Past eight o 'clock.
Central TV Department 1.
Other than the program team of Rise to the Dance, there were also many other program teams from Central TV Department 1 who were working overtime today. Some time ago, Zhang Ye had been trampling on the people of Central TV Department 1 on Weibo. Many of those who had scolded Zhang Ye during the lawsuit were all scolded back by Zhang Ye. As a result, the relationship between many of the program teams of Central TV Department 1 and Zhang Ye worsened. As a result, they naturally paid more attention to Zhang Ye.
In a certain interview program team.
"We're finally done!"
"Everyone has worked hard. It's time to get off work."
"By the way, has that fellow Zhang Ye's program been broadcasted?"
"It should be broadcasting right now."
"Let's see, I want to see what kind of crap he can come up with on his first documentary!"
A variety show on Central TV Department 1.
"Rise to the Dance is quite exciting!"
"Yeah, it will definitely be number one in the viewership ratings."
"How's Zhang Ye's documentary going?"
"It's broadcasting, right? I didn't pay attention."
"Old Xu is still very capable. Even if Zhang Ye is unconvinced this time, there's nothing he can do about it. Hmm, let's switch to Department 14. Let's take a look at that Sharp-tongued film and see what that Zhang fellow has produced."
…
During the commercial breaks for Rise to the Dance, many of those who liked or disliked Zhang Ye used their remote controls to tune in to Central TV Department 14. In contrast to the intense and passionate dance and dance music of Rise to the Dance, the moment Channel 14 appeared on camera, it was accompanied by a gentle background score. It was as gentle as a trickling stream, as though it was surrounded by clouds and mist. It was accompanied by Zhang Ye's deep and magnetic narration.
"After the matsutake mushrooms were unearthed, Sanji immediately used the pine needles on the ground to cover the fungus pit. Only then would the mycelium not be destroyed. To continue the gift of nature, the villagers followed the rules of the forest.
In the office.
A Central TV Department 1 host laughed mockingly and shook his head. "After seeing the intense scenes of Rise to the Dance, who would want to watch such a boring documentary?"
A female employee beside him laughed and said, "Yeah, it's too boring."
"It's time for us to get off work and go to bed," another person said.
Someone else went with the flow and said, "If we're talking about novelty, it's the HD lens that has a greater visual impact. Let's stick to the usual documentary routine. "
"Isn't it just food? Who doesn't know how to do it? "Many people were laughing.
But very soon, all of them could not laugh anymore!
The proceedings on TV continued.
Zhang Ye's voice was paired with the beautiful camera.
"Although the taste of matsutake is unique, it hasn't been popular for more than 30 years."
"In China's traditional cookbook, there is another top-grade delicacy that comes from the mountains."
"Take the freshest winter bamboo shoots, cut them into pieces, add some oil, and add all sorts of seasonings, and it will become the most common home-cooked dish in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. In China, there are many people who rely on bamboo forests to make a living. They are also experts in bamboo shoots … "
Images of the forest unfolded one after another, and the mouth-watering ingredients revealed their most natural and primitive forms under the high-definition camera lens.
Just looking at the bamboo shoots made one's appetite increase!
Even the fresh bamboo shoots on the screen made many people swallow their saliva unconsciously. Even those who had just eaten their fill felt a refreshing smell. Even through the television, they seemed to smell the damp and fragrant smell of grass seeds in the mountains. The high-definition camera undoubtedly magnified this feeling countless times, even giving people the illusion that they were there!
This was too beautiful!
This … this was too real!
The Central TV program team staff who were mocking Zhang Ye earlier looked at each other. The entire office who was watching A Bite of China were stunned!
A Bite of China was still going on.
A lot of people had fallen silent and were staring at the television.
"Qi Hu and Qi Chen are brothers. Every September, they would come to Hubei's Jiayu County to dig up a natural delicacy. This plant grows deep in the mud at the bottom of the lake. The root of the plant that Qi Hu dug up is called lotus root. It's a high-yielding vegetable that grows in lakes — lotus root. "
"As professional lotus root diggers, Qi Hu and Qi Chen have to go out alone for seven months every year. During the lotus root picking season, they would travel from their hometown in Anhui to places where there are lotus roots. The higher remuneration made Qi Hu and Qi Chen willing to take on this tough job. Lotus root diggers like the cold weather, not because it's easier to dig when it's cold, but because there are more people buying lotus roots for their soup when it's cold, and the price of lotus roots will rise. "
Mud.
Fresh lotus roots.
Lotus root diggers.
It was an ordinary scene, but it made the people living in the city feel a sense of comfort that they hadn't felt in a long time. It was a kind of happiness and enjoyment that was hard to describe with words!
This was Zhang Ye's documentary?
This was A Bite of China??
That Central TV host suddenly broke the silence and shook his head with a laugh. "I've underestimated Zhang Ye. He's still quite good at filming, but no matter how well it's shot, it's still just a documentary. The viewership ratings are also bound to be low."
Someone nodded. "Yeah, it's a good thing it's a documentary, otherwise …"
"Otherwise what?" a colleague beside him asked.
That person gave a wry smile. "Otherwise the other programs that are airing in the same time slot might really feel pressured."
An assistant director who had argued with Zhang Ye online before said, "This Zhang fellow is clearly taking on a documentary for the first time, so how did he know how to shoot such an unpopular show?"
No one could answer him.
Because there was no answer to begin with.
… …
At Yan Tianfei's house.
Old Yan was watching TV with his wife and family.
Yan Tianfei kept saying, "It's shot really well, really well. With a documentary of this standard, it definitely won't be a problem for it to win an award in the documentary category!"
His wife, who was beside him, agreed, "This film is really good. So a documentary can be shot this way too? I've never watched your channel's shows before, but this A Bite of China seems to have a similar approach to other documentaries, yet it's also completely different at the same time. Eh, Old Yan, turn the volume up a little. I can't hear you! "
Yan Tianfei sighed slightly again. "What a pity, what a pity."
His wife asked, "What's the matter?"
Yan Tianfei said, "It's a pity that with Zhang Ye's capabilities, if we hadn't given him a documentary this time, he would have had a chance to compete with Rise to the Dance. It's our channel that's holding him back."
Although his wife also felt that A Bite of China was very interesting, she also understood that no matter how interesting it was, it was still a niche documentary. It was not qualified to compete with variety shows, so she continued watching the show without saying a word.
… …
At Zhang Ye's parents' house.
His mother was looking at the television in astonishment. "Son, this is the documentary you shot?"
"Yes." Zhang Ye smiled. "It's not bad, right?"
His mother said in surprise, "It's very good and suits my taste. It's a show that I like to watch." With a pause, she said, "But it might not necessarily be the case for others. I think most of them wouldn't be able to accept it."
Zhang Ye asked, "Why wouldn't they be able to accept it?"
"Because it's a niche," his mother said matter-of-factly.
Zhang Ye asked again, "Why is it a niche?"
His mother said, "Because it's a documentary."
Zhang Ye surrendered. "… Alright then."
Zhang Ye knew that the concept of no one watching a documentary was too deeply ingrained in the minds of the people of this world. Even if a lot of people fell in love with this documentary at first glance, they still did not think that others would be the same as them. They did not think that others would like it too.
Chenchen suddenly said, "Zhang Ye, I'm hungry."
Zhang Ye curled his lips. "Go and cook your own instant noodles."
Chenchen pointed at the television. "I want to eat stir-fried bamboo shoots."
His mother smiled and patted Chenchen on the head dotingly. "The restaurant's still open. Grandma will call you to order some food. It just so happens that I'm also hungry from watching this!"
His father interjected, "Order a honey lotus root as well."
… …
Central TV Department 14. Everyone was still holding their ground.
But just like Zhang Ye, Ha Qiqi, Zhang Zuo, and the others were also watching Rise to the Dance on TV in the office. They were also watching it.
Little Wang said angrily, "Why is it so lively?"
Ha Qiqi sighed as she looked at Weibo on her cell phone. "The response from the viewers seems to be quite good."
"With such a big promotion and so many celebrity coaches, how could it not be lively?" Zhang Zuo's heart sank. "Do you guys really expect our documentary to be able to compete with theirs?"
Wu Yi said stubbornly, "How many people can understand the art of dance?"
Zhang Zuo shook his head. "But at least they can understand more than those who watch documentaries, right?"
The liveliness and popularity of Rise to the Dance had dealt a heavy blow to the program team and shattered their last bit of hope. They were still hoping that Rise to the Dance would fail in its broadcast and get a bad reputation in the viewership ratings. If they could achieve an unprecedented 0.3% viewership rating, they might still have a chance of closing the gap with Rise to the Dance's viewership ratings. But now, there was definitely no hope for them!
Rise to the Dance had become popular as expected!
But what about them?
What about their A Bite of China?
As they were talking, they suddenly heard Tong Fu exclaim in surprise!
"Quick, look!" His voice was a little loud.
Ha Qiqi was startled. "Whoa, who stepped on your foot?"
Zhang Zuo looked over. "What's the matter? What are you looking at? "
Tong Fu quickly said, "Look at the comments! Quickly go on Weibo! "
Everyone was wondering why Tong Fu was so shocked. When they logged into Weibo to take a look, they were also dumbfounded and could not react for a moment!
There were too many comments from the netizens!
Before they could see anything else, they could only see the screen filled with the words "A Bite of China"!
"It's so good to watch!"
"What the heck, a documentary can even be filmed like this?"
"So this is what a HD camera looks like? Awesome! "
"This image is so intricate that it looks like a big-budget movie! Zhang Ye's documentaries are so godly! "
"I'm hungry! I'm hungry! "
"This is the first time I've seen a documentary like this! If not for Rise to the Dance's commercial break, I wouldn't have switched over to Department 14. In the end, I couldn't stop watching it! "
"It's really good! Zhang Ye's reputation is really great! "
"I only came here because of Zhang Ye's name. I didn't have much hope at first, but who could have expected that A Bite of China would give me such a big surprise! This documentary is so innovative! "
"10,000 Likes! I can't stop watching it! "
Yao Jiancai suddenly posted on Weibo: "Recommending my old bro Zhang's new show, A Bite of China. It's currently being broadcast. Everyone, go and watch it. It's so good that my stomach hurts!"
Beijing Television's Hu Fei posted on Weibo: "I'm convinced!!"
Dong Shanshan: "Strongly recommending A Bite of China! The best documentary of this century! "
Zhang Yuanqi's manager, Fang Weihong: "It's really a surprise! Teacher Zhang's programs are always so sincere, and always so surprising! "
Grandma Zhang Xia reposted on Weibo: "This is what a real documentary should be. It's really interesting!"
A famous documentary director in the industry said: "I really didn't expect that in today's sluggish market environment, there would still be someone who could bring a documentary to new heights. I would like to recommend A Bite of China. Although you can't expect a documentary to do too well in the viewership ratings, nor can it be compared to a variety show, I feel that every documentary director should learn from A Bite of China's filming techniques and storytelling logic. It will be a great inspiration to others, and of course, that includes me!"
There was a wave of praise!
Almost everyone who had watched A Bite of China before was applauding it!
Ha Qiqi was stunned on the spot!
Zhang Zuo was dumbfounded!
The program team staff of A Bite of China all looked extremely surprised. This was because they did not have high expectations for their own documentary, so they did not expect it to turn out like this!
… …
Central TV Department 1.
In the program team office of Rise to the Dance.
Xu Yipeng was looking at the large LCD TV screen hanging on the wall of the program team office. As he watched the fifth contestant appear on the screen, he was all smiles and nodded from time to time. Listening to the staff reporting the number of Weibo comments and the rising popularity of the show, he was very satisfied.
The show would definitely become popular!
There was no doubt about that!
The question now was how high their premiere episode's viewership ratings would be!
At this moment, a staff member stammered, "Director Xu, Director Chen."
"What's the matter?" Chen Ye, who had been smiling all this while, looked over when he heard that.
"Uh, I don't know if I should say this, but …" That staff member still said, "Department 14's A Bite of China is getting a little more popular now."
Chen Ye did not think much of it. "Oh?"
Xu Yipeng smiled and said, "What's everyone's opinion on it?"
"They're all saying that it's not bad." That staff member said cautiously, "It has a very good reputation."
Chen Ye shook his head and said, "That's very normal. As a B-list celebrity, Zhang Ye's fan base is still quite large. It's not surprising that there are some diehard fans supporting him. Moreover, their documentary is a niche genre, so its reputation will always be very good. It's not like variety shows, where there will always be more scoldings than likes."
Xu Yipeng also had a look at the comments on A Bite of China on Weibo. Then he said, "It looks like Zhang Ye did not mess up the documentary. But no matter what, it's still a documentary, so don't even think about the viewership ratings. If it does well, it's probably only going to get a documentary award in the near future. Yes, but that might not necessarily be the case. Zhang Ye's reputation is too bad and he has offended people from seven or eight different industries, so even if there's a good award, it might not necessarily be given to him."
Up until now, they still did not think much of A Bite of China. From the beginning to the end, they did not treat A Bite of China as a competitor at all. This was because they knew that a well-received work might not necessarily be a hit. Documentaries were always aiming to win awards, so they would not consider whether it would be a hit or not. Even if they did consider it, it would be meaningless because 90% of the audience would not watch a documentary. A documentary was only concerned about its reputation and was going down the artistic route. But for their variety shows, the praise and reputation were meaningless. They were more concerned about the box office and viewership ratings. As such, the two types of shows were on completely different routes and could not be compared at all!
They would not compete with a documentary's reputation!
Similarly, a documentary could not compete with their variety show's viewership ratings either!
…
A call came in.
Hu Fei was also of the same opinion.
"Hello, Brother Hu." Zhang Ye walked into his room to answer the call.
Hu Fei laughed heartily and said: "You're really good! You've not shown your face for more than two months, so it turns out that you've gone to prepare for your big move. This documentary was done really well! I, Xiao Lu, Dafei, Dong Shanshan, and the others are all watching your show here in the program team. Everyone is cheering for you and is very happy for you! "
Zhang Ye chuckled and said: "Thank you, everyone."
Hu Fei said: "You really know how to shoot a documentary? You can even shoot it like this? "
Zhang Ye said modestly: "I was just shooting blindly."
"You saw Weibo? The top three documentary directors in the country have all Liked A Bite of China and their comments for you are also quite high. I reckon that this year's most prestigious documentary award will definitely be yours. There's no way you can run away from it! " Hu Fei was really happy for him. He said: "But don't think too much about the viewership ratings. There's definitely no hope for it. You just have to work hard with Department 14 and win the most prestigious documentary award!"
Zhang Ye gave a slight smile and did not want to argue any further.
After hanging up, Zhang Ye also browsed through Weibo to see the netizens' comments. After thinking about it carefully, he felt that the current situation was a little different from what he had imagined. It had exceeded his expectations!
Was it because there was too little popularity?
On the contrary, it was because the popularity was too high!
According to Zhang Ye's previous estimates, A Bite of China would have to endure the humiliation. After all, in his previous world, what was the viewership ratings for the premiere episode of the first season of the original A Bite of China? It was only 0.012%! It was not even a fraction of the worst variety show's viewership ratings! That was why Zhang Ye was planning on accumulating word of mouth in the beginning and gradually releasing the documentary later on. But with the feedback from the people, Zhang Ye was pleasantly surprised. He knew that some of his measures were showing results!
For example, the controversy over the premiere episode with Rise to the Dance!
For example, the impact of his huge popularity on A Bite of China!
These were all changes! These were all reasons for A Bite of China to gain popularity in advance!
The A Bite of China in this world had already taken a different path, so they could no longer imitate the original A Bite of China's operation and broadcast rhythm from his previous world!
Perhaps there was no longer a need for a strong foundation?
Or perhaps now was the time for them to compete?
After much consideration, Zhang Ye took out his cell phone and called Yan Tianfei. "Hello, Director Yan, there's an urgent matter. I would like to change the broadcast time of A Bite of China at the last minute."
Yan Tianfei pondered for a moment. "How do you want to change it?"
"Tonight, I would like to broadcast two episodes of A Bite of China until around 10 PM in one go!" Zhang Ye said, "It will end at the same time as Rise to the Dance!"
According to the original broadcast schedule, A Bite of China would end before 9 PM, while an episode of Rise to the Dance would last less than two hours including the commercials. That meant that after A Bite of China ended its broadcast, Rise to the Dance would still have half of its broadcast time left.
Yan Tianfei said, "The broadcast time has already been decided. It's not that we can't change it now, but it would be quite troublesome and we would have to contact a lot of other departments. Is there a need for that?"
Zhang Ye said firmly, "I think there is."
Yan Tianfei asked, "Why?"
Zhang Ye was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I will give you an answer tomorrow."
Tomorrow?
Why would he give an answer tomorrow?
Yan Tianfei was taken aback, but did not ask any further. "Alright, I will contact them for you. There's still 20 minutes before the broadcast ends, so there's still time. I will get someone to display the continuous broadcast reminder on the screen. As long as someone is watching A Bite of China right now, they will definitely see it."
"I'm sorry, Director Yan. I was being too willful," Zhang Ye said apologetically.
But Yan Tianfei said, "You're the overall supervisor of A Bite of China's program team, the executive director. You have your own considerations and judgment, so I believe in you."
Zhang Ye said, "Thank you very much. I will contact the other departments, so I'll go back to the office now!"
They were a documentary channel, so they did not care about the host or the program team. The documentary that was scheduled to be broadcast at 9 PM was something that they had bought the rights to. If it was moved to a later date or even not aired at all, no one would have any objections and the audience would not mind either. This was because no one would watch it, so even if there was a last-minute adjustment, there would not be any disputes.
After hanging up, Zhang Ye immediately put on a coat and said, "Dad, Mom, I have to go to the office. It's urgent!" Then he called Ha Qiqi and Zhang Zuo, who were still working overtime at the office!
"Old Ha, tell everyone not to leave! I'll be right there! "Zhang Ye said.
Ha Qiqi said in surprise, "Ah? Didn't you get off work already? "
Zhang Ye laughed and said, "You guys still have the foresight to not leave. Wait for me to get there first!"
...
Online.
Very quickly, people found out about the news!
A rolling caption appeared on the screen of A Bite of China. Zhang Ye and Department 14's official Weibo also gave a special reminder and explanation!
The netizens were surprised and pleasantly surprised!
"Wow, two episodes in a row?"
"That's great! The conscience of the industry! "
"Hahaha, I was just fretting that I haven't had my fill yet!"
"I just ordered some food, but it hasn't arrived yet. I can eat while watching the second episode!"
"Two episodes in a row? Then that would make it the same broadcast time as Rise to the Dance? Uh, what is Teacher Zhang trying to do? Why do I feel like this broadcast adjustment is a little unusual? "
"Could it be that he's targeting Rise to the Dance?"
"Fuck, you guys are thinking too much. Even if it's 10 episodes in a row, do you think that a documentary can beat a variety show, much less two episodes in a row? And it's even a large-scale talent show that costs 100 million RMB to produce? If that were to happen, then wouldn't the people at Central TV Department 1 vomit blood and jump off a building! How would you make the variety shows of all the television stations in the country feel? Even if you think about it, it's not realistic. "
"Uh, that's true."
"Who cares, as long as there's a broadcast!"
"Just look at how good A Bite of China's reputation is. More and more people are talking about it, but actually, there aren't that many people who actually watch it. I think that only people like to watch it."
"Yeah, there's nothing we can do about it. It's a niche show after all."
"Wow, why did they broadcast the second episode without any advertisements?"
"Why didn't they sell any advertisements for A Bite of China?"
"Who do you think would buy advertisements for a documentary?"
"That's true, let's not talk about it anymore. Who cares if others like it or not, as long as I like it. I'm going to watch the second episode, haha!"
"Let's go together!"
"I'm looking forward to it!"
...
The Second Episode.
The Story of the Staple Food.
"Staple food usually provides most of the calories that humans need.
"The culinary skills of the Chinese are different from others. From the most ordinary pot of rice and steamed buns to the ever-changing and exquisite staple food, they are all the fruits of the hard work and experience of the Chinese people. However, no matter how much food and drinks they eat, the staple food will always be the main character on the Chinese dining table. "
The music was melodious.
The heat from the food in the video seemed to be drifting out from the television.
...
As the reputation of the documentary continued to grow, more and more people switched to Channel 14. Some of those who had not even watched the first episode heard about A Bite of China from the Internet or their neighbors. They also turned their attention to the channel out of curiosity, wanting to see what this documentary was like!
In the end, it got out of hand!
A lot of people only watched it for a few seconds before they could not change the channel anymore!
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