Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 201 Wu Dafo, whose whole body is radiating golden light!
Investing 20 million in a little-known company, one that industry insiders didn't think highly of and couldn't even sell for 2000 million, might have made Wu Yuchen a fool in the eyes of many people today. But if this happened 100 years from now, in an era where almost everyone can talk fluently about venture capital, many netizens would definitely understand Wu Yuchen.

Venture capital, especially when you're an angel investor, isn't about putting up as little money as possible to get as much equity as possible. If Wu Yuchen were aiming for more equity with less money, he could have bought the company for 100 million and then hired people at high salaries, but that would have significantly increased the risk of the project.

Venture capitalists invest not only in the sector and industry, but more importantly, in the entrepreneur and the founding team. These startups are fundamentally inseparable from the founders, because no one else would dedicate as much effort to their "adopted child." Would anyone else have put in as much effort and dedication as Pony Ma?

If your company is entirely owned by Wu Yuchen, or if he owns 80-90% of the shares, do you think Pony Ma and his team will still be willing to put in a lot of effort for QQ? Can the drive to work for someone else be the same as the drive to work for yourself?

The relationship between startup teams and investors is inherently one of mutual support and mutual wariness. A well-known example is Jack Ma of Alibaba, who secured $2000 million in investment from SoftBank's Masayoshi Son. However, Son actually wanted to invest $4000 million for a 49% stake. Jack Ma was eager to accept, but Joseph Tsai intervened, ultimately only accepting $2000 million for half the shares, as this involved the startup team's control over the company.

The later introduction of $10 billion from Yahoo was not just for money, but also to add another major shareholder to counter Masayoshi Son, who was already making moves to seize control. Alibaba's success is inseparable from the team led by Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai.

Wu Yuchen's investment is not just in QQ, but also in Pony Ma and the team. Therefore, the shareholding must be controlled at a good level. 40% is just right, which makes it easier for him to invest in the next round and also leaves enough room for the founding team to control and hold shares.

As for why it wasn't 3 million or 5 million, but 20 million, it's because that amount is enough to keep QQ burning through its resources. If you invest 3-5 million, it'll be gone in a few months. In the past, IDG and PCCW invested a total of $2.2 million in Tencent in exchange for a 40% stake. Did they really think they were stupid, unaware that QQ couldn't be sold before?
The $2.2 million figure was calculated by the venture capitalists, taking into account the costs of servers, salaries, and other expenses, enough to keep Tencent going until the next round of funding. Wu Yuchen isn't stingy either; $20 million is equivalent to $2.4 million, enough for Tencent to last more than a year.

Although he knew the dot-com bubble would burst in a few months, he didn't remind Pony Ma to be frugal; he simply let the money run out by the end of next year. That was the coldest period for the internet industry. Even though Pony Ma had figured out the relationship between the startup team and investors, no one else was willing to invest. To survive, he had no choice but to accept Wu Yuchen's continued investment. Wu Yuchen's requirements weren't many; he just wanted to maintain a 60% stake before the IPO.

And those who say the second generation will come to seize Tencent's shares are really overthinking it.

Even after its IPO in 2004, Tencent wasn't highly regarded. China's current star internet companies are portal websites like Sina, Sohu, and NetEase, with Shanda, Baidu, and Alibaba poised to follow in the coming years. Tencent has consistently lagged behind these giants, practically invisible. If anyone's going to compete, it should be the obvious, promising companies!

Besides, over 90% of the second generation have gone into the real estate industry, which is a business where you can make money with nothing. They have resources and connections, so they can make money easily. Who would want to play with something like the internet that they don't understand?

Wu Yuchen would never personally get involved in the internet industry; it's too energy-consuming. When Pony Ma was starting his business, he was usually the last to leave every day. In the first few years, he often lived in the company and kept a close eye on things. He had to personally fix any software bugs that his employees couldn't handle.

Isn't Wu Yuchen just looking for an easy life after making money? 2000 million yuan is nothing to him now. If it can bring him talent like Pony Ma to develop his trillion-yuan empire and make big money, why should he care about this little bit of money?

Wu Yuchen himself will naturally focus his main energy on the entertainment industry. As the saying goes, you should love what you do!

This year's Golden Rooster Awards are in mid-October, which is still half a month away. Wu Yuchen will naturally not be idle. He will take advantage of this time to inspect the territory he has designated.

……

Inside the car, a middle-aged man in his fifties asked his secretary, "Xiao Chen, why did we choose such a remote location for this inspection?"

"I heard that Niu County is selecting a location to build a film and television city. I guess they're worried that it might be inconvenient to expand if it's too close to the city."

The middle-aged man nodded, then said, "At first they said it was a Hong Kong businessman, then they said it was an investment of over 100 million, and now they say Wu Yuchen suddenly arrived. Isn't this a bit strange?"

These days, many places welcome Hong Kong businessmen to invest and offer many preferential policies. However, there are also many "Hong Kong businessmen" who are actually swindlers. There have been many cases of swindling money, land, and factories. Therefore, County Chief Niu was a little wary. However, since it involved an investment of hundreds of millions, he still had to come in person.

The secretary chuckled and said:

“County Chief, you’ll know once you go there and see for yourself. If it really is Director Wu Yuchen, then I think this matter is actually quite reliable. With Director Wu’s appeal, all over the country would love to invite him. I reckon if Hengdian finds out, they’ll come over immediately to snatch him away.”

Upon hearing this, County Chief Niu nodded in agreement, then instructed his secretary, "Xiao Chen, you're right. If Wu Yuchen really comes, tell everyone to keep it a secret and not to let anyone in Hengdian know!"

A few years ago, director Xie Jin filmed "The Opium War," which immediately boosted Hengdian's popularity. Then, Chen Kaige's "The Emperor's Shadow" was also scheduled to be filmed in Hengdian. In the past two years, it has attracted film crews of all sizes, making Hengdian increasingly prosperous.

Now that Wu Yuchen, a director who surpasses Xie Jin and Chen Kaige in his own right, has come here, they will definitely try their best to keep his new film in Xiangshan!

……

"Xiangshan is located on the coast of the East China Sea, on the southern edge of the Yangtze River Delta region, between Xiangshan Port and Sanmen Bay, surrounded by the sea on three sides and embraced by two ports. Our Xinqiao Town is..."

The middle-aged man, with his white short-sleeved shirt tucked into his belt, dark skin, and mud-caked leather shoes, was the mayor of Xinqiao Town, enthusiastically introducing the local situation.

As Wu Yuchen listened to the introduction, he gazed at the boundless land across the river, a sense of satisfaction creeping into his heart. A bit remote doesn't matter; in fact, it's remote enough to allow for free maneuvering!
We'll include buildings from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Republic of China era, such as Ming and Qing Dynasty streets, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasty streets, Song Dynasty city, the Qingming Riverside Scene, Ming and Qing Dynasty palaces, Jiangnan water towns, Hong Kong streets, Guangzhou streets, Hollywood, etc.—we can't leave any of them out!
Wu Yuchen is not short of money now. He has made so much money in the United States, so naturally he wants to take some back to China to invest in construction and give back to the motherland. Film and television city is one of his goals. It can not only expand his influence and industry voice, but also boost the local economy and benefit the local people. Why not?
Hengdian's rise to prominence was fueled by four waves of momentum. The first wave was Xie Jin's "The Opium War," and the second was Chen Kaige's "The Emperor and the Assassin." However, these first two waves can only be considered as laying the foundation, because neither of these films was particularly successful, and their impact was not as great as people imagined.

This third wave was crucial. Although Zhang Yimou's "Hero" was criticized by many, its popularity far surpassed that of "The Emperor and the Assassin" and "The Opium War," bringing immense traffic and publicity to Hengdian. Since "Hero," Hengdian has essentially secured its position as the top film and television city in China.

The fourth wave was Hengdian's own further upgrading, building supporting facilities, investing heavily in the construction of buildings from various dynasties, and perfecting the industrial chain, which led to its dominant position in China.

It's only 1999 now. Although building a new film and television city will lag behind Hengdian, which has been developing for several years, the gap is not as big as imagined. Wu Yuchen is still confident in his appeal.

Take their own Miracle Films and TV series, for example, they all have to come over, right? And when they're filming "Hero," Senior Brother Zhang, don't you have to give your junior brother some face and let them film in our own film and television city?

This is just a small place called Hengdian, but it will show you what the appeal of a big director is!
Gao Yuanyuan pushed her sunglasses up her hair, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers. Holding Wu Yuchen's hand, she looked at the beautiful scenery in front of her, feeling as happy as a cheerful little bird.

The rural scenery in front of us is certainly nice, but what's more important is the person by my side. When Wu Yuchen called her last time, he said he would bring her here to play during the National Day holiday. Although Wu Yuchen is working and sightseeing at the same time, as long as she can be by his side, I'm happy no matter what!

Just as Wu Yuchen was envisioning his Xiangshan empire, he heard a powerful voice from behind him:
"Excuse me, everyone, I'm late!"

A middle-aged man with an air of officialdom smiled and walked towards Cai Yinong.

"Mr. Cai, hello! Xiangshan is a treasure trove of land, welcome to invest in Xiangshan!"

The town mayor of Xinqiao quickly introduced, "Director Wu, this is County Chief Niu from Xiangshan County!"

Cai Yinong also greeted County Chief Niu warmly, and then quickly said, "County Chief Niu, this is our Director Wu!"

County Chief Niu immediately came over and shook hands with Wu Yuchen: "Director Wu, I never thought that our Xiangshan could catch the eye of such a great director as you. Please feel free to make any requests for your new film, and we will do our best to cooperate!"

County Chief Niu is no fool. He knows that a great director's work can boost tourism in a region. For example, after "My Sassy Girl" was released, people flocked to Shanghai during the summer vacation and National Day holidays. The filming locations have all become popular tourist destinations, especially among young people!
There were also the previous films "If Love Has a Destiny" and "Mr. Donkey". I heard that the number of tourists visiting those two villages also skyrocketed, and both villages built a road as a result!

This great director can boost the local economy with just one movie. Which local official wouldn't welcome that?
Wu Yuchen walked up to greet him, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "County Chief Niu, thank you for coming all this way in person."

"Haha, of course, of course. To be honest, Director Wu, I'm still a big fan of yours. My daughter has watched your 'My Sassy Girl' three times. If she finds out I'm here to see you, she'll definitely beg me to get your autograph!"

County Chief Niu was quite adept at ingratiating himself, showing no airs towards Cai Yinong, the Hong Kong businessman representative, and Wu Yuchen, the renowned director. He did notice the beautiful woman accompanying Wu Yuchen; she looked familiar, probably a female celebrity. But what's so strange about a famous director having a beautiful woman by his side? The important thing was whether he could secure Wu Yuchen's new film.

...After a long day of running around, in the evening, County Chief Niu personally accompanied Cai Yinong in a private room. After the meal, he couldn't help but ask Cai Yinong, "President Cai, what are your impressions of Xiangshan?"

Although Wu Yuchen was also important, the direct investment of hundreds of millions of real money was obviously more attractive. Therefore, County Chief Niu focused most of his attention on Cai Yinong tonight, leaving Wu Yuchen with some free time to eat and listen to their conversation with Gao Yuanyuan.

Cai Yinong smiled and said, "Very good! We still need to go to other places to take a look, such as Wuxi, and compare other conditions."

Upon hearing this, County Chief Niu immediately replied, "President Cai, when it comes to preferential policies, Xiangshan is definitely not inferior to other places. We will also offer preferential prices for land. As long as you are willing to settle in Xiangshan, we will provide whatever you need!"

Upon hearing this, Cai Yinong glanced at Wu Yuchen, and seeing him nod, she said, "County Chief Niu, I cannot make this decision!"

County Chief Niu frowned slightly, then quickly added, "President Cai is too modest. Since you've come to inspect, we'll definitely take your opinion into consideration. Whether it works or not is entirely up to you."

Cai Yinong quickly waved her hand in denial, saying, "County Chief Niu, don't say that. This really isn't something I can decide! Why don't you ask Director Wu for his opinion?"

County Magistrate Niu was a little confused, thinking to himself, "I asked you about investment, why am I being told to ask Wu Yuchen? This is just a way of shirking responsibility, isn't it?"
However, since Wu Yuchen had been mentioned, County Chief Niu couldn't ignore him. He turned to Wu Yuchen with a smile and said:
"Director Wu, what do you think of Xiangshan? Does it meet the requirements for your new film?"

Wu Yuchen put down his teacup and shook his head at County Chief Niu.

County Magistrate Niu's expression changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Director Wu, what do you think is wrong? Why don't you tell us, and we'll take you to find a more suitable place!"

County Chief Niu was feeling terrible. A Hong Kong businessman who wanted to invest and a famous director, Director Wu, who wanted to make movies, both shook their heads and waved him off after their visits. Could it be that neither of them would work out? How could he not be anxious!

Wu Yuchen smiled and explained to County Chief Niu, "County Chief Niu, you misunderstood. What I meant was that I don't have any new movies to shoot for the time being."

"Oh? Then you'll come to our Xiangshan..."

County Chief Niu was somewhat surprised. "You really just happened to come here for tourism? How could you possibly travel to such a remote place?"
"Oh, County Chief Niu, I forgot to tell you, I own some shares in Mr. Cai's Little Bear Media Company, so I have some influence. That's why I came along to take a look."

County Chief Niu was a little confused when he heard this. He then turned to look at Cai Yinong, who immediately smiled and nodded at him. Cai Yinong then reached out to Wu Yuchen, indicating that County Chief Niu should talk to this man.

Now County Chief Niu finally understood that this man was the real Buddha, and the one who could truly make decisions in this matter was Wu Yuchen!
"Oh dear! Director Wu, I'm so sorry, I made a huge blunder! I thought you were here to film a movie! I'll punish myself with three drinks!"

County Chief Niu ignored Wu Yuchen's attempts to stop him and downed three cups of baijiu with each meal. Although Wu Yuchen and Cai Yinong had initially suggested that everyone should just drink tea, County Chief Niu still drank to show his sincerity; that's just how the atmosphere is these days.

Although it was a misunderstanding, County Chief Niu was even happier now, because Wu Yuchen's words at least proved that Cai Yinong, this Hong Kong businessman, was not a fraud and could really bring in hundreds of millions of investments!

After putting down his wine glass, County Chief Niu said, "Director Wu, I won't say anything more. Just tell me what you need!"

Wu Yuchen didn't keep anyone in suspense:

“County Chief Niu is very generous, so I won’t beat around the bush either. I believe County Chief Niu will implement the preferential policies for us, so I’ll just say two things. First, a road directly from the county should be built to the film studio location we’ve chosen!”

Everyone understands the principle that "to get rich, build roads first," and the same applies to film and television cities. No matter how well you build them, if there aren't good roads, how are people supposed to get around? Convenient transportation is always an essential condition for development!

County Chief Niu quickly did the math in his head. Building a road from the county road would only cost a few million yuan at most, but would be worth hundreds of millions of yuan in investment, and would also benefit the people along the way. It was worth it!
"No problem! We can definitely get this done!" County Chief Niu patted his chest and assured him.

Wu Yuchen nodded and then said, "Secondly, allocate us a plot of land of at least 30 square kilometers. How much of a discount can we get on the price, as you mentioned?"

In his previous life, Xiangshan Film and Television City was known as the second largest, but its total area was only 1176 mu (approximately 71 hectares), less than 1 square kilometer, while the largest, Hengdian, covered more than 50,000 mu (approximately 3,333 hectares). Just imagine how big the difference was. Now that Wu Yuchen had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to lay a solid foundation first, since land was very cheap at the moment.

"Starting at 30 square kilometers?!"

This number startled County Chief Niu; 30 square kilometers is equivalent to 40,000 to 50,000 mu of land!
If it were just a few square kilometers, the land price could be negotiated off with some discounts, but for a land area as large as 30 square kilometers, a discount is still needed. An investment of 1 million yuan is not worthwhile!
County Chief Niu composed himself and tentatively said, "Director Wu, this 30 square kilometers is no small piece of land. It's not that I don't want to offer a discount, but I still need to submit a report to higher authorities, and this 1 million investment..."

"Oh, County Chief Niu, I forgot to tell you earlier, the unit is US dollars," Wu Yuchen said with a faint smile.

Secretary Chen, who was drinking tea, choked on his tea, causing the chair to creak. He quickly covered his mouth with a tissue and dared not make a sound.

"US dollars!" County Chief Niu was stunned, his mouth agape.

Wu Yuchen nodded: "I made some money making movies in America, so it's perfect to bring it back to build up our motherland!"

Both County Chief Niu and Secretary Chen were stunned and bewildered. You call 1 million US dollars a small amount of money!

They only knew that Wu Yuchen had directed three blockbuster films in the United States, all of which achieved high box office results, but they didn't expect that he, as a director, could also make so much money!

County Chief Niu didn't care about anything else and checked again to make sure he hadn't misheard:

"Director Wu, are you sure you want to invest $1 million?!"

"Hehe, I'm thinking of doing that, but it depends on whether your offer is appealing to me. Otherwise, I'm planning to visit places like Wuxi Film City again." After saying that, Wu Yuchen picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and stopped talking.

County Chief Niu's eyes turned red at this moment. That's 1 million US dollars! Not to mention that the amount would be eight or nine times higher after the exchange rate is converted, the country still rewards those who earn foreign exchange. Whoever earns foreign exchange will be credited!

If Lao Niu can secure this $1 million and keep it in Xiangshan, it will not only benefit the people and drive industrial development and wealth creation, but he himself will definitely be promoted within two years!
Looking at Wu Yuchen now, he sees him as nothing more than a giant Buddha radiating golden light!
Old Niu slammed his fist on the table: "Director Wu, don't even mention 30 square kilometers, I'll take care of 40 or 50! I'll build this road to provincial highway standards! As long as you invest, I'll give you whatever you want!"

"Oh? County Chief Niu, about the approval from above that you mentioned..."

"Don't worry, Director Wu, we have connections!" Old Niu was brimming with confidence. With this hundred million US dollars, he could walk around the city with his head held high!
"Alright, then I'll leave this to County Chief Niu!" Wu Yuchen said with a smile, picking up his teacup.

The following day, the top official from Ningbo, the superior city of Xiangshan County, came directly to the county for inspection. He had a cordial conversation and friendly meeting with Wu Yuchen, expressing strong support for his investment in the construction of the Xiangshan Film and Television City, and instructing County Head Niu to fully cooperate in the construction. As for the land, 40 square kilometers, it was practically given away for free!

Overall, Wu Yuchen was quite satisfied with the treatment offered by the Xiangshan government. These days, the US dollar is truly a powerful tool!
He'll transfer the money from the US to Little Bear Media Company in Hong Kong, and then invest through this company. "Meteor Garden" and F4 are both under this company's name. There's no way around it; Hong Kong businessmen enjoy preferential policies these days, and the country encourages them, so Wu Yu-chen's investment will definitely have to go through a lot of trouble.

The $1 million was naturally to be received in installments. In fact, Wu Yuchen estimated that $1 million wouldn't be enough to develop Xiangshan Film City into a leading company. However, once the $1 million was invested, they could apply for a bank loan. Why not use bank money? A company that doesn't incur debt isn't a good company, and these days banks are practically begging for loans!
In that case, the money for three years should be enough, since a film and television city can't be built in a day. The key is to get projects on board; successful, well-known, and high-profile film and television projects will serve as publicity.

Thinking of this, Wu Yuchen immediately thought of someone he wanted to win over.

(End of this chapter)