Chapter 480: Qin Shi Huang Wants to Find an Immortal

"Inception" has won the Oscar for Best Picture. This is the first time a project with deep involvement from Chinese capital has ascended to the highest podium in the film industry, and the significance is extraordinary.

At the 84th Academy Awards, it unexpectedly defeated the highly favored "The Artist" to ultimately take home the "Best Picture" award. This result not only brought a surprise to "Inception" fans worldwide, but Mr. Hu believes it holds epoch-making significance for the Chinese film industry.

Many people say this is merely Chen Nuo's victory. But Mr. Hu believes it cannot be viewed so simply.

First, this is a major success for Chinese film capital "going global."

In the past, Chinese film companies participating in Hollywood projects mostly stopped at domestic distribution, buying overseas rights, or minor co-productions, with extremely limited say. This time, however, the production of "Inception" not only involved Chinese capital but also saw Chinese actors occupy a leading position in the creative direction; this is a sign of moving from "peripheral collaboration" to "core participation."

Second, this is a breakthrough in cultural influence.

As an American-led award, the Oscars have always had a high preference for local aesthetics and values. The victory of "Inception" shows that when Chinese power is embedded in the global system in a more mature way, it is entirely possible to win the recognition of mainstream global aesthetics.

Third, this is a counterattack under the rules, rather than a struggle outside of them.

This is consistent with what Mr. Hu has always emphasized: "Integrate into the world, do not confront the world." If Chinese filmmakers want to have lasting influence on the world stage, they cannot blindly emphasize nationalist sentiment, nor can they always count on policy protection; instead, they must stand out by relying on their own strength within the global rules of the game. "Inception" is the model of this path.

Mr. Hu wants to say that this is just the beginning.

What we need to do in the future is not just participate in more "Inception"-like projects, but have the ability to lead a "Chinese story" to truly win global recognition—that day may not be far off.

Mr. Hu believes that Chinese capital and Chinese faces, like those of Huanxin or Hengdian, are appearing on global screens more and more naturally; this is a form of mutual learning between civilizations and a concrete manifestation of the rise of national soft power.

In a sense, this victory does not just belong to "Inception," nor just to Huanxin or Hengdian, or even Chen Nuo personally; it belongs to China."

If this hot article by Editor-in-Chief Hu of the "Global Times," which is sweeping Weibo, is not enough in weight,

then on that very same day, the People's Daily officially published a feature report titled "The Chinese Power Behind the Oscar-Winning Film," in which the "Hengdian Group" was once again named and praised,

which was enough for the Xu family, who have always been low-key, restrained, and kept a low profile, to make an extremely rare decision on February 29, 2012: to organize a welcoming motorcade consisting of over a dozen luxury vehicles, setting off in a grand procession from the urban area of Dongyang, driving all the way along the town road to Yiwu Airport, to respectfully welcome Group Chairman Mr. Xu Yong'an as he returned in glory after crossing the ocean from the United States to win honor for the country.

Most moving of all, the elder Mr. Xu Wenrong, who has long lived in seclusion and stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs in recent years, also broke precedent this time to personally step out of his home.

Surrounded by dozens of Hengdian veterans, corporate executives, media reporters, and local officials, the old man stood at the entrance of Hengdian Town, a kind smile on his face, quietly waiting for the motorcade to arrive.

When the car door slowly opened, Chairman Xu Yong'an, dressed in a black suit and looking radiant, stepped out with the Oscar "little gold man" trophy, smiling broadly. He greeted the various leaders from the Dongyang Municipal Committee, the municipal government, and Hengdian Town one by one. Finally, under the archway of the Qin King Palace—the most symbolic landmark in Hengdian—he held the "little gold man," which symbolizes the highest honor in world cinema, and took a commemorative group photo in the center with the dozens of people present.

This grand welcoming ceremony will surely leave a heavy, colorful stroke in the local chronicles of Hengdian Town, becoming a topic of conversation for the common people over tea and meals in the years to come, engraved deep in people's memories.

The next morning, when Xu Yong'an woke up, the sun was already high.

After washing up and going downstairs, ready to drink some white porridge to warm his stomach, he saw his father already sitting on a wooden chair on the first floor, flipping through the golden "little gold man" in his hands.

Hearing the movement, Xu Wenrong looked up: "How many of these things were issued in total?"

Xu Yong'an replied: "Three. We, Huanxin, and Warner—each of the three production companies got one."

The elder Mr. Xu chuckled and said: "This thing, it's not actually rare. It's all made over in our Yiwu; I heard the ex-factory price is a few hundred yuan each. If you order in bulk, you can even get a twenty percent discount."

Xu Yong'an nodded.

"But..." The elder Mr. Xu flipped the trophy over, revealing the base, and pointed to a line of English words engraved on it, which read: Film Title: Inception. Co-production: Huanxin, Hengdian, Warner Bros. Award Year: 2012.

"With this on it, it's a treasure worth more than a thousand pieces of gold."

The elder Mr. Xu placed the little gold man on the coffee table, smiled, and said: "I didn't expect you to play this move to this point."

At this moment, the family nanny brought a bowl of white porridge and a plate of pickled vegetables and placed them on the table, but Xu Yong'an did not pick up his chopsticks immediately.

The elder Mr. Xu looked at the little gold man on the table thoughtfully and said again: "You stayed two extra days this time to attend his birthday party; after going, what were your takeaways?"

Xu Yong'an said: "Unexpected."

"How so?"

"We all originally thought that he was just a rootless tree over in America and would return to the country for development sooner or later. When we valued his company last time, it was actually based on this judgment. We believed his ceiling in the US was ultimately limited. Just like Cheng Long or Li Lianjie, no matter how glorious they were at a certain stage, they would eventually have to return to the country to cash in. After all, over there, we Chinese are always outsiders."

The elder Mr. Xu nodded: "And then?"

"And then..." Xu Yong'an frowned slightly, his tone grave, "There were many people at his birthday party that day. Besides those in the Hollywood circle, quite a few people from the business world came too. For example, there was a New York real estate tycoon who is quite famous in the US; he brought his whole family, and... a Democratic Congressman from California also came."

"Oh? A Congressman?" The elder Mr. Xu sat up straight, his eyes flickering.

Xu Yong'an nodded: "Yes, I even chatted with that person for a bit. Dad, although the status of a federal Congressman isn't too high in the US, I think this symbolic significance is still worth paying attention to."

The elder Mr. Xu nodded slowly: "I understand."

As he spoke, he chuckled: "Entertainment, business, politics—looking at it this way, it really does seem like he's put down roots. It might really be an anomaly."

"Yes," Xu Yong'an replied.

"Then now, if we were to talk to him about shares again, do you think..."

Halfway through, the elder Mr. Xu shook his head and said: "Forget it. At this current peak of the storm, there's no need for us to join in the excitement."

Xu Yong'an nodded.

The elder Mr. Xu glanced at him sideways and hummed lightly: "The principle I told you back then, after all these years, you've finally put it to use. At the time, I said to learn to bet on the winner, but over these years, we ourselves have become the winners, and instead, others are betting on us."

"Now that we've finally encountered someone in this industry truly worth betting on, we must grasp it firmly. Since we can't get into the company's shares for the time being, let's start with the projects."

"You must instruct the people at the film and television company to have more contact with their team. Whether it's a TV series or a movie, as long as they need capital, we have no cap. Invest whatever they need."

"Didn't CCTV also sign a cooperation framework with them? We should go sign one too. We'll give them some privileges at our Hengdian World Studios in exchange for some priority investment conditions."

"Yes, Dad, I understand." Xu Yong'an nodded solemnly.

After finishing, the elder Mr. Xu suddenly picked up the Oscar little gold man from the table again, a smile appearing on his face, and said: "After this whole affair, I can finally be at ease. This is the 'Sea-Calming Needle' for our Xu family. You put it in your chairman's office; for at least ten years, no one will be able to touch you. Those rumors and gossip, humph, will collapse on their own. Haha!"

When the elder Mr. Xu finished speaking, he finally laughed out loud, and Xu Yong'an laughed along with him; the father and son's joyful laughter echoed in the spacious living room.

"I plan to take it to the provincial capital today to have tea with a few old friends and let them be happy too. Don't leave this afternoon; wait for me to come back before I hand it over to you."

"Alright, Dad."

The elder Mr. Xu was about to set off, but just as he was leaving, he suddenly stopped his steps, turned back, and said: "How much do you know about that TV series he's making in Hong Kong now?"

"Not much; I just know that the money is coming from the US and they hired him to film it."

"How much money did they give him?"

"Not clear."

"How long is he going to film there?"

"I heard it's going to take about 3 or 4 months, filming until the Shanghai International Film Festival in June."

The elder Mr. Xu nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled and said: "He really is a smart man."

……

……

"Ah? How many?"

"A lot."

"Damn, what kind of backgrounds do they have?"

"All kinds of backgrounds."

"And what did you tell them?"

"I said you're filming in Hong Kong and don't have time right now."

"...Phew, putting it that way, was I really right to be in Hong Kong?" Chen Nuo rubbed his nose, yawned, and said listlessly.

"You're telling me."

Chen Nuo said: "Alright, that's that then. My jet lag hasn't worn off yet; I'm going to sleep a bit more."

"Sleep a bit or 'do' a bit?"

"Get lost!"

The call ended. Chen Nuo didn't have much sleepiness for the moment; he rested his head on his hands and looked at the ceiling, lost in thought.

As Huanxin Company's operations expanded, he and Qi Yuntian had formed a situation where they tried not to stay together; since he had arrived in Hong Kong, Qi Da had returned to the mainland.

There was a lot of work in the mainland. Post-New Year recruitment was unfolding one after another, and the housing fund was officially being distributed, which required him, as a shareholder, to personally sit in and manage the finances. The projects the company had in hand were also being pushed forward one after another; whether it was the externally invested "Wolf Warrior" or the film and television projects being screened internally, they all needed manpower. Although Li Jing was capable, she didn't have the same resounding reputation for decisiveness as Qi Da.

The phone call just now was from Qi Yuntian.

He hadn't expected that winning an Oscar this time would attract another wave of "mad bees and butterflies." The last wave was also for the Oscars; when he won Best Supporting Actor, some people also wanted to collaborate, but compared to this time, the quantity and quality of those coming were not in the same league.

If it weren't for the fact that he was no longer the person he used to be, he really wouldn't have been able to withstand the pressure.

But now, with Qi Yuntian handling it and him avoiding the limelight in Hong Kong, it should be about right. After all, he now had the dual endorsement of the People's Daily and the News Simulcast, plus Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin cheering him on; there weren't many people he needed to fear anymore.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Wen Yingshan was woken up by his voice; she turned her head and opened her eyes wide.