Chapter 739: Occupy the cultural high ground!
That afternoon, Lin Yuzhen had just finished shooting a set of shots and was about to take a break when Jiang Yuxiang suddenly called.
"Did you know that Teacher Song's large-scale traditional dance program was cancelled?"
When Lin Yuzhen heard this, she was shocked.
"Is this true?"
Teacher Song is called Song Meiyun, and she is a dance teacher at the academy. Three years ago, she had conceived a super large stage play, which is based on the thousands of years of ancient culture of the Xia Kingdom and focuses on the evolution and development of this civilization in the form of dance.
When Song Meiyun first proposed this idea, the entire academy went crazy about it. European and American countries can have their own musicals, so why can't Xia Country have its own large-scale musical?
Therefore, with the support and cooperation of the school and the entire regional education system, this large-scale drama called "Civilization" began to be created and choreographed, with a cast and crew of up to one thousand.
After three years of rehearsal, it should have been time for the official launch, but the show was canceled.
It's like a group of agricultural experts went through great pains to plant a batch of durian trees in Xia Country, and after a few years, when these trees were just about to bear fruit, they had to cut them down.
Jiang Yuxiang said confidently: "Really? I tell you, I couldn't believe it when I first heard the news. What a great project it is. It can showcase culture and fill a gap in the domestic field. It has been in preparation for several years. How can it be stopped just like that?"
Lin Yuzhen frowned and said, "Yeah, that doesn't make sense. Did you ask why?"
Jiang Yuxiang said: "I asked. I called Teacher Song and she cried. She said the school financial difficulties and the project would cost more than expected. After evaluation, the revenue from subsequent performances could not offset the cost. In short, no matter how we did it, we couldn't make money, so we just stopped it."
When Lin Yuzhen heard this, she immediately felt quite regretful and felt that something was wrong. She said, "Is this about money? When we watched that play before, it took several hours to show thousands of years of civilization. It has a very positive propaganda effect. This should be considered, right?"
Jiang Yuxiang sighed, "Who said it wasn't? To be honest, I really want to watch the full version of the show. It's such a pity that it's been stopped now."
Lin Yuzhen pursed her lips and said, "It's really a pity, and Teacher Song has been very caring towards us before . I don't know if I can help."
Jiang Yuxiang was startled and said, "You want to help? This will cost a lot of money. It seems that you have made a lot of money recently. You dare to say such things."
Lin Yuzhen said: "How can I afford this? Of course I'll go to Lu Yiming for help."
When Jiang Yuxiang heard this, she smiled and said, "Oh, you mean Lu Yiming, then it's okay."
After finishing the call with Jiang Yuxiang, Lin Yuzhen called Lu Yiming and told him about this matter.
Lu Yiming asked in surprise: "You studied broadcasting in college, right? Why do you want to practice dancing?"
Lin Yuzhen snorted and said, "Why do you care so much? Just tell me whether you will help or not."
Lu Yiming was still very interested in promoting the traditional culture of Xia Country. He didn't lack the money anyway. But before agreeing, he decided to tease Lin Yuzhen first and said to her, "I can help you, but I can't spend this money for nothing, right?"
Lin Yuzhen pursed her lips and said in a muffled voice, "So what do you want?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "Haven't you learned classical dance? It just so happens that I haven't seen it yet. After this is done, you have to let me test your learning results, right? How about dancing for me?"
Hearing Lu Yiming's cunning smile, Lin Yuzhen felt furious. But thinking that only Lu Yiming could help now, Lin Yuzhen gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, as long as you agree to help."
Lu Yiming was just teasing Lin Yuzhen because he knew that Lin Yuzhen was a "mighty and unyielding" girl and would definitely not compromise.
What Lu Yiming didn't expect was that Lin Yuzhen actually agreed.
This immediately made Lu Yiming confused.
“Ah, this…”
Lin Yuzhen finally defeated Lu Yiming and became extremely proud. She teased Lu Yiming, "What? Do you want to go back on your words?"
Lu Yiming said quickly: "How is that possible? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Why don't we go to Communication University of China and talk to that teacher Song to find out what's going on."
"Okay, I just happen to have two days of free time here, so let's go together."
Lu Yiming, along with Lin Yuzhen and bodyguards, arrived in Beijing by flight that afternoon and went directly to Communication University of China.
Before his rebirth, Lu Yiming had only heard that Communication University of China produced many beautiful girls. Now that he had walked into the campus, he found that it was indeed true. Most of the people coming and going on campus were girls, with delicate skin and pretty looks, wearing all kinds of black stockings and long legs, which made Lu Yiming feel dazzled.
It’s great to be young.
Lin Yuzhen brought Lu Yiming to Song Meiyun's office with ease. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard a quarrel coming from inside.
"Teacher Song, your stuff is outdated. Traditional culture is all dross. We need to open our eyes to the world, don't you understand? Piano and violin are elegant arts, and ballet and tango can attract attention. Who would watch these things you have, Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties?"
"You keep talking about Hanfu, but that's cultural dregs and feudal superstition, you know? Even if you want to show tradition, isn't kimono more popular than yours? You don't have to say it, your program is time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive, and you won't make any money even if you launch it. The school has already decided to replace your program with my European classical opera."
When Lin Yuzhen heard this, she immediately became furious. She pushed the door open and walked in, cursing, "Bullshit! What era is this? Are you still worshipping foreigners?"
As a result, after he said this, he realized that the person who had just spoken was Liu Yanhua, the dean of the School of Art at Communication University of China, and he was immediately shocked.
When Song Meiyun saw Lin Yuzhen coming in, her eyes suddenly lit up.
Liu Yanhua was also startled by the sudden appearance of two people. She angrily asked Lin Yuzhen: "Which department are you from?"
Lin Yuzhen was a little scared when she saw Liu Yanhua, after all, she was also a school leader, but now she has calmed down and said, "I have graduated, haha. Dean Liu, how is it? You can't do anything to me, right?"
"you……"
When Liu Yanhua saw Lin Yuzhen’s smiling face, she was immediately furious.
Song Meiyun came to Lin Yuzhen and asked softly, "Why are you here?"
Lin Yuzhen said: "Jiang Yuxiang called me and said that your show was cancelled, so I came to take a look. You have been preparing for this show for several years, how can it be cancelled just like that?"
With Liu Yanhua present, Song Meiyun didn't dare to reveal too much. She just sighed and said, "I was too ambitious before and made the scale of the stage play too big."
Lin Yuzhen said dissatisfiedly: "How could that be? Our Xia country has a history of 5,000 years of civilization. What's wrong with being more generous? In my opinion, it's just that some people, ugly people are more likely to be weird, and they are deliberately making things difficult for you."
Liu Yanhua glared and the powder on her face fell off, and the sunlight coming in through the window made the powder flutter in the air.
She stared at Lin Yuzhen, put her hands on her hips like a shrew scolding on the street, and said with gritted teeth: "Hey, how can you talk like that, little girl? Ah! Who said that ugly people are more likely to do bad things?"
Lin Yuzhen took a step back, stood next to Lu Yiming, and said mercilessly: "Whoever answers is the one I'm talking about."
Liu Yanhua was so angry that she was shaking. She jumped up and down and cursed, "You... don't think I can't deal with you now that you have graduated. Do you believe that I will go to the Education Bureau and write a note on your file?"
Lin Yuzhen made a face and said, "I don't believe it."
Just at this moment, footsteps were heard outside and several people walked in, led by Zhang Shuting, president of Communication University of China.
As soon as he came in, Liu Yanhua swallowed back all the dirty words she was about to say, and asked with a flattering smile, "Principal Zhang, why are you here?"
Zhang Shuting glanced around and finally landed on Lu Yiming. He immediately walked up to Lu Yiming, extended his hand enthusiastically, and said, "Mr. Lu, how come you have time to come to Zhongchuan? Why didn't you even say hello in advance so that I could go and greet you in person?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "You're too polite, Principal Zhang. I heard that Teacher Song had arranged a large-scale traditional song and dance drama, and I was very interested, so I came to take a look. I originally wanted to invite them to perform at my Yiming Plaza, but I didn't expect that the show was removed by the school. It's really a pity."
When Zhang Shuting heard this, he immediately said with a straight face: "Removed? Who said it was removed? Who removed it? How come I didn't know about this? I also like Teacher Song's program very much. It is a good program that promotes culture. How could it be removed?"
Then, Zhang Shuting turned his gaze to Liu Yanhua.
Liu Yanhua quickly defended herself, saying, "This is the school's decision. Her program requires a large investment and has a slow effect. I don't think it will make back the money after it's launched, so..."
Before Liu Yanhua could finish, Zhang Shuting said in a stern voice, "What a jerk! This is something of cultural heritage, how can it be measured with money? Who made the decision in the school? It's totally nonsense! How short-sighted! Dean Liu, as a literary and artistic worker, you don't even consider the social and cultural benefits, and your eyes are only on money. How can this be allowed? It seems that you have been out of touch with the masses for too long. You should suspend your duties and reflect on yourself for a while. When you have considered how to be a literary and artistic worker and educator , come back and tell me."
Zhang Shuting had long disliked Liu Yanhua, who had risen to the top through connections. She had always wanted to promote foreign methods in the school, but she refused to change despite repeated admonitions. However, there was no other way. Liu Yanhua had connections in the higher authorities, so Zhang Shuting did not dare to take harsh measures against her. Today, Liu Yanhua offended Lu Yiming, which just gave Zhang Shuting an opportunity.
If the people above want to pressure Zhang Shuting, they have to consider the influence of Lu Yiming.
When Liu Yanhua heard that Zhang Shuting wanted her to suspend her job and reflect on her mistakes, she was immediately unhappy. However, Zhang Shuting did not give her a chance to refute and directly said, "Mr. Lu, Teacher Song, and this one..."
Lin Yuzhen said: "I am a student of Teacher Song who just graduated this year."
"Oh, then you come too. Let's go to my office and have some tea."
When they arrived at the office, Zhang Shuting said to Lu Yiming enthusiastically, "Mr. Lu, please sit down. Teacher Song, this student, you also sit down."
"Mr. Lu, I'm so sorry. Alas, education work is difficult nowadays. There is a lack of unity in the team..."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "I understand."
The turn of the century was probably the time when public intellectuals were most rampant. However, due to the underdeveloped Internet and backward means of communication, they could not make much impact relying on some small magazines.
But after the development of the Internet in later generations, the impact was enormous.
So in essence, Lu Yiming could relate to everything Zhang Shuting said.
Zhang Shuting quickly smiled and said, "It's good that you understand, it's good that you understand."
Then, he looked at Song Meiyun and asked, "Teacher Song, what's going on? Why did Dean Liu and Mr. Lu quarrel?"
Song Meiyun quickly told Zhang Shuting the whole story.
To put it simply, this matter is actually nothing. Liu Yanhua also put on a play and applied for funding from the school. She wanted to get more money, so she wanted to use her power to cut off Song Meiyun's project.
Lu Yiming said: "Hanfu and classical culture are the quintessence of our country, Xia, and should be well developed and promoted."
Zhang Shuting nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Lin Yuzhen sighed and said, "It would be such a pity if Teacher Song's program was cancelled."
Lu Yiming thought about it and said to Zhang Shuting, "Principal Zhang, how about this? How about I cooperate with Teacher Song to create a brand? I can provide the performance venue and financial support, and Teacher Song can make this play popular. Just like the foreign plays "Turandot" and "Snow Wolf Lake". It can be toured in Yiming Plaza under my name, and I can also have people contact theaters in various places. The play can also be adapted into a film or TV series."
In the era when Lu Yiming lived, there were many such cases, especially those related to traditional culture, which were very popular. Lu Yiming almost didn't have to think about it and directly made a development plan for Song Meiyun's program.
Song Meiyun was stunned when she heard this. After all, she herself had never thought of going so far.
Seeing Lu Yiming take action, Lin Yuzhen was immediately very happy and said, "Teacher Song, with Lu Yiming's help, your play will definitely be fine."
"Lu Yiming? The richest man in Lu?"
When Song Meiyun heard the name, her eyes widened.
No wonder they are so rich and powerful right from the start, and are ready to invest money in branded operations.
No wonder Zhang Shuting was so polite when he saw Lu Yiming.
Song Meiyun thought that Lu Yiming was the child of some important person, which made Zhang Shuting so polite to him.
It turns out to be Asia’s richest man Lu Yiming.
Then it all makes sense.
Ultimately, the reason why the "Civilization" program suffered such a bad fate is that its input-output ratio is too low.
Now everything is centered on economic development, and culture and heritage are no longer important. As long as it doesn’t make money, everything can be cut.
You talking to me about culture?
How can we have culture when we can't even eat properly? Are you kidding me?
Culture is nothing more than a pastime after dinner.
What's the point of developing culture when you're hungry?
But now that someone has invested money, everything will be easy.
What has kept things going for thousands of years?
It depends on culture.
So, how can intellectuals talk about money?
How vulgar!
When Zhang Shuting heard Lu Yiming say he wanted to cooperate with the play, he was immediately overjoyed.
In the domestic university circles, Lu Yiming's investment myth is circulating everywhere.
Needless to say, Fu Ri University, Lu Yiming's alma mater, has invested many projects in it.
China Overseas Jiaotong University also has a graphene project.
Moreover, Lu Yiming's investment is not as stingy as others. He would invest hundreds of millions at any time.
Who wouldn’t be jealous?
These domestic universities are racking their brains to come up with something to attract Lu Yiming to invest.
Zhang Shuting did not expect that Communication University of China was trying hard to plant flowers but they did not bloom, but accidentally planted willows and they grew into a shade. He had been thinking for so long but still had no idea what could attract Lu Yiming, but in the blink of an eye, a stage play program caught Lu Yiming's attention.
"Mr. Lu, is what you said true? Are you really interested in investing in this project?"
Lu Yiming nodded slightly and said, "Of course, if we don't occupy the cultural high ground, others will occupy it. If we don't take the position of public opinion, we will be suppressed and beaten. This is not something that can be measured with money. I plan to set up a fund to explore, support, and operate the inheritance and development of traditional culture."
Before his rebirth, Lu Yiming was heartbroken to tears when he saw many traditional projects slowly withering away because they did not make money and no one inherited them. Unfortunately, he had trouble getting enough food at that time, so he naturally had no power to do anything about these things.
But now, he has the ability to do these things.
Lu Yiming is a man of decisive character. Once he thinks of this, he will take action immediately.
That afternoon, he called Li Yiwen and asked him to contact the Future Fund and take out 100 million yuan as capital to establish the Future Cultural Industry Creative Incubation Base, which is dedicated to exploring traditional culture for funding, protection, and industrialization operations.
In the time and space where Lu Yiming lived before his rebirth, the combination of traditional cultural industries and national trends had already been done quite well. If we move that set of things directly over, many projects will actually be able to survive.
In the past, good wine needs no bush, but with the development of the times and material abundance, even good wine needs no bush, and publicity and promotion have become the factors that determine success or failure.
After all, that is the aesthetic taste of our ancestors for thousands of years. It is not that people no longer like it, but that they simply do not know about it. So first of all, we must let everyone know that there is such a thing before we can talk about the following things.
Afterwards, he contacted the head of Minghua Entertainment Company and asked them to make "Civilization" into a documentary film and promote it in theaters.
That’s not all. Lu Yiming also called Yiming Plaza and asked them to prepare for the national Yiming Plaza tour of the stage play "Civilization".
After this operation, Song Meiyun was stunned.
"Boss Lu, this..."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "Teacher Song, there is nothing more to say. If we don't keep the things passed down by our ancestors, we are unworthy descendants. Come on, everyone."
