The door opened. Adriaan didn't look back until he heard Ivanka's voice. "It's almost time. Eide, do you want to go down now? Or do you want to wait a little longer? "
"I'll wait a little longer." Adriaan walked up to her and stared at her slightly tired face. "You don't have to go. Have a good rest in the room tonight. It's not easy to get over the jet lag. Anyway, we won't talk about work, and we'll talk in Chinese. You won't understand."
"Charley might not understand either." Ivanka rolled her eyes.
Adriaan shook his head with a smile. Although Charlize was doing well at ABC — after the production of "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" was postponed because of 9/11, she had a new idea. Adriaan was planning to take time to talk to her. If it was good, he would hand it over to NBC to broadcast. They were currently short of reality shows. But Ivanka always regarded him as a rival, whether at work or in bed. So, no matter what, she had to compete with him.
"Well, if you feel bored, you might as well take a walk in the square outside. This is one of the largest squares in the world." He smiled and pinched her cheek.
Adriaan was staying at the Capital Hotel. This time-honored hotel was located in the city center and adjacent to the Forbidden City. It was a five-minute walk to the square. The layout was very grand. It was worthy of being a century-old hotel — if the tavern from 1900 was included, it could barely be called a century-old hotel. Because of this, Adriaan ruled out the China World Hotel and decided to stay at the Capital Hotel. Anyway, it had received many important people. The three tenors who held a concert in the Forbidden City last year also stayed here.
"By the way, where's Nicole?" Adriaan asked without waiting for Ivanka to speak.
"Resting in the room. Do you want to go and see her?" Ivanka said angrily. She didn't like the women around Adriaan, except for Charlize, who could convince her a little, and she got along with Kate, Sarah, and the lovely Lily.
However, because she served as Adriaan's assistant, she had to deal with them, and she had to arrange and adjust their itinerary for Adriaan. So, she couldn't show it even if she didn't like them. She had to keep a straight face all day. From this, one could see the difference between her and Charlize. Although Charlize also didn't like some women, and although she had a slightly arrogant and cold appearance, she still had the due respect between her words. Unlike Ivanka, it was clearly written on her face: I don't like you, and I only deal with you for work.
Of course, Ivanka was born in a wealthy family, and her father was also a man who liked to flirt. She didn't like this, so she set a rule with her father that she was not allowed to date girls who were younger than her. So, it was already very good that she could do what she did now, and she couldn't ask for more.
"No need." Adriaan smiled, "Let her rest. Tomorrow, in addition to the premiere of 'Moulin Rouge', she has an interview to attend."
"I don't understand, Eide." Ivanka sighed, "If you want to investigate the China market, you can come here with great fanfare. There is no need to attend the premiere of 'Moulin Rouge' in China as an excuse. If you only want to attend the premiere of 'Moulin Rouge', why don't you tell the media that you are coming? "
"It's troublesome to explain. You have to know that China and the United States are two completely different countries." Adriaan smiled, "Maybe one day I will come here with great fanfare, but definitely not now. Also, Claude should come here as the head of the group, not me. I am good at grasping the general direction, but he is responsible for the specific negotiations."
"To put it simply, you want to be lazy." Ivanka curled her lips.
"You can say that if you want." Adriaan raised his hands, "We have always developed this way, even as a director. In any case, I am still the chairman of the board of AC Media. China needs to promote itself internationally, so there will be a lot of trouble once I show up in public. I didn't bring a professional team here."
"After talking for a long time, you still haven't told me the purpose of coming here. I don't even know what to prepare." Ivanka sighed.
"Don't worry, Yini. We will go back after three days at most. All you need to do is adapt to the situation, and …" He smiled and looked at the big bed in the room. He pinched her chin and kissed her.
Ivanka snorted and was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Then, a middle-aged man in his early forties came in. He was wearing a very formal suit and rimless glasses. He looked very gentle, but his cheeks were slightly sunken and his cheekbones were protruding. He looked a bit like a monkey.
"Hello, Mr. Kewell. It's an honor to have you here. I am Wang Zhongjun." With a warm smile, he took a few steps forward and extended his hand. He spoke in fluent English. As expected of someone who had worked in the United States and obtained a master's degree in mass media from the State University of New York.
"Hello, Mr. Wang. It's nice to meet you. I hope this low-key visit did not cause you any trouble." Adriaan said in fluent Chinese.
This made the other party raise his eyebrows. From the airport to the restaurant, Adriaan had been communicating with people in Chinese. It was impossible for him not to have heard of this. But now it seemed that he obviously did not expect his Chinese to be so fluent. Even Da Shan was only at this level, right?
"It's very surprising, Mr. Kewell. I didn't know your Chinese was so good." Wang Zhongjun did not hide his surprise.
"I know a lot about Chinese culture, so I learned some." Adriaan smiled carelessly.
"That's great. It's more convenient to communicate this way." Wang Zhongjun immediately stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation. Then he looked at Ivanka.
"Do as you please, Yini." Adriaan said in English.
"Yes, sir." After opening the door, Ivanka returned to her expressionless appearance. At this moment, she had a business-like expression.
Then, accompanied by Wang Zhongjun, his secretary, and the head of the AC Media office in the capital, Adriaan took the elevator downstairs to the private room of the restaurant. At the same time, some celebrities in the mainland film industry, such as his younger brother Wang Zhonglei, who founded Huayi Brothers together with Wang Zhongjun, or the president of Bona Pictures, Yu Dong, and the chairman of New Pictures, Zhang Weiping, were already waiting here.
The reason why Adriaan came here in a very low-key way, and also to attend the premiere of "Moulin Rouge" in China, was not because he wanted to take advantage of China's accession to the WTO to intervene in the mainland's media market. No country would allow foreign capital to enter the industry. Even the United States had laws that prohibited non-Americans from owning TV stations. Murdoch had to become an American citizen in order to buy FOX, let alone China.
It was also Murdoch who bought the Chinese channel from Li Zekai in 1993. He was full of joy and wanted to enter the mainland, but in the end, he had to accept a series of requirements from the mainland and bring in funds from Liu Changle and others. Then, when Phoenix TV was formed, he was quickly pushed to the position of the third shareholder. Although he still owned most of the shares of Starry Sky Media, his influence was limited to the Pearl River Delta area. It could be imagined that it was basically impossible to go deep into the mainland. Even if Murdoch married a Chinese wife, it could not stop him from leaving in a few years. Adriaan did not want to do useless work that would invite ridicule.
Therefore, he came to the capital just to closely observe the film market on the mainland. Although he had a certain understanding of the film market in his previous life, that was from the bottom up. Today, his identity was different, and the perspective of looking at the problem was also different. He also needed to look from the top down. If it was ten or five years ago, it would not be so troublesome for him to come to the mainland. But now, as he had said to Ivanka, although he was now a famous international director, he was also the chairman of the board of directors of AC Media. In the eyes of ordinary people, Adriaan's reputation as a famous director may be more well-known, but at the national level, they only knew him as the head of one of the world's largest media groups.
Although the relationship between China and the United States rapidly heated up after 9/11, it was not the time for him to officially visit China, so he had to find a reason to visit the mainland in a low-key manner. It was just right. When "Moulin Rouge" was introduced to the mainland, China Film contacted Nicole through their connections, hoping that she could come to China to attend the premiere. At the same time, they also contacted Adriaan. Nicole originally intended to refuse. Like most Westerners, she lacked understanding of China, so she was not interested. However, Adriaan repeatedly suggested and persuaded her, and briefly explained the prospects of the China market. Although he did not completely convince her, Nicole still agreed. Most of Adriaan's suggestions were right.
As for the invitation sent to him, he refused, and China Film was not so resolute. After all, it was a bit inappropriate to let the head of AC Media come to China as a director to promote the film. Therefore, Adriaan was not worried that they would be dissatisfied if he refused and came to China in a low-key manner.
Of course, the Chinese government would know about his exit and entry, not to mention that he used his own private plane. Before he came, he had informed several private media companies that he had invested in. Therefore, when Wang Zhongjun introduced the people in the room, he introduced a middle-aged man surnamed Chen very vaguely. It seemed that he was either from a certain bureau or a certain bureau, or more likely to be from a certain department, which matched his identity, didn't it?
Adriaan did not care. After sitting down, he immediately chatted with them. His fluent Chinese and some idioms came out from time to time, which surprised the group of people. Therefore, it was very important to know a foreign language. Think about it, would they be more willing to cooperate with a person who did not know much about the mainland, or with a person who knew enough about China?
At the beginning of the 21st century, the mainland film market was still a virgin land. Although Hollywood films began to appear in 1994 and 1995, this vast market had still not been fully developed. Adriaan clearly remembered an example. A science fiction film with an investment of about 30 million earned a box office of 21 million US dollars in the first week of its release in North America, and after its release in China, it earned a box office of 23 million US dollars! Although this had something to do with the schedule and the support of the mainland's local media groups, it was enough to show that the China market was huge. It was also because of this that the Asian villains in Hollywood changed from Chinese to North Korean. Who would not want to live in a profitable market?
Therefore, although this example happened ten years later, it did not prevent Adriaan from making a move early. In fact, several major Hollywood film companies had their eyes on this cake for a long time. Otherwise, Paramount would not have been the first to enter the mainland. Unfortunately, Adriaan, who could see the future, was more accurate than them. Since 1996, he had used various means to invest in Huayi Brothers, Bona Pictures, and New Pictures. Unfortunately, China Film and China were state-owned enterprises. China had not been established yet. Looking at the long list of shareholders, it was obvious that they could not accept foreign investment. Otherwise, he could have a say in the import quota.
Of course, these shares were not a lot, and Adriaan did not want to attract too much attention. Although they were all private companies, it was fine as long as he had a certain say in the matter.
"The China film market is vast, and it already has a lot of potential. The release of 'Titanic' a few years ago proved everything. Therefore, when it is fully developed, it will only be wider, especially when China's economy is still developing. There will only be more and more people entering the cinema. " At the dinner table, Adriaan foreshadowed the bright future of the CEOs of these private film companies.
This dinner was specially prepared by Wang Zhongjun and the others. It was a Chinese-style round table banquet, but to take care of Adriaan, they asked him if he would like to order alcohol. Although he was drunk to death in his previous life, he still chose white wine without hesitation. It was definitely the best wine on such occasions.
Sure enough, when the bottle was opened, the aroma of the wine filled the room. It was undoubtedly a top-notch Maotai. Although the Panama Prize was still a possibility, he had heard from an old man in his previous life that he had used his connections to get a small bottle of Maotai when he went to Guizhou for a business trip in the late 1950s. When he returned to the hotel and opened the bottle, the other guests all came over to ask what it was and why it smelled so good.
Perhaps this was an exaggeration, but Maotai was indeed top-notch. In addition, the dishes were rich, luxurious, and tasty. All kinds of famous dishes were served. There might be a slight difference between the food in a specialized restaurant — for example, roast duck — but not by much. It had to be admitted that the Chinese really knew how to eat. The boiled cabbage looked simple, but it tasted exceptionally fresh, tender, and delicious. Adriaan could not help but sigh.
Although he did not say a word about the food, the undisguised satisfaction on his face was the best compliment. In this way, Adriaan seemed approachable, and Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, and the others felt closer to him. Sometimes, without too many words, a small gesture could pull you closer to the other party and influence them to listen to you.
Speaking of which, among the few companies, he was the most optimistic about Huayi Brothers. This was not only because of the future, but also because of the current situation. With similar backgrounds, Huayi Brothers currently had the greatest potential.
Not to mention the date of establishment, not to mention the time of development, the current film industry in China was still in its infancy. It did not even have a complete cycle, although it would be established soon. Although Hong Kong and Taiwan were more chaotic, the process from production to distribution was very complete. Therefore, the film industry in China was still at the stage where directors were the center. As long as there was the support of an outstanding and popular director, the company could have a considerable influence in the film market. And Huayi Brothers just happened to have such a director in their hands. That's right, Feng Xiaogang.
"'Big Shot' is a very interesting movie. Yes, I can understand all the jokes and allusions in it. Whether it was Ge You or Ying Da, they both performed very well. Donald, on the other hand, did not stand out." After dinner, Adriaan drank tea and chatted with Feng Xiaogang in the special living room.
As a partner of Huayi Brothers, Feng Xiaogang was naturally qualified to attend this dinner and meeting. This was the first time he learned that part of Huayi Brothers' shares belonged to the big media group, AC Media. In fact, the Wang Brothers had not known for long. In order to avoid a butterfly effect, Adriaan had used some means to indirectly control the shares.
"Thank you. If you don't mind, then I will have something to brag about in the future." Feng Xiaogang was very respectful. After all, the person in front of him was the chairman of the board of an international media group and a world-renowned director. He was also very approachable and understood Chinese culture. As he spoke, it was as if he was talking to a pure Chinese person. He should be like this no matter what.
"In that case, Mr. Kewell, will you consider helping to distribute this movie in North America?" Wang Zhonglei suddenly asked.
Adriaan glanced at him and smiled. "I will consider it."
As soon as he said this, several people suddenly showed a look of surprise. Feng Xiaogang was even more excited. If "Big Shot" could really be distributed in North America, then he would be considered an international director. In the past few years, other than "Red Sorghum" and "Farewell My Concubine," what other movies had been released in America? Moreover, the box office was very average. If he could rely on AC Media to get a good box office, one could imagine the impact that would be generated.
"Although this movie completely shows the image of ordinary Chinese citizens, which may not be to the taste of North American audiences, many of the satirical points are very accurate. So, first of all, we need an excellent translator. As long as we can accurately translate the charm, such as the two classic lines at the end, I believe it will resonate with people," Adriaan said with a chuckle.
"Mr. Kewell, are you planning to introduce Chinese movies to the United States?" A person who could not sit still finally jumped out after being provoked repeatedly. It was Zhang Yimou, the partner of the chairman of New Pictures, Zhang Weiping, who rushed back from the Jiuzhaigou film set after receiving the call.
