Chapter 00094: The First Marketing Campaign of Reform and Opening
# The First Marketing Campaign of Reform and Opening
Chapter 94
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 94: The First Marketing Campaign of Reform and Opening
When Chen Qi arrived last year, the capital was busy settling unemployed youth.
This year was no different.
This massive project continued for four to five years before finally coming to an end, having settled 750,000 people.
The results were remarkable.
Commercial outlets multiplied, with snack shops, retail kiosks, stalls, and repair stands quickly spreading across the streets and alleys.
Of course, most of these were cooperatives.
It wasn’t until the second half of this year that the capital saw its first true individual business—a small restaurant.
The ancient city was slowly regaining its vitality.
"Zhu Lin! Have you read that newspaper yet?"
"Oh, you go ahead."
"No, no, you read it first and then pass it to me."
That morning, near Tianqiao, Zhu Lin arrived at the health research institute as usual.
She was a chemical analyst.
At 28 years old, her father was a university professor, and her mother was a doctor.
In 1970, she was admitted to a cultural troupe and later went to the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences for further studies.
After graduation, she was assigned to a research institute under the academy.
Last year, the Xi’an Film Studio was preparing to shoot The Traitor, which included a role for a young woman studying medicine.
The director came to the capital to cast and chose her.
After nine months of grueling filming, she returned to her unit to continue working.
But having seen the world, she developed a longing for the film industry.
That day, she pulled out the latest issue of China Youth Daily, leaned back casually, crossed her legs, and started reading.
Her colleague shook her head.
Despite her dignified appearance, Zhu Lin was carefree in her daily life, loved to joke around, and had a bit of a tomboyish personality.
As she read, Zhu Lin suddenly let out a surprised "Huh?" She came across an article titled: "A Longing Across the Pacific—A Preview of the Upcoming Film Romance on Lushan Mountain!"
"Recently, the Beijing Film Studio organized a screening, and I was fortunate enough to attend. I got to see a film called Romance on Lushan Mountain in advance, and I’d like to share some thoughts with everyone."
"The film vividly depicts the beautiful scenery of Lushan Mountain—Pillow Stone, Dragon Pool, Immortal Cave... It’s so immersive that you can’t help but be enchanted."
"I’ve never seen such a stylish female lead before. She changes outfits every time she appears. I actually counted—she wears a total of 43 outfits! Yes, 43 outfits!"
"One is the son of a mainland general, and the other is the daughter of a Nationalist general. How could they possibly come together? By the end, I couldn’t help but shed tears, moved by their sincere love. I applaud the female lead’s boldness and the male lead’s unwavering devotion!"
"'The moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment though far apart.' Overseas Chinese are connected by blood to the mainland, longing for their homeland day and night. This deep love and their patriotic hearts deeply moved me..."
Below was a brief introduction:
Romance on Lushan Mountain, directed by Wang Haowei, written by Chen Qi, starring Gong Xue, Tang Guoqiang, and so on.
Yu Jiajia had written a promotional piece in a lyrical tone, and Zhu Lin was thoroughly engrossed.
She turned to her colleague and said, "Come here, come here! There’s a romance film here!"
"All those films are just pretending to be something they’re not. What kind of romance film could there be?"
"It’s real!"
Zhu Lin strode over, slapped the newspaper down, and said, "Look, it clearly says the female lead is bold and passionate, the love is genuine, and she changes over 40 outfits!"
"Over 40 outfits???"
Her colleague was shocked and quickly read through it.
"What kind of movie is that? When it comes out, I’ll definitely go see it."
"I’ll call you when it’s out, and we’ll go together!"
Zhu Lin was deeply intrigued by the film.
She looked down at her white lab coat and couldn’t help but wonder: What kind of woman could wear over 40 outfits? She must be a capitalist’s daughter.
Two outfits are enough for me—one for wearing the lab coat and one for not wearing it.
…………
Marketing is a skill.
The worst thing you can do is spread your efforts too thin, as it leaves no lasting impression on the public.
Instead, you should focus on one point and hammer it home relentlessly.
For example, Jia Ling losing 100 pounds.
Under Chen Qi’s guidance, Yu Jiajia’s article focused on a point that was ahead of its time—the 40-plus outfits.
You have to understand, women in this era didn’t have much of a figure to speak of!
Because 90% of women didn’t wear bras, emphasizing curves was considered indecent.
They wore undershirts, T-shirts, chest wraps, or even belly bands.
The so-called bras were made of cotton, without underwire, and couldn’t accentuate anything.
In such an environment, the impact of 40-plus outfits was unimaginable.
Chen Qi also took the lead in stirring the pot, passionately writing a letter of criticism: "Although this film hasn’t been released yet, after reading your review, it doesn’t seem like a film worth praising. If what you say is true—that the female lead changes over 40 outfits—then I have some thoughts I must share. Our country has just begun its reform and opening-up, and we still face many difficulties. Everything requires our hard work and perseverance. We must maintain a simple and frugal lifestyle; it’s not yet time for indulgence and luxury. Yet, for the sake of a mere film, they bought over 40 outfits. What a complete misplacement of priorities!"
Well, he had essentially criticized himself in advance.
Surprisingly, many people wrote letters agreeing with him.
The transition between the old era and the new was a time of ideological uncertainty.
Some leaned left, some leaned right, and some pretended to lean left while actually leaning right...
Romance on Lushan Mountain became a hot topic before it even premiered.
Seeing this, the film bureau didn’t dare make a hasty decision and continued to hold meetings to discuss—or rather, to observe.
The city’s propaganda department was pleased, believing they had gained public support.
They approached Wang Yang, insisting on opposing the release of Romance on Lushan Mountain.
This was when having a high-ranking, capable superior who could handle pressure became crucial.
Wang Yang withstood the pressure and submitted the film to the Ministry of Culture for review.
In this era, films were under dual management by the film bureau and the cultural department.
After submitting Romance on Lushan Mountain, the Ministry of Culture quickly organized a screening.
Due to the controversy, they specifically invited a high-ranking official to give the final verdict.
In the screening room, Romance on Lushan Mountain was played yet again, having already been screened multiple times for review.
"It’s not as serious as the newspapers made it out to be. It’s clearly a good film!"
"This is what a new-era film should be like. In the past, love wasn’t allowed, and even holding hands between men and women was forbidden, going against human nature. I think we should make more films like this!"
"Comrades, we can’t go back to the past!"
Chen Qi was confident that Romance on Lushan Mountain would pass because of people like these.
Those in the cultural sector were different from those in propaganda.
They yearned for the arrival of a new era and feared a return to the past, so of course, they would support it.
After the discussion, everyone turned to the high-ranking official.
One of the top figures in the domestic literary and art circles, the current vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles—Xia Yan!
Xia Yan, 80 years old, sat there with an imposing presence.
He had a background in film and theater and was highly professional.
He gave a serious evaluation:
"I think it’s acceptable. There’s nothing that crosses the line. The director handled it with restraint, and the visual style is pure and beautiful. The combination of grand emotions and small love stories works well. The plot is a bit thin, but in the end, it expresses the theme of hoping for national reunification and prosperity. This ideology is what we need—it’s correct."
With his words, Romance on Lushan Mountain was given the green light—it was politically correct!
He paused and added, "Some comrades these days are just too easily shocked!"
(End of chapter...)