Chapter 143: Your Expression Is Quite Amusing

Chapter 143: That Expression of Yours is Hilarious

Shooting Chinese films, winning major international awards, and making money from foreigners!

These few remarks by Yang Xiner were undoubtedly a direct response to the claims that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was made specifically to cater to foreign audiences.

Making a Chinese film—Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon certainly was one, as the movie practically oozed Chinese culture from the inside out. As for whether it was tailored for foreign viewers, opinions varied depending on the observer. Yang Xiner did not give a definitive answer, leaving much room for imagination.

However, the undeniable fact was that foreigners loved watching it. It won major awards at international film festivals and raked in foreign currency. Had foreigners disliked it, such success would have been clearly impossible.

The real issue now was that many domestic filmgoers didn't care for the movie, even if they had to acknowledge its status as a classic. Dislike was simply dislike.

Regardless of whether Yang Xiner’s response was explicit or not, her social media post was undoubtedly an echo of Zhang Le’s stance.

Yet, these words gave many people food for thought: why did such an outstanding film cause a sensation abroad, sweep major festival awards, and achieve unprecedented box office success, yet still face detractors at home?

The debate sparked by this statement went beyond whether one should praise the tastes of domestic audiences or praise the tastes of foreign audiences just to win their awards and money. More importantly, it raised the question: what kind of film could manage to satisfy both?

In exploring overseas markets, Zhang Le had clearly marched ahead of many others. The tremendous success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon abroad—both in terms of critical acclaim and box office numbers—provided domestic filmmakers with a clear direction, but one that undeniably left everyone hesitant.

After all, this film had failed to pander to domestic moviegoers.

The domestic market was unquestionably the foundation for domestic film and television companies; they could not afford to abandon the home market merely to cater blindly to foreign tastes. Once you failed to win over foreign audiences while simultaneously losing your domestic base, the losses would far outweigh any gains.

The box office run of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon could hardly be called a failure. Even excluding overseas revenue, this heavily invested film recouped its costs solely through domestic ticket sales. The shifting trends of the film market revealed by this movie left many industry insiders utterly baffled.

The overseas film market, especially the North American market, was undeniably a massive cake—which domestic entertainment companies didn't covet it? While Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon might not have mapped out a definitive path, it certainly provided them with countless valuable hints.

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Yang Xiner’s post triggered widespread debate, and the discussion only intensified, spreading from the internet into mainstream media and even television networks. Some TV stations went so far as to invite panels of experts to critique the phenomenon.

As for all this, Zhang Le paid it no mind whatsoever. Say whatever you want; I will shoot my films, win my awards, and make my money.

To everyone's surprise, this controversy turned Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon into a nationwide topic of conversation, which actually gave a significant boost to the film's box office performance. For Zhang Le and his team, this was undoubtedly an unexpected pleasant surprise.

Fortunately for Zhang Le, he did not experience the harsh backlash faced by the renowned director in his past life with Hero—a film that achieved unprecedented domestic and international success yet was torn to shreds by so-called experts as utterly worthless. The praise for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon heavily outweighed the criticism.

Given the immense influence of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the popularity of both the director and the cast skyrocketed to the extreme. Yang Xiner, as the female lead and the driving force of the plot, also gained considerable renown abroad.

Yang Liu, making a comeback after marriage, used this film to stun audiences once again, declaring his powerful return. As for Jet Li, the international superstar who had turned down Hollywood blockbusters to star in this project, his performance won the validation of countless film critics. No longer did people casually pick apart his acting skills the moment one of his films was released, as they had in the past.

Riding on the success of this film, Jet Li made a massive splash in Hollywood. Movie offers poured in continuously, and any production companies that had previously hesitated due to concerns over his acting now abandoned all reservations. His salary skyrocketed accordingly.

Of course, the one who benefited the most from this film was unquestionably Zhang Le.

At that moment, Zhang Le and Yang Xiner were curled up on the sofa, watching the very first variety show produced by their own company: The Voice of China!

"This host has virtually no presence! What a waste of his talent," Zhang Le said with a smile.

"What room does the host even have to shine? Most of the hosting duties were practically hijacked by the four mentors. Even with talent, there's just no opportunity to display it," Yang Xiner said, curling her lips.

The host of The Voice was a prominent anchor from the state broadcaster, possessing enormous fame and widely recognized hosting skills within the industry, yet here he had been reduced to an extra.

"Perhaps!" Zhang Le smiled and said. At that moment, he thought of the host of The Voice from his past life. Not only did that person avoid becoming an extra, but he also skyrocketed to immense fame because of the show, with his moniker of the "Fast-Talking Tongue" becoming a household name alongside the program's explosive success.

It seemed that a host needed more than just talent; they needed distinct characteristics and a sharp eye for seizing opportunities.

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The concept for the show was almost entirely crafted by Zhang Le. The opening sequence featuring the grand entrance of the four mentors, where each sang another mentor's signature song, was also quite a sight to behold.

All four mentors successfully delivered their own renditions of each other's classic hits. To Zhang Le's surprise, Yang Xiner performed a rap song that completely ignited the entire arena.

"My Xiner is getting more and more impressive, effortlessly nailing any musical style," Zhang Le praised with a smile.

Words of admiration shouldn't be kept bottled up inside; they needed to be spoken.

"Naturally!" Yang Xiner replied unceremoniously. She had never stood on ceremony with Zhang Le.

To hook the audience right from the start, the very first contestant stepping onto the stage was naturally of vital importance.

The first contestant was a young woman. She wasn't tall—in fact, she was quite short and remarkably slender, looking so frail that she seemed as though a gust of wind could blow her away. Her appearance was also entirely unremarkable. In any other talent show, a contestant like her would likely have been eliminated in the very first round.

Yet, against everyone's expectations, this petite girl launched into an explosive rock song. The moment she opened her mouth, the sheer, ferocious burst of power instantly silenced the noisy venue, plunging it into stillness before the entire crowd erupted into a frenzy. Before she had even sung two lines, one of the mentors slammed his button and spun around without a single moment of hesitation.

The first mentor to turn around hailed from Taiwan: Zhou Sheng. He was a godfather-level singer-songwriter in the Taiwanese music scene, proficient in various genres and particularly masterful at rock.

As soon as he turned, the camera locked onto his facial expression. His dumbfounded look upon seeing the petite girl singing on stage was entirely genuine, completely devoid of pretense. This expression brought a knowing smile to the faces of the audience watching through their television sets; witnessing his reaction felt like a genuine treat.

And this treat wasn't limited to his face alone. The other three mentors turned around one after another, with Hong Kong's heavenly-king-tier singer Jacky Cheung even letting out a gasp of astonishment.

"That expression of yours is hilarious," Zhang Le said with a smile, watching the look of shock on Yang Xiner's face on screen after she had turned her chair to see the petite girl.