Mamiang skirts have been passed down for nearly a thousand years, always remaining nondescript.
It wasn't until 10 years later, after incidents of foreign cultural appropriation, that Mamiang skirts truly exploded in popularity.
Thinking about it carefully, it's quite ironic.
The more national something is, the more global it is.
Intangible cultural heritage is so profound and extensive, with so many good things that foreigners treat as treasures, yet we ourselves don't take them seriously!
It wasn't until foreign big-name designers copied, plagiarized, and adapted them that we paid attention, only then discovering how beautiful, how dashing, and how warm Mamiang skirts are!
Only then did they become popular, which is truly ironic.
More importantly, foreign copying of our Mamiang skirts is just a microcosm of cultural plagiarism; there are many, many similar incidents.
For example, the neighboring "Kimchi country," lacking heritage themselves, steals everything, even our historical figures and intangible cultural heritage, stealing them all!
(TL Note: I'm not from this region, but I'd say there is some truth here, even if the author is exaggerating. First of all, they are neighbors. Neighboring countries almost always share a similar culture (despite slight differences), especially when they are connected by land.
Furthermore, Korea (during the Goryeo and Joseon eras) was a tributary state of China (during the Tang and Qing eras), so there were bound to be deep connections between them. Culture can be spread via merchants and migration. And the fact Korea was a tributary state of China, China's merchants and people can freely enter Korea without restriction.
I'm not going to delete this hate speech because I want to bring awareness to "cultural heritage" disputes. I'm sure it's not just China; your own country likely has cultural disputes with its neighbors as well. (Except for the US, because they don't have much cultural heritage—haha, I'm joking... or am I?).
What I want to say is: research the history of your own country and your neighbors. Look into whether there are deep connections between them. Was it your country that assimilated a certain culture (I don't like the word "stealing," as I believe there is a difference), or was it your neighbor? If it was your country that assimilated the culture, just admit it and be humble about it. If it was your neighbor, simply share information about the original culture with the world without being overly hostile toward them.
I'm sorry for the long yapping. My own neighbor country has also assimilated parts of my country's culture, and many of my countrymen have taken their hatred much too far, like the author here.)
Simply shameless!
If we don't pay attention to intangible cultural heritage, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Some things cannot wait until they are lost before we value them, develop them, or protect our rights.
That would be too late.
Wang Yi is not a big shot, but he wants to do his best to contribute to cultural inheritance, intangible cultural heritage protection, and promotion!
For example, with Mamiang skirts, rather than waiting over ten years for them to be appropriated and copied by Western brands, it's better for Wang Yi to popularize Mamiang skirts in advance!
The unique cut and design of Mamiang skirts can showcase women's unique charm—dashing, elegant, and warm—making them especially suitable for autumn and winter wear!
Leveraging Meiyou's influence and doing some promotion can completely popularize Mamiang skirts!
Wang Yi plans to sell "pure desire" style dresses in summer and Mamiang skirts in autumn and winter!
If "pure desire" style dresses are Meiyou's big summer killer, popularizing the entire summer, then Mamiang skirts can absolutely serve as a big autumn/winter killer, brightening up the entire autumn and winter!
Of course, seeing Meiyou's Mamiang skirts become popular, other brands will also follow suit and promote them.
But unfortunately, by then, the Meiyou brand would have already been established, with great influence, launching dozens of Mamiang skirt styles at once, with an online mall, and offline flagship stores and specialty stores!
It would be too late for other brands to remember to follow the trend and mass produce.
Even if they push through with it, their sales and brand recognition would not be able to compare to Meiyou.
For this kind of thing, the first one to "eat the crab" always earns a fortune.
Subsequent ones can only "eat dust"!
Of course, their following suit in promoting Mamiang skirts can also be considered a form of cultural inheritance, which is a good thing!
Not just Mamiang skirts; subsequently, Hanfu and similar items, Wang Yi will all vigorously promote and make completely popular!
Mamiang skirts will serve as the vanguard, being the first to open up the Hanfu market for Meiyou!
In addition, "pure desire" style nightgowns can also be put on the agenda.
This item is needed all year round, and market demand is huge.
Of course, some people, when autumn and winter arrive, simply take Meiyou's "pure desire" style camisole dresses and wear them as nightgowns...
Actually, this is perfectly fine. After all, many women won't wear this year's dresses next year; they have to buy new ones, so they might as well wear them as nightgowns...
However, Wang Yi decided that after summer clothing sales slow down, he would vigorously promote "pure desire" style nightgowns!
To take the unassuming nightgown and make it outstanding!
Various skin-friendly materials, various "pure desire" styles will make nightgowns "roll up," no worries about them not becoming popular!
After all, "pure desire" style nightgowns—women like them, and men like them even more.
At worst, just add a few fancy terms, such as "royal exclusive use," "imperial concubine's favored style"... Leibus can make stainless steel sound like austenitic 306.
Wang Yi making silk pajamas sound like "royal exclusive use," "imperial concubine's favored style" is also no problem. After all, ancient emperors' sleeping robes were also made of silk...
Coupled with the upcoming massive popularity of "Scarlet Heart," having Zhenyou's spokesperson Liu Shishi shoot an advertisement—wouldn't it become popular?
In addition, "pure desire" style clothing is not just summer dresses but also includes autumn and winter wear.
If styled well, autumn and winter wear can also be both "pure and desirable" and full of charm.
Continuing the "pure desire" style marketing, Wang Yi will directly promote Meiyou's "pure desire" style autumn and winter outfits as complete sets! Even if it gets cold in two months and summer dresses don't sell well, Meiyou will not be affected.
Meiyou's flagship stores, specialty stores, and online mall will still have Mamiang skirts, "bare leg artifacts," shark pants, "pure desire" style autumn and winter clothing, nightgowns, etc., to take over the market from "pure desire" style summer dresses!
All of these, Wang Yi had planned well.
He checked the time; it was only eleven o'clock, and Song Sining had not yet gone to sleep.
Wang Yi dialed Song Sining's number:
"Sining, what are you busy with?"
"Boss, I'm reviewing the stores submitted by the expansion department. I'll go check them out tomorrow, have a talk, and if suitable, buy or rent them."
"You've worked hard."
"I'm your professional manager, earning such a high salary, it's not hard work,"
Song Sining said with a smile.
Wang Yi gave her a base salary of 6000 plus performance bonus; a monthly income over ten thousand yuan was not an issue!
In 2011, a monthly income over ten thousand in a second-tier city was really high, very high.
Even in Jinan ten years later, a monthly income over ten thousand is still a considerable amount.
Not to mention that Wang Yi, in order to save her, even missed his Gaokao.
Although he eventually managed to get into Beihang University, this friendship, Song Sining will never forget!
She completely regards Wang Yi's business as her own business to manage!
"Boss, our Meiyou lipstick is still on the trending topics list. When we invested in traffic, it peaked at third place! Now that we're not investing in traffic, it has dropped to sixth, but it has stabilized!"
"Very good, how many users have increased?"
Song Sining looked at the data:
"On the Nokia app store chart, the Meiyou app has consistently been in the top three, with over 300,000 new Nokia users daily. The six-hour Weibo trending topic last night added over 500,000 new users. In another hour, the total new users today will exceed one million, no problem!"
"Then Meiyou's user count must have broken five million?"
Wang Yi said excitedly.
The effect of the trending topic is amazing!
If it were junk software, even if it made it to the trending topics, it wouldn't have such a terrifying increase.
But for quality software like Meiyou, with groundbreaking "pure desire" style dresses, lingerie, and stockings; with lightweight, low-priced lipstick innovations and brand new color numbers!
It can also record and predict menstrual cycles, has a social square, and "bestie fun"...
Definitely a divine app; as long as it has traffic, it takes off immediately!
Few people would refuse, especially girls; as long as they encounter Meiyou, they will almost certainly download it.
A "person-to-person" phenomenon has even appeared!
As a result, Meiyou's user count has rapidly surged.
"Boss, Meiyou users have exceeded five million, should we arrange another trending topic?"
Wang Yi thought for a moment:
"Not yet. Trending topics, if they're on every day, seem too fake. We'll control the pace; once a week or so is enough."
User growth is too fast, sales are too high, production capacity can't keep up, and logistics can't handle it, which is also a problem.
Like today, with a million new users, paying users would have to reach around 150,000.
Plus existing user consumption, daily profit would have to exceed thirty million, and sales revenue would be fifty to sixty million!
If it were like this every day, let alone three major factories, even six major factories couldn't keep up.
If we blindly add another three OEM factories to increase capacity, once sales drop, all that capacity would become inventory!
Many businesses accumulate so much inventory that they go bankrupt precisely by blindly planning, placing orders, and stocking up according to their peak performance...
Never thinking about what happens after the glory, eventually leading to excessive inventory, broken capital chains, and bankruptcy... It's better to hold back first and proceed steadily!
"Sining, leverage the Nokia app store, try to control the number of new users to 400,000-500,000 per day. This way, we won't be unable to ship orders, and capacity will be sufficient. One trending topic a week, bringing a million-user surge in orders, we can also handle that!"
"Understood!" Song Sining understood Wang Yi's plan: steady progress rather than reckless aggression.
"Also, register a few more trademarks for 'pure desire' style nightgowns, lip mud, 'bare leg artifacts,' etc., and new lipstick color names. Register all of them too."
"Okay."
Song Sining nodded:
"From now on, I will register all trademarks related to us, as long as they can be registered!"
"Right! And international ones too, register them all at once. Spending a bit of money is not an issue!" Wang Yi instructed.
Meiyou will definitely have an overseas expansion strategy in the future, so they must prepare in advance.
For "pure desire" style dresses, if they are slow-selling domestically in autumn and winter, they can largely be sold in the Southern Hemisphere, where it's summer there.
And in tropical countries, they sell well all year round!
Now, even if factory capacity is at full throttle, it's not a problem.
Even if they can't be sold domestically and some inventory is generated, they can directly export them abroad and just replicate the domestic model!
And then invite an international star to endorse them; no worries about selling them at all!
But if the brand isn't registered and someone counterfeits it, selling Meiyou "pure desire" style dresses under the Meiyou brand, Wang Yi would have nowhere to cry.
Like Luckin Coffee many years later, it became popular domestically but didn't register its trademark abroad.
So, the Sawadika country created an identical Luckin Coffee, with the exact same name.
The coffee shop's decor, menu, and service were all copied directly from Luckin Coffee!
Even the logo only changed Luckin's right-facing deer head to a left-facing deer head!
So much so that many people couldn't tell it was a counterfeit and even thought it was a Luckin branch!
This greatly angered Luckin, which immediately sued but lost the case...
The main reason was not registering the trademark in Sawadi country, thus not being protected...
Wang Yi definitely doesn't want such a tragedy to happen.
"Okay, boss, I've noted everything down."
Wang Yi nodded:
"Also, since lipsticks have been done, other cosmetics can also be launched. Sining, check around Jinan if there are any cosmetics factories with R&D for sale, preferably related to hyaluronic acid. If suitable, let's discuss and acquire one!"
"There should be!"
Song Sining understood Wang Yi's plan:
"Our Jinan is the capital of hyaluronic acid, so many related enterprises have emerged. But very few ultimately make money, so many loss-making companies are probably ready to sell. I'll go research and see."
As for autumn clothes like Mamiang skirts, shark pants, and warming artifacts, Wang Yi was not in a hurry to arrange them.
It's only mid-August, no rush.
It's still not too late to deal with these in September; the current key is to take advantage of summer and sell "pure desire" style dresses as quickly as possible!
However, Wang Yi needs to get the design drafts for autumn and winter clothing done as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the employees of "Defend the Pomelo" are now fully proficient, so Wang Yi no longer needs to be hands-on; he only needs to monitor progress and make requests daily.
Song Sining furrowed her willow-like brows and muttered:
"Stinky Didi, sure enough, calling me so late is just to arrange work!"
Wang Yi: "..."
"Arranging so much at once, does that mean you're not coming to the company tomorrow?"
Wang Yi: "..."
"Or even the day after tomorrow!"
Song Sining had gradually come to understand Wang Yi's style.
If Wang Yi were going to the company tomorrow, he would arrange these tasks in person tomorrow and wouldn't call late at night.
"The day after tomorrow, I'm making a trip to Panda Province."
"What are you going there for?"
Song Sining was full of curiosity.
Wang Yi was startled.
How should he answer this?
He couldn't possibly say he was going with Lin Shu, could he?
Song Sining would be angry all night!
Fortunately, Wang Yi suddenly remembered something and said decisively:
"Sining, our Meiyou has a social square, with so many posts, and five million users, predominantly female. In terms of female-oriented web novels, it also has great potential!"
Wang Yi's current business empire revolves around Meiyou and around female users!
Whether it's "pure desire" style dresses, lingerie, stockings, or lipsticks, and other cosmetics about to be launched—it's all like this.
Even the planned female-oriented web novels are like this!
Of course, female-oriented web novels require a huge library; without several months of preparation, it would be difficult to succeed.
If Wang Yi prepares now, if it can be launched before the New Year, that would be pretty good...
Creating a novel website is easy, but building a library takes too much time!
Wang Yi had to prepare in advance.
Song Sining's eyes lit up:
"Boss, you're planning for the upcoming Meiyou 4.0 version to launch female-oriented web novels!"
"That's right!"
Wang Yi said with a smile:
"Besides continuously expanding Meiyou's user base, user stickiness and user engagement time must also continuously be expanded!"
And web novels are precisely the powerful tool to keep users hooked!
The current average daily user engagement time for the Meiyou app is about one hour per day.
Once novels are launched, it might increase to several hours!
When developing software or platforms, the biggest fear is being abandoned by users.
Like Mogujie, it was immensely popular when it was hot but then quickly cooled down!
Only by continuously increasing Meiyou's core competitiveness, expanding its user base, increasing user stickiness, and building Meiyou's core barriers can Meiyou remain invincible and not be abandoned by users!
And female-oriented web novels are an excellent choice.
Song Sining nodded:
"Female-oriented web novels are an excellent track/market segment, not only providing subscription revenue but also IP value. Although IP value is not prominent now, with the development of the internet, it will still have a significant market in the future."
"You have good foresight."
Wang Yi was quite surprised.
That Song Sining, in 2011, when mobile reading was just starting, could see the strategic significance of web novel IP value, is truly rare.
In 2011, web novel IP value was just beginning to emerge and was still at a "cabbage price" of hundreds of thousands!
After 2016, web novel IP value only then began to skyrocket, reaching a terrifying level of tens of millions! In 2009, a work of the caliber of "The Three-Body Problem" had its IP rights sold for only 100,000 yuan!
When it was resold in 2018, the IP rights for "The Three-Body Problem" became 1 billion yuan!
Every time he thinks of this, Liu Da gets so angry he feels like spitting blood...
Currently, for those female-oriented web novels, slightly popular web novels have copyrights of tens of thousands per book, which can be bought and acquired at will!
Even very popular ones are only 100,000-200,000 per book.
Those that could command 300,000 for copyright were considered exorbitant prices in 2011!
But next year it wouldn't be the case; the copyrights for popular works would rise to the million-level!
Wang Yi suddenly realized that 2011 was a special year, and also the year when web novel adaptations began to rise!
In the first half of the year, the adapted marriage-and-ethics novel "Naked Marriage Era" became hugely popular.
It not only made several lead actors famous but also raised the copyright fees for marriage-and-ethics novels!
It's important to know that previously, marriage-and-ethics novels were not valuable, with copyright fees only tens of thousands.
After "Dwelling Narrowness" and "Naked Marriage Era" became hugely popular, copyright fees for marriage-and-ethics novels rose to 100,000-300,000.
And "Scarlet Heart," released in September, and the subsequent "The Glamorous Imperial Concubine" and "Empresses in the Palace," became consecutively hugely popular, directly raising the copyright fees for palace drama novels several times over!
Before these three dramas aired, the copyright fees for palace dramas were still at rock-bottom prices; 100,000 yuan per show, you could buy them at will.
After they aired and became hugely popular, the copyright fees for palace dramas rose to 300,000 to 400,000, and next year they would start at a million!
Next, to do Meiyou Novels, the library needs to be built somehow, and copyrights also need to be acquired in advance.
"Scarlet Heart" and "Empresses in the Palace" are already too late, but "Nirvana in Fire" cannot be missed.
Wang Yi remembered that the copyright for "Nirvana in Fire" was bought by Mr. Hou at the end of 2011 for the astronomical price of 350,000 yuan!
Currently, copyright fees are mostly around 100,000, so 350,000 was indeed an astronomical price. But a few years later, even 10 million would not be enough.
The author of "Nirvana in Fire" is in Panda Province!
Wang Yi plans to take advantage of this trip to Panda Province and acquire the copyright for "Nirvana in Fire" at the same time!
Then Wang Yi will invest, find Daylight Entertainment to film it, and after its release, it will easily earn hundreds of millions, no problem.
It's important to know that the online streaming rights for "Nirvana in Fire" reached several million per episode!
Plus satellite TV broadcast rights revenue, it earned several hundred million in total. In comparison, the original author only received 350,000 in IP copyright fees, which is indeed a bit unfortunate.
But that's how the market is, there's nothing to be done.
More importantly, this kind of broadcast copyright revenue is continuous, happening every year!
After LeTV Video went bankrupt, LeTV's employees, relying on the copyright fees from those dramas, lived very comfortably; retirement was not an issue.
Without a boss to manage them, making peers envious.
An investment of tens of millions, exchanging for hundreds of millions in continuous returns—this investment is absolutely viable.
Also, for the digital copyright of "Nirvana in Fire," Wang Yi also plans to buy it all together.
Then it can be added to the Meiyou Novels library and also earn some money.
These are all one-time investments with long-term returns!
"Sining, please help me arrange a meeting with the author of "Nirvana in Fire"; she is in Panda City!"
"Okay, boss."
Song Sining suddenly realized; so the boss was going to Panda City for a business trip, to buy copyrights!
Not just dumping all the work on her and going to play himself!
All of a sudden, Song Sining was happy.
Perfect excuse!
Wang Yi, however, fell into deep thought: How to solve the library problem?
Creating a novel website, only to find it has few books—wouldn't that be a joke?
As for acquiring a female-oriented novel platform—Chunjiang Literature City...
Leaving aside whether we can afford it, the problem is they won't sell at all!
However, half of Chunjiang Literature City's shares were acquired by Shanda!
Of course, Chunjiang Literature City's senior management still retained absolute say; this was a prerequisite agreed upon during the acquisition of shares.
In these years, Shanda Literature began to decline and was acquired by Tencent a few years later.
By then, half of Chunjiang Literature City's shares would be in Tencent's hands.
Wang Yi was thinking that the half of Chunjiang Literature City's shares held by its management couldn't be bought.
The half of Chunjiang Literature City's shares held by Shanda could be acquired; it's just unknown how much the other party would want.
After all, Shanda Literature's main business was still male-oriented novels, and coupled with their mismanagement, they would eventually be acquired by Tencent!
By then, Tencent would acquire the male-oriented segment, and Wang Yi would acquire part of the female-oriented segment in advance, carving up Shanda, which wouldn't be bad.
This matter can be planned; if we acquire 50% of Chunjiang Literature City's shares, then the library problem would be easy to solve!
(End of this chapter)
---------------------
Support me on P@treon
[email protected]/charaz
$3 -> 15 chapters in advance
$5 -> 30 chapters in advance
$10 -> 60 chapters in advance
Check my pinned post on P@treon