Chapter 00061: Plucking the Wool of Capitalism
# Plucking the Wool of Capitalism
Chapter 61
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 61: Plucking the Wool of Capitalism
"Hey, do you think there's a way for us to earn some foreign currency?" Chen Qi asked.
"Xiao Chen, do you realize what you're saying? You need to take responsibility for your words!" the old factory director retorted.
"Old Director, it's not me saying this. It's Comrade Fu Qi's idea. I'm just summarizing it," Chen Qi replied.
Wang Yang stared at him for several seconds, then opened the door to check outside before locking it again.
He gestured for Chen Qi to sit on the old sofa and said, "Explain your idea in detail."
"If we film something else, foreigners might not understand it or simply won't be interested," Chen Qi began, his tone serious.
"But martial arts are physical movements. Even if two people don't speak the same language, they can still communicate through gestures. Martial arts are the same—there's no cultural barrier. When two people fight, audiences all over the world can understand it, right? Whether the fight is exciting or not, everyone can see that, right? That's why Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan's movies are so popular overseas."
"Go on," Wang Yang urged.
"More importantly, martial arts films don't contain anything that Westerners might fear. They're purely for entertainment, with no ideological conflicts, so they're easier to get through censorship. Plus, we have two major advantages. First, our country has trained so many martial arts talents, so we have plenty of actors. Second, our country has such beautiful landscapes, giving us a vast canvas to work with. So, I thought, why not make martial arts films and try to sell them overseas? Let's make money from the Japanese, the British, and the Americans—let's pluck the wool of capitalism!"
Wang Yang sucked in a breath, feeling as though he had just inhaled a strand of capitalist wool.
The idea was bold, almost audacious! But he had to admit, his old heart was pounding with excitement.
Chinese cinema had always been too closed off.
In the past, it only exchanged films with socialist countries like the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Yugoslavia.
But with the rapidly changing international situation, even those exchanges had become sporadic.
After the reforms, foreign films were the first to be allowed in.
Movies like Manhunt and Jane Eyre had already been screened in mainland China, and there had even been a British Film Week.
But no one had thought about how to get Chinese films out into the world.
In 1979, the number of moviegoers in mainland China reached a staggering 29 billion, with each person watching an average of 28 movies a year—a record that had never been seen before or since.
With such a booming domestic market, who had time to think about going overseas? Besides, domestic films were bought and sold exclusively by the China Film Corporation.
Going overseas was their job, not the film studios'.
But still!
Wang Yang, feeling a sudden surge of youthful enthusiasm, stood up and paced around the room.
"If we make a film, we can have our comrades in Hong Kong help us distribute it. They can either release it overseas or screen it in Hong Kong to make some money. Even if no one overseas buys it, we can still screen it domestically. Martial arts films are bound to have a future here. I've been wanting to make a few entertainment films for a while now... If we can sell it overseas, that would be the best. If we really earn foreign currency, kid—" Wang Yang suddenly stopped and looked at Chen Qi, emphasizing each word, "You, me, and everyone who puts in the effort will be national heroes!"
Chen Qi couldn't help but laugh.
This old man had gotten himself all fired up.
Ten minutes later, Chen Qi left the office, gently closing the door behind him.
The idea of making films to earn foreign currency had been agreed upon, but it would be a long process.
The first step, of course, was writing the script, and Chen Qi had taken on that task without hesitation.
However, he had one request: he wanted some materials from Hong Kong, specifically detailed data on how Hong Kong films performed overseas.
He needed to study them for reference.
It was already noon, and most people had gone to lunch.
The main building was quiet, and Chen Qi walked alone down the empty corridor, his footsteps echoing as he descended the stairs.
Before the TikTok era, whenever people talked about China's most successful cultural export, it was always kung fu! Kung fu! Kung fu! But in reality, China's most successful export was that one person—yes, that one person.
Especially in the era Chen Qi had come from, a time of constant conflict and chaos, where even the president of Iran could die suddenly, that person was frequently mentioned in the West...
But for various reasons, all they could talk about was kung fu.
Chen Qi stepped outside and took a deep breath of the chilly late autumn air, feeling a spark of excitement in his heart.
After all, he had traveled back in time—he had to do something meaningful, right? He couldn't just spend his time collecting antiques, buying houses, and chasing after actresses...
Well, maybe he could still chase after actresses.
And antiques—why not? If he could find a bargain, he might as well take it.
He wasn't planning to become an antique dealer; he just wanted to collect them for himself.
Wait a minute...
Chen Qi scratched his head.
If he had actresses and antiques, he'd definitely need a big house.
It all came back to the same mundane things.
"Oh, my gentle big sister!" As he thought about actresses, he looked up and saw Gong Xue strolling along a small path near the guesthouse, probably taking a walk after lunch.
She noticed him too and walked over, asking, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet, I just finished talking with the director."
"There should still be food in the cafeteria. Go grab something."
"I'm not really hungry. I'll skip it. Since the crew isn't filming, what have you been up to these days?"
"I've been reading in my room."
"That sounds boring. I'm planning to go into town tomorrow. If you're free, why don't you come along? We can call Zhang Jinling too."
"Okay," Gong Xue nodded.
She seemed like the type who couldn't say no, or maybe she was just naturally obedient.
After saying this, Chen Qi went upstairs through one door, while Gong Xue continued her stroll before heading up through another.
The guesthouse was divided into male and female sections, with each gender occupying half of the building, separated by a partition.
Why not have them live on different floors? Because each floor only had one shared bathroom and water room.
With people going up and down all day, it was inevitable that some would be careless and sloppy, and it wouldn't be good if they were seen.
Chen Qi returned to his room.
He wasn't really hungry, but he did feel a bit tired.
He took a short nap and woke up feeling refreshed, ready to work.
The foreign currency film project would have to wait a bit.
He really needed to see the materials from Hong Kong first to tailor the script accordingly.
This was a secret between him and Wang Yang.
Until they actually earned foreign currency, no one would know what the film was really about.
In 1979, China's foreign exchange reserves were only $840 million.
The following year, it would drop to a staggering -$1.29 billion.
The country was poor—you wouldn't believe the lengths the government went to earn more foreign currency.
The overseas Chinese apartments mentioned earlier were just a small part of it.
In those days, if you could earn foreign currency, you weren't just a hero—you were a god!
As long as Chen Qi didn't commit murder or arson, a few minor issues like romantic entanglements were nothing to worry about.
At that moment, he spread out some paper and picked up his pen.
He decided to write a new story for Story Collection.
After all, he still needed to earn some manuscript fees.
The plot was already clear in his mind, and his pen flew across the paper as he quickly wrote the opening:
"In the early years of the Republic of China, along the coast of Guangdong, there was a temple called Nan Zhu Temple. On the surface, it was a peaceful Buddhist sanctuary, but in reality, it was controlled by a group of criminals who engaged in heinous acts like abducting women and trafficking people..."
The old man from Chengdu had hoped Chen Qi would write a story set in Sichuan, but Chen Qi didn't have time for that right now.
Come on!
Custom stories cost extra!
The story he was writing now was a famous one, a memory for countless people born in the 70s and 80s: Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs!
(Thanks to Heiye0522 for the support! I have a date tonight, so that's it for now...)
(End of Chapter)