Chapter 724: Chapter 131: Taking the Initiative
The sound of the door opening echoed, but Adrian didn’t turn around until Ivanka’s voice could be heard, "It’s almost time, Ed, are you going down now or do you want to wait a bit longer?"
"Let’s wait a bit longer," Adrian walked over to her, gazing at her slightly weary face, "You don’t need to go, just rest well in the room tonight. Jet lag isn’t that easy to overcome, and we aren’t going to discuss work matters anyway, besides it’s all in Chinese, you wouldn’t understand."
"Charli probably wouldn’t understand either," Ivanka rolled her eyes.
Adrian couldn’t help but laugh and shook his head, even though Charlize was thriving at ABC—the original idea for "How to Marry a Millionaire" was delayed due to 9/11, and she came up with new ideas, Adrian planned to find time to discuss them with her, and if they were good, present them to NBC, as they were currently short on reality shows. However, Ivanka always saw her as a rival, both at work and in personal matters, thus she contested everything.
"Okay, if you feel bored, why not take a walk in the plaza outside? It’s one of the largest plazas in the world." He smiled and pinched her cheek.
Adrian was staying at the Capital Hotel, an establishment with a long history located in the city center and adjacent to the Forbidden City, just a five-minute walk to the square—definitely a grand old hotel—if you count the little tavern from 1900, it could still barely hold onto that title. It was precisely for this reason that Adrian chose the Capital Hotel over the China Hotel, considering it had hosted many important figures. Last year’s concert at the Forbidden City was housed here by the three famous tenors.
"By the way, where is Nicole?" Adrian asked before Ivanka could speak.
"She’s resting in the room. Why, are you planning to go see her?" Ivanka said, not in a good mood. Regarding the women around Adrian, except for Charlize who somewhat impressed her, and then forming good relationships with Kate, Sarah, and the charming Lily, she didn’t really care for the others.
However, since she served as Adrian’s secretary and assistant, she inevitably had to interact with them and arrange Adrian’s schedule with them. So, despite her dislike, she couldn’t show it and had to keep a stern face. From this, one could see the difference between her and Charlize. While Charlize also often disliked certain women and carried a slightly arrogant and distant demeanor, she still maintained the appropriate respect in her speech instead of like Ivanka, whose face clearly read: I don’t like you; I’m only dealing with you for work.
Of course, Ivanka was born into a wealthy family and her father was a man who loved to dally with women, something she disliked. To counteract this, she had even set rules with her father, forbidding him from dating women younger than herself. So, she was already doing quite well; no more could be asked of her.
"No need," Adrian smiled, "Let her rest well. Besides the premiere of ’Moulin Rouge’ tomorrow, she also has an interview to attend."
"I don’t understand, Ed," Ivanka sighed, "If you wanted to explore the Chinese market, you could have just come in a very noticeable manner, there was no need to use attending the premiere of ’Moulin Rouge’ in China as an excuse. If you just wanted to attend the premiere, why then keep such a low profile that you didn’t even inform the media of your arrival?"
"Explaining would be too complicated. You know China and the United States are two totally different countries," Adrian chuckled, "Maybe one day I will come in full swing, but definitely not now, and as the head of the corporation, it should be Claude coming, not me. I’m good at grasping the general direction, but he should handle the specific negotiations."
"Simply put, you want to be lazy," Ivanka retorted with a pout.
"You can put it that way," Adrian shrugged, "That’s always been our approach—even if I came as a director, it’s still the same since I’m still the chairman of the AC Media board. The Chinese need to promote themselves internationally, so making a public appearance would attract a lot of trouble, and I didn’t bring a professional team."
"After all that, you still haven’t told me the purpose of our visit here; I don’t even know what to prepare for." Ivanka sighed.
"Don’t worry, Innie, we’ll only stay for three days before heading back. You just need to stay adaptable, and—" he smiled, glanced at the large bed inside the room, and leaned forward to kiss her on the chin.
Ivanka hummed lightly, about to say something, just when the doorbell rang. Subsequently, a middle-aged man around his early forties entered, dressed in a very formal suit and wearing rimless glasses, appearing very cultured, though his cheeks were slightly hollow and cheekbones prominent, giving him a bit of a sharp and sneaky look.
"Hello, Mr. Cowell, it’s an honor to have you here, I’m Wang Zhongjun." He stepped forward with a warm smile and an outstretched hand, speaking fluent English—undoubtedly a person who had ventured to the United States and even managed to earn a mass media master’s degree from SUNY.
"Hello, Mr. Wang, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope my low-key visit hasn’t caused you any trouble," Adrian responded in fluent Chinese.
This made the other party raise an eyebrow; from the airport to the hotel, Adrian had been speaking to people in Chinese, he must have heard about this, but now it seemed he hadn’t expected his Chinese to be so fluent, even matching the standard of a native.
"Mr. Cowell, I’m genuinely surprised. I had no idea your Chinese was this good," Wang Zhongjun couldn’t hide his astonishment.
"I’m quite familiar with Chinese culture, so I’ve learned some," Adrian laughed nonchalantly.
"That’s great, it will make communication much easier," Wang Zhongjun then stepped aside, making a welcoming gesture before his eyes shifted to Ivanka.
"It’s up to you, Innie," Adrian advised her in English.
"Yes, sir," Ivanka returned to her expressionless demeanor after the door opened, now looking completely professional.
Then, Adrian descended to the private room of the restaurant accompanied by Wang Zhongjun and his secretary, and the head of AC Media’s Capital office. At the same time, some notable figures from the mainland film industry, such as Wang Zhonglei, who co-founded Huayi Brothers with Wang Zhongjun, and Yu Dong, the president of Bona Film Group, and Zhang Weiping, chairman of New Pictures, were already waiting there.
The reason Adrian visited in such a low-key manner, under the guise of attending the premiere of "Moulin Rouge" in China, was not to take advantage of China’s accession to the WTO to tap into the mainland media market. No country would allow foreign capital to heavily enter this industry, not even the United States, which has laws preventing non-Americans from owning TV stations. Murdoch had to adopt US citizenship to acquire FOX, let alone China?
It was the same Murdoch who, delighted, bought the satellite Chinese network from Li Zekai in 1993, intending to march into the mainland. However, he eventually had to concede to a series of demands from the mainland, leading to financial inputs from the likes of Liu Changle. Then, quickly being sidelined to the third shareholder when establishing Phoenix TV. Although he still held most of the shares of STAR Media, his influence was limited to the Pearl River Delta. It was unthinkable to penetrate the mainland deeply. Even marrying a Chinese woman didn’t prevent Murdoch from a disheartening exit after a few years; Adrian did not want to make the same needless effort.
Thus, his trip to the capital was merely to closely observe the mainland film market. Although he had some understanding from his previous life, it was a bottom-up perspective. Given his different status today, the angle from which he viewed the problem also differed, requiring a top-down approach as well. Had it been ten or even five years earlier, his visit to the mainland wouldn’t have been as complicated as now. As he had mentioned to Ivanka before, although he was now a distinguished international director, he was also the chairman of the AC Media board. In the eyes of ordinary people, Adrian’s fame as a director might be better recognized, but at the national level, they knew him as the leader of one of the world’s largest media groups.
Despite the rapid thaw in China and the United States relationships post-9/11, it wasn’t yet time for him to make a high-profile official visit to China, so he had to find a reason to visit the mainland discreetly. Conveniently, "Moulin Rouge" was being introduced to mainland China, and China Film contacted Nicole through connections, hoping she would attend the premiere. Nicole was initially planning to decline, as she, like most Westerners, lacked understanding of China, hence her lack of interest. But Adrian repeatedly advised and persuaded her, briefly explaining the prospects of the Chinese market. Although he didn’t fully convince her, Nicole eventually agreed, as Adrian’s suggestions were mostly right.
As for the invitation extended to him, he declined it. China Film was not very insistent, after all, having the head of AC Media come to China as a director for film promotion felt somewhat inappropriate, so Adrian wasn’t worried that his polite refusal followed by a low-key, secretive visit would cause any discontent.
Of course, the Chinese government would be aware of his entry and exit, especially since he used his private jet and had notified the private media companies he had stakes in before coming. So when Wang Zhongjun was introducing everyone in the room, he was vague about one middle-aged man surnamed Chen, who was likely from a government agency or even a ministry, matching his status, right?
Adrian didn’t mind; after sitting down, he quickly broke the ice with fluent Chinese sprinkled with idiomatic phrases, surprising everyone present. Hence, knowing a foreign language is crucial. Think about it: would they prefer to collaborate with someone with only surface-level knowledge of the mainland or someone with a sufficient understanding of China?
The mainland film market at the start of the 21st century was still largely untapped, despite Hollywood movies landing since ’94 and ’95. Yet, this vast market had not been fully exploited. Adrian remembered one instance clearly: a sci-fi movie with a budget around 30 million US Dollars had grossed 21 million US Dollars in its opening week in North America but had garnered 23 million US Dollars when released in the mainland! Although timing and support from the local media group played a role, this indicated the enormity of the Chinese market. This is why Hollywood’s Asian villains began switching from Chinese to North Korean characters—no one wants to antagonize a lucrative market.
So, even though this example would occur ten years later, it didn’t prevent Adrian from taking early action. Indeed, major Hollywood studios had been eyeing this piece of cake early on; Paramount might have been the first to enter the mainland, but Adrian, with the advantage of foresight, was more accurate in his moves. From 1996 until now, he had invested in private companies like Huayi Brothers, Bona Film Group, and New Pictures through various means. Unfortunately, as China Film and Huaxia were state-owned—the latter not even established yet—the long list of shareholders made it clear that foreign capital was unlikely to be welcomed, or he would have had a say in the movie import quotas.
Of course, these stakes were not significant, as Adrian didn’t want to draw too much attention. After all, as long as he had some say in these private enterprises, it was enough.
"The Chinese film market is vast and already has great potential," Adrian noted at the dinner table, setting the stage for the private media company executives with a promising future. "When it’s fully tapped into, it will only become more expansive, especially as the Chinese economy continues to grow, and more people will go to the movies."
This meal was specially prepared by Wang Zhongjun and others with a completely Chinese-style round table banquet. To accommodate Adrian, they specifically asked if he wanted to order the alcoholic drinks he usually preferred. Although in a previous life he was overwhelmed by liquor, he still unhesitatingly chose baijiu, knowing that only the finest would be served on such an occasion.
Indeed, as soon as the bottle was opened, the aroma of the alcohol filled the air without a doubt—it was top-quality Moutai. Despite the questionable prestige of the Panama Gold award, Adrian had heard an old man recount in his past life how in the late fifties while on a business trip to Guizhou, he used his connections to get a small bottle from the Maotai Distillery. As soon as he opened it in the hotel, other guests came over to inquire about the particularly fragrant drink.
Although this might be an exaggeration, Moutai truly was of superior quality. Besides that, the dishes were abundant, luxurious, and extremely tasty, served one after another like a flowing stream. There might have been a slight difference compared to specialized restaurants—for example, with roast duck—but it wasn’t far off. One had to admit, the Chinese really knew how to eat. A simple dish like boiled cabbage tasted extraordinarily fresh, smooth, and delicious, leaving Adrian in awe.
Although he didn’t utter a single word of praise for the food, his unmistakably satisfied expression said it all, making Adrian appear approachable and allowing the likes of Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei to feel a closer bond to him. Sometimes, not much talk was necessary—a small gesture could shorten the distance between people and influence their receptiveness to what one had to say.
Speaking of which, among the various companies, he was most optimistic about Huayi Brothers. This was not only based on the future but also on an analysis of the current situation. Given a similar background, Huayi Brothers currently had the greatest potential.
Without mentioning the founding date or the time of development, just one fact was clear—the mainland’s film industry was still very green, not even having a complete industrial loop yet—though it would soon establish one. Even though Hong Kong and Taiwan were somewhat chaotic, their production to distribution processes were complete. Thus, the mainland’s film industry was still in a director-centered stage. Only if there was a successful, popular director to support the company could it wield substantial influence in the film market, and Huayi Brothers indeed had such a director, none other than Feng Xiaogang.
"’Big Shot’ is a very interesting film, yes, I understood all the jabs and references, whether it’s Ge You or Ying Da, both performed excellently. Donald, however, didn’t have much of a highlight," Adrian said to Feng Xiaogang while sipping tea in a private lounge after dinner.
As a partner of Huayi Brothers, Feng Xiaogang naturally had the credentials to attend this dinner and meeting. This was his first time learning that a portion of Huayi Brothers’ shares belonged to AC Media, a large media conglomerate—the Wang brothers themselves hadn’t known for long. Initially, to avoid potential butterfly effects, Adrian had used some strategies to take indirect control.
"Thank you, if you don’t mind, I now have bragging rights," Feng Xiaogang replied respectfully. After all, the man before him was not only the chairman of an international media conglomerate but also a globally renowned director who was down-to-earth and knowledgeable about Chinese culture. He truly felt like he was talking to a genuine Chinese person, and from any perspective, he should act accordingly.
"Given that, Mr. Cowell, have you considered helping distribute this film in North America?" Wang Zhonglei suddenly asked directly.
Adrian looked at him, then smiled slightly, "It is worth considering."
With that statement, several people looked surprised, and Feng Xiaogang seemed a bit excited. If ’Big Shot’ really were to be distributed in North America, then he could truly consider himself an international director. In recent years, besides ’Red Sorghum’ and ’Farewell My Concubine’, what other films had been showcased in the United States? And their box office earnings had been modest, but with the distribution through AC Media, the potential impact that could be generated was imaginable.
"Even though this film fully portrays the image of the Chinese petty urbanites, which may not suit the taste of North American audiences, many of the satirical aspects are spot on. Therefore, what we first need is an excellent translation. If we can accurately translate the essence of the dialogues, such as the two classic quotes at the end, I believe it could resonate with the audience," Adrian said, laughing lightly.
"Mr. Cowell, are you planning to systematically introduce Chinese films to the United States?" Unable to sit still after such exciting discussions, Zhang Yimou, a partner of New Pictures and Chairman Zhang Weiping’s collaborator, who had rushed back from a film set in Jiuzhaigou after receiving a call, jumped in. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit to vote, and your support is my greatest motivation.)