It seems that Hong Kong filmmakers weren't entirely stuck in their ways; they initially held a friendly attitude towards many chinese music and film professionals, like Hua Zai's Asian New Director project.
Perhaps the failure of Hong Kong cinema was an inevitable trend, but the Hong Kong Film Awards' withdrawal from the mainstream chinese entertainment scene was a self-inflicted wound.
He Zhengcheng, of course, couldn't change the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry with just a few words, and even if he had the ability, he wouldn't do it now.
To speak grandly from a humble position is a sin! This sentence must be remembered; in the chinese world, this saying has always been followed! Moreover, the decline of Hong Kong cinema is directly related to certain triad groups no longer brazenly using them for money laundering.
Naturally, they wouldn't go to South Korea; he didn't have that much time. A few days after the Spring Festival, he registered and established an Ark Technology company, and then through Qian Yabo, he reconnected with Professor Xu Xingxue.
"You finally remembered to establish a chip design company?" Xu Xingxue said enthusiastically, and two or three other people, all quite old, came with him.
"Sorry, my current strength isn't robust, so I can only find ways to make money. Fortunately, I've had some success." He Zhengcheng has always been relatively honest, though only partially so.
"That's understandable for you. I heard from Yabo that your family is quite ordinary!" Xu Xingxue said.
"My family is above the waterline in Hong Kong, which is already pretty good," He Zhengcheng replied.
"Your major has no connection to chip design, so why would you want to invest in this industry?" Xu Xingxue asked.
"Actually, in university, I didn't think about starting a business until the Asian Financial Crisis, which began the year before last. My family suffered a huge blow and almost went bankrupt, and that's when I woke up.
On August 14th of last year, I went all-in on long Hang Seng Index futures and earned my first pot of gold. Then I started thinking about the future.
I believe the future world can be called the internet world, or the information world. So, which industry has a future?
Initially, I thought it was the internet, but after deeper research, I found that the internet can organically integrate with many traditional industries like IT, Telecom, network equipment, retail, and media. Among so many industries, which one has the most promise?
After some time of deliberation, I concluded that the future world should be a knowledge economy, an economy based on knowledge and predominantly driven by mental labor. With this understanding, I made it the core guide for my entrepreneurship.
However, even with this understanding, I still found that too many industries were beyond my reach at the moment: I lacked money, technology, and there were many giants in those industries.
It wasn't until I discovered wafer foundry companies and fabless chip design companies. In the chip design industry, the biggest cost should be intellectual, or labor, costs; the second should be experimental costs; and the third might be office equipment. But after a careful calculation, it seemed like I could afford this industry, and it aligned with the future of the knowledge economy.
So, I wanted to start such a company to see if I could secure a place in the future world," He Zhengcheng explained.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant," one of the men, a slightly bald middle-aged handsome guy, automatically stood up and applauded.
"You don't need to tell me that. I also understood Mr. He's speech. However, the term 'knowledge economy' is a bit unfamiliar, but it's used very brilliantly," another person, who looked somewhat mature, said.
"Yes, I was actually convinced by him in an instant. The future world really might be a knowledge economy world," said a man wearing black-rimmed glasses.
"Knowledge economy creates wealth, but capital can control wealth to a certain extent, and powerful authority can check capital, maintaining social innovation and vitality," He Zhengcheng said.
"Are you a big government advocate?" the middle-aged handsome guy asked.
"I don't know. I don't know what your definition is; what idea isn't my main focus.
Right now, I just want to establish a successful chip design company in Hong Kong. If my success can drive the rise of Hong Kong's high-tech industry, that would be my greatest expectation," He Zhengcheng stated.
"You have ideals and ambition!" the mature man exclaimed.
"Let me introduce you. This middle-aged handsome guy is Kuang Rui Si, a professor of Economics and Finance. This older gentleman is Ma Chengfu, a professor of Electronic Engineering. And this gentleman with glasses is Zhang Weimao, a professor of Integrated Circuit Design Engineering," Xu Xingxue said.
"Hello, professors. I apologize for my earlier oversight," He Zhengcheng said.
"Alright, no need for formalities. You don't seem like the type anyway," Ma Chengfu said.
"China is a land of etiquette. I haven't yet learned how to properly interact with people, I truly apologize," He Zhengcheng replied.
"I said we wouldn't dwell on that. Let's talk about the chip design company. What exactly are your plans?" Zhang Weimao asked.
"To be honest, I'm an outsider. I don't know the personnel composition and organizational structure of the chip design industry, nor do I know how to manage it. My vision is only for the company's future development direction and market selection," He Zhengcheng admitted.
"Hmm, please continue," Xu Xingxue prompted.
"I've decided to proceed in phases with the new company. The first step is multimedia chips, such as for DVD, the recently emerged MP3, and LCD TV chips. Then, we'll develop mobile SOC integrated chips, which means providing 'nanny-style' solutions combining hardware and software for mobile phone manufacturers.
This would allow them to buy our solution, put a casing on it, and produce a mobile phone. If it's profitable, we'll expand into other chip industries," He Zhengcheng explained.
"The DVD chip industry faces intense market competition. MP3 and LCD TVs are just starting to show potential, with small market sizes. Mobile SOC chips are a good idea, but so many mobile phone manufacturers have their own technology, which is more mature than ours. How can we get them to purchase our chips?" Kuang Rui Si asked.
"I'm not familiar with the DVD industry; if the profit isn't significant, we can abandon it. However, precisely because MP3 is just starting, it means our opportunity is huge.
The popularization of LCD TVs will take time, so we can slow down on that. The target customers for mobile SOC chips are not international giants, but rather mobile phone companies in Hong Kong and China.
Their target markets can be China and the underdeveloped regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We should be able to significantly lower the price of mobile phones, allowing many people to enter the information world earlier," He Zhengcheng said, making "knock-offs" sound so fresh and refined!
"..." The professors were stunned by He Zhengcheng's words. To be able to speak so righteously about counterfeit infringement, it was no wonder he dared to talk about starting a business.
"I think mobile SOC chips can be prioritized, as this market has greater prospects. Other chip research can come later..." Kuang Rui Si suggested.
"Are you professors willing to start a business together?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"It's these guys who want to start a business. They heard you have a lot of ideas and came to take a look. I won't be participating!" Kuang Rui Si said, adjusting his brow.
"I'm not sure how you professors want to collaborate. Will you join the company I established, or will we partner and jointly invest to form a company, or will you form a company yourselves and I'll invest?
For the first two options, I will be involved in the company's operations and management. For the latter, I won't participate, and my corresponding investment will also be lower," He Zhengcheng explained.
"If we partner, how much will you invest?" Xu Xingxue asked.
"It depends on the company's development and your capacity to accept it. My goal is to become a technology company like Qualcomm. As long as my financial situation allows, I personally am willing to continuously increase investment, unless the company shows no hope," He Zhengcheng stated.
"Then let's cooperate!" Xu Xingxue exclaimed.