Chapter 186: Dimensionality Reduction Strike! (Seeking Subscriptions)

On the Mainland side, not only the literary circle was influenced by Wu Feng, but the film and television circle was no exception.

In fact, films shot by Silver City Institution could basically all be screened on the Mainland.

It was just that previously, the predecessor of Silver City Institution was so weak it could barely afford to shoot films, which is why it had almost no presence in the Mainland film scene during the eighties.

But things are different now!

Ever since Wu Feng was reborn, he began cooperating with Silver City Institution to shoot films at the end of '86.

Films like *Legend of the Northeast Hunter* and *Legend of the Qinling Cat Demon*, after achieving good box office results in Hong Kong, were screened on the Mainland one after another.

The Mainland had almost no such entertainment films before, and the two films exploded directly on the Mainland.

They couldn't compare to *Shaolin Temple*, but their influence was also quite astonishing.

Subsequently, as long as there were no ghosts or monsters, the films shot by Silver City Institution—even horror and thriller films—could basically be screened on the Mainland, and the results were all quite good.

To say nothing else, as the importing agency, China Film Group never lost money just from selling copies.

It can be said that the Mainland film scene in '87 was almost dominated by films from Silver City Institution, Fengrui Film and Television, and Qiankun Film and Television.

The films shot by the eight major Mainland film studios seemed to be at a level disconnected from theirs.

Every time a film was sent in by Silver City Institution, film fans across the country could have a good time.

That's right, most of the films from Fengrui Film and Television and Qiankun Film and Television could be imported for screening on the Mainland.

Of course, they basically didn't make much money, but Wu Feng and Jing Kun didn't mind.

Fengrui Film and Television's small and medium-budget films could sell in Southeast Asia and even Europe and America, so the screening results on the Mainland naturally wouldn't be bad either.

Especially the first two parts of *Swallow Li San*, which caused quite a sensation on the Mainland.

There was no other reason; the plot was tight and exciting, and the fighting was particularly spectacular!

The martial arts techniques within it did not deviate from reality; in fact, some true experts could achieve them.

In the eighties, there were still quite a few martial arts experts on the Mainland.

The reason why Qiankun Film and Television's films could enter the Mainland was mainly because what they shot were realistic themes.

There were actually quite a few of this type on the Mainland, but they basically didn't involve Hong Kong.

Then, the first and second parts of *Guyai Zai*, as well as the first part of *Snakehead*, also exploded on the Mainland.

The films contained the glitz and glamour of Hong Kong, but even more so, the difficult survival of people at the bottom.

Of course, as for what reaction the audience had after watching, that was not something the film company could control.

In short, the Mainland film market in '87 was quite lively.

From time to time, films that delighted the audience were released!

In original history, because of the restructuring of film studios, both film studios and cinemas began to show signs of depression, and times were quite difficult.

But Silver City Institution's forceful participation managed to keep the screening market booming.

However, film studios, including the Beijing Film Studio, were having a very hard time.

The films they shot couldn't compete with films from Hong Kong in the screening market, and they were full of complaints.

It was only because of Silver City Institution's special status that it avoided the risk of being attacked by everyone.

If it had been a single Mainland film studio that dominated, it would likely have been broken up long ago.

When times are hard, one naturally has to find ways to save oneself.

Some also set their sights on the exciting novels that could be published in Hong Kong newspapers.

In fact, ever since the newspaper office under Wu Feng set up an office in Pengcheng, it had always wanted to open up the Mainland publication market.

With the strong support of the Pengcheng side, by the end of '87, the Pengcheng office was able to publish novels and comics simultaneously with Hong Kong.

There was still not much possibility of doing newspapers and magazines on the Mainland at the moment.

But as the saying goes, Wu Feng's investment on the Mainland was solid, real industry!

Placed in Pengcheng, it belonged to a benchmark Hong Kong-funded enterprise!

Compared to other Red Mansion figures in Hong Kong, Wu Feng's level of support for the Mainland was not inferior at all.

Just like Qiu Degen of the Far East Group, who had his Asia Television taken away, he could also be considered a member of the Hong Kong Red Mansion echelon.

In terms of wealth, he should be stronger than Shao Liushu of Wireless, belonging to the lower end of Hong Kong's Red Mansion power.

This person could also be considered relatively close to the Mainland, but his previous investment on the Mainland was just a flour mill.

He was not even as good as those small and medium Hong Kong bosses who produced toys and electronic products.

Therefore, the Pengcheng side secured the qualification for the office to publish and distribute novels and comics.

This was a big deal.

Under Wu Feng's instructions, they shipped goods at a price 20% to 30% higher than the cost.

For instance, the two volumes of the *Legend of the Northeast Hunter* novel cost about ten Hong Kong Dollars per book in Hong Kong.

On the Mainland, a paper novel was only two yuan, which could be said to be as low as it could get.

It could even be said that compared to the selling price of pirated novels, it was only a few cents more.

Then, the newly opened printing factory almost never stopped.

Truckload after truckload of novels and serial picture books were transported to all parts of the country for sale.

Under the strict constraints of the office, the highest selling price could not exceed three yuan!

They upheld the principle of small profits but quick turnover, not giving any chance to potential piracy!

It was precisely because of this that by '88, many exciting novels signed by the Hong Kong newspaper office, as well as comics of the same name, were selling extremely well on the Mainland.

For example, the earliest *Legend of the Northeast Hunter* had already easily sold millions of copies!

Don't be surprised; in an era where serious literary works could sell hundreds of thousands of copies from time to time, the sales volume of an exciting popular novel was quite astonishing.

Even the *Wuxia* magazine, which had already been launched, saw its sales slide severely due to the impact.

In fact, the novels published and distributed by the Pengcheng office were not just the high-quality novels and comics signed by the Hong Kong newspaper office; they had also acquired quite a few medium-level novels that had been rejected.

Their prices range from ten to fifty Hong Kong Dollars per thousand characters, and the quantity is quite considerable.

The massive publication and distribution of these novels is, for novel fans in the Mainland, an absolutely happy trouble.

Why a trouble? Because it requires spending quite a lot of money to purchase them.

This is also the main reason why the Guanzhong Provincial Writers Association opened up the postal channel for novels.

Including the Hong Kong newspaper office and the Pengcheng office, they receive quite a few submissions every day, and at least one-tenth of them are signed for publication and distribution.

Don't look at it as just one-tenth, or perhaps even less, but the quantity is quite astonishing.

If there were any veteran web novel readers or authors from later generations here, they would surely be able to keenly perceive that the Hong Kong newspaper office and the Mainland offices under Wu Feng have turned the web novel model into a paper-based one.

Any novel that is signed gets the opportunity for publication and distribution!

At this current moment, it is truly like a mudslide sweeping through the entire Mainland popular fiction scene.

Let's put it this way: Wu Feng's actions in Hong Kong have strong signs of "rolling" those so-called famous novelists to death.

Even that fellow Ni Kuang is said to have had his manuscript fee standard affected and dropped by a grade.

Previously it might have been five hundred or even one thousand per thousand characters, but now it is only three hundred to five hundred per thousand characters.

One can only say that this guy is indeed a tentacle monster!

In an era of writing novels with pen and paper, being able to maintain a daily update volume of ten thousand or even fifteen thousand characters is, in the internet age, comparable to a terrifying update volume of thirty to fifty thousand characters a day.

It's a pity that his "Wesley Series" and "Hua Milan Series" were hit too hard by "Mong Kok News" and "Novel Monthly," and simply cannot compare to the glory of the original timeline.

With Ni Kuang in such a state, the situation for other Hong Kong novelists is even worse.

For instance, some authors who were still writing traditional martial arts novels have seen their manuscript fee levels drop to below one hundred per thousand characters, which is absolutely a heavy blow.

That is why it is said that now, ten out of ten novelists in Hong Kong hate Wu Feng to death.

It is not just Hong Kong novelists who have been impacted; those in Taiwan are even more miserable.

Authors like Zhuge Qingyun, who specialize in writing traditional martial arts, are in no better a situation.

Ahem, many novels and comics published by Wu Feng's newspaper offices were sent to Taiwan through unofficial channels, and fellow authors there have also been "rolled" quite severely.

As for the Mainland, those affected are the serious literature writers.

Previously in the Mainland, popular fiction was at the very bottom of the contempt chain in the literary world.

Any writer with some fame would disdain to engage in it.

There were few who could write serious literary works in a relaxed and humorous way.

As a result, with the appearance of Wu Feng and the stimulation of the big golden bull of Hong Kong Dollars, many young traditional writers were the first to join the popular fiction trade, followed by numerous novel authors with literary interests who participated one after another.

The most fatal thing is the crazy distribution behavior of the offices under Wu Feng, which is simply a lethal move.

In the Mainland book market, there are suddenly too many wonderful or medium-level popular novels.

Moreover, the variety is vast; as long as the reader's preference is not dark or abnormal, they can find it.

With this, the market for serious literary works has been squeezed quite badly.

Originally, as long as a serious literature writer had a little fame, their novel publications would be in the units of one hundred thousand, and their income was absolutely not small.

But at this time, it is hard to say whether they can even sell ten thousand copies.

What is called dimensionality reduction strike? This is a standard dimensionality reduction strike!

The serious literature writers in the Mainland are wailing; they naturally have no good impression of the publishing houses under Wu Feng that caused this situation, and they are just short of calling for them to be beaten and killed.

Of course, saying this does not mean the situation in the Mainland is terrible; that Wu Feng's industries were affected is an impossible thing.

Not to mention the current era, even in the early 21st century, the prestige of Hong Kong businessmen is not small.

At present, what the publishing houses under Wu Feng are doing is neither against the rules nor illegal, and they have received the support and affirmation of countless readers, so naturally there will be no problems.

Such a big wave in the literary world was naturally sensed by the Mainland film and television industry.

The film and television circle, led by the Eight Major Film Studios, is having a hard time, so they naturally think of transforming or filming good works that audiences love to see.

Otherwise, if things continue like this, the days of the Eight Major Film Studios will only get harder and harder.

It just so happens that the various popular novels in the Mainland show signs of flooding.

Among them, there are quite a few with wonderful content that are very suitable for adaptation into movies.

Whether it is movies filmed by Silver City Institution, or movies filmed by Fengrui Film and Television or Qiankun Film and Television, they are all adapted from best-selling novels.

It is impossible for peers in the Mainland film and television circle not to have heard about these situations.

If they want to imitate, it is not difficult, and wanting to obtain novel adaptation rights is even less of a difficult matter; it just depends on whether they want to and are willing to invest.

(End of this chapter)