Inside an office within the compound, Fu Chi had waited for over ten minutes before Liao Gong, looking hearty and plump, pushed open the door and entered. This government organization was at the ministerial level, but Liao Gong himself held concurrent posts of even higher authority.
"Xiao Fu, we must share telepathy—I was just thinking of summoning you to the capital."
Beaming like an old kid, Liao Gong sat down with a hearty chuckle. "You must have plenty of stories from your trip abroad. Why don't you tell me all about them?"
"To tell you the truth, I came on a special trip precisely to deliver good news!"
"Oh? Where does this joy come from?"
"First, Tai Chi has been screening in Hong Kong for over twenty days. As of yesterday, total box office earnings have reached seventeen million Hong Kong dollars! Not only is it our best performance ever, but it is also number one in Hong Kong's entire history since the opening of its port!"
"Really?"
Liao Gong gave a start, hastily saying, "This is a major matter—you must not speak thoughtlessly!"
"How could I dare deceive you?"
Fu Chi handed over an elaborately produced booklet complete with photographs and text, smiling. "I compiled all the various activities and media reports during Tai Chi's run in Hong Kong. Have a look..."
Liao Gong took a look. The first page bore a massive headline published by the Hong Kong press itself:
"Tai Chi Dominates Hong Kong, 17 Million Knocks Out Dragon Head Chan!"
Although the headline was somewhat sensational, the content was rock-solid. The original news copy read:
"Last year, Jackie Chan's The Young Master slashed its way to a grand 11 million at the box office. Who would have thought that merely months later, mainland film Tai Chi would outstrip it by 6 million, with figures still steadily climbing? It appears mainland cinema is not as backward as imagined, delivering a profound lesson to Hong Kong filmmakers..."
"Good! Splendid!"
Liao Gong was just about to slap the desk in approval when Fu Chi turned the page. "These are photographs taken during the Tai Chi crew's promotional tour. In three days, they visited sixteen theaters to meet the audience. Look how passionate the reception was..."
Those were the very photos Chen Qi had arranged to take: shouting, cheering crowds; applause raining down like a storm; Li Lianjie warmly embracing a young boy who wept with emotion; and audience members even chasing the crew out of the cinema, nearly catching up to their car...
Following that were extensive media write-ups, lavish in their praise.
There were also various interviews, magazine covers, and more, all showcasing the sheer popularity of Tai Chi across Hong Kong.
"Aiya..."
Liao Gong grinned from ear to ear, feeling as light as air, momentarily lost for words.
Within the mainland, including among the top leadership, Hong Kong was universally recognized as a developed and prosperous society in every aspect. They frequently watched specially supplied Hong Kong films, knew of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and understood that the market over there was commercialized and driven by box office figures.
And yet!
Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine the tables could be turned like this—a mainland-produced film had smashed Hong Kong's box office record!
Accustomed to walking an "elite" path and treating Hong Kong with tolerant accommodation, he was not quite used to this sudden reversal.
"Xiao Fu, why are you only reporting such a wonderful thing now?"
Beaming, Liao Gong nodded repeatedly. "Splendid, truly splendid! You and Beijing Film Studio have performed a tremendous service. This kind of propaganda is more powerful than anything else. It seems the Hong Kong masses still hold the motherland in their hearts."
"Speaking of great service, I have another piece of good news!"
Like Doraemon pulling gadgets from his pouch, Fu Chi produced yet another album with a smile. "Later, everyone traveled to Berlin, and I went along for the market exhibition. I witnessed with my own eyes throughout just how much those foreigners loved Tai Chi."
The album contained news reports related to the Berlin International Film Festival, original English clippings with translations, and an abundance of photos.
Having engaged in revolutionary work overseas for years during his youth, Liao Gong knew several foreign languages. He quickly took the album to inspect it, once again showing astonishment. "Foreigners like Tai Chi this much?"
"To be precise, they love Chinese kung fu, and Tai Chi represents the highest standard of kung fu cinema today!"
"This time, the mainland sent two films: Return of the Swallows in competition, and Tai Chi for the exhibition. I am not trying to make petty reports behind anyone's back, merely reporting the facts to you."
Fu Chi paused before continuing: "China Film sent along a representative who focused entirely on Return of the Swallows and looked down on Tai Chi completely, organizing not a single event for it. Aside from Xiao Chen knowing some English, the other three didn't understand a single word. I couldn't bear to stand by, so I lent them an interpreter. Later, when Tai Chi was screened, no one expected it to cause such a massive sensation. The festival dailies heaped praise on it, and it blew up overnight. Film distributors from all kinds of countries came knocking. I must first make a self-criticism to you: because deals at overseas film festivals are negotiated in US dollars, and we felt this was a golden opportunity to earn foreign exchange, we had to act on the principle that a commander in the field cannot wait for orders from above, and held talks with them. Fortunately, everything went remarkably smoothly. In the end, total sales amounted to..."
Fu Chi quoted a figure.
"How much?!"
Liao Gong sprang to his feet, even more incredulous than when discussing Hong Kong. Staring straight at Fu Chi, he demanded sternly, "Xiao Fu, this is a matter of tremendous import! Do not shoot your mouth off or play games with me! Do you know what kind of concept that sum of money is? Guangxi's total foreign trade last year was 6.002 million US dollars, and Shandong's was 3.29 million US dollars! Your single film rivals an entire province!!! You must be responsible for what you say!!!"
"Precisely because it is a matter of tremendous import, I have come specifically to report to you..."
Fu Chi handed over another set of documents and explained, "We sold the distribution rights to dozens of countries. America's 20th Century Fox alone put up three million US dollars..."
Observing Liao Gong's expression, Fu Chi continued: "During the screening, I saw with my own eyes that the foreigners applauded nine times throughout the movie. Some even stood up to clap. Almost every time a spectacular fight scene concluded, it brought a thunderous wave of applause. They loved our kung fu so much that two young fellows even ran outside like madmen, shouting to passersby on the street that the film was amazing! You have no idea what I felt at the time—sigh, both immensely proud and deeply poignant..."
"..."
Liao Gong silently read through the materials to verify their authenticity. Only after a long while did he look up and ask, "What was the production cost of Tai Chi?"
"1.08 million RMB. It took several months of filming, plus some promotional expenses, of course."
"How much effort did you put into it?"
"I suppose I handled logistics. When it comes to creativity and production, Xiao Chen is the primary contributor. However, after they returned, China Film made things difficult for him in every possible way, even having him taken away for questioning on accusations of ideological issues. This is truly an enormous injustice. We were together through the entire journey in Berlin; how could I not know what kind of person he is?"
"..."
Liao Gong said nothing more. After a few casual words, he let Fu Chi leave.
He paced several circles around the office, then suddenly summoned his trusted secretary. "Tomorrow is Sunday. Take the tape over to Zhongnanhai. Tell them I've got a fine film, and I'm inviting everyone to watch a movie tomorrow!"
***
"Wontons! Fresh wontons!"
"Come and get your wontons!"
Beneath the long-unseen Arrow Tower at Qianmen, Huang Zhanying diligently began her day of work. Energetic from early morning, she hawked her wares with all her might. The cooperative offered an increasingly diverse selection of goods, though sadly they still lacked a proper storefront and had merely upgraded their original makeshift shed.
"Director Huang! Director Huang!"
"Something huge happened!"
"What are you making such a fuss about? Did we take back Taiwan?"
"Aiya, take a look, quick!"
A newly joined young girl held a copy of China Youth Daily, presenting it like a treasure. "This is the legendary Teacher Chen! Heavens, he's simply incredible!"
Huang Zhanying snatched it and took a look. Her thick eyebrows instantly shot up, her eyes glaring wide like fierce Zhang Fei or a living Li Kui.
"Hah, that punk is showing off again!"
Chapter 167