1928: The Rise of Giants

Chapter 93 Two major gold-making industries: cinemas and dance halls
No. 31 Xiafei Road.

Lin Ruxian was only wearing thin and revealing pajamas, lying lazily on the sofa. When the door was opened, she had no time to change her clothes, so she had to pull her shawl over her chest.

"Brother, why do you have two younger siblings?" This was the first time Lin Ruxian officially met the little A'Qiao who was as famous as herself. Seeing that the little A'Qiao was as charming and charming as her own, she smiled teasingly and turned her gaze. Projected on Shi Jianqiao.

"I am the second young master's personal bodyguard, not a younger sibling." Shi Jianqiao didn't have a good impression of prostitutes. She glanced at Lin Ruxian, who was obviously a widow, but was so dissolute and lewd. She was even more disdainful.

"Sister, let me get you some clothes. It's not worth showing him such a beautiful spring scenery." Xiao A pursed his lips and smiled, and walked towards the sofa.

Lin Ruxian glanced at her, stood up slowly, leaned on the sofa, and let her shawl slip down, revealing a large area of ​​white and tender skin: "No need, we just agreed to sit together like this, it's not like we haven't seen her before."

Ye Luo saw how they were at war with each other as soon as they met. He quickly came over and sat between the two of them. He held one hand with each other and said with a smile: "Okay, you two, please stop making trouble. I'll call you together this afternoon. We have business." The above matters need to be discussed.”

"The second young master is chatting with us while I watch from outside." Shi Jianqiao was not interested in business, bowed slightly, opened the door and left.

"Tell me, don't make me appetizing." Lin Ruxian gently rubbed her fingers on his palm, smiling like a flower, "You took so much money from me, you should have some feedback."

"In a few days, all the US dollars in my hand will be exchanged for oceans. Hasn't my sister-in-law's New World Amusement Park been resold to Zhang Wanlin? I heard that he is currently carrying out construction projects and wants to renovate the New World Amusement Park and Huo Tianhong's new stage is the same, with three floors. It is mainly engaged in the business of opera, drama and storytelling, and secondly the business of game arcade and amusement park. It is prepared to wipe out all the theater business in Shanghai."

Ye Luo smiled and pulled out a cigarette. Lin Ruxian and Xiao Aqiao took out lighters at the same time and gave him a light. He lit it on the left and right. After lighting the cigarette, the two of them served tea and peeled fruits, just like at home. Beautiful wife,

"I told Baby Qiao'er before that there is bound to be war in the north, and everything is waiting to be done. Many rich people and northerners will flock to the south. Shanghai Beach and Jinling are the biggest places, and they will bring very large traffic. However, a new era is approaching, and new entertainment methods are bound to be more popular than old-era entertainment, so we have two primary goals."

"Which two? Is there any more interesting entertainment than listening to operas, playing games, visiting brothels, horse racing and betting money?" Lin Ruxian poked her head over and asked curiously.

She has been the proprietress of New World Amusement Park for nearly ten years, and is very familiar with the entertainment industry. She knows what men and women like and play.

Although she trusted Ye Luo's judgment, she really couldn't imagine any new entertainment activities that could replace these things.

"First, the dance hall. My sister-in-law is also a frequent visitor to the dance floor, right? She should have a lot of experience in dancing, especially ballroom dancing. This is different from the entertainment you mentioned. It is more popular, suitable for both men and women, old and young, and has a certain social function. , more popular among the public." Ye Luo stretched out his left hand and gently hugged Lin Rushian's plump buttocks, "If a man and a woman are dating, visiting brothels, casinos, smoking cigarettes, etc. are not appropriate, right? Listening to operas is more suitable for grand celebrations on holidays, Or those gatherings of theater lovers.”

"Dancing is good, but you don't know. First of all, there are not many people who can dance. Most of the dancers are from Japan and Belarus, which are very unfriendly to the Chinese. Secondly, the dance halls are all in well-known hotels, and the cost of a dance is a dime. How many people can support it?" Lin Ruxian raised her hips slightly to facilitate his groping, and then suddenly realized, "Oh my god, are you planning to open a dance hall by yourself? That would be too difficult."

A dance hall requires a lot of hard equipment, and in their perception it is part of a hotel. To open a dance hall, you need a hotel, so the investment is not small.

"Nothing is difficult in the world, only those who are willing to do so." Ye Luo felt the softness in his hands and nodded with a smile, "It is precisely because most people are like you, sister-in-law, that it is impossible to open a ballroom and ballroom dancing is difficult. It is completely popular among the people, so no one will do this business, so I am qualified to try it. I leave this matter to Qiaoerbaby."

"Well~ I have already met with the people from the New York dance company that President Sloan has hired. They will arrange dancers, professional managers and technicians to come over in the middle of the month to help us build a new ballroom!" Xiao A Quietly blinked at Lin Ruxian, feeling quite proud like a little woman.

Lin Ruxian immediately flattened her mouth. "Okay, you told me so much, and then you just turned around and used my money to support other women?" Lin Ruxian held down his offending left hand with an angry expression on his face, "The New World is my pension, please tell me Say, what’s the other business?”

"Cinema and song and dance troupe." Ye Luo put his right hand around little A'Qiao's slender waist and said with a smile, "Are you familiar with these two?"

Both of them shook their heads.

The film industry has just emerged, but the impact of silent films is not enough. It is far better to go to the theater to listen to well-known actors singing a song, or even to listen to obscene pornographic movies. Even Hu Die, the silent film queen in Shanghai, only earns four Five hundred oceans a month is not in their eyes at all.

As for the cabaret, what is that?
"Cinema is of course a place to watch movies. There are now 175 film production companies in the country, and there are 141 in Shanghai! However, there are very few that specialize in the cinema business. There are now a total of 27 cinemas in Shanghai, but these 27 Most of them only have the function of theaters, such as the Jinling Grand Theater, which is still mainly for drama and entertainment. There are almost no real movie theaters, and they are still run by foreigners."

Ye Luo smiled and explained the whole story of the film industry to the two girls.

"The reason why you think the film industry is so-so is simply that, first, the wages for practitioners are too low and the market size is too small; second, silent films cannot compete with the huge theater industry; third, most films come from overseas and are produced by No one likes to watch boring films that seriously discriminate against Chinese people; fourthly, film companies are more like exchanges for the flesh business than film production places. Countless girls enter with dreams, but become sluts like prostitutes. .”

Lin Ruxian and Xiao Aqiao nodded frequently. What he said was very pertinent. It was these problems that prevented the rise of Huashang Film Company. Now the only prosperous Tianyi Film Company is still unclear about the three tycoons of Yongxing. Many of its actresses Being manipulated by the three tycoons and their associates, even the best actress Hu Die quit the market in anger.

As for the Star Film Company that made Hu Die famous in the past, it is now very difficult. Who made their boss Zhang Shichuan offend the three Yongxing tycoons in order to compete for business with Dahua Film Company?
"These stubborn diseases are difficult to cure, but if they are dealt with, they will definitely bring a new atmosphere to the market. Silent films are not as good as dramas, but what if they are sound films? Just yesterday, a film company in Hollywood in the United States shot the first sound film The movie is called "Lights of New York". Sound technology has already appeared and is not difficult to realize. If we can win over good film companies and stars and produce a good sound film, we will surely occupy all markets."

Ye Luo is so ambitious because he knows that in the next year or two, the rapid development of the film industry will shock Shanghai.

First, patriotic theaters that only screened domestic films appeared. Then at the end of this year, the greatest and last glory of the silent film era, two super hits "Burning the Red Lotus Temple" and "Blood and Tears of Yellow Flowers" produced by Star Film Company were released. It set off a craze for mythical martial arts and romantic films of the Republic of China, and then in 1931 the first domestic sound film "Song Girl Red Peony" came out!
At this point, Hu Die achieved her reputation as the number one actress in the Republic of China, and the film industry, which was not favored by others, also flourished and became the number one entertainment and cultural industry replacing the drama industry.

"What about the song and dance troupe?" Lin Ruxian asked with a smile. She probably knew what Ye Luo meant. It turned out that he wanted to enter the domestic film industry. It sounded like a fantasy and unbelievable, but she thought that it was Ye Luo who wanted to do it. , and I think it’s somewhat possible.

"That was a group that specialized in recording records and singing live in dance halls." Ye Luo knew that in the late 30s and even the 40s, Shanghai's record industry reached its peak. Yao Li, Zhou Xuan, Li Xianglan and others were there. It was hot on the beach.

Today's records are basically still recording operas, and dance halls have not appeared, let alone the kind of resident singers similar to those of later generations.

There are so many things that can be explored in the film and song and dance industries, which can effectively accumulate strong capital for Ye Luo to cope with the new tariff policy that will be opened next year. Only with money, connections and status can he develop what he wants. of light industry and heavy industry, taking the first step towards becoming a giant businessman.

"I want to hand over the business of the song and dance hall to Baby Qiao'er, because she runs Fengming House and has experience and manpower. As for the business of the film industry, I want my sister-in-law to help me. We need to build the most magnificent one first. independent cinema, and then build a playground next to it that is more luxurious, more entertaining, and more stylish than New World!”

Ye Luo told them all about the entertainment industry plan, leaving the two of them speechless for a long time.

(End of this chapter)