Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

No sooner had He Yi'an finished speaking than a reporter stood up and said, "Director He, didn't you say that a bit too harshly?"

"Heavy?" He Yi'an looked at the reporter. "When they were criticizing me, why didn't you speak up for me? Why didn't anyone say that what they said was harsh?"

"They called me a 'nepotism hire,' a 'ghost employee,' a 'spoiler,' an 'exploiter of suffering,' arrogant, unfit to make movies, and presumptuous. Aren't these words harsh?"

"Let me tell you, I am He Ye... no, now my stage name is He Yi'an."

"I, He Yi'an, have an upright and honest life. I wrote my own script, assembled my own production team, and negotiated my own investments. I have never taken advantage of anyone, nor have I wronged anyone."

"My personality is such that if someone treats me well, I'll treat them even better; but if you slap me, I won't greet you with a smile, I'll retaliate with three stabs!"

"Those who criticize me, if you're so capable, make a movie that's better than mine and completely convince me. If you can't, then shut up."

"As for those who haven't even seen my movies yet but write articles or start cursing..." He Yi'an wasn't going to give these people any face, staring at them and saying word by word, "These people don't deserve to be directors, reporters, or even human beings."

He Yi'an even cursed some reporters who were present and some who weren't.

These words caused an uproar at the press conference.

Some reporters were so excited their faces turned red, while others looked ashen.

Yu Feihong watched He Yi'an from the corner, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

She hadn't known He Yi'an for long, but during that time, her impression of him remained focused on his status as a genius junior.

She is serious when doing things, and is also kind and gentle to the people around her. She always maintains absolute control over the things she shoots.

But today, she saw another side of this person.

He Yi'an has quite a temper, and is even vindictive.

This was the first time she had ever seen someone dare to unleash such a furious and merciless outburst, hurling insults at everyone who had criticized him.

Youthful arrogance!

However, upon closer reflection, Yu Feihong did not think that He Yi'an's actions were wrong.

A person should have a temper, so that people know you're not someone to be messed with, otherwise anyone can easily bully you.

As a celebrity, Yu Feihong understands this mentality best. For every bit of praise one can receive, there is an equal amount of hatred and slander one must endure.

After all, even the RMB has its share of dislikes.

But even knowing this, Yu Feihong often disliked this feeling, and frequently had to suppress her frustrations. If she could express her true feelings as directly as He Yi'an, then…

"Looks like I still need to become a director. Directors can say whatever they want..."

Few people would know that, aside from his initial desire to realize his dream, the real reason Yu Feihong wanted to become a director was actually because of this!

Looking at the reporters who were either silent or furiously writing, He Yi'an's tone returned to calm: "Does anyone have any more questions?"

A young female reporter timidly raised her hand: "Director He... Director He Yi'an, what are your expectations for the film's box office performance?"

He Yi'an looked at her and thought to himself, "It's really not easy. After saying so much, finally someone is willing to ask me about the movie!"

He then gave the female reporter a genuine smile: "Expectations? After all, I'm just a newcomer. It would be perfect if the film could be successfully made. If the box office can break even or even make a profit, that would be even better."

"What are the specific figures?"

"Thirty to forty million," He Yi'an casually said, "but that's the global box office. How much it sells domestically depends on whether the audience is willing to support it."

These words caused another stir among the reporters.

Thirty to forty million?

An art film?

He Yi'an, do you want to see what you're saying?

Are you out of your mind?

This number would have been unbelievable in 2002.

You should know that right now, in the domestic box office, there's only one small movie that can really break 10 million!

But he makes commercial films!

Many reporters wanted to ask further questions, but He Yi'an clearly didn't want to answer anymore.

He stood up to leave when a reporter from *Nanfang Entertainment* suddenly shouted, "Director He Yi'an, what are your thoughts on the Four Little Actresses?"

He Yi'an, who had just stood up, paused. "The Four Little Actresses?"

Yes!

Historically, it was Nanfang Entertainment that first introduced the concept of "Four Little Actresses" at the end of January 2002.

When they first introduced this concept, they were met with a lot of criticism. Now, more than a month has passed, and the concept has almost fully taken hold.

Asking him now is clearly an attempt to reignite the discussion.

"Oh, it's Nanfang Entertainment," He Yi'an stopped in his tracks, a hint of teasing in his voice. "What? You've been hyping this up for so long, and you're still asking me what I'm doing?"

"Director He, although we selected the 'Four Little Actresses,' we also want to hear more accurate and professional opinions. As the director, if you could respond, it would make our interview much easier to write..."

The reporters' meaning couldn't be clearer: they just wanted to use his name to generate more buzz.

Moreover, they have already given He Yi'an a clear indication that they will likely only introduce what He Yi'an wants to promote when this topic comes up.

He Yi'an understood what the reporter meant, and he smiled: "Your so-called four little actresses..."

"I haven't met Yanzi Zhao, but after seeing some news about her from last year's military... I don't really like her. Besides, she's very popular, but she's just a TV star. As for Zhou Xun, I'm sorry, I've only heard that she made her way up from rock music, and I don't know anything else about her. The only one I've met is Zhang Ziyi. She was a very dedicated actress on the set of 'Hero'..."

"I don't quite agree with your approach of comparing them to Zhang Ziyi."

"You're comparing her to others, which is essentially dragging her down to elevate the status and exposure of others. Among Chinese actresses today, the only ones truly above her are Gong Li and Maggie Cheung."

"As for the others... hehe..."

After he finished speaking, he put down the microphone, turned around, and walked off the stage.

He Yi'an's statement can be considered a spur-of-the-moment remark.

This is tantamount to completely rejecting Nanfang Entertainment's sorting method.

Previously, online discussions were mostly about who wasn't qualified and who should go first, but now...

Good guy!

He Yi'an directly labeled Yanzi as a TV star, saying he didn't know Zhou Xun, only that she was involved in rock music, and didn't even mention Xu Jinglei.

This is actually He Yi'an's true thought.

It is now 2002!

Never mind the abstract and ruthless things Zhang Ziyi did later.

At least for now, Zhang Ziyi's status far surpasses that of the others.

The film lineup includes movies like "My Father and Mother" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," achieving both box office success and numerous awards.

Moreover, it's being shown all over the world.

What about the others?

Therefore, the practice of bringing Zhang Ziyi into the "Four Little Actresses" is actually the same as Tencent's practice of bringing Liu Yifei into the "Four Little Actresses of the Post-80s Generation" in 09.

These are all practices of pulling down the strongest to elevate the status of others.

Then they created the 85 Flower brand, which was a similar operation.

Bundled marketing, that's a common tactic.

Why was Zhang Ziyi paired with Liu Yifei first, and then Liu Yifei was paired with her later?

It's simply because they're the most popular.

As I said before, it's 2002 now.

Regardless of whether Li An is a "banana" (a person of Asian descent who is Westernized) or whether the film is a martial arts film with a Western narrative core, the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" grossed $2.15 million worldwide.

It also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In today's climate of public opinion, that's awesome!

Zhang Ziyi also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Newcomer for her role in this film.

Regardless of whether these honors are frivolous or not, you can't deny that they are international awards.

And it was given to me by Da Piao Liang.

Although it looks cheap and worthless, that's the current trend.

We have been silent for too long and rejected for too long; we desperately need the recognition of others.

Especially internationally.

Unfortunately, the current discourse power lies with the West, and it will take many more years of biding its time to truly stand up.

He Yi'an certainly didn't value these rewards, and he knew that Zhang Ziyi wasn't some innocent girl, so he had no interest in her whatsoever.

But compared to Zhang Ziyi, the others...

Well, some of the slides are off-limits, so I won't go into detail.

But he completely ignored Zhou Xun and didn't want to mention her at all.

The others, no matter what, fought amongst themselves without involving anyone else. Only this guy personally got involved in smearing Liu Yifei.

Moreover, they were ruthless and vicious, using extremely despicable methods.

So when He Yi'an saw some people write in his past life that Liu Yifei had a good relationship with Zhou Xun and even called her "sister," he found it hard to stay calm...

Forget it, some people are just unaware, don't understand, and just parrot what others say.

But He Yi'an really didn't want to mention her at all.

------

P.S.: Some people say I don't write enough about Sissi. Well, Sissi will be appearing tomorrow. Also, at this point in time, there's really nothing to write about interacting with her. Deliberately trying to flatter her isn't my style.

A man should stand up straight first, otherwise if you wear a coarse cloth outfit and look like a country bumpkin, who will pay attention to you!

Let's make the main character famous first!