Chapter Eighteen: Han Sanping

Gu Zhi and Ning Hao were instantly in sync, rolling up their sleeves and ready to dive in with gusto. Yet before long, the excitement that had just electrified the two young men faded rapidly.

"The script is an excellent one. I did a rough calculation—shooting this film would require about 2.5 to 3 million yuan. That’s just too high. As a newcomer to the film industry, and with you not even being part of it, I doubt we could secure that much investment."

“Sigh…”

Ning Hao’s gaze lingered on the script for Butterfly Effect; the hope in his eyes had already dimmed. For a director, nothing is more painful than having a great script in hand and being unable to bring it to life for lack of funds.

Gu Zhi patted Ning Hao on the shoulder, offering encouragement.

"I've got 1.6 million yuan on hand, and I can put it all in. We’ll have to rely on a film company to invest the rest."

"Our script is fantastic—surely it’ll be no problem to get investors."

Truthfully, he wasn’t all that confident. This was his first time dealing with such matters, after all. All he knew about film companies were those famous ones from his previous life, and in the end, they would likely have to rely on Ning Hao’s network in the industry.

At present, among the film companies in China, none had deeper roots or a larger presence than the China Film Group. Newly established in 1999, China Film was formed from the merger of eight entities, including China Film Company and the Beijing Film Studio. It was the mainland’s only company with the right to import films, and also the largest domestic film producer.

The renowned trilogy—The Founding of a Republic, The Founding of a Party, and The Founding of an Army—were all grand productions of China Film Group. Except for the third, each boasted a star-studded cast, gathering nearly every celebrity in China. In truth, China Film was backed by state power.

After China Film, the next most famous was Huayi Brothers. Huayi Brothers entered the film industry in 1998 by investing in Feng Xiaogang’s Sorry Baby and Jiang Wen’s Devils on the Doorstep. Later, Huayi invested in Feng Xiaogang’s New Year films year after year, quickly rising to become the leading private entertainment conglomerate in the mainland.

Huayi’s close ties with the Beijing circle were well known. Feng Xiaogang was their top director. Even after Feng announced his departure to found Mela Pictures, within three months, Huayi spent 1.05 billion yuan to acquire seventy percent of Mela, bringing Feng back under their banner.

Then there was Enlight Media.

Enlight was the largest private media and entertainment group in China, but in 2000, it had only just been founded and was still focused on entertainment programming. Its best-known show, China Entertainment Report, aired nationally and was a major source of entertainment news for many. Just last year, when Wukong’s Chronicle and The Road of No Hardship became popular, Gu Zhi had been interviewed by China Entertainment Report, giving him a chance to show his face to young people nationwide.

Why would a prominent entertainment program interview a novelist? He hadn’t a clue. Perhaps it was simply because he was handsome—Gu Zhi often consoled himself with this thought.

Back to the topic—Enlight didn’t produce its first film, The Wounded City, until 2006, marking its real entry into the movie business. So Enlight was the first company Gu Zhi and Ning Hao eliminated from consideration.

Aside from the three previously mentioned, there was also Bona Film Group. Despite its foreign-sounding name, it was in fact a homegrown private company. Bona was the first mainland film company to go public in America, but most of its investments were in Hong Kong-mainland co-productions or purely Hong Kong films, with little support for mainland-only projects. It was the second company they ruled out.

That left only China Film and Huayi Brothers. The other small, workshop-style companies were either unknown or simply beneath Gu Zhi’s notice, and he dismissed them outright.

Huayi had once represented the Beijing circle and later absorbed many famous resources from Hong Kong and Taiwan, but the true core of the group remained those celebrated figures from the capital. Gu Zhi and Ning Hao, one from Shenquan, the other from Shanxi, had yet to make their mark in the industry and saw no chance of breaking into the Beijing circle. Realistically, only one target remained.

“When I was directing a TV series before, I met a leader from China Film, Han Sanping. Other directors in the industry have told me that, apart from movies, he has no other hobbies. He’s open-minded, especially when it comes to nurturing young directors and supporting filmmakers—never focusing on personal gain. Feng Xiaogang’s New Year film, The Dream Factory, only secured investment from the Beijing Film Studio thanks to Han’s support. Why don’t we try reaching out to him?”

After some thought, Ning Hao remembered this influential figure who just might be able to help.

As soon as Gu Zhi heard the name, his eyes lit up. Han Sanping, chairman of China Film Group, was a legendary figure in the Chinese film industry, a kingmaker whose influence and power placed him at the very center of the vast world of fame and fortune. He was even one of the most powerful people in the entire entertainment world.

He was also the chief director of The Founding of a Republic and The Founding of a Party. With a single word, he had convinced established stars like Zhang Guoli and Tang Guoqiang to perform for free; his clout was nothing short of immense. In his previous life, Gu Zhi had only seen Han Sanping in the news, always dressed in a Mao suit and cloth shoes—a man whose simple appearance seemed out of place in the glamorous entertainment industry.

If they could connect to China Film through Han Sanping, their movie would be halfway to success before filming even began.

No sooner said than done, Ning Hao began preparing to contact Han Sanping. Of course, not just in his own name, but also in the name of Gu Zhi, currently the most famous young author in China. Ning Hao worried that, on his own, his credentials weren’t impressive enough for Han Sanping to make time for him. Gu Zhi, on the other hand, was now more popular than most minor celebrities, and with the added aura of a celebrated writer, Han Sanping surely wouldn’t reject him outright.

Gu Zhi promised Ning Hao that, no matter what Han Sanping or China Film might demand, the director’s seat for Butterfly Effect would belong to Ning Hao. On this point, Gu Zhi would not compromise. Mutual support and reciprocity—this was the principle Gu Zhi had upheld since his previous life.

After their discussion, the two could only wait for Han Sanping’s reply.

At this point, Han Sanping was not yet chairman of China Film, but deputy chairman and deputy general manager. This year, he represented China Film in investing in four movies: Shadow Magic, A Warm Summer, Very Summer, and Zhaxi Zhuoma.

Of these, only Shadow Magic, starring Xia Yu, had gained any recognition; the other three had all been box office flops. Even Shadow Magic earned just 2 million yuan at the box office, a massive loss compared to its five-million-dollar investment.

For China Film and Han Sanping, this year could be summed up in just two words: utter failure.