The next highest revenue-generating business is Jiangnan Commercial, with a total revenue of 12 billion RMB. However, this figure also includes the revenue from Jiangnan Leather and oo Network, with an overlap of approximately 2 billion RMB. From a statistical perspective, it's normal to count these revenues separately, so let's consider it as Mr. Huang taking a slight loss.
Next is Jiangnan Servers. Many may not realize it, but Jiangnan Servers is the Jiangnan Group's most well-known enterprise internationally. This is because previously, Jiangnan Commercial, oo Network, and the leather factory were primarily domestic businesses and lacked the capability to penetrate foreign markets. Jiangnan Commercial's only foray into foreign markets relied on cooperation with Versailles, masking its own brand to enter the US market.
Jiangnan Servers, however, is different. This brand is now renowned both domestically and internationally. After more than a year of development, Jiangnan Servers has established itself in overseas low-to-mid-end markets with its reliable pricing and exceptional cost-effectiveness.
Throughout 2003, Jiangnan Servers generated global orders totaling 1.2 billion USD, or 9.6 billion RMB. Aside from the orders from Google and US companies personally secured by Mr. Huang, all other orders were the result of Jiangnan Servers' own sales teams selling abroad. Moreover, as time progressed, the sales team found they no longer needed to actively pursue orders; they could simply wait for calls to come in while sitting in their offices.
This is quite understandable, as Google, the earliest purchaser of Jiangnan Servers, has been using them for nearly a year. The servers have proven to be remarkably stable. Even with Google's expansion into three to four new businesses after its IPO, leading to a tenfold increase in network traffic, there were only three incidents in a year. Two of these were due to power outages, and only one was caused by the servers themselves. However, the Jiangnan Servers team responded quickly, resolving the issue within two hours.
In contrast, their competitor, Yahoo, which spent 2 billion USD on top-tier servers globally, experienced problems almost every month. While business owners overseas still inherently look down on Chinese enterprises and believe Chinese products have quality issues, they are not foolish. Their pursuit of profit is, in fact, almost obsessive. Therefore, once these companies learned of Jiangnan Servers and their actual performance, they unhesitatingly abandoned expensive, internationally renowned server brands in favor of the astonishingly cost-effective Jiangnan Servers.
Concurrently, under the pressure of Jiangnan Servers' competition, those proud international brands seem to be showing signs of lowering their prices, though they are still maintaining their aloofness. Mr. Huang, naturally, is unconcerned about this.
The 1.2 billion USD figure represents the total orders for the entire year of 2003. By the midpoint of 2004, Jiangnan Servers' orders had already surpassed 1.2 billion USD. Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, sales for the second half of the year will exceed 1.2 billion USD, as more network companies opt for Jiangnan Servers to control costs. Jiangnan Servers will undoubtedly be the sales champion among Jiangnan Group's subsidiaries in 2004.
Moving on to Tangren Film and Television, the company has independently released three TV dramas. The fourth, "Qing Yu Nian," is scheduled for release in a week. Collectively, these four dramas have grossed slightly over 500 million RMB. In addition to these, Tangren Film and Television has invested in over a dozen other TV dramas, with more than half of them also sold. However, the combined revenue from these dramas is less than 200 million RMB. If we exclude the portion from 2004 and only consider 2003, Tangren Film and Television's revenue was a mere little over 300 million RMB.
However, one advantage of Tangren Film and Television is that cultural products can generate ongoing profits. For instance, the TV drama "Liang Jian" (Sword Confrontation) initially sold its first broadcast rights for tens of millions of RMB. Within a year, "Liang Jian" has been re-broadcast over a hundred times, with each television station paying tens of thousands of RMB in copyright fees for each re-run. While this might not seem like much individually, the cumulative effect of frequent broadcasts is significant. A hundred re-runs translate to tens of millions of RMB. Similarly, "Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan" (Chinese Paladin) and "Shi Bing Tu Ji" (Soldier Sortie) are dramas that can be repeatedly aired. Though the number of re-runs is not as staggering as "Liang Jian," they have collectively accumulated over twenty re-runs. The profits generated from these repeated broadcasts have exceeded 50 million RMB.
It is also foreseeable that these dramas will continue to be aired repeatedly for a considerable time. "Soldier Sortie" and "Chinese Paladin" can be broadcast for another four to five years, while "Liang Jian" could potentially run for over a decade, or even two decades. These continuous re-runs will bring sustained revenue to Tangren Film and Television. Furthermore, this income is not limited to re-runs. There are also revenues from producing VCDs, various cultural and creative products, merchandise, and in the future, copyright fees from online platforms. Dramas like "Liang Jian" have the potential to generate long-term revenue exceeding tens of billions of RMB, which is the greatest benefit of cultural products.
Of course, only cultural products of high quality, which leave a lasting impression on the audience, can achieve such returns. However, the number of such works is extremely small. You can try it yourself: see if you can name ten TV dramas within 20 seconds. And they cannot be ones released in the last few years. Even if you were to name the four great classic novels adapted for television, which would take up four slots, many people would likely still struggle to complete the challenge. This is based on the fact that China has produced over ten thousand TV dramas in 30 years, illustrating how difficult it is to create a good work.
If a drama whose name can be recalled by over 50% of the national population within 20 seconds is considered a "masterpiece," then "Liang Jian" is the only masterpiece under Jiangnan Group. "Chinese Paladin" and "Soldier Sortie" can only be considered "half-step masterpieces," while "Qing Yu Nian," released this summer, can only be classified as an "excellent work." Among the more than ten TV dramas currently being prepared by Tangren Film and Television, most are excellent works, with at most two being half-step masterpieces. This is achieved by Mr. Huang leveraging his advantage as a reborn individual, securing most of the good TV dramas from the future.
However, Mr. Huang does possess two "divine dramas" in his hands: "Wu Lin Wai Zhuan" (My Own Swordsman). The success of "Wu Lin Wai Zhuan" is largely attributed to the screenwriter Ning Caishen. Tangren Film and Television has already been in contact with Ning Caishen, but has been cautious to avoid altering the original historical trajectory, fearing that "Wu Lin Wai Zhuan" might cease to exist or its original essence might be changed. Therefore, Tangren Film and Television is waiting for Ning Caishen to produce the script, and then they will invest immediately. This is estimated to happen within the next few months, as "Wu Lin Wai Zhuan" was historically released in 2006, with filming likely commencing around 2005, about a year from now.
In addition, Mr. Huang is also preparing for "Ai Qing Gong Yu" (iPartment). Historically, "iPartment" was released in 2009. However, Mr. Huang does not intend to wait that long. The Shanghai Theatre Academy is essentially the backyard and talent training base for Tangren Film and Television, and all the main actors from "iPartment" have been recruited. Tangren Film and Television could even start filming "iPartment" now. However, considering that the actors' acting skills are not yet mature, they are currently being arranged to hone their skills in other dramas.
Of course, the script appears to be the most crucial element of "iPartment," but in reality, it is the least important. The most important aspect of "iPartment" is its character development, or more precisely, the characterizations of the six individuals: Zeng Xiaoxian, Hu Yifei, Tang Youyou, Guan Gu Shenqi, Lü Ziqiao, and Chen Meijia. Mr. Huang, on his own, can recreate these six characterizations without issue. Once these characterizations are correct, the drama will be half-way to success.
What about the plot of "iPartment"? Should the original directors and screenwriters be invited? That's a joke. It's not necessary at all. Mr. Huang has invested a substantial sum of 100 million USD to acquire the adaptation rights for all 10 seasons and 236 episodes of the American TV series "Friends." Mr. Huang simply needs to hire professional screenwriters to perfectly adapt and localize these 10 seasons' scripts. Although this approach is more expensive and less cost-effective than the discreet borrowing of historical "iPartment," Mr. Huang can openly copy the plot without fear of being criticized by netizens who are active online, or having someone with a heart of stone stand on a moral high ground and berate the giant that brought them fame.
Frankly speaking, it's not wrong for "iPartment" to be plagiarized, but everyone can criticize "iPartment" except for those actors who gained fame through it. You can dislike it, but please keep quiet; you are a beneficiary.
In fact, Mr. Huang does not intend to use the name "Friends" directly. Firstly, "Friends," despite its widespread popularity both domestically and internationally, is not well-known in China, and few people know about it. Using this name would not generate significant promotional value. Secondly, Mr. Huang does not wish to promote his drama under the guise of adapting a TV series. The domestic TV drama production industry has long been trapped in a mindset where they believe that by acquiring the adaptation rights for a foreign TV series that is very famous and has high ratings, and then heavily publicizing and boasting about it, their own drama will become an instant hit and gain massive traffic.