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Chapter 2655 The Annoying Braided Opera

After the turn of the millennium, the entertainment industry in mainland China seemed to have been put on fast-forward.

Various film and television projects are emerging one after another, and the prime time slots of television stations are fully booked. Huayu Film and Television's film slate is also getting longer year by year.

But as Suning flipped through the industry briefing sent by President Zhou, his brows furrowed more and more.

The briefing listed projects that major film and television companies are currently preparing for or filming, with Qing Dynasty dramas making up half of them...

Emperor Shunzhi's abdication, Emperor Kangxi's incognito travels, Emperor Yongzheng's struggle for the throne, Emperor Qianlong's southern tours, and Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.

From Nurhaci to Puyi, the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty have been filmed repeatedly, with several dramas featuring each emperor, and countless stories about harem intrigue and power struggles.

There are more than a dozen Qing Dynasty dramas that have been approved for production this year alone, with names that are getting longer and longer, such as "Secret History of XX", "Storm of XX", and "Legend of XX". The posters are full of men wearing dragon robes and women wearing Manchu headdresses.

Suning slammed the briefing onto the table and picked up the phone.

……

Meanwhile, President Zhou was inspecting the filming progress of a Qing Dynasty drama on set.

This drama is one of Huayu Film & Television's biggest investment projects this year. The director is a veteran in the industry who makes Qing Dynasty dramas, and the cast is also quite luxurious. The salaries of the main actors alone account for one-third of the total budget.

A scene depicting a palace intrigue was being filmed on set. Dozens of actors dressed in qipao and wearing platform shoes filled a room. The lighting technician was adjusting the lights, and the production crew was moving props. It was a chaotic scene.

Just then, Mr. Zhou's phone rang. He looked down and saw that it was Su Ning's number. He immediately stood up and went outside the film set to answer it. "Mr. Su?"

"Come to my office, now."

Mr. Zhou paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, President Zhou hurriedly gave the director and producer a few instructions, then turned and strode towards the parking lot.

Having known Suning for so many years, Mr. Zhou understands the boss's temperament all too well.

A sudden summons means there's something absolutely important, something far more important than any project currently being filmed.

After all, Suning rarely gets involved in Huayu Film and Television matters; he mostly acts like a captain controlling the course of an aircraft carrier.

By the time President Zhou's car pulled into the headquarters' underground parking garage, he had already mentally reviewed all the topics that might be discussed that day.

But when President Zhou walked into Suning's office and saw the industry briefing spread out on the table, his heart skipped a beat, thinking that Suning was not satisfied with his work.

"President Su, is there something you need?"

"Mr. Zhou, please sit down!" Su Ning gestured to the sofa for Mr. Zhou to sit down, and then sat down on the sofa opposite him.

The briefing on the coffee table said, "I suddenly realized there are too many Qing Dynasty dramas these days."

“When you turn on the TV, all you see are sickeningly nauseating dramas about Qing dynasty officials, with palace intrigues, princes vying for the throne, and eunuchs wielding power… I’m not saying these things can’t be filmed, but the proportions are seriously unbalanced, and almost all of them are glorifying the Manchu Qing dynasty.”

"..." President Zhou did not rush to defend himself, because he knew that what his boss said was true.

Su Ning continued, looking at President Zhou, and said, "If the film and television industry spends most of its creative resources on the two hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, how will the audience's understanding of history be distorted? Do you want young people to only think of servants and masters when they talk about Chinese history in the future?"

"President Su, you're right," President Zhou finally spoke up. "To be honest, I've noticed it myself. This year, seven or eight out of ten scripts our company has received are Qing Dynasty dramas. Some screenwriters just change the dynasty and can fit the dialogue onto another emperor without even changing it. There are just too many of them. It's just that the audience seems to particularly like this kind of thing, so our Huayu Film and Television has also followed the trend and produced some Qing Dynasty dramas."

“I know all that.” Su Ning opened the briefing and pointed to the densely packed project names. “Look, there are more than a dozen projects approved this month alone. Viewers turn on the TV, this channel shows Kangxi, then another channel shows Yongzheng, and yet another channel shows Qianlong. Three emperors are being broadcast at the same time, and the scenes of concubines fighting over the emperor’s affections are playing out over and over again. I’m not saying there aren’t any good Qing Dynasty dramas, but even the best food can’t withstand eating it every day.”

Mr. Zhou sighed, “To be honest, Qing Dynasty dramas are too easy to film. The costumes and props are readily available, the Ming and Qing palace sets in Hengdian and Huairou are readily available, the scripts are formulaic, the audience buys into them, and the return on investment is stable. So everyone is crowding into this direction.”

“It’s because it’s too easy to film that no one wants to put effort into filming other things.” Su Ning sat up straight. “After thinking about it, I think Huayu Film & Television needs to adjust its focus going forward.”

"..." President Zhou's expression turned serious, knowing that the important part was about to begin.

"The Qin and Han dynasties, the Tang dynasty, the Song and Ming dynasties... these are the most glorious moments in Chinese history and culture. Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, Emperor Wu of Han defeated the Xiongnu in the north, the Tang dynasty's Zhenguan and Kaiyuan eras were prosperous, the Song dynasty was a peak in culture, art and economy, and the Ming dynasty had many stories to tell. Let's stop showing the audience the humiliating state of the late Qing dynasty. In thousands of years of glorious history, there have been so many patriots and people of integrity, what we lack is someone to film them. As a film and television company with ideals and ambitions, Huayu Film and Television should take the promotion of Chinese culture as its goal."

As he listened, President Zhou subconsciously frowned. "President Su, this transformation is indeed difficult."

"..."

"The costumes, props, and filming locations for Qing Dynasty dramas are completely different from those for the Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming Dynasties. The art direction and set design had to be completely redesigned, the costume design had to be changed from qipao to quju shenyi and round-necked robes, the props had to be changed from official hats and plumes to crowns and turbans, and the palace sets had to be changed from the Ming and Qing Forbidden City to the Qin and Han Dynasty high platforms and Tang Dynasty halls. These are all real investments."

"These difficulties, in the end, are not technical problems, but problems of determination." Su Ning looked at President Zhou with a dismissive expression. "With Huayu Film & Television's current financial and resource reserves, can it be done?"

After weighing the options in his mind, President Zhou took a deep breath and said, "It can be done."

"Then let's do it." Su Ning left no room for discussion.

"..."

"Besides serious historical dramas, we also need to capture the mindset of young people. We'll pursue both themes simultaneously... serious dramas should be profound, meticulous, and humanistic, while fictionalized stories should focus on emotions, characters, and a fast pace."

"Is it possible to cross-integrate and merge in the middle?"

"Yes, but the bottom line cannot be crossed. The historical framework cannot be distorted, the spirit of the characters cannot be lost, and Chinese culture cannot be twisted. In terms of character portrayal and emotional expression, we can make some innovations that are closer to modern aesthetics. The characters can be more fleshed out, and the narrative pace can be faster. Don't make it so old-fashioned that even young people can't stand it, and don't change history beyond recognition just to please young people, making the audience feel that you are insulting their intelligence. We can learn from that Qiong Yao in this regard."

"..." This task was undeniably arduous, almost a task against the odds.

After a moment's thought, President Zhou looked up at Su Ning and said, "President Su, I'll take this task."

"..." Su Ning waited for President Zhou to continue.

"I will immediately halt all Qing Dynasty dramas on Huayu Film & Television's slate for next year. I will personally oversee projects focusing on key themes such as the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty, and the Song and Ming Dynasties. Costumes, props, and sets will be redone, art direction and set design will be rebuilt, and the screenwriting team will be divided into groups according to dynasties to relearn historical materials. Give me six months, and I will present the first batch of scripts for your review."

Suning leaned back on the sofa and nodded slightly, neither saying "very good" nor "keep it up".

But President Zhou understood the full meaning from the strength of Suning's nod: this was no joke, and he would personally take responsibility for it.

Then, President Zhou stood up, straightened his collar, walked to the door, suddenly stopped, turned back to Su Ning and said, "President Su, you need to personally oversee the first batch of sample prints."

Suning picked up the documents on the table again. "Don't worry, I will watch every single one of them."

Mr. Zhou pushed open the door and went out.

I bumped into Xiao Tong, who was carrying a stack of documents, in the corridor.

Xiao Tong stepped aside to make way, then turned to look at President Zhou's retreating figure.

Xiao Tong peeked through the half-open door at Su Ning, who was looking down at documents, and then quietly closed the door.

She didn't know what Su Ning had said to President Zhou, but judging from the way President Zhou walked away, his gait was different from usual.

Xiao Tong has worked at Tianchao Group for quite some time and knows that Suning doesn't pay much attention to Huayu Film and Television's business.

The fact that President Zhou has been summoned to headquarters means there must be something important to arrange.

Xiao Tong continued walking towards his office with the documents in his arms, and halfway there he ran into Xiao Zhao.

Xiao Zhao was holding a newly printed schedule. When he saw Xiao Tong, he asked, "Assistant Tong, is President Zhou here at headquarters on business?"

Xiao Tong smiled mysteriously and said, "President Su must have assigned him some work."

Xiao Zhao asked curiously, "What kind of work?"

"I don't know. But it's definitely not a small matter."

"..."

……

Suning has never been someone who can convince people simply by reasoning.

He knew very well that simply having Huayu Film & Television produce historical dramas to compete with Qing Dynasty dramas was far from enough.

If you painstakingly produce a high-quality historical drama, but the TV station doesn't buy it or broadcast it, or only gives it a late-night, unpopular time slot, then all your efforts will be wasted, and the production costs you invested will go down the drain.

Content production and distribution channels are the two legs of the film and television industry; without either one, it cannot go far.

Having navigated the business world for so many years, Suning understands one thing all too well: the power to set the rules is more important than anything else.

Whoever controls the distribution channels controls the lifeline of the industry.

So, after Suning placed a new film list with Huayu Film & Television, it immediately launched the second step.

Not long after, Zhou was summoned to the office again and asked to provide a list of all the film crews, directors, screenwriters, and actors that Huayu Film & Television was currently working with or about to work with.

President Zhou asked, "President Su, what do we do after we get the list?"

“Send an internal circular in the name of Huayu Film & Television,” Su Ning said. “The wording should be polite, and the word ‘ban’ should not appear at all, nor should any threatening tone be used. Just make sure the core message is clear.”

What does it mean?

"Huayu Film & Television's key projects for the next five years are the four major historical series: Qin and Han Dynasties, Tang Dynasty, and Song and Ming Dynasties. All directors, screenwriters, actors, costume and prop teams, and post-production special effects companies that have cooperated with Huayu Film & Television are advised to give priority to Huayu Film & Television's key projects. Huayu Film & Television will not interfere with any cooperation on Qing Dynasty palace dramas, but under the same conditions, Huayu Film & Television will give priority to other genres."

After listening, President Zhou was silent for two seconds, and then said, "President Su, sending out this circular will have a more severe effect than a direct ban."

"This is exactly the effect I wanted."

"clear."

……

Once the circular circulated in the entertainment industry, it proved to be more effective than any ban.

What is the current size of Huayu Film & Television?

It is the absolute leader in the domestic film and television industry, producing more than one-third of the market share of TV dramas every year, and its signed and long-term contracted actors cover almost all top-tier stars.

Huayu Film & Television says it "suggests prioritizing protection," which director would dare not take that seriously?

Huayu Film & Television says it will "prioritize cooperation with other genres," but which actor's agent wouldn't be secretly calculating this?

If I accept a Qing Dynasty drama, I'll offend Huayu Film & Television. Will Huayu Film & Television be able to produce any more shows in the future?

As a result, many directors and screenwriters who had originally accepted scripts for Qing Dynasty dramas unanimously postponed their schedules.

Someone called the producer, saying they weren't feeling well lately and wanted to take a break.

Some people said they had another project to finish and couldn't make the schedule.

Some say the script needs further revisions, and starting filming now is too rushed. The reasons vary, but the result is the same…

The time required for projects based on the Qing Dynasty has quietly increased by more than double, from project initiation to financing and casting.

There's a producer named Mr. Hu who's currently preparing to film a Qing Dynasty drama. He finally managed to raise the necessary funds and secure the lead actors.

The male lead was a popular young actor at the time, and the second female lead was also a rising star. The director was a veteran in the industry who had made Qing Dynasty dramas.

Everything is ready; we're just waiting to start the machine.

Two weeks before filming was scheduled to begin, the male lead's agent called, "Mr. Hu, I'm really sorry, but we've run into some scheduling issues."

Mr. Hu immediately became anxious upon hearing this: "What's the problem? The contract has already been signed, and filming is scheduled to begin next month. Now you're telling me there's a problem with the schedule?"

"This is truly an unexpected situation, and we are very sorry. We will pay the penalty for breach of contract as stipulated in the contract, but we simply cannot take on this role."

Suppressing his anger, President Hu asked, "What exactly is the reason? Can you tell me the truth?"

The agent paused for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then said, "Mr. Hu, we've known each other for so many years, so I won't hide anything from you. Huayu Film & Television has a big project, also a period drama, but not from the Qing Dynasty, it's from the Tang Dynasty. Our artists have weighed the options and feel that it's safer to go with Huayu's project. As you know, Huayu's dramas have guaranteed broadcast platforms and time slots."

Mr. Hu hung up the phone looking dejected. Before he could even process what was happening, the second female lead's agent called, saying that the contract terms still needed to be discussed and that some details hadn't been finalized.

Just as Mr. Hu finished dealing with the phone call from the second female lead, he received another text message from the director, saying that the script needed further polishing and suggesting that the start date of filming be postponed.

Mr. Hu sat in his office with a ring of blisters around his lips.

Mr. Hu immediately made phone calls everywhere to find out what was going on, and finally got the truth from a friend in the industry.

"Old Hu, you'll understand once you see the circular issued by Huayu Film & Television."

"What circular?"

"You didn't know? Huayu Entertainment issued an internal circular saying that the key projects for the next five years are the four major historical series of Qin, Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, and all partners are advised to prioritize Huayu Entertainment's key projects. They didn't say anything about banning Qing Dynasty dramas, not a single word. But think about what they mean."

"..." Mr. Hu hung up the phone and sat in his chair for a long time without moving.

I've been working on this project for over half a year, only to have it blocked by a circular from Huayu Film & Television.

Considering the current strength of Tianchao Group and Huayu Film & Television, President Hu knew that his project would come to nothing.

……

Having completed this step, Suning turned its attention to the broadcasting platform.

Call my assistant, Xiao Tong, into my office and ask her to check the main broadcasting platforms for Qing Dynasty dramas in China.

Xiao Tong quickly brought the data.

Data shows that Hunan TV has the highest viewership and the greatest influence on Qing Dynasty dramas.

This satellite TV station is the leader in national viewership ratings, and Qing Dynasty dramas account for a very high proportion of its prime time slots, with more than one-third of its prime time slots each year dedicated to Qing Dynasty themes.

The operational style of toilet-related services is well understood within the industry...

As long as there's enough money and guaranteed viewership, they'll produce any type of drama, prioritizing advertising revenue over content quality.

Suning asked General Manager Zhou to arrange a meeting with the person in charge of the toilet station.

The meeting was not held at Tianchao Group, but in a private room at a members-only club in Beijing.

Mr. Zhou brought the distribution director and legal counsel from Huayu Film & Television, while the director and deputy director from Hunan TV came.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides sat down, and Suning, without beating around the bush, directly pushed a draft contract over.

"..." Director Zheng picked up the contract, flipped through two pages, glanced at Su Ning, then looked down and continued reading.

Suning said, "The core content of the contract consists of a few clauses. For the next three years, Hunan TV will give priority to purchasing and broadcasting historical dramas and urban dramas produced by Huayu Film & Television in its prime-time and second-to-mid-time slots, no less than the agreed number each year. Huayu Film & Television will authorize Hunan TV with broadcasting rights at a preferential price lower than the market price."

The deputy director asked from the side, "How much of a discount?"

President Zhou continued, "The specific figures can be discussed, but the margin will not be small. Huayu Entertainment is here with sincerity."

Suning continued, "At the same time, various subsidiaries of Tianchao Group, including Mingju Real Estate, Tianchao Auto, Tencent, and Alibaba, will continue to place annual advertisements on Toilet TV. The advertising fees are signed annually and increase year by year."

The two station directors on the other side exchanged a glance.

The station manager put down the draft contract and asked, "President Su, the advertising fee is signed annually and increases every year. Can you promise this increase rate?"

“Yes,” Suning said. “The specific figures will be discussed by both teams, but the general principle is that the increase in advertising fees should not be lower than the average annual increase in the list price of toilet TV ads.”

The deputy director then asked, "What if the ratings for Huayu Film & Television's dramas don't meet our prime-time standards?"

Suning's answer was straightforward: "If two consecutive dramas fail to meet the ratings target, Hunan TV has the right to adjust the broadcast time slot. The evaluation criteria are clearly stated in the contract, in black and white, so both parties can rest assured."

The station manager nodded, flipped through two more pages of the contract, and then suddenly stopped.

Then I noticed the reverse constraint clause that Suning added to the contract. "Mr. Su, what does this mean?"

Suning glanced at it and said, "The number of Qing Dynasty dramas that Hunan TV broadcasts each year is strictly limited to the amount stipulated in the contract. Once this limit is exceeded, Hunan TV will lose its priority purchasing rights and will be liable for liquidated damages."

The station director frowned: "What is this quota?"

Mr. Zhou gave a number.

Not zero, but definitely not high either; it's probably only enough for Hunan TV to broadcast one or two Qing Dynasty dramas a year.

The deputy director said, "President Su, isn't this amount a bit too low? After all, there is still a market for Qing Dynasty dramas, and audiences love to watch them. If you ask us to cut so much at once, it will be difficult to explain to the advertisers."

Su Ning said, "I understand your concerns. But do the math: can the advertising revenue from Huayu's historical dramas and urban dramas, plus the advertising fees from several major brands under Tianchao Group, make up for the shortfall in advertising revenue from Qing Dynasty dramas?"

"..." The two station directors looked at each other again, but did not speak.

Su Ning continued, "Furthermore, I'd like to add that Huayu Film & Television has the right to conduct full-process quality supervision of all Huayu Film & Television dramas broadcast on Hunan TV, from script review to post-production to broadcast scheduling. Huayu Film & Television can send specialists to intervene in every step."

The deputy director hesitated for a moment, "This supervisory power..."

The station director, standing to the side, waved his hand, interrupting the deputy director.

The station manager flipped through the contract again from beginning to end, then looked at Su Ning and said, "President Su, to be honest, I've been in the television industry for decades and I've never seen a contract negotiated like this. You've bundled content, advertising, scheduling, and quality supervision all together, locking them together from start to finish."

Suning said, "You can also choose not to sign."

The station director was silent for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "If we don't sign, try offering the same terms to other TV stations. Will they sign?"

"..." Su Ning did not answer, but the answer was self-evident.

The station manager picked up the pen on the table. "President Su, I'll sign the contract. But I have one condition: the quality of the historical drama that Huayu Entertainment gives us cannot be compromised. If you try to fool prime time with something shoddy, I'd rather pay the penalty for breach of contract than let your drama drop."

"You can rest assured about the quality. I won't ruin Huayu's reputation myself."

……

After signing a contract with TVB, Suning signed a framework agreement with CCTV using almost the same model.

CCTV is, after all, a national-level media platform, and the contract terms are relatively mild and restrained. There are no exclusive restrictions or limitations on the number of Qing Dynasty dramas that can be broadcast. However, Huayu Film and Television promised to provide CCTV with a certain number of high-quality historical dramas every year, and subsidiaries of Tianchao Group placed advertisements on CCTV.

After signing the contract, the CCTV representative shook hands with President Zhou, saying, "Huayu Film & Television is willing to invest in historical dramas at this time. To be honest, we really need this kind of content. In the past two years, the station has been talking about promoting excellent traditional culture and reducing the tendency of excessive entertainment, but to be honest, we don't have enough good scripts. If you can produce high-quality films, we will definitely give you good time slots."

After signing these two contracts, Tianchao Group effectively gained control of both the top film and television production company in China and the two highest-rated broadcasting platforms in the country.

Seeing this trend, the remaining provincial satellite TV stations also took the initiative to contact Huayu Film and Television to sign contracts, fearing that their prime time slots would only be left with the scraps left by others.

Huayu Film & Television took advantage of the situation and signed contracts with various provincial satellite TV stations one by one using a unified template, with basically the same contract terms.

More than two-thirds of the broadcast channels for domestic TV dramas were incorporated into the framework of Huayu Film & Television within just a few months.

By the time those film and television companies that were still focused on making Qing Dynasty dramas realized what was happening, they were taking their finished productions to television stations to discuss broadcast schedules, and the responses they received became ambiguous and vague.

Previously, people from the TV station's purchasing department would greet production companies warmly and offer quotes proactively; now, they've become hesitant and evasive.

A producer took a sample clip to a TV station for a negotiation. After watching the clip, the head of the purchasing department said, "The quality of the film is good, but the prime time slot is indeed fully booked. Why don't you wait until next quarter?"

The producer asked, "Can it be scheduled for next quarter?"

The person in charge glanced at the schedule and said, "There's also a preliminary schedule for next quarter, so it's hard to say."

Undeterred, the producer went to two other satellite TV stations, but received similar responses.

Finally, I asked around and found out what was going on. I asked a middle manager at the toilet station.

The other party didn't say much, but when pressed, they finally blurted out, "Right now, prime time slots are prioritized for Huayu Film & Television's dramas. They have priority in their contracts, and there's nothing we can do about it. Your drama is indeed of good quality, but scheduling isn't just about quality."

The producer returned immediately, looking utterly dejected.

Several producers who also work on Qing Dynasty dramas met for dinner, and everyone at the table looked grim.

Mr. Hu, looking utterly dejected, held his wine glass. The blisters on his face hadn't subsided yet. He grumbled, "Huayu Film & Television's move is too ruthless. They didn't even issue a formal injunction, leaving people with nowhere to file a lawsuit against them for monopoly."

The person next to him asked, "What do you mean?"

Mr. Hu put down his wine glass. "They didn't say you couldn't film it, they didn't say you couldn't broadcast it. They just locked in prime time slots in advance, locked in the schedules of directors and actors in advance, and locked in the budgets of advertisers in advance. Every step is a market activity, and every contract is legal and compliant. You want to sue them for monopoly? Their legal team doesn't even need to be mobilized. They'll just ask you one question... You film your Qing Dynasty dramas, I buy my historical dramas. Where is the monopoly?"

Another producer sighed, then said something even more disheartening: "Forget about suing, we can't even gather enough actors right now. Several historical drama crews from Huayu Film & Television are filming at the same time, and they've taken over all the studios in Hengdian and Huairou. They've even changed the palace sets to the Qin and Han styles. I called Hengdian yesterday to ask if they could reserve a Qing Dynasty palace set for us, and they said I was too late. The largest Ming and Qing Palace has already been partially demolished and is being rebuilt into the Tang Dynasty Daming Palace."

Mr. Hu's hand, holding a wine glass, froze in mid-air. "What? Even the photography studio has been changed?"

"It's been changed. I heard that Suning has allocated a special sum of money to Hengdian and Huairou to have the Ming and Qing dynasty sets transformed into the style of the Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties in batches. It will be difficult to find suitable sets for future Qing dynasty dramas."

Mr. Hu slammed his wine glass on the table. "Then what are we going to film in the future?"

...(End of this chapter)