China Film Group office.

"Good, good, good. Zhang Yimou truly lives up to his name! This old man is amazing!!!"

Han Sanping watched Zhang Yimou's triumphant appearance on TV and felt extremely gratified, even a little teary-eyed. Chinese films had finally made it to the international stage! All the hard work of China Film Group over the years had not been in vain; he had not misjudged Zhang Yimou!

"Old Han, well done! We really went all out this time. Good job, Zhang Yimou didn't let us down." Tong Gang, Chairman of China Film Group, was very pleased. China Film Group had finally produced a decent film that had gone international!

"Not bad, it wasn't in vain that I spent so much effort contacting Zhang Zhongxing. We've achieved something this time, very good."

Han Sanping laughed loudly: "Minister Zhang, shall we have a drink at noon?"

Minister Zhang laughed: "Alright, have a drink, have a drink."

"Xiao Wang, ask Old Wang from the restaurant to prepare some good dishes and bring out my treasured Moutai. We'll have lunch in the office."

Secretary Wang Yu, standing to the side, replied with a smile, "Yes, Chairman Han, I'll make the arrangements."

Han Sanping offered cigarettes to Minister Zhang, Director Tong, and Director Liu, who were in charge of the investigation.

"Old Han, this move of big cast and big production is the right one, but now there is an important problem. With Zhang Yimou so openly promoting commercial films, domestic art film directors will definitely jump up and down."

Han Sanping scoffed, “Director Tong, do you think our domestic market can go far by just relying on art films? Those kinds of movies are only suitable for a certain audience, and they basically can’t recoup their costs. They rely on winning awards abroad and then selling them through overseas channels. They don’t really benefit our film market at all. We didn’t make commercial films before because no one else did, and we didn’t know how well they would perform.”

"Chinese cinema started late and has been learning as it goes. Now that we have successful precedents, we must continue our efforts to revitalize the market – that's the key! Art films can't be the backbone of a country's film industry. Just like Italian and French cinema, they've been making art films for years, only to be wiped out by Hollywood action blockbusters. Soon, Hollywood blockbusters will enter our mainland market. If we don't take the initiative, how can we compete? Can we rely on art films to beat those Hollywood blockbusters? Are their tens of millions of dollars in production wasted?"

"If we want to compete with them, we must use our country's commercial films to compete on the same stage; this is our responsibility!!!"

Minister Zhang took a puff of his cigarette and nodded.

"Old Han's point is the same as mine. Hollywood is coming on strong, and we must fight back. Art films and commercial films are inherently at a huge disadvantage, which is unacceptable. Creating mainland commercial blockbusters is urgent. Our Central Propaganda Department will provide some policy support. Old Han and Old Tong, you should hold more meetings with the media industry and talk to them. We need to get this done quickly."

Tong Gang nodded.

“I know that, and I support it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked you to do it, Lao Han. However, if we allocate resources to it, those directors who make art films will definitely complain and protest.”

Han Sanping's face turned cold.

"Protest? Hmph, then don't even think about getting a single penny of investment from China Film Group anymore. Art films are already hard to get investors for; they basically lose money on every single one. The director gains all the fame, but the investors lose all the money. Without money, let's see how they can make films!!!"

"Old Han, why are you so temperamental? If you keep acting like this, people will definitely say you're being unfair and will try to make things difficult for you. You need to know that these art-house film directors have deep backgrounds and a lot of influence. If things really escalate, you might end up losing face," Tong Gang said worriedly.

In fact, it mainly affects the interests of the fifth generation of directors. These people are mostly from artistic families, living near the capital, with complex relationships. If they are not careful, they might actually dare to go head-to-head with Han Sanping.

Putting aside everything else, just look at Tian Zhuangzhuang and Chen Kaige; these two have incredibly powerful connections.

Then there are the sixth generation: Wang Xiaoshuai, Jia Zhangke, and Lu Taro. These people all come from performing families. They have countless protégés and associates from their fathers' generation in the industry, and they are all big names.

Chen Kaige's ex-wife's family is very powerful, and his father is also very influential. In particular, Hong Huang can truly be called a noblewoman from a prestigious family, with generations of her family producing warlords, translators, and the first diplomat.

Tian Zhuangzhuang's father is Tian Fang, who was the first head of the Beijing Film Actors Troupe. In addition, Tian Zhuangzhuang's mother, Yu Lan, was also an actress and Li Xuejian's aunt, so Tian Zhuangzhuang is also Li Xuejian's cousin.

They all have people who can speak to those in higher positions, and they also have many loyal fans who support them. Offending them could really cause a lot of trouble.

Han Sanping smiled as he looked at Minister Zhang.

“Minister Zhang, I will act as your vanguard, show the attitude, and set an example. You can clean up the mess when the time comes.”

Minister Zhang smiled wryly: "Old Han, you've really put me in a difficult position. You've passed the buck to me; you're really something."

Han Sanping grinned mischievously: "Actually, there's another way. You can let Ye Daying step forward and stir things up. The Beijing film circle controls the discourse in the mainland film and television industry. As long as he stands up, those directors won't be a threat. Who can compare to him in terms of background? If they dare to argue with Ye Daying, the Beijing film circle won't back down."

Minister Zhang shook his head.

“That won’t do. Eagle is already lawless. You’re going to make him offend people again. No, no.”

"Minister Zhang, who is Ye Daying afraid of? You're joking. Besides, we still have his support. When the movie is released in Beijing, we'll give him some benefits and make him take responsibility. He's not afraid of this trivial matter. Besides, those people aren't stupid. They know Ye Daying very well. If he comes to us to make trouble, we can just pass the buck. Making trouble won't do any good, and the problem will be solved, right?"

Minister Zhang touched his chin upon hearing this.

"Then... shall we give it a try?"

Han Sanping smiled and said, "If you ask him, he'll definitely be willing; he'll offer you a good deal."

"Okay, I'll go talk to him after I finish eating."