Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 193, Section 192: Attempts at Cultural Export and Economic Revenue Generation in Various Base Areas

"Overseas? I don't think our company has the capability for that." The manager of Star Film Company lacked confidence in his company.

In this era of internal and external troubles, they worked hard to make movies, which were also mixed with their patriotic sentiments, but they dared not think about promoting their movies to a wider market.

Fang Wen could understand, but did not agree.

He said, “Our general manager thinks that the movies your company makes are not bad, especially in terms of special effects. He went to the United States and stayed for more than two months. The production effects of Hollywood movies there are similar to yours. His idea is to make some movies for release in the United States.”

His real intention in coming here in disguise was to make an attempt to export some unique films to the United States, and then smuggle in some anti-Japanese elements for anti-Japanese propaganda, thereby gaining some general sympathy and support.

In the fight against Japan, we shouldn't be afraid of losing face. The country is already in such a state of chaos, so the sooner we drive out the Japanese invaders, the better for China.

Whether this attempt succeeds or fails, it will not affect other ongoing matters.

"Like this?" The manager was still hesitant.

Fang Wen continued, "How about this, Taishan Airlines will invest, you will film it, we will handle the script, and Taishan Airlines will also be responsible for overseas distribution."

With that said, the manager had no more worries.

The conversation continued.

"That's fine. We'll discuss cooperation once you've finalized your decision."

“Alright, let’s talk about the pre-show ads now. I’ve made some adjustments. All the actors who were involved in the burning of the Red Lotus Temple will be dressed normally and have a gathering on the banks of the Huangpu River. The next scene will be them reciting the ad copy together.”

"In that case, the cost of shooting the advertisement will be higher, and we will pay more for the actors."

"Money is not a problem. You can prepare the budget and submit it to Manager Sun."

After some negotiation, the pre-movie advertising was settled, and the rest was left to Sun Debiao's responsibility.

Fang Wen and Sun Debiao said goodbye and got into their car.

The red-hatted Sikh police officer smiled and bent down at the window: "Sir, I've been here watching your car."

“Very good.” Fang Wen took out a pound sterling as a tip for him.

As the car started, Sun Debiao asked, "Where to now?"

“I’ll visit Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin to thank them for their help,” Fang Wen replied.

Guided by Sun Debiao, the car arrived at the two men's residence.

A knock on the door brought the salon's conversation to a temporary halt.

Mr. Lin got up to open the door, and everyone looked towards the entrance.

The first one is Sun Debiao, everyone knows him.

The second person is unfamiliar, but I don't know who he is.

Mr. Lin asked, "Manager Sun, could you introduce the friend you brought?"

“My surname is Fang. I met the two gentlemen once in Nanjing, at a small tavern near the Ming Palace,” Fang Wen replied.

The voice, and what it was saying.

Mr. Lin exclaimed in surprise, "You're Fang Wen, how did you become like this?"

"Could you lend me a place to perform some of those little tricks of the martial arts world?" Fang Wen replied.

"Great. This is amazing. So the rumors are true." Mr. Lin quickly led Fang Wen to a room to remove her makeup.

In the room, Fang Wen carefully removed the fillers from his cheeks and then took off the human skin mask.

These things will be useful later, so he neatly placed them and left the room.

The group of people outside were confused, and Lin and Liang didn't explain, they just waited to see what would happen.

There was a gasp when Fang Wen came out.

"A miraculous transformation!"

Where did that person go just now?

Mr. Liang introduced with a smile: "This is Fang Wen, the general manager of Taishan Airlines. As everyone knows, the Japanese have always wanted to deal with him, so he used some means to enter the city. As for the means he used, I think it's best not to ask. It's a good way to avoid the Japanese."

The people inside nodded, suppressing their surprise, and did not ask any questions.

Then, Mr. Liang spoke up again: "General Manager Fang must have something to say here. Please feel free to say what you want to say."

Fang Wen looked at the people gathered in the living room and said, "Thank you all for your help with the advertising creation. Through the advertisement, I have seen your talents and also had a very interesting idea."

The people in the salon were very curious about what interesting idea it was.

Fang Wen continued, "I just went to Star Film Company and talked to them about some film matters. My idea is to make a film that can attract a global audience and then screen it overseas. At the same time, I will include anti-Japanese propaganda in the film to attract overseas attention and support."

Immediately, someone responded.

A bearded man replied, “I think this is a good idea. China today is like an old man. The Chinese culture that we are so proud of is only circulating internally. Overseas, all of them are European colonies. They admire Western culture. Even those places in Southeast Asia that were once influenced by China no longer appreciate our culture. Instead, they have learned Western languages ​​and eaten Western food.”

During the salon discussion, everyone spoke freely, but soon someone spoke up and a dispute arose.

"Then we can only blame ourselves for not working hard enough. Now we are beset by internal and external troubles. Only by overcoming these can China rise again. I think that without strength, we shouldn't expect to export our cultural influence. It's better to do more practical things."

"No, we should not refrain from doing good because it is small, nor should we do evil because it is small. Today, China is weak and the people lack confidence. I think culture is also very important. We should enhance the people's sense of identity with Chinese culture."

The argument continued and escalated, with the two sides seemingly ready to fight if they couldn't win an argument.

Fang Wen had never seen such a heated argument between literary figures, and couldn't help but worry: "They won't actually fight, will they?"

"Under normal circumstances, no. Even if we do get physical, it will only be a brief exchange," Mr. Liang said with a smile.

With that in mind, Fang Wen felt much more at ease.

After a while, everyone stopped arguing, because they realized that the person who started the argument was just watching the show from the sidelines.

The bearded man, known for his straightforward nature, raised his voice and said, "Fine, fine, General Manager Fang, you only say half of what you mean, are you just here to laugh at us?"

Fang Wen quickly chimed in, "No, it's not that. You guys were talking so intensely that I couldn't get a word in edgewise, so I was thinking of waiting until you got tired before I continued."

This remark made everyone burst into laughter, all watching to see how Fang Wen would explain his thoughts.

Fang Wen said seriously, "You just mentioned cultural influence. Indeed, Eastern cultural values ​​are introverted, while Western values ​​are extroverted. In this era dominated by interests, Eastern civilization needs time for peaceful development, not chaos. I think everyone can agree with this view, right?"

Those present were all people who had studied and understood Chinese history. Since ancient times, China has experienced periods of division followed by unification, and periods of unification followed by division. However, every time a civilization has shone brightly, it has inevitably been a time of peace and prosperity.

Fang Wen continued, "Therefore, pursuing cultural influence in chaotic times is a difficult thing, and I did not intend to do that. What I want is a commercially viable film that conforms to universal values ​​of the world, so that it can be screened globally, attract audiences, and at the same time promote our resistance against Japan."

This sparked everyone's interest.

What kind of commercial film aligns with universal values ​​worldwide?
That would require analyzing the entire world. In this era, the whole world is in a period of economic depression, and even countries that were once wealthy due to colonization are struggling.

Most people in the lower and middle classes live in very difficult circumstances.

What kind of movies would they like to watch?

This question prompted deep reflection among the salon members.

Fang Wen, however, gave the answer directly.

“I don’t think it’s about movies that rub salt into wounds. While those kinds of movies might stir up emotions in viewers, they’ll feel even more depressed afterward. People suffering don’t need to spend money to watch their suffering over and over again. So the universal values ​​of the world aren’t reality, but comedies and fantasies that are detached from reality. Viewers can derive pleasure from them, making life seem less difficult.”

Fang Wen's words gave the people in the salon much to think about.

Someone asked, "If everyone watches comedies, who will still care about the country and its people?"

"So my target market is the United States, where people need happiness but are not worried about war," Fang Wen replied.

So that's how it is. The general manager of Taishan Airlines wanted everyone to create a fantasy script to export overseas as an experiment.

Everyone in the salon turned to look at one of them.

Everyone thinks he can do it.

Mr. Liang explained, "His pen name is Huanzhu Louzhu, and his novel, 'The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan,' was serialized in the Tianfeng Daily and was a bestseller. When it comes to ingenious ideas, all of us combined can't match his."

Fang Wen looked at the man in surprise and asked, "Excuse me, can you write Western fantasy novel scripts?"

This person was a perfect match for the job and spoke eloquently.

"In order to write about Shushan, I did some research. Western mythology is based on bloodline inheritance. Whether it is the gods and humans in Homer's epics and the Odyssey in Greece, or the giants, gods, dwarves and elves in Norse and Germanic mythology, it is all like this. Later, during the Renaissance, they created chivalric literature, which incorporated alchemy, astrology and other elements into medieval chivalric legends, thus creating characters such as knights, magicians and alchemists. Later still, Gothic novels appeared, characterized by darkness, mystery and horror, full of monster images such as werewolves, vampires and mummies."

It must be said, Huanzhu Louzhu's stories were full of mystical and fantastical elements, which were particularly captivating. Everyone listened with rapt attention, as if they had unlocked a hidden switch in the world.

Fang Wen thus gained confidence in him.

After Fang Wen finished explaining his explanation of mystical literature, he asked, "If you were to write a Western fantasy script, how would you write it?"

After pondering for a moment, I, Huanzhu Louzhu, replied, "I can only make some adaptations to enrich the content. For example, like the Legend of Shushan, which I created, I can build a world where gods, giants, dwarves, elves, werewolves, vampires, mummies, knights, magicians, and alchemists coexist. Although it is fictional, it is connected to reality, and the specific time is twenty years ago."

Wasn't it World War I twenty years ago?

Set against the backdrop of World War I, the story creates a magical world, and Fang Wen is greatly surprised by Huanzhu Louzhu's ingenious ideas.

If it could be created, wouldn't it be an adult version of Harry Potter, or perhaps the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

If so, it could even connect to the pantheon of deities in Eastern culture.

Is this person capable?
Fang Wen asked, "Your idea is excellent. I can sponsor you and take charge of the overseas sales."

"Really writing it?!" Huanzhu Louzhu was taken aback. He had drawn a huge pie in the sky, but it wouldn't be easy to actually write it down.

But if it succeeds, such a grand narrative and background would definitely be a classic.

Next, Fang Wen had a private conversation with Huanzhu Louzhu.

After a conversation, Fang Wen and Huanzhu Louzhu reached an agreement.

Don't write a long novel yet; use that background and framework to write a movie script.

The general plot aligns with the aspirations of Westerners at that time: chivalry and heroism.

As for how to create it, Fang Wen only gave one requirement.

That is a linear narrative, unlike his novel "The Legend of Shushan Heroes" which involves a large number of characters.

Simply put, it's about a protagonist who, due to some unexpected event, participates in a fantasy adventure.

This is the unified narrative style for future fantasy films, so it's unlikely to be wrong.

Once the script is finished, we'll find a film company to shoot it and then release it in American theaters to see how it goes.

If it's good, it could be written into a full-length novel, made into a movie sequel, and turned into an IP.

After his trip to Shanghai, Fang Wen returned safely to the airport wearing a human skin mask.

The film project is finished, but the script still needs to be completed.

Everything is back on track.

Time passed, and November arrived.

A lot has happened in China in the past month or so.

The 19th Route Army, which had fought against the Japanese army during the January 28 Incident in Shanghai, declared in Fuzhou that it would "oppose Chiang Kai-shek and resist Japan."

As a result, Taishan Airlines was forced to suspend flights at Fuzhou Airport for a week.

The Anti-Japanese Allied Army in Chahar was gone, and the lost territories that had been recaptured by the Anti-Japanese Allied Army were retaken by the Japanese.

There was no more anti-Japanese army in the entire North China region.

As more and more people evacuated from Beiping, flights from Jinan Airport to Shanghai became the preferred option for many.

Fang Wen made a special trip to Tsinghua University for this purpose, and left the business telegram frequency of Taishan Airlines, telling them that Taishan Airlines could help them at any time if they wanted to evacuate.

During this time, Fang Wen also discovered a historical event he had missed.

The relocation of cultural relics from the Forbidden City in Beiping to the south was completed around May of this year. The other party did not contact Taishan Airlines; they directly transported hundreds of thousands of precious cultural relics to Nanjing by train.

Aside from the dire situation in the north, the encirclement and suppression in the south continued.

Despite this intense encirclement and suppression, the Red Army persisted and even tried to break through the Kuomintang's economic blockade and increase its sources of income.

In this regard, the Third Red Army did a good job. The Hunan-Hubei border base area obtained a continuous supply of bullets and silver dollars through the cigarette trade, thereby alleviating the economic pressure on the base area.

For this reason, other base areas specifically sought advice from the Third Red Army.

After learning of the situation, they specifically established contact with Taishan Airlines through the channels of the Third Red Army.

The person sent was named Shu Zhitao, the person who was in direct contact between the Third Red Army and Taishan Aviation.

Besides having a mission to discuss, he also had another matter to attend the wedding of his liaison officer, a Miao girl named Long Yumei.

The date was November 20, 1933.

Xiangxi Airport was brightly decorated and filled with relatives and friends.

(End of this chapter)