Chapter 00180: The Status of Hong Kong
# The Status of Hong Kong
Chapter 180
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 180: The Status of Hong Kong
Dongcheng, Beixinqiao, Third Alley.
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office were both located here.
This was Chen Qi's first time coming to this place.
He entered the compound and waited in a room for a while before a plump, cheerful old man walked in with a smile.
Liao Gong had a nickname, "Fatty," and in his later years, he had gained even more weight.
The high-ranking leader he had met at Hai Zi liked to call him by this nickname.
"Xiao Chen, what have you been busy with lately?"
"Please don't laugh at me, but I haven't been doing much. Just resting."
"Haha, resting is good too. Health is the foundation of revolution, after all! You came back from Berlin and ran into trouble the very same day. You probably didn't even have time to adjust to the time difference..."
Liao Gong habitually reached for a cigarette but found that he didn't have any left.
He withdrew his hand, a bit annoyed.
This was his first private chat with Chen Qi, and he found the young man to be good-looking, talented, and visionary, though a bit hot-tempered.
But then again, what young person doesn't have a temper?
When they were young, they had plenty of hot-headed moments themselves.
In the days leading up to the formal meeting, Liao Gong had spoken with representatives from the cultural department, the film bureau, China Film Group, and Wang Yang to get a better understanding of the current state of the film industry.
Today, he had called Chen Qi in for a chat as well.
"That day, you said a lot. Today, let's close the door and have a private conversation. I've spoken to many people, and they all speak from their own perspectives—some complaining about their own grievances, others accusing others of monopolizing the industry. But ultimately, they all point to one issue: there are many hidden problems in the domestic film system. I want to hear your thoughts."
"Well, do you want me to speak frankly?"
"Of course, go ahead!"
"Alright... My view is that while there are many hidden problems in the film system, talking about reform now is like scraping the surface—it can't go deep."
"Oh? That's a novel way of putting it," Liao Gong chuckled.
"Take the issue of distribution rights, for example. On the surface, it's a fight between the production studios and China Film Group, but who is really benefiting and quietly making a fortune? It's the local film companies at various levels. China Film Group at most earns a distribution fee, but the film companies are the ones making money from the box office. They treat the provinces, cities, and counties as their own territories, building high walls and guarding them fiercely, refusing to share with each other. We don't have a nationwide theater chain, a strict regulatory system, or a scientific and reasonable ticketing model and box office statistics. How much a film earns is entirely up to them to report, and there's no way to verify it. So, I think the real challenge isn't just breaking China Film Group's monopoly on distribution, but also breaking the local film companies' monopoly on the market. That's a system with 500,000 employees, and anyone who touches their cake will face fierce resistance. Let me put it this way: even if you gave me domestic distribution rights right now and asked me to handle profit-sharing, I wouldn't do it. The conditions just aren't there!"
In the 1980s, China didn't even have a proper box office statistics model.
The data was all vague and approximate.
No one really knew how much a film actually earned.
People always talked about *Shaolin Temple* earning over a hundred million, but there was no solid evidence.
That's why Chen Qi never got involved when Wang Yang and the production studios clashed with China Film Group.
It was a limitation of their era.
Even if they succeeded and got distribution rights for the studios, within two years, they'd have to sheepishly hand the power back.
Because they'd realize that dealing with the local film companies was even worse than dealing with China Film Group...
So when could real reform happen? In the mid-1990s, when domestic film box office revenues hit rock bottom, theaters started closing down, and film companies couldn't pay their employees—that's when reform would become possible.
Reform couldn't happen overnight, and Chen Qi's goal wasn't domestic distribution anyway.
After a long silence, Liao Gong also thought of this and said, "So you're aiming for overseas?"
"Exactly!"
"You want to develop in Hong Kong?"
"I wouldn't say 'develop.' It's a complicated issue..."
Chen Qi paused and then spoke seriously, "Hong Kong's film industry is more developed than the mainland's—that's an objective fact. But we can't blindly chase after their success just because they're ahead. Their entertainment culture is undoubtedly richer than ours, but we can't let them overshadow the mainland. In terms of resources, cultural depth, and talent pool, they don't have the conditions to dominate. Their entertainment boom is actually quite accidental. Our goal isn't to help Hong Kong develop its film industry, but to use Hong Kong to develop our own. If you ask me personally, I think we should strengthen cooperation with the leftists, create a more relaxed creative environment, provide easier access, and offer overseas distribution policies to allow filmmakers from both places to thrive. We should treat Hong Kong as our experimental field, a platform for us to earn commercial box office revenue and increase our influence. It should be our international transit hub, a channel for us to export our films overseas and earn dollars! Focus on the outside first, then use that to drive internal reform, so we can innovate as soon as possible!"
"..."
Liao Gong raised an eyebrow and took a closer look at this young man.
He sensed a strong aggressiveness, both internally and externally.
At first, he thought Chen Qi was siding with the Beijing Film Studio, but now he realized that this kid even wanted to reform the studio itself.
Chen Qi's meaning was clear.
Bold to the extreme!
Liao Gong, however, smiled.
When it came to reform pilots, boldness was good.
Being timid would defeat the purpose of a pilot program.
The domestic film system was like a massive ship that was hard to turn—one small move could affect the whole body.
Chen Qi was just one person, and they could easily give him an opening to see what he could come up with.
This was what they called "special treatment for special cases!"
Of course, he couldn't say much now.
The specific plan still needed to be studied.
He smiled and said, "It seems that old folks like me need to chat more with young people. Your perspective is very interesting. Alright, that's enough for today..."
With that, Liao Gong had someone drive Chen Qi back in a car.
As Chen Qi sat in the car, he pondered.
He had said everything he needed to say.
Opening up the film system was difficult, but in the eyes of the big shots, it was just a small matter.
It all depended on how it would be implemented.
...
The next day.
In the conference room of the Ministry of Culture.
Representatives from the Ministry of Culture, the Film Bureau, China Film Group, Beijing Film Studio, and the city's foreign affairs department had all gathered.
Liao Gong, representing the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, personally attended as the coordinator.
In such a setting, a respected elder had to be present to maintain order.
"Liao Gong!"
"Liao Gong!"
"Alright, I've called everyone here today for a meeting. I believe you all know the agenda. If there's anything else you need to discuss, go ahead, and then I'll speak."
...
After a few seconds of silence, the representative from China Film Group spoke.
It wasn't Song Linming this time, but someone else.
He said, "I've been to the Beijing Film Studio several times, but I was turned away each time. According to the usual practice, *Tai Chi* should be reported to China Film Group, and we would organize a screening to sell copies to the provincial film companies. The previous conflict is over, and I won't discuss whether there were any violations today. I just want to talk to Director Wang about the domestic distribution of *Tai Chi*."
"Of course, it should be distributed by us. Your external affairs are a mess, and internally, who knows what's going on?"
Wang Yang was once again immersed in his battle with China Film Group, and he was excited because what he had been fighting for all along was domestic distribution rights.
This time, the China Film Group representative didn't get angry or start an argument.
They had realized that their reputation and standing had been stripped away, and what remained was the survival of the company itself—a matter of utmost importance.
When people are pushed to the brink, they find courage.
Slowly, he took out a letter and placed it on the table.
"This is a joint letter from all our employees. China Film Group is a distribution company. We admit our mistakes, but if the distribution rights are taken away, then there's no need for China Film Group to exist. We might as well petition the central government directly to disband China Film Group!"
(End of chapter...)