A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 251 Another Career Takes Off
Friday, September 7st.

On this day, there was a huge crowd of people outside the Times Cinema on Nanjing West Road. There were guests who came to attend the opening, audiences who came to watch the movie, and citizens who came to watch the fun.

Today is the opening ceremony of Times Cinema and also the premiere of "Fist of Fury".

Because "Fist of Fury" more or less carries some "progressive culture", no military or political officials were invited to the event that day. However, people from Shanghai's business community came to celebrate, and the strong lineup surprised the media.

Soon everyone realized that many of these business people were factory owners who had received "favors" from Chen Guangliang and avoided a lot of losses during the January 28 Incident.

We also took this opportunity to express our gratitude to Mr. Chen Guangliang.

Guo Linshuang, who had dealt with him before and even had some issues with him, took the initiative to say, "Congratulations, Mr. Chen, on adding another beautiful building and a high-quality career."

This time, their Yong'an factory avoided a loss of more than two million yuan.

Chen Guangliang immediately responded: "Thank you very much, Mr. Guo, I am very happy to have you here today."

Guo Linshuang added, "You should come. I've even bought movie tickets. I heard that 'Fist of Fury' is another blockbuster from Time Pictures after 'Huo Yuanjia'. I think every Chinese son and daughter should come and see it. Only in this way can we unite and make our country strong and our people rich as soon as possible."

Wow, it’s reached this height!
"We should unite as one, please!"

Guests gathered in droves, even the three biggest gangster tycoons came to congratulate. People who didn’t know would think that today was an important banquet!
After all, Times Cinema is only one of the five major cinemas in Shanghai and is far less attractive. It is obvious that everyone came here for Chen Guangliang.

When Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei appeared together at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, everyone would exclaim, "a talented man and a beautiful woman", "a match made in heaven", "a perfect match".

Yan Renmei's behavior and manners in such occasions are all very ladylike, and she stands out among the female group.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, everyone took the opportunity to communicate with each other.

Chen Guangliang also exchanged some views with business people, which were nothing more than issues of reconstruction and various aspects of Shanghai's financial problems.

Meanwhile, Sheng Qi brought Yan Renmei into the film industry.

"Renmei, this is Jiang Meiying, the heroine of the new film from Time Films!"

It's obviously intentional.

Jiang Meiying was also taken aback, but then she said generously: "Hello, Madam Chen."

Yan Renmei also said generously: "Miss Jiang is so beautiful"

Jiang Meiying immediately replied: "Mrs. Chen is also very beautiful."

Sheng Qi was speechless upon seeing this, but he didn't say much. He then took Yan Renmei and went to greet the other women.

Today, Times Pictures opens for business. Yan Renmei is the proprietress, and since Chen Guangliang has been brought out, it is natural that they have to entertain the women present.

Only Jiang Meiying seemed lost in thought. Ever since she started filming the cigarette commercial, she'd been courted by many, yet she'd managed to remain calm. She knew that she'd been given the role of Thirteenth Aunt thanks to Mr. Chen's recommendation. But she didn't think Mr. Chen was attracted to her. After all, they'd only met once, and while Mr. Chen had spoken a lot to her on that occasion, it was merely guidance on her acting.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. Miss Sheng Qi didn't mean it!"

this side.

Many people in the film industry and those related to cinemas are also discussing this.

Zhang Shichuan looked at the Times Cinema and said, "One cinema has two halls. This is the first time I've heard of this design. What's the purpose of this?"

Zheng Zhengqiu replied, "It's said that they're considering the possibility of showing two movies at the same time to adjust attendance. To be honest, I doubt whether this is a cost-effective way to run the business."

"Wait and see"

Soon, the movie will begin.

The large hall can accommodate 1052 spectators, while the small hall can accommodate 462 spectators and opens every 45 minutes.

If there are five shows a day, it can accommodate more than 7500 spectators, with ticket prices ranging from 0.7 to 1.2 yuan, with an average price of 0.9 cents. If the theater is full, it can earn more than 6800 yuan at the box office.

Of course, under normal circumstances, a 50% occupancy rate can make a profit, and a 70% occupancy rate is already a very good performance.

As audiences began to enter, they saw popcorn, cola, and other snacks for sale in the lobby, a practice also popular in American cinemas at the same time. Because of the Great Depression, American cinemas came up with this idea, and Chen Guangliang naturally pioneered it in Shanghai.

When Cathay Cinema owner Lu Gen saw this, he immediately said, "We should learn from them. They're innovative in running cinemas!"

Soon, the hall began to fill up.

The first- and second-run cinemas of this era were all double-decker style. The lobby of the Times Cinema could accommodate 1052 spectators on two levels, which was larger than the Cathay Theatre.

Not to mention, Times Cinema also opened a annex hall on the third floor.

"Fist of Fury" begins.

Following the previous drama of "Huo Yuanjia", Chen Zhen rushed back after hearing that his master was killed and wanted to stop the burial because he felt that his master did not die of stomach disease. However, the eldest brother and others did not want Chen Zhen to be involved in this matter, so they told a white lie.
In this "Fist of Fury", Chen Zhen is an upright, brave, resourceful and patriotic man. He also breaks his master's ban on showing off force, and single-handedly avenges his master and the nation at the cost of his life.

He still had to write about his death. Chen Guangliang’s understanding was that Chen Zhen’s death would arouse the voices of resistance from the people across the country and unite the people across the country.

It’s not that I think Chen Zhen deserves to die because he killed so many Japanese devils and traitors.

After all, the times were different. Bruce Lee had that kind of thinking because he had never experienced war. In Jet Li's era, he had basically forgotten the national hatred and family feuds, so he pursued the true meaning and philosophy of martial arts.

"Good, good kick"

"It's such a fucking relief"

When Chen Zhen defeated everyone in the martial arts gym and sent the martial arts gym to Jingwumen, he threw the plaque of "Sick Man of East Asia" high in front of all the Japanese in the martial arts gym, then jumped up and kicked the plaque to pieces.

This is similar to what happened when Huo Yuanjia kicked the plaque that said "Chinese and dogs are not allowed to enter", and it is even more satisfying.

"How abominable! How could Chen Zhen die again?"

"Damn the powers"

When Chen Zhen had killed everyone and the police outside had surrounded him, Chen Zhen took all the blame in order to save Jingwu Sect; however, he did not need a trial, and rushed directly towards the patrol police and flew into the air.

The movie ends with the sound of gunfire.

"Those who fall behind will be beaten. This is the theme of this movie!"

"Yes, Kung Fu can only strengthen the body. If we want our country to be strong, we must also learn advanced technology." Undoubtedly, this is another extremely successful movie.

Starting from "Huo Yuanjia", Chinese films have truly entered a new stage. Both films of Times Films will break records and become the "pioneering works" of this period.

"Wonderful"

“It’s really wonderful”

After watching the film, the people from Mingxing Pictures, Lianhua Pictures, and Tianyi Film left with heavy faces. They all knew that the Chinese film industry was about to welcome a new powerhouse.

Times Film can make good movies, and Times Cinema is backed by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial groups, so its development momentum will probably be very fast.

This is indeed the case. Under the leadership of Zhuang Zhujiu, Times Cinema has started to invest in cinemas on a large scale, of course mainly in third and fourth-round theater chains.

The next day.

Chen Guangliang held a meeting in the office of Changjiang Real Estate.

Today, Changjiang Real Estate primarily focuses on rental collection and property management. These properties primarily include: fifty three-story villas on Xiafei Road, seven four-story street-facing villas in Xincheng Garden, scattered villas on Yuyuan Road, and rental dividends from three "land leasing and construction agency" projects.

As the general manager, Lu Yuantai first gave everyone a work report:
"Since the January 28 Incident, real estate in Shanghai's Chinese areas has plummeted, while the situation in the concessions is slightly better."

"However, in some areas of the concession, there is also 'oversupply', resulting in vacant houses and rent reductions."

"For example, areas like Yuyuan Road are experiencing significant vacancy and falling rents. The situation has also been somewhat affected for villas on Weihai Road. Xiafei Road is experiencing a shortage of supply, while the situation on Nanjing West Road is also very good."

"The overall situation in the concession sector is that rents are falling and vacancy rates are rising in more than half of the areas, and some areas are still in a state of supply exceeding demand."

If the trend in the previous life is followed, the housing in the concession should still be strong.

However, in this life, the emergence of "renting land for construction" and "stratified and phased" has led to an increase in housing supply in Shanghai, which has led to this crisis.

There is basically no possibility for the Chinese area to turn around, and the concession will become a place where every inch of land is worth a lot of money.

"What about the financial situation?"

The new financial manager, Wu Bichao, immediately reported, "In the first half of this year, our rental income was 13.15 yuan, property income was 1.25 yuan, and we also received 2.35 yuan in rent from last year's 'construction agency'. Our total income for the first half of the year was 16.75 yuan. Regarding salary expenses."

The Changjiang Real Estate Company, which originally had 28 employees, now has only 18 people left, and the remaining ten have been placed in companies such as Ping An Bank and Shangri-La Hotel.

As for the remaining 18 people, in addition to managing the property management company, the only project actually under construction is the third-party supervision of "Ping An Bank" (consultancy fees).

These 18 people earn at least to yuan a year.

We can afford to raise them, but the labor cost is quite expensive.

In addition, Chen Guangliang calculated that if Changjiang Real Estate maintains its current properties, it will take about seven years to earn 200 million yuan, which means it will take to recover the 200 million yuan valuation of his current Changjiang Real Estate properties.

However, there is no need to rush to sell these properties. The rent in the concession was higher during the "isolated island period" and they can be sold in 1941 or 1945.

After all, even if the Japanese occupied the country, they could not take away the properties and land; after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, these things could be taken back.

Lu Yuantai continued, "We went to Chongqing to investigate. The land there was very cheap, but after all, the warlords were constantly fighting, so the investment wasn't ideal."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Let's wait in Chongqing for a while, and then go to Hong Kong to arrange an inspection. I'm interested in building properties there for rent."

Lu Yuantai said happily: "Okay, I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

Having work to do is of course a good thing!
At this time, Chen Guangliang had also thought it through and decided to develop real estate in Hong Kong first - purchasing land and building houses. Of course, the properties would only be rented and not sold.

As for Chongqing, they had to wait until the Central Army entered Sichuan, probably around 1935, when Changjiang Real Estate would go to Chongqing to develop real estate. By the end of 1937, they would have a large number of houses for rent, and they would also have a luxurious villa for themselves.

After the meeting, Chen Guangliang called Lu Yuantai and Yan Kuan to his office.

"Do you two have any idea of ​​studying abroad? I'm willing to sponsor you!"

Lu Yuantai and Yan Kuan's faces lit up with joy. You know, they only have a degree from a domestic technical college (college students). If they can go abroad for further studies, it will naturally be a big step up.

Lu Yuantai was the first to speak: "It's just that the company wants to develop real estate in Hong Kong."

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "Don't think too much about this. After all, we still have people in the company. And currently, whether in Shanghai or Hong Kong, residential buildings are all low-rise. I've always believed that future real estate will develop towards high-rise buildings. A dozen stories is the minimum, and more than twenty stories is more ideal. So in this regard, the American architectural system should be the template for future modern architecture. If you two are interested in further studies, you can consider studying in the United States, and the expenses will be paid by Changjiang Real Estate. There are no hard and fast rules after graduation. I am also considering that you have worked hard over the years and earned me a lot of money."

Lu Yuantai quickly said: "Boss has been very good to us in the past few years."

Chen Guangliang interrupted, "Well, men shouldn't be so fussy. You two seem to want to pursue further studies, so you can find out how and then apply to the company. Of course, you two can stagger your studies by two years. Yuantai, you're the oldest, so you could consider going next year; Yankuan, you're the younger, so you could consider going in 1935, and you could manage the company's business during that time."

"Okay, thank you boss for your training!"

Chen Guangliang nodded, and then the two of them left the office. They were naturally in a very good mood.

Of course, Chen Guangliang didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Although the two might not necessarily work for him in the future, or even follow him to Hong Kong, Chen Guangliang was happy to give them such an opportunity.

But if we can take them to Hong Kong, we must take them away.

"Fist of Fury" successfully avoided the film censorship of the Southern Whale, and the Municipal Council could not find any faults with it, but it inspired voices of "national unity" and "national awakening" in Shanghai.

Major media outlets have given it positive reviews, and the Times Cinema's daily attendance rate is around 90%, making it an instant hit.

Although some owners of first- and second-run cinemas were jealous, they no longer dared to play tricks, including Huang Jinrong, who no longer mentioned the early release of his Jinrong Cinema.

According to this scenario, Times Cinema will release the film for 20 days and then give it second, third and fourth rounds, while Times Cinema will also continue to show the film.

Of course, for many people, the lowest ticket price of 7 cents is still too high, so it is inevitable to wait for the second, third, and fourth-run cinemas.

at the same time.

Times Pictures began to expand on a large scale, investing in cinemas in and around Shanghai to shoot the next film; Chen Guangliang even allowed Lu Hanzhang to shoot one or two more films on other themes - but they had to comply with the film censorship of the Nanjing government, and more importantly, they had to be wary of the invasion of Direction Films.

Chen Guangliang regards movies as a business. He will not make a movie if it does not make money, no matter how well it is received.

The ideas of enlightening the people and promoting national unity were also filmed with the intention of making money.

(End of this chapter)