Including the previous three times, this was Adriaan's fourth visit to the mainland. Of course, it was the first time that he made an official visit as the chairman of one of the world's largest media groups. Therefore, he had to face the swarm of reporters and say a lot of seemingly pleasant but actually useless nonsense. At the same time, he had to occupy the headlines of the current affairs and entertainment sections of various media.
After all, in addition to being the chairman of the media group, he was also a legendary director. 80% of the movies he directed had been released in the mainland, and he had a large number of fans.
However, Adriaan's official visit to the mainland was not for this. Although there were many business negotiations, those were handled by professionals. All he needed to do was to visit. That's right. To put it simply, he was here to walk around and have some fun. Of course, this time, it was impossible to play with women. Such a high-profile would inevitably attract a lot of attention. If the reporters photographed something that shouldn't be photographed, it would be a little troublesome. His reputation as a playboy had already spread far and wide.
In fact, at the cocktail party that night, those women who had painstakingly gotten an invitation card were like moths flying into a flame, racking their brains to talk to him. Most of them were from the entertainment industry. The road to fame of Lin Zhiling and Gao Yuanyuan, as well as how the Big and Small Ice Sisters squeezed into Hollywood, was no longer a secret in this circle. What's more, the Wang Brothers often used their cooperation with AC Media as a signboard.
Therefore, as long as Adriaan wanted to, it was not a problem to play with them. However, if he was really caught by the reporters, it would be very troublesome. It was hard to say whether some stupid women wanted to use this stupid method to enhance their fame. Although he held shares in many media companies in the mainland, this was not his territory after all, and it was not as easy as he wanted to.
The reason why he was so high-profile was that, first, some business cooperation needed to be negotiated in a formal way. Second, if he wanted to visit the mainland alone in two years, he would need to think carefully. Adriaan was not Buffy. He did not have the ability to make the stock market appreciate with one sentence – this was also a pass. However, he also admitted that there was a little bit of a desire to return home, but it was only a little bit. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, there were still some small things that he needed to really understand.
"There's no doubt that you're creating a miracle. Even here, the best place in the world, it's still the same every three days." Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the China World Hotel, Adriaan exclaimed as he looked at the scenery outside. "It's hard to imagine. When I came here a few years ago, the Fifth Ring Road had just been put into use. But now, the Sixth Ring Road is almost completed. It seems that the Seventh Ring Road is inevitable."
Then, he turned his head and smiled at the old man beside him. "I hope you won't build a ring road to the United States in the future."
"That's a good idea." The other party laughed heartily. "To be honest, you are the media mogul who understands China the best I've ever met, Mr. Kewell."
After a pause, he added, "This is not a compliment. You know more about China than many people in China. For example, yesterday's speech at Peking University, about the movie and the latter part, I personally agree with it."
"Really?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Of course!" The man nodded seriously and said in a contemptuous tone, "You're right. If those people can't do well within the rules, will they be able to do well if the rules are removed?"
"Thank you." Although Adriaan smiled, he didn't take it to heart. His words were mostly compliments, and in his heart, he liked the last few sentences the most.
Just like all the big shots would always go to several well-known universities to give speeches after coming to China, Adriaan was no exception. So yesterday, he gave a speech at Peking University with the theme of "New Media and the Public." At first, he actually wanted to go to Shuimu University. Although most of the country's top officials came from Peking, the most important ones were always from Shuimu, so he really wanted to go there.
However, after thinking about it carefully, he gave up. Although Shuimu University also sent an invitation, its words were not sincere, more like a perfunctory response. Peking University, on the other hand, was more enthusiastic. In order to avoid sending the wrong signal, Adriaan finally chose the latter.
Most of the time, there was nothing much to say in the main speech. The speech script had been prepared in advance and had been shown to the school and certain people. The students who came to participate had also been selected. However, there were always a few bold guys who said that the emergence of online video might lead to the emergence of more personal films. When they were allowed to ask questions, a student asked him what he thought of China's film industry.
"There is no doubt that China's film industry is trying to catch up. Although the pace is slow, and although sometimes it is unclear about the direction, it is indeed moving forward. I know that 'Hero' doesn't have a good reputation in China, but in North America, it is indeed a good film. " Adriaan answered in fluent Chinese. The entire speech was conducted in Chinese, which made him receive a lot of surprised gazes. At the same time, those who wanted to show off their English didn't have a chance to do so.
Originally, he only wanted to say this, but the person who asked the question didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer. He immediately asked, "What specific differences do you think there are between China and Hollywood in terms of film production, from the system to the system?"
After this sentence, basically what he wanted to say could be determined. Not only did the students sitting near him glance at him, but some of the school leaders sitting in the front also slightly turned their heads with a look of displeasure.
"I roughly understand what this student means." After a few seconds of pause, Adriaan said with a smile.
This is … this is the tradition of Peking University? It is not wrong to say that they are too young and too simple. Since that is the case, then he will not be polite.
"There is such a country …" He suddenly raised his voice, "Their film industry has just started, and the domestic market is occupied by foreign films. People are very tolerant of the films from other countries, even if they are bad films, but they are very harsh on their own films. In order to support the domestic film industry, the government has to legislate to restrict foreign films and encourage domestic filmmakers to produce more and better works. But at the same time, they set up various censorship committees. In order to ensure the film box office and 'pure' the film, they began to delete and ban films that they think are bad. "
Speaking of this, Adriaan smiled with a meaningful expression, "Now, can any student tell me which country I am talking about?"
The Peking University auditorium was silent for a while, and then there was a soft but clear murmur from somewhere, "Since you are using it as an example, it is definitely not our country."
Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter.
Adriaan also laughed, "Yes, the country I am talking about is the United States in the first half of the last century."
There was a buzzing sound, but it quickly subsided. With the rapid development of the Internet, the students present knew what he was talking about.
"That's right, I am talking about the Hayes Code." Adriaan continued, "As early as 1915, state governments at all levels set up censorship committees. They used forceful means to force movies to be edited according to the rules, or they would face the consequences of being banned. A few years later, the state committees united and became a national organization. A few years later, the code used to review the standards was published and implemented by the head of the agency at the time, Will Hayes, so it is known as the Hayes Code. There are 12 prohibitions in the entire code, including crime, sex, religion, and so on. Of course, whether or not they are violated depends on the attitude of the censor of the committee. I believe that all the students here should have seen the movie 'The Aviator' on the website. I can guarantee that the details about the difficulties Howard Hughes faced in the movie are true. "
There was a low laugh, with a hint of embarrassment. It was not because of the Hayes Code, but because of the sentence "seen on the website."
"I know, there must be students who will say that the times are different, the standards are different, and that there should be more freedom now. I agree with that." Adriaan raised his hands and raised them. "In fact, I completely agree. An unfettered imagination can fly higher. In fact, the things that the Hayes Code originally banned can be found everywhere in Hollywood today, and the deeper the violation, the higher the box office."
There was another burst of low laughter, but the students' smiles seemed to have a deeper meaning. The school officials in the front row exchanged uneasy glances.
"But I'm not using the Hayes Code as an example to talk about this." Adriaan changed the topic. "What I want to say is, from the Hayes Code's official promulgation until its end, it ruled Hollywood for nearly 40 years. And in these 40 years, we still have 'Hell's Angel', 'Wuthering Heights', 'Casabianca', 'Roman Holiday', 'Ben-Hur', and many other works that can be considered classics! I believe that even after a few decades, these movies will still be the same. "
His voice rose again. In contrast, the voices of the students in the auditorium gradually lowered.
"So …" Adriaan smiled meaningfully. "My question is, where are your 'Hell's Angel', 'Casabianca', and 'Roman Holiday'?"
Without waiting for an answer, he immediately said in a loud voice, "If a person can't do the most basic action of stretching his wings under the not too strict rules, why should I believe that he can fly higher and farther after breaking away from the shackles of the rules, instead of doing Brownian motion?"
There were a few more chuckles, and then they quickly quieted down.
"I like China, and I believe in China's potential." Adriaan changed the topic again. "I don't think I need to prove this."
Of course, there was no need to prove it. Among all the American entrepreneurs who visited China, his Chinese was definitely the best.
"Although China's film industry lags behind the United States in all aspects, I still hope that China's film industry can develop, because Hollywood needs competition, and the United States needs competition. Don't defend yourself, and don't try to hide. This is the truth. For a long time to come, cooperation and competition between China and the United States will be everywhere," he said very seriously.
To be honest, he wanted to use the word "competitor." This neutral word could better reflect the current relationship between China and the United States. However, considering that others might not necessarily interpret it in his way of thinking, and it might not be good for either side, he finally used the word "competition."
"Without competition, there will be no vitality. Without vitality, there will be degeneration. Survival of the fittest. This is a proven truth." Adriaan's voice echoed in the auditorium. "Right now, Hollywood is in a position of seeking defeat. We are invincible in the global market, but it is also because of this that many producers have begun to think that as long as the special effects are done well, they can earn back any amount of investment. Then they forget the most important point. The reason why a good film can be called a good film is because it has a good story."
He raised his hands again, and many of the people present had a thoughtful look on their faces. "I first hoped that Europe could play this role, but unfortunately, they would rather shrink in their small circle and maintain their so-called 'art' than take it a step further. As for my comments on this point, if you're watching Ellen's Show on the Internet, you should be able to find it. It's the 43rd issue of 2005."
There were a few more embarrassed laughs.
"After that, I also studied Japan, South Korea, and … India. Unfortunately, their markets are too closed. For example, in India, they always like to add some songs and dances to their movies, so I finally set my sights on China." Adriaan finally slowed down his tone and said with a smile, "You have created many miracles, and you will continue to create miracles. So, why can't you create miracles in this area? Even though you still have a long way to go, even though your filmmakers still don't know their place, even though there are still many restrictions on your head, even though your market has a certain scale, it is still not mature and systematic enough, I have high hopes for you. So, I'm waiting, waiting for you to adjust your attitude, waiting for you to get rid of the rules, waiting for you to become more mature, waiting for you to challenge me. "
Warm applause rang out.
The next day, there were naturally all kinds of voices in the mainland media, but they barely stood in a neutral position. Some southern newspapers turned a blind eye to the words that defended a certain bureau, and then praised Adriaan for being broad-minded. After all, he was one of the super rich people in the United States. Although some of the sixth-generation directors protested that some of the remarks were insulting, unfortunately, no one cared, because Adriaan was also a super director. From the Palme d 'Or to the Oscars, it was his stage. No one had more works than him, not even Kubrick. There was basically no Chinese director who could criticize him in this regard.
In addition, after the full text of the speech was posted on the Internet, it resonated with many young people. They thought that this legendary rich man and director from the United States, who spoke fluent Chinese, was quite good. He was a person who was really good to China. In this case, the group of directors who jumped out to show their existence or wanted to create hype were naturally not flattered on several sides. Unless there was a particularly thick-skinned guy, they basically gave up very quickly.
Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. No matter how much the speech at Peking University caused in the mainland, Adriaan had already run to the back of his mind. As for the United States, he had already spoken to Claude, so there wouldn't be any problems. The real person he had to face was this old man in front of him, who was almost 60 years old. The more the other party flattered him, the more troublesome things would be.
"I also feel very honored to receive praise from a mainland electronics magnate like you, Mr. Ren." Adriaan said a few polite words, then changed the topic. "Alright, let's talk about the specifics."
"Of course …" Although Mr. Ren smiled, Adriaan still noticed the trace of awkwardness. What would it be?
"I'll be straightforward, Mr. Kewell." After hesitating for two seconds, Mr. Ren directly said, "The Bona shares in your hands … Have you ever thought of selling them?"
Adriaan blinked his eyes. In just a few seconds, he had connected the cause and effect. Then, he spent a few more seconds thinking about the matter more thoroughly. It wasn't that he didn't have his guard up against the mainland government. He had collected sufficient information. After Mr. Ren, who had almost no contact with his own industry, expressed his desire to have a private discussion, he had spent a lot of time preparing. How could he not have guessed what they wanted?
"I don't think I've done anything against the rules, right, Mr. Ren? Compared to Murdoch, I'm quite law-abiding, "Adriaan said with a faint smile.
Mr. Ren couldn't help but cough dryly. The awkwardness was becoming more and more obvious. At the same time, he was a little annoyed. Obviously, he had accepted this task reluctantly. He also wanted to save face.
"You know, under normal circumstances … the government doesn't allow …" He smiled bitterly and finally said bluntly, "To put it simply, you have too many holdings."
"But I didn't cross the line you drew, did I?" Adriaan appeared a little aggressive. "I'm a very law-abiding person, as long as the other party also follows the rules."
On the surface, it seemed to be because of Bona. Poly Group, which had acquired most of Bona's shares, was the territory of the military. They obviously didn't want to share their shares with foreign investors, especially a world-renowned media group like AC Media. This was also the reason why Mr. Ren was the messenger. He also had a military background and could be considered a leader among the mainland government's businessmen. His enterprises and AC Media, which held shares in Apple, were more or less related. It was suitable for him to be the messenger — the Wang brothers weren't qualified.
However, if one were to look at it from Adriaan's point of view, one would understand that this was actually a measure taken by the mainland government due to their hidden concerns. This was because he already held shares in too many mainland media companies.
Huayi, Bona, Hairun, Orange Sky, and so on — as long as it was a ranked mainland media company, they basically had a stake in it. As for those well-known IT companies, video, social media, search, instant messaging … basically, none of them were spared. Even though he had always scrupulously abided by the bottom line drawn by them and was always the second or third largest shareholder, the number of shareholders was simply too exaggerated.
For the mainland government, which could tolerate other corporate giants but not large media companies, this was unacceptable. However, Adriaan had always behaved himself and never overdid anything that challenged their bottom line. Furthermore, he was considered pro-China. Didn't they see that he had a few Chinese women by his side? They really couldn't find any good excuses. In the end, they could only ask Oldman Ren to come forward and test him.
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