't talk nonsense! I was just praising our great Tao Dong!"
After saying this, she did not forget to give her sister a flattering smile.
Tao Yushu gave her an eye roll and said, "Okay, you two, stop playing tricks and eat quickly."
For two consecutive months, Tao Yushu had been busy with acquisitions most of the time, and had very few dinners at home. It was rare that the family was all together today, so Lin Chaoyang specially cooked two more dishes.
While eating, Tao Yushu asked: "I heard from your brother-in-law that the newly released game is selling well?"
Listening to his sister's words, Tao Yumo couldn't help but his facial features flew wildly, "It's not just good, it's quite good——"
Sugar Games was founded in April. Compared with small start-up game companies, this company’s innate conditions can be said to be very good.
There are sufficient funds and talents, and except for the unreliable boss, there are almost no shortcomings.
In the third month after the company was founded, the entrepreneurial game "Monopoly" was launched.
Before the Sugar Game version of "Monopoly" was launched, there were already similar games on the market in Hong Kong, but most of them followed the game rules and trading strategies of board games, and the game style was extremely rough.
Based on these games, "Monopoly" polishes the trading strategies more carefully. Under the main pen of He Zhiwen, a professional cartoonist, the painting style is particularly exquisite, far superior to similar games.
"Monopoly" sold more than 2,300 copies in its first week of release.
After three consecutive weeks, the sales of "Monopoly" continued to grow, with cumulative sales reaching 11,200 copies in the month of launch.
Thanks to the development of Hong Kong's electronics industry, electronic product hardware has always been very cheap. In comparison, software is more expensive, costing two to three hundred Hong Kong dollars. The same is true for game cartridges.
"Monopoly" is a strategy game with less content, priced at HK$150.
Comics and games are not separated. The distribution of "Monopoly" is handed over to Yulang Organization. Yulang Organization entrusts the factory to be responsible for software production, game promotion and sales, and both parties share it 50-50.
The sales volume of 11,200 copies of the game corresponds to a turnover of HK$840,000.
"Monopoly" was already a semi-finished product when it was received by Sugar Games. The development cycle was only two months, and the development cost was only about 120,000. After paying taxes, Sugar Games' net profit was about HK$550,000.
After talking about the revenue from the game, Tao Yumo couldn't help but feel regretful.
Due to the development of the electronics industry, a booming pirated game burning business has emerged in Hong Kong.
When you walk into a Xiangjiang video game store, you will always see a sign hanging on the wall with a bunch of lists written on it. Each line of numbers on it represents a line of code.
If you buy your own cassette or floppy disk, you can get the store owner to burn a copy of the most popular games for you for 15-20 Hong Kong dollars. In comparison, genuine games that cost two to three hundred dollars are uncompetitive.
The sales volume of genuine games in the first month of their launch accounts for almost half of the entire game life cycle. In the next year, "Monopoly"
Tao Yushu was already snickering if the revenue brought to Sugar Game could be the same as in the first month.
"If there was no impact of piracy, it wouldn't be a problem to double our profits from Monopoly."
"Since you chose this direction in the first place, don't think about this kind of thing.'
"I understand, I'm just saying it."
Tao Yumo also knew that with the rampant piracy in the Hong Kong game market, it would be very difficult for "Monopoly" to achieve such results.
"Sister, when will those places be available on the market?"
The "those places" mentioned by Tao Yumo refer to the Gulf Islands and several countries in Southeast Asia.
Whether it's comics or games, it's impossible to achieve great development if you're stuck in Hong Kong. You have to go out.
The sales of "Monopoly" in the Bay Island and several Southeast Asian countries have been entrusted by Yulang Agency to local agents. However, due to censorship, the release time of the game in various countries and regions varies.
"It has been launched in Malaysia, and it should be available in other places soon."
Tao Yumo couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful. "Monopoly" sold more than 10,000 copies in the first month in such a small market in Xiangjiang, so its performance in other countries and regions shouldn't be too bad, right?
A few days later, Lin Chaoyang received a call from Liu Yi, saying that he wanted to invite him to do an interview in the name of "Hong Kong Literature". Lin Chaoyang readily agreed, and the two made an appointment to meet at the magazine.
"Hong Kong Literature" was founded in 1985, which is not a long time. However, due to its open and inclusive style, this publication has published many works by many Chinese writers from Hong Kong, Bay Island, mainland and Southeast Asian countries. In Hong Kong
The literary world gradually formed a strong influence.
The magazine's office is located on Morrison Hill Road in Wan Chai. It is not very large, with just two rooms. It is filled with books and manuscripts. It is no different from the editorial offices of magazines that Lin Chaoyang has visited.
This is the first time Lin Chaoyang has appeared in "Hong Kong Literature" magazine, and several editors seem to be very curious about him.
In the past ten years, literary exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the three places have become increasingly frequent. Lin Chaoyang is one of the rare writers whose works can be popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the three places, and has great influence.
The interview was conducted by Tao Ran, the deputy editor of "Xiangjiang Literature". The interview was held in the back room of the magazine. The topic started with Lin Chaoyang's new book.
"Entering the Teacher" was first published in the Mainland's "Harvest" magazine on May 25, and was simultaneously published in the Mainland and Xiangjiang on June 25.
The novel has been published in Xiangjiang for nearly two months and has sold 94,000 copies. It has an excellent reputation among readers and unanimous praise from the literary circles.
One of the benefits of "The Great Era" being popular in Hong Kong society is that it has activated many potential readers of Lin Chaoyang.
If this sales trend continues, it will not be difficult for "Enter the Master" to sell three to four hundred thousand copies in Hong Kong a year.
"Last month our magazine published a literary review of "Enter the Master" called "The Quiet Picture of Death Painted Poeticly - Read One by One"
"Entering the Teacher>Impressions", I wonder if you have watched it?"
"I've seen it, I remember the author's name is Tao Ran." Lin Chaoyang smiled narrowly.
Tao Ran showed a bit of pride, "After the article was published, it received a lot of praise."
Then he said sternly, "But fundamentally speaking, it was given to the novel "Entering the Master", and my article was considered a blessing."
He asked again: "How did you come up with the idea of ​​writing about such a topic?"
Lin Chaoyang briefly explained the reason, and Tao Ran said with a smile: "So the readers of Xiangjiang should be grateful to the Xiao family. If they hadn't wanted to advertise, we wouldn't have seen such an outstanding work."
Lin Chaoyang waved his hand and said a few words of modesty.
"I saw that you said in your preface that you experienced life in a funeral parlor for a period of time. Is this a tradition of mainland writers?"
Tao Ran was born in Indonesia, but grew up in New China. He studied in middle school and university in mainland China. He and Tao Yushu are also alumni. They both graduated from Yenching Normal University.
I moved to Hong Kong in 1973, so I have a very good understanding of the literary tradition of the mainland.
"The cornerstone of mainland contemporary literature is realism. Observing and experiencing life is a basic task for writers."
"This is very good. From my perspective as a reader, the insights about the funeral industry in the novel are particularly impressive. This is also an important means to enrich the connotation of the novel."
"good."
"Since the publication of "Entering the Master", it has been highly praised by the literary circles and readers. Lun Lun wrote in "Suwen Literature" that it is a requiem for the crossing of life and death.
I’m curious, do the protagonists in your novels’ feelings about separation and death come from experiencing life?”
Lin Chaoyang said with a smile: "Most of the writers' creations are 30% true and 70% false. A complete interpretation of life becomes documentary literature. Creating based on real life and using personal feelings and imagination is the profession of a writer.
A different place."
The interview lasted for nearly an hour, and towards the end, Tao Ran joked: "I heard from a friend that your novel is very popular in Bay Island."
"Really? The novel was not published in Bay Island."
Tao Ran blinked, "Just because it's not published in Wandao, doesn't mean everyone can't see it."
Lin Chaoyang smiled clearly. The style of "Enter the Master" is calm and restrained, sad but not sad. It is very similar to the popular folk literature style in Bay Island today in terms of reading experience. It is normal for it to be liked.
Tao Ran asked curiously: "Will this novel be adapted into a movie?"
"Is this also an interview question?" Lin Chaoyang teased.
"Just my personal gossip."
After "Parasite" won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival three months ago, it grossed HK$37.4 million at the box office when it was released in Hong Kong.
It broke the release record of literary films in the Hong Kong film industry and was widely welcomed.
Afterwards, it was released in the Gulf Islands, Malaysia, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries and achieved good box office results.
Lin Chaoyang's novels are now a bonanza for film adaptations, and all film companies covet his works, but he has his own film company, so it is not the turn of other film companies to intervene in such matters as adaptations.
"If there is a chance in the future, I will adapt it."
Lin Chaoyang's words were a bit ambiguous, Tao Ran said: "I hope to see this novel adapted to the screen as soon as possible!"
"Thanks."
After the interview, Lin Chaoyang took the initiative to invite the editors of "Hong Kong Literature" to have a meal.
In Xiangjiang, persisting in pure literature is a hard job, with little money and a smaller audience. The fact that these people can persevere is something worthy of admiration.
The dining venue was chosen at a restaurant in Taikoo Shing. During the dinner, the two young men from the editorial department were very warm to Lin Chaoyang and asked a lot about the details in the novel. They were loyal readers at first sight.
Liu Yi drank some red wine, his face was rosy, and he said with emotion: "Chaoyang, your novel is meritorious!"
Everyone understands what he means. In East Asian society, death has always been extremely taboo, and everything related to death has naturally become taboo.
The discussion of life and death in "The Examiner" breaks the taboo topic that has always been taboo in East Asian society, arousing the resonance of life and death among many readers, making death less scary in the hearts of readers.
Including the confusion about career choices, the maintenance of professional dignity and the handling of family relationships in the novel, many readers have deeply resonated with it.
To give the most intuitive example, in Hong Kong society everyone is very taboo on the funeral industry. Many families are not even willing to allow relatives in this industry to attend weddings.
But after reading the novel "Enter the Master", at least within the scope of Liu Yi's knowledge, everyone's impression of practitioners has greatly changed and they began to respect them.
Listening to Liu Yi's words, everyone couldn't help but nod in approval.
Tao Ran said: "Perhaps the change in Hong Kong people's views on death and funerals will begin with this novel."
Lin Chaoyang said modestly: "How can it have such a big influence?"
"Subtle and subtle, good literary works have such a great influence." Tao Ran said firmly.
Lin Chaoyang smiled and shook his head, not arguing with him.
If that's the case, of course it's better.
At around nine o'clock in the evening, Lin Chaoyang came home a little drunk, and Tao Yushu said that Dong Qiao would come to see him at home in the afternoon.
"What happened?" Lin Chaoyang asked.
"Said the Chinese University of Hong Kong wants to find you."
"What can they ask me to do? Give a speech?"
"I want to award you an honorary doctorate."
Listening to Tao Yushu's words, Lin Chaoyang was half drunk.
"Give me a degree? What's going on? I didn't graduate from their school."
"No one stipulates that you must be an alumnus of our school to receive an honorary degree!"
Tao Yushu seemed very happy. She had grown up in Yanda since she was a child and had a strong attachment to academic qualifications and prestigious schools. The Chinese University of Hong Kong wanted to award Lin Chaoyang a degree, so she was naturally happy.
"You didn't donate money to their school, did you?" Lin Chaoyang asked with a strange expression.
Tao Yushu rolled her eyes at him charmingly, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
This conversation between the couple has a meaning.
In 1986, Jin Yong donated 8 million Hong Kong dollars to Hong Kong University and subsequently received an honorary doctorate in social sciences.
Because the donations came first and the doctorate came last, last year Huang Kangxian, a senior lecturer at Xiangjiang University, uncovered this matter and published an article in the Hong Kong Economic Journal, criticizing Jin Yong.
After Huang Kangxian's article was published, Jin Yong was extremely angry and entrusted a lawyer to send a lawyer's letter to Huang Kangxian, demanding that the other party publish an apology in the newspaper and compensate for reputational damage.
Given Jin Yong's current status in Hong Kong's business and cultural circles, he was somewhat inferior to refuting the words of a school lecturer in such a big way.
The key is that Huang Kangxian was not lying. After receiving Jin Yong's lawyer's letter, he responded to Jin Yong in the newspaper with reason and evidence, which made the old comrades look disgraced.
Jin Yong strived to be a decent person all his life, but he didn't expect his face to be pulled off and rubbed in his old age.
After realizing that this would only make him a public laughing stock, Jin Yong decisively chose to remain silent.
Eventually, as time went by, no one cared about it.
As soon as Tao Yushu said that he wanted to be awarded an honorary degree by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lin Chaoyang immediately thought of Jin Yong.
Speaking of respectability, Ta Lin is much more respectable than Jin Yong, and he doesn't want to be disgraced for an honorary degree.
"A degree in Xiangjiang is so expensive, I'm not willing to buy it for you." Tao Yushu said jokingly.
"Be careful not to let our shareholders hear what you say."
The couple exchanged a few words before Lin Chaoyang picked up the phone and called Dong Qiao back.
When he asked why the Chinese University of Hong Kong wanted to award him an honorary degree, Dong Qiao said: "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
The next morning, Lin Chaoyang and Dong Qiao made an appointment to meet at Lan Fong Yuan. Dong Qiao was accompanied by a gentle man in a suit.
"Chaoyang, let me introduce to you, this is Li Guoneng, chairman of the school committee of the Chinese University of Hong Kong."
The school board is usually composed of leaders, middle-level cadres and the backbone of the school. It is different in Xiangjiang. Social elites often participate in it.
The chairman of the school committee has so much power that he can check and balance the principal.
Li Guoneng was born in the Li family of Hong Kong, with a prominent family background. He graduated from Oxford University and became a barrister after returning to Hong Kong. He only joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong this year.
Lin Chaoyang and Li Guoneng shook hands and exchanged greetings before taking their seats. Speaking of which, Lin Chaoyang also had some friendship with Li Zhaofu of the Li family, and Li Zhaofu was Li Guoneng's youngest uncle.
When Lam's Pictures successfully acquired Yulang Agency, Li Zhaofu contributed a lot.
Although Li Zhaofu has now faded out of the securities industry, the two parties still occasionally talk on the phone.
However, the Li family has a great business and there is no harmony between the brothers. Especially Li Zhaofu has a strong character and has many conflicts with several brothers in the family. Therefore, Lin Chaoyang and Li Guoneng both made a tacit understanding and did not mention this matter.
Dong Qiao was a senior lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the 1970s, and he was very familiar with Lin Chaoyang, so Li Guoneng found him to be the middleman.
The university community in Hong Kong has always studied European and American universities, and from time to time they will contact celebrities to award honorary degrees.
The purpose behind it is also simple. Colleges and universities need connections to organize activities and make donations. These honorary degrees awarded will then become the school's connections.
Moreover, most colleges and universities are concerned with saving face at this time. If you ask them to go to those well-known rich people to do these things, they will not be able to live with it.
Lin Chaoyang is a very good person. He has a well-known literary name, a prosperous family business, and complete fame and fortune. He is completely the most ideal candidate to award an honorary degree.
As for the reason, the Chinese University of Hong Kong has already thought of it.
"Over the years, Lin Sheng's works have nourished countless readers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and three places and have sold well at home and abroad.
When you won the French Renaudeau Literature Prize the year before last, our school discussed this matter.
However, at that time, some people still had conservative ideas and believed that if a degree was to be awarded, it would have to be a few years later, otherwise it would be difficult to convince the public.
When I took office as the chairman of the school committee this year, this was the first thing that came to my mind.
With Lin Sheng’s literary name, honors and contributions to Chinese literature, it should be an honor for us at CUHK to be able to award you an honorary degree.”
Li Guoneng is worthy of being a lawyer by training, and he has a sharp tongue that makes it impossible for anyone to refuse what he says.
After some discussion, Lin Chaoyang readily accepted the matter.
However, honorary degrees are not awarded immediately. The Chinese University of Hong Kong has four honorary doctorate awards every year, and the honorary degree ceremony will be held in mid-October every year.
Those days happened to be the anniversary of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Holding such an event could bring together many celebrities, which would have the advantage of attracting attention to the school.
After the business was settled, Li Guoneng took his leave and left. Dong Qiao asked about the listing of Ming Pao Group.
"You're a person who has made a clear report, isn't it appropriate to ask me about this kind of thing?"
"You are not from Ming Pao, you are the owner of Ming Pao."
"Mr. Cha will be unhappy if he hears what you said!"
Although Ming Pao has now changed ownership, Jin Yong is still the nominal chairman.
"How would he know if you didn't tell me?"
Of course they were joking.
Dong Qiao is a senior executive of Ming Pao Group. If the company is successfully listed, senior executives like them will also benefit from it.
Although he is a scholar, he is not exempt from vulgarity.
It is true that he works in Ming Pao, but he manages the newspaper business and has no involvement in things like going public.
"Don't think about it. It will be listed next year. You executives will definitely benefit from it."
When he returned home in the evening, Tao Yushu took the initiative to ask Lin Chaoyang about his meeting with Dong Qiao today.
After hearing what Lin Chaoyang said, she looked excited, "I will definitely attend the day when the degrees are awarded!"
Lin Chaoyang joked: "How about I ask them to send one to you too?"
"You just say it?"
"It's not unusual to have several a year."
Tao Yushu said seriously: "No matter how many honorary degrees there are, it is a kind of recognition. Compared with money and status recognition, this kind of recognition gives people a greater sense of accomplishment."
"Dr. Tao builds a high-end house!"
Lin Chaoyang gave him a flattery, which earned his beloved wife an angry look.
In early September, the costume film "The Love of the Qin Terracotta Warriors" produced by Lam Pictures was released. The film invested 15 million Hong Kong dollars and was directed by Zhang Yimou, who won the Golden Bear Award, and Cheng Xiaodong, a well-known director in Hong Kong, served as the assistant director.
In terms of actors, Zhang Yimou plays the male lead and Gong Li plays the female lead.
The box office on the first day of release reached HK$1.74 million, and the cumulative box office in the first week was HK$9.53 million.
Because it had already made money and made a profit by selling movie tickets in Cannes, there was no box office pressure before the release of "Ancient and Modern War", but such an excellent local box office performance still made the crew and creators very happy.
After all, the selling point of this movie is Zhang Yimou and Gong Li. Due to the Golden Bear Award, the two are somewhat famous in Hong Kong, but their box office appeal is much lower, and they may not be as good as the second-rate movie stars in Hong Kong.
For the release of "Ancient and Modern War", Zhang Yimou and Gong Li promoted it in Xiangjiang for several days.
Originally, the movie did well at the box office and everyone was very happy, but something unexpected happened.
On the sixth day of the movie's release, a Hong Kong gossip reporter took a picture of Zhang Yimou and Gong Li holding hands after the promotional event. As early as last year's "Red Sorghum" won the award, domestic news spread that Zhang Yimou and Gong Li were working together during their collaboration.
The secret love caused a big storm of public opinion.
This time the relationship between the two was exposed by the Hong Kong media and immediately became headline news.
Lin's Pictures is not a brokerage company and will not interfere in the private lives of its directors. The media's hype about Zhang and Gong's romance has actually added a bit of excitement to the release of "Ancient and Modern War between Qin Terracotta Warriors".
Four weeks after its release, "Ancient and Modern War" had exhausted its box office potential and was officially released, with a cumulative box office of HK$23.95 million.
With this box office performance, "Ancient and Modern War" temporarily ranks fifth in the local annual box office rankings.
A movie with a mainland director and actors playing the leading roles was a hit in the Hong Kong film industry, which made many practitioners marvel at the magic of Lam Films.
While many colleagues were paying attention to the sales of "Ancient and Modern War between Qin Terracotta Warriors", Tao Yushu didn't take it to heart at all. She was busy expanding the theater chain under Lin's Pictures.
The mid-to-late 1980s was a watershed for the Xiangjiang theater industry. After 1985, large theaters such as Puqing, London, and Dahua closed one after another, but the closure did not mean the end.
The fundamental reason for the closure of several theaters is that the booming real estate industry in Xiangjiang in recent years has made the land they originally occupied become very expensive.
In 1987, Puqing Theater was the first to be demolished and rebuilt to develop hotels and shopping malls. Later, London, Dahua, New Dahua and other theaters followed suit.
The original old-fashioned grand theater is gone and replaced by a mini theater.
We say "mini", but overall, the number of screens and the total number of seats in mini theaters are higher than those of previous large theaters.
In addition to the conversion of large theaters into mini theaters, mini theaters located among residential estates are also gradually appearing.
Lin's Pictures straddles the upstream and downstream industries, so naturally it cannot miss the development of the theater industry.
In the second half of 1989, Lam's Pictures made a series of moves and invested 35 million to acquire the operating rights of 14 500-seat mini-theaters. It successfully expanded the number of self-operated theaters of Lam's Pictures to 24, making it the second largest cinema in the world.
It is located in the Jiale Cinema Line, the second largest cinema chain in Hong Kong.
In addition, Tao Yushu also invested in Anle Pictures, run by the Jiang family, in the name of strategic investment.
Anle Pictures is a film company founded by Jiang Zuyi in 1950. For more than 30 years before the company was founded, Anle Pictures has been engaged in the film distribution business.
Because of being down-to-earth, Anle Company gradually established a good reputation step by step, purchasing and distributing a large number of European, American, Japanese, Korean and Third World films.
As it specializes in Western films, Anle Pictures does not have a strong presence in the Hong Kong film industry, but its strength cannot be underestimated.
In recent years, in addition to starting its production business, it has also relied on its accumulated resources from Western films to establish a Broadway theater chain. Now there are seven theaters in Hong Kong.
Tao Yushu invested HK$10 million in Anle Pictures, accounting for 6% of the shares.
Counting the alliance's Xinbao Cinema Line and Shuangnan Line, the number of theaters affected by Lam's Cinema Line has exceeded 62, accounting for 48% of the number of theaters in Xiangjiang.
Chapter completed!