[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment":3,"chapter-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-395":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Intelligence King of Chinese Entertainment",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260698,4411,"Chapter 395","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-395",395,"\u003Cp>The new adaptation of \"Dream of the Red Chamber\" suffered a collapse in both ratings and critical reception, but it made no shortage of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the high per-episode price set by \"The New Three Kingdoms,\" the first-run broadcast rights for this drama approached 2 million per episode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even claim it sold for over 2 million per episode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The New Three Kingdoms\" had a high budget, but also many episodes; \"The New Dream of the Red Chamber\" had fewer episodes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Generally, the more episodes a drama has, the higher the total price but the lower the per-episode rate; the fewer episodes, the lower the total price but the higher the per-episode rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But according to insider rumors, this figure may not be accurate—it’s likely promotional data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, \"The New Three Kingdoms\"’ earnings are reflected in Yi’an’s financial reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how much \"The New Dream of the Red Chamber\" made? Only the production team knows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This drama runs deep—never mind the golden hairpins, director changes, or mismatched casting; just consider the cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The New Three Kingdoms\" filmed 80 episodes, with countless battle scenes, yet spent less than 140 million total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The New Dream of the Red Chamber\" was a garden drama, featured no major stars, and had only 50 episodes—yet its final cost was nearly identical to \"The New Three Kingdoms.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t talk about expensive costumes, makeup, props, or sets—no matter how costly, it’s absurd to spend this much. Even renting real artifacts wouldn’t come close unless they were smashed daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cost is one sum, revenue is another; the gap between inflow and outflow creates plenty of room for manipulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Yan Li and Yi’an, whether \"The New Dream of the Red Chamber\" made or lost money, or what hidden tricks it contained, doesn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What matters is whether it will drag down the New Four Great Classical Novels—or specifically, the releases of \"The New Water Margin\" and \"The New Journey to the West.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The New Three Kingdoms\" delivered an excellent start for these projects, but \"The New Dream of the Red Chamber\" has now crushed that momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TV stations and platforms that bought broadcast rights suffered heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Yi’an’s knowledge, Zhejiang TV’s collaboration with Yongle on \"The New Journey to the West\" has struggled with distribution and suffered advertising setbacks due to \"The New Dream of the Red Chamber.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The New Water Margin\" and Zhang Dashu’s version of \"The New Journey to the West\" naturally face similar troubles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former is better off—it’s Yi’an’s own production, backed by the success of \"The New Three Kingdoms\"; though the market is cautious, the overall sentiment remains positive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem is the latter—Zhang Dashu has been consistently failing these past two years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Huang Xiaoming’s \"The Deer and the Cauldron,\" every one of his dramas has flopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately, even before \"The Deer and the Cauldron,\" his \"The Green Blood Sword\" performed poorly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Deer and the Cauldron\" gave him a brief rebound, then he made \"The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber\"—and failed to learn from past mistakes, boldly casting newcomers again, even more aggressively than with \"The Green Blood Sword.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the five major leads—Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min, Xiao Zhao, and Yin Li—only An Yixuan had any fame; the rest were unknowns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to poor quality and lack of star power, it flopped spectacularly, setting Zhang Dashu’s worst record among Jin Yong adaptations, and none of the actors broke through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, the failure of Zhang Dashu’s \"The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,\" coupled with Yi’an’s \"Xiao Shiyilang\" falling short of expectations,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>caused the two pillars of wuxia drama to cool off, directly killing the once-booming wuxia market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an immediately halted wuxia drama production; Zhang Dashu, refusing to believe it, made \"The Tang Dynasty Adventurers\"—and it flopped even harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, Zhang Dashu turned to historical themes, partnering with Huayi to produce \"The Soldier Saint,\" starring Zhu Yawen, who had become hugely popular after \"Crossing the Passes\"—and it flopped again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yawen’s momentum after \"Crossing the Passes\" had been immense; after signing with Huayi, he was once considered Huang Xiaoming’s successor—but this drama derailed his career, and now he’s not even as favored at Huayi as the cast of \"Soldiers Sortie.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the wall falls, everyone kicks it—Zhang Dashu’s reputation was already poor, and over these past two years of failures, criticism has only grown louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the early planning of the New Four Great Classical Novels, Zhang Dashu’s \"The New Journey to the West\" and \"The New Three Kingdoms\" generated the most off-screen gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But \"The New Three Kingdoms\" was a new approach—even if it used some old formulas, they were repackaged with modern marketing centered on Weibo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Dashu couldn’t keep up with the times; he stuck to the old formula: casting + boasting + ranting—and audiences and netizens, tired of this routine, mocked him relentlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that \"The New Dream of the Red Chamber\" has flopped and \"The New Journey to the West\" has such a terrible public reception, it’s bound to suffer heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within Yi’an, there’s division over whether to release it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Yi’an didn’t fear bad dramas—they had distribution safety nets; even if a drama flopped, they still made money, and since Yi’an wasn’t the producer, blame couldn’t be pinned on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with the New Four Great Classical Novels appearing as one ghost and one god, attention on the subsequent projects has surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an, having become a positive symbol due to producing \"The New Three Kingdoms,\" must now consider whether it will be dragged down—whether its reputation will suffer, or whether \"The New Water Margin\"’s release will be affected, or even whether its stock price will be impacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussion, the distribution department’s vice president, Xiao Guan, proposed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Establish a subsidiary company solely for distribution, using one team but two brands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To outright reject the incoming profits would be too extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind anything else—\"The New Three Kingdoms\" generated nearly 400 million in revenue; even if \"The New Journey to the West\" gets a discount, it should still bring in 200–300 million. At a conservative 10% distribution fee, that’s 20–30 million handed away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distribution department has existed for years but has never handled a project of this scale—how could they just give it up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to take a roundabout route, add a shell layer—keep the money, but let the subsidiary take the blame if things go wrong or the project’s reputation tanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the future, this could become standard: good projects bear the Yi’an Distribution name; risky, low-reputation projects bear the subsidiary’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounds like covering one’s ears while stealing a bell, but sometimes, adding this shell changes everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many large corporations create subsidiaries and spin-offs, piling on layers—part of the purpose is exactly this: protecting the parent company’s image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Name and profit go to the parent company; hardship and blame fall on the subsidiaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the distribution department—TV drama, film, and advertising divisions can also set up shell companies for projects whose quality is uncertain but potentially profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way, they comfortably earn profits while keeping the substance, and minimize negative impacts to preserve their reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Yi’an Distribution withdrew from releasing Zhang Dashu’s version of \"The New Journey to the West,\" handing it to a new company with no apparent connection to Yi’an—yet the same personnel and team remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"The New Journey to the West\" production team had no major objections—the name changed, but the people and resources didn’t; as long as they could sell more, who cared what tricks Yi’an played?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Yi’an had much more confidence in \"The New Water Margin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The core distribution team took direct charge, aiming to match the revenue of \"The New Three Kingdoms.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind this also lies the power struggle between Xiao Guan, head of distribution, and Du Guowei, head of film.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ascending to the top requires achievements to back it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film department’s recent strength is Du Guowei’s greatest leverage; although distribution doesn’t lead production, it earns significant credit by maximizing revenue from dramas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing distribution’s efforts, Du Guowei didn’t sit idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t have high hopes of becoming president himself—in a large group like Yi’an, with so many departments and senior figures, lack of seniority is fatal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even if he couldn’t win the presidency, he could use this opportunity to expand the film department’s power—like seizing control of film distribution, or even getting involved in cinema chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or push Yi’an to create a CCO position—the Chief Content Officer—with full authority over all content operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an entertainment and film company, Yi’an’s content business has enormous scope; once established, this role would allow every department to intervene, granting immense real power—equivalent to the company’s third-in-command, and a strong one at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Use this CCO role as a stepping stone to build reputation, achievements, and seniority—then naturally claim the presidency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in Du Guowei’s heart, there’s a quiet ambition: to one day become Yi’an’s chairman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Yan Li’s empire is so vast, and now he’s showing signs of delegating power; in the future, he may fully step back, retire behind the scenes, or focus on other industries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, who better than Du Guowei to succeed him—qualified, loyal, and respected?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this is just a beautiful dream—making it real won’t be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Guowei must make the company and Yan Li see his value; otherwise, he won’t just fail to become chairman—he might even be sacrificed as a warning example by Xiao Guan after he takes over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So these past days, Du Guowei has been pushing for funding and planning new film projects, aiming to maintain and extend Yi’an’s cinematic glory, gaining more leverage for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an, Chairman’s Office\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li flipped through the project proposals Du Guowei had submitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Guowei’s move was bold—he started with three major films: \"The Flowers of Jinling,\" \"Dragon Gate,\" and \"Wuxia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three films are collaborations with renowned directors—Tang Guoqiang, Xu Laoguai, and Chen Kexin—with big-name stars including Li Lianjie, Donnie Yen, Deng Chao, Fan Xiaopang, Li Bingbing, Yang Mi, and even Hollywood actors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li closed the proposal: \"Let’s not discuss 'The Flowers of Jinling'—it was already decided. The script still needs refinement, but the tone is set; we’ll revisit it later. Let’s talk about your thoughts on the other two projects.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Guowei nodded and laid out his strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an is now the industry leader and has just gone public—it needs bold moves to seize market share, demonstrate its dominant position, instill market confidence, and boost its stock price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, Yi’an’s previous low-budget strategy no longer works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an must make big films—films requiring massive investment, big directors, big stars, and big promotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Dragon Gate\" project is Xu Laoguai’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Huayi collaborated with him on \"Detective Dee: The Mystery of the Phantom Flame\"; though the film hasn’t been released yet, rumors are already swirling in the industry—many have even seen rough cuts, and confidence in Xu Laoguai, who’s had bad luck these past two years, has been restored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dragon Gate\" is a reimagining of Xu Laoguai’s classic \"New Dragon Gate Inn\"; with the influence of the original, it’s even more highly anticipated by insiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Enlight Media, Bona, and Yinghuang all have varying degrees of interest in this project.\u003C\u002Fp>",1888,"2026-06-19T16:16:54.562Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7344ee303b246983980687dd5acf71bb35b0a3a38016aeb3a3819347c1bc6f8d","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-396","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-394",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]