Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

After a moment of silence, Ho Koon-cheung took out two cigarettes and handed them to Li Jiangbo. "Director Li is truly witty. I came here today to ask you, Director Li, would you like to promote yourself to the world?"

"Hong Kong is too small; its population can't compare to that of a country. Ever since Golden Harvest was founded, Mr. Chow has always wanted to step outside our borders and go international. Bruce Lee is one example, but unfortunately..."

Li Jiangbo understood He Guanchang's meaning and admired Jiahe's vision.

Without exaggeration or bias, Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers have made indelible contributions to the development of Hong Kong films.

Shaw Brothers established the factory system, while Golden Harvest established the satellite system. Regardless of the drawbacks of these systems, they undoubtedly contributed to the development of Hong Kong's film industry.

Li Jiangbo pondered for a moment, "I understand what He Sheng means, and I also admire Zou Sheng's vision, but I am a person who knows how to repay kindness."

Ho Koon-cheung laughed, "That's great! I understand. I'm just here to get to know Director Lee, nothing more."

"However, I think that starting next year, Hong Kong's film and television industry will gradually reach its peak."

"If Director Li ever wants to come to our Golden Harvest, Mr. Zou and I will definitely welcome him warmly."

Li Jiangbo listened attentively with a smile on his face. When he heard He Guanchang's assessment of the future of Hong Kong's film industry, he was secretly surprised.

He was a time traveler who knew the beginning of the glory of Hong Kong's film industry, and Ho Koon-cheung dared to assert, based on his own judgment, that next year would be the beginning of the awakening of Hong Kong films.

Suddenly he remembered that Golden Harvest had just discovered Jackie Chan this year. Thanks to Bruce Lee's influence in Japanese cinema, Jackie Chan was able to rise to the top in the 80s.

Should I try to find out about Cheng Long myself?

Thinking of this, he secretly made a mental note of it, and he would find out by simulating the situation that night.

Li Jiangbo smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Zou and Mr. He. There will be opportunities to cooperate in the future, and then..."

Upon hearing this, He Guanchang laughed loudly and said, "Great! Mr. Zou and I look forward to that day coming soon."

After seeing Ho Koon-cheung off, Li Jiangbo also dismissed Leslie Cheung and started the simulator.

When Li Jiangbo saw the popularity score on the system panel, he was shocked. His popularity score had exceeded 13,000 points.

He didn't expect a movie to bring him so much popularity, which seemed inconsistent with the level of popularity he could gain as a director, so he decided to upgrade the simulator to advanced level and try it again.

Unexpectedly, it would take three days for the system to upgrade to the advanced level, so Li Jiangbo stopped paying attention to the system and started working on his own.

A while later, a phone rang in Li Jiangbo's office.

Li Jiangbo answered the phone and heard Shao Daheng's cheerful voice.

"Bo-zai! Congratulations on your box office surpassing seven million!"

Li Jiangbo said in surprise, "So fast? I thought it would take another day or two. Uncle Liu called, is there something wrong?"

On the other end of the phone, Shao Yifu laughed heartily, "Bo-zai, you deserve a lot of credit for this box office success! So, I'm calling to ask when we're going to have a celebration party to mark the occasion?"

Li Jiangbo pondered for a moment, "Sixth Uncle, how about we hold the event after the film finishes its run? I still need to think about what to make for my next movie."

"Okay! I think your movie has a good chance of breaking ten million at the box office. I plan to release it for 24 days first and see. If it doesn't break ten million by then, we'll wait until it does before taking it off the screens."

"Thank you, Uncle Liu. By the way, Uncle Liu, Mr. He from Jiahe came to see me today."

Upon hearing this, Shao Yifu frowned. "Oh! Is this Guan Chang? What is it? Would it be convenient for you to tell Sixth Uncle?"

Li Jiangbo nodded, "There's no inconvenience about it. He came to talk to me about things outside the city."

Shao Yifu snorted coldly. He understood that Li Jiangbo wanted him to hurry up and help promote "Happy Ghost" to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

But now he had no choice but to agree to Li Jiangbo's request.

After a moment's thought, Shao Yifu said in a deep voice, "Bo-zai, don't worry, I'll arrange it right away."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Liu."

The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up.

As soon as he hung up the phone, Shao Yifu's face darkened instantly. He thought to himself: That bastard Li Jiangbo actually dared to use this matter to blackmail him!

Are young people these days so brave? Or has Shao Daheng become too weak to wield a knife?

However, now is not the time to cause trouble for Li Jiangbo, otherwise we would be pushing him towards Jiahe.

Li Jiangbo's phone kept ringing, mostly with people discussing cooperation or offering congratulations.

This annoyed Li Jiangbo so much that he was about to go home to hide and simulate what would happen next.

Unexpectedly, a phone call changed his plans.

"Hey, Director Li! This is Li Hanxiang. Great news, fantastic news!"

Li Jiangbo immediately thought of the investment he had discussed with Li Hanxiang at the airport regarding Li's filming of "The Burning of the Yuanmingyuan." His eyes lit up, and he sat up slightly. "Wow! What great news? Could it be that they've agreed to my investment?"

Li Hanxiang, on the other end of the phone, said excitedly, "Yes! After a long negotiation, they've agreed to your investment!"

"Great! Do you have a specific plan?"

Li Hanxiang suppressed his excitement and said in a low voice, "It's not convenient to talk about this over the phone, how about we meet and discuss it?"

"No problem, where shall we meet?"

"The Peninsula Hotel! I'll treat you to dinner."

"Okay, see you later."

At 6 p.m., in a private room at the Peninsula Hotel.

As soon as Li Jiangbo opened the door, he saw Li Hanxiang, who was beaming, chatting with a particularly beautiful woman.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the beautiful woman was none other than Xia Meng, one of the three princesses of the Great Wall!

After exchanging pleasantries, the group sat down and began to eat and chat.

It wasn't until after several rounds of drinks and several dishes that the three of them finally got down to business.

Li Hanxiang put down his wine glass, his expression turning serious. "Director Li, they've agreed to let you invest in my film, and they've specifically sent Miss Xia Meng to talk to you first."

Xia Meng immediately chimed in, "Director Li, I just returned from abroad and I'm not very familiar with the rules of the Hong Kong film industry now. If I say anything wrong, I hope you'll forgive me."

Li Jiangbo put down his chopsticks. "Sure, what are their requirements?"

Seeing Li Jiangbo's straightforwardness, Xia Meng didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, "You'll only be responsible for the investment, and Director Li Hanxiang will be responsible for the filming. China Film Group will give you a buyout fee."

Li Jiangbo was a little confused when he heard this. This was completely different from what he had thought!

They just make you invest, then give you a lump sum of money at the end and call it a day? That's unacceptable!

After a moment's thought, Li Jiangbo said, "Miss Xia, I absolutely cannot accept these conditions! I can do without the box office revenue from mainland China, but I must get a share of the box office revenue from other regions."

Xia Meng had long anticipated that Li Jiangbo would disagree, because if she were in his shoes, she wouldn't agree either.

They take other people's money and then give them a lump sum, without even specifying how much. How can you expect people to invest willingly like that?

But she couldn't think of a good way to persuade Li Jiangbo to accept the conditions, and the negotiations reached a stalemate.

Li Jiangbo actually understands the current situation in mainland China. The mainland has only recently opened up, and none of its systems are mature yet.

Moreover, the conditions Xia Meng mentioned are also the basic conditions for cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland.

In the 1980s and 90s, there were only three ways for Hong Kong and the mainland to cooperate.

It either needs to be a co-production, an import, or be bought and distributed by China Film Group.

This situation did not change until the two sides signed the CEPA agreement in 2003.

Although he knew this, he still had to fight for what he could. He wanted to contribute to the country, but he couldn't do it for nothing.

Thinking of this, Li Jiangbo asked, "Miss Xia, what difficulties are you facing? Please tell me!"

Xia Meng and Li Jiangbo exchanged glances, then Xia Meng said, "Director Li knows that the mainland has just opened up and everything needs to be rebuilt. It's not that we won't give you a share of the Hong Kong box office, it's just that the mainland is desperately short of foreign exchange."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangbo fell silent, unable to think of a good solution for the time being.

Seeing that his plan was about to fall through, Li Hanxiang was extremely anxious.

The two sides remained deadlocked for about ten minutes before Xia Meng finally gave in.

"Director Li, let me talk to them again. Whether it works out or not is another matter."

Li Jiangbo nodded. "Then I'll leave it to Miss Xia Meng."