There are many factions, and the lives of artists hang by a thread
TV dramas have always been Hong Kong's most important cultural export, and the corresponding thing is the almost household name of Hong Kong people TVB (TVB). Founded in 1967 by industrialist Run Run Shaw, the television station has single-handedly created countless classics.
But few people know that behind this golden signboard, there are all kinds of decay and darkness hidden.
The 80s of the 20th century can be said to be the heyday of TVB. At that time, stars such as "Five Tiger Generals" and "Nine Dragon Girls" came out one after another, driving TVB artists to become popular across the Taiwan Strait and three places, and the ratings have been at the top of the list for a long time.
On the surface, Boss Run Run Shaw is becoming more and more proud, but in fact, the undercurrent is already surging.
Run Run Shaw and Fong Yat Wah deliberately reinforced factional antagonism within TVB, believing that too much power concentration in the hands of one person would lead to corruption. So TVB has become a big harem, with many factions, fighting each other.
Artists are like marionettes, and their fate is pinched in the palm of the high-level hands.
In 1985, TVB took a fancy to the popular student Andy Lau and wanted to forcibly renew his contract in advance. Andy Lau understood the truth of wanting to capture and indulge, and decisively rejected the coercion of the high-level.
His rebellion angered TVB, and the top management immediately retaliated and banned Andy Lau for 13 months, and all announcements were canceled. During this period, Andy Lau could only help his friend Alan Tam rub tickets to get by, and his future was bleak for a while.
Fortunately, Andy Lau has outstanding strength and returned to the first-line position after 3 years. But not every artist can get out of TVB's factional struggle.
Sacrifice the small self to achieve the big self
Lin Jiadong, who was at the same time as Andy Lau, also experienced the same torture on TVB. He is a popular student, and he only has one day off a year, and the rest of the time is filming.
The front of the stage is glamorous, and the only way to sacrifice yourself behind the stage is to sacrifice yourself. The high output made Lin Jiadong exhausted, but TVB still forced him to shoot so many unpopular works.
Lin Jiadong realized that the status quo must be changed, otherwise he would be squeezed dry sooner or later. He has repeatedly reported to TVB's senior management about the quality of filming, hoping to have a reasonable rest time.
But the top management will only take advantage of the dominance of the machine and turn a deaf ear to the artist's voice. Lin Jiadong finally couldn't bear it anymore, broke with TVB, and left this place that changed him step by step.
Fortunately, Lin Jiadong met his close friend Andy Lau. Andy Lau did not alienate Lin Jiadong because he left TVB, but reached out to help. He solved Lin Jiadong's living expenses for three years, let him stay away from the TVB environment, and relearn Xi acting skills.
Lin Jiadong is very grateful to Andy Lau for his great kindness. It is with the precipitation of these three years that Lin Jiadong has the opportunity to make a name for himself in the film industry.
On the road of life, it is inevitable to encounter choices. Lin Jiadong chose to sacrifice his ego and free himself from the shackles of TVB, so that he achieved his big self in his career.
Without the help of a confidant like Andy Lau, Lin Jiadong would probably be wiped out under TVB's secession system.
Salary increases are hard to come by
In 1987, the popular student Huang Rihua plucked up the courage and asked TVB for a salary increase. As one of the "Five Tiger Generals", he believes that his efforts and contributions to TVB over the years should be rewarded accordingly.
Huang Rihua originally thought that the top management would be grateful for his efforts over the years, and it was not too much to agree to this request.
However, what Huang Rihua never expected was that TVB's senior management not only ignored his appeals, but also coldly claimed that his performance in recent years was mediocre and not worthy of a salary increase.
Huang Rihua was unbelievable for a while, he obviously played the role of the well-known Brother Jing, and there have been many hit dramas in recent years. The ruthless neglect of the top shackles chilled him.
Huang Rihua angrily put forward an ultimatum to give the top brass a week to think about it. A week later, the reply from the senior management was a salary increase of 500 yuan and a five-year contract. For Huang Rihua, it is even more desperate than signing the future away with his own hands.
He couldn't stand the trampling of TVB anymore and chose to jump to ATV for development.
3 years later, Huang Rihua still returned to TVB. Because he understands that in this circle, TVB still has the upper hand. He could only swallow his anger for the time being, and continued to shoot many classic dramas on TVB, bringing his acting skills and charm to the extreme.
Even if the salary increase is difficult to climb, Huang Rihua has not given up his love and pursuit of acting.
Awake!Louis Koo dedicates his health
In 1995, Louis Koo became famous with "The Condor Heroes". When he first entered the industry, he simply wanted to devote his energy to acting skills, and didn't care much about income and treatment.
But the good times didn't last long, and in 2001, during the filming of "Looking for Qin", Louis Koo was forced to shoot day and night in order to catch up with the filming schedule.
In order to save costs, TVB forcibly compressed the scene fee. The crew could only force the actors to shoot day and night, and Louis Koo only slept 1-2 hours a day for several months.
His body deteriorated under this high-intensity fight, until one day he fell ill directly on the set and was rushed to the hospital.
The doctor diagnosed that if he was sent to the hospital one step later, Louis Koo would have pneumonia due to high fever. At this time, Gu Tianle woke up to the fact that health is the most valuable wealth in life, and TVB used him as a tool to extract surplus value.
He could no longer stand the hypocrisy and grievances of the high-level, and resolutely decided to quit TVB after winning the Emperor of Vision, and no longer spoil his body.
Freedom of choice is the choice of health. Louis Koo's experience reminds everyone who pursues their dreams that they pay too much on the road, and what they get in the end may be regrets.
We should all love ourselves more and choose to make our lives more dignified.
The tragedy continues
TVB not only exploits first-line artists, but ordinary employees also have a hard time. The funds that the crew needs to apply for in order to shoot are often cut in half by the high-level. In order to save costs, even basic shooting needs are stingy with supply.
What's even more embarrassing is that after the sudden death of the old artist, TVB did not give any financial compensation, and only used the insurance it had purchased to do things perfunctory. This black-hearted approach makes people sigh that the ecology of this old store has been completely lost.
Over the years, countless artists have been in hiding after leaving TVB, because they have no better choice in this circle, and they still have to return to TVB to accept exploitation.
Relying on its monopoly position in Hong Kong, TVB never backed down, nor did it let go of its posture and contact old artists again.
A few artists who have successfully transformed to the mainland have completely abandoned TVB, but only a minority. For most TVB artists, this place is still the lifeblood they have to cling to.
Today, what was once glorious is history. TVB's ratings have been declining, and the bad Xi of deducting money and factional struggle has gradually become out of touch with the times. The new generation of viewers has abandoned the old TVB and turned to the mainland's youth idol dramas.
If TVB wants to return to its old glory, it must clean up its accumulated Xi and make changes, otherwise this tragedy will only continue to play out until it becomes history.