Chapter 2400
Culture or Not
He Xinghua took He Ping to Xiao Rizi, letting him see what the real atmosphere of commercial Go should be like.
How many people can a venue accommodate, and how much should each seat cost?
How much should the organizers of this event be paid for its exclusive broadcast on television?
How much advertising sponsorship is involved...?
He Xinghua explained everything to He Ping in detail.
All I can say is that there is great potential, great potential!
Now is a time of economic prosperity for ordinary people, so advertising costs are soaring uncontrollably.
Go, with its cultural connotations, is generally considered a game for the elite.
This has resulted in a situation where, in reality, not many people understand Go, yet it is a highly popular game.
Similarly, there are symphonies and ballets.
They couldn't understand it, and they all thought those things were more sophisticated.
Someone who has memorized a basic chess manual is willing to spend money to travel hundreds of miles to sit in a sports stadium and spend money on this sport.
"...To put it simply, according to statistics, there are over 12 million people playing Go in China."
That means that one in ten days will be able to play Go.
Title fight prize money exceeds one million...
A top-quality kaya wood Go board can sell for hundreds of thousands of yuan. "It's rare for He Ping to be so excited as he reports to He Yuzhu about the current state of the Go world."
He Yuzhu remained calm and smiled as he said, "Son, do you think all of this can be replicated in our country?"
He Ping nodded without the slightest hesitation.
This is going from one extreme to another.
This gave He Yuzhu a bit of a toothache.
After all, he knew very well that the Go ecosystem in our country later on had indeed surpassed that of ordinary life.
In terms of the proportion of people, the popularity of Go in the 1980s was truly unprecedented and unparalleled.
He Yuzhu didn't rush to refute, but poured He Ping a cup of tea and then slowly sipped it himself.
This was also the first time He Yuzhu had made tea for his son, which shows that in his heart, he already regarded He Ping as an adult.
"I believe all the numbers you mentioned."
With 12 million Go players, title tournament prize money exceeds one million, and a single Go board costs hundreds of thousands.
"That does sound intimidating." He Yuzhu put down his teacup and then looked directly at He Ping, asking, "But have you ever considered what kind of soil these things grow in?"
He Ping was stunned.
He Yuzhu didn't wait for him to think it over and immediately began to explain: "The Go craze in Xiao Rizhi (Xiao Rizhi) grew along with their post-war economic boom."
When businesses have money, they want to find something prestigious to enhance their image, and Go (the board game) is just the thing.
It looks elegant and sounds expensive; sponsoring a chess tournament makes the boss proud.
TV stations need to fill in time slots, and among sports programs, Go has the lowest production cost; two or three people can set it up for half a day.
When ordinary people have some spare money, they also want to appear cultured; learning a chess game makes them seem like intellectuals.
He Yuzhu paused, then smiled and said in a softer tone, "Do we have these three things right now?"
He Ping opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that he couldn't find a suitable example for the time being.
"I'm not saying we won't have a future." He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the window.
Looking at the lush greenery in the greenhouse outside, he continued, "But if you want to replicate their methods, you have to understand the soil first."
Our country is just getting started. People are busy making money and living their lives, businesses are busy with production, and there aren't even a few proper TV channels yet.
You're trying to transplant your entire daily routine over here? It's like trying to plant a precious orchid in saline-alkali soil—can it survive?
This wasn't He Yuzhu trying to discourage his son, but rather a final test for He Ping.
Earlier, he sent He Ping on a trip to study, and asked He Xinghua to take him to Xiao Rizi to learn about the development of Go in Xiao Rizi.
These were all like lessons a teacher imparts to students, and now it was time for the exam. But in her words, He Yuzhu couldn't help but let her personal emotions get in the way.
He had a very low opinion of a simple, ordinary life.
Indeed, he is also a Go enthusiast and understands very well the purpose behind Xiao Rizi's actions.
To put it bluntly, it's a country without its own culture.
Everything they possess was learned from the strong.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, we were powerful, so they even studied our kneeling posture as if it were part of the Bible.
The most arrogant people are those who are insecure.
That's roughly the idea.
Our current economic situation is good enough to compete with that of foreigners.
So I thought I'd create something to rave about, so that even the foreigners could be amazed.
None of this concerns the He family father and son. What He Yuzhu cares about is not letting He Ping be too optimistic.
So, being a father is quite a difficult thing.
You must always pay attention to your children's emotional changes, and when they feel inferior, you should think about encouraging them.
When their ideas start to wander, we have to forcefully bring them back down.
The key issue is that even the father himself doesn't know the right balance.
Most people rely on their own life experiences to determine what is appropriate.
To put it simply, most parents will make the wrong judgment.
In other words, most parents' teachings to their children about society are actually useless.
He Ping remained silent for a moment before finally speaking: "So what do you mean...?"
He Ping did not offer his own conclusion; he has always been a very rational person.
"It's possible, but it's not the right time yet!"
When the standard of living in China reaches a higher level, then it will be about time to start.
However, it depends on what you want to do.
If you're thinking about cultural promotion, you can start now.
It can be done for a long time.
If you're only thinking about making our Go community...
Just like life over there.
"Son, that's not culture, it's a business transaction," He Yuzhu concluded.
He Ping pursed his lips; he only showed this kind of emotion in front of his parents.
However, he also agreed with He Yuzhu's statement.
Otherwise, given his personality, he would never be so playful.
He Yuzhu, an illiterate man, managed to teach his son the difference between culture and business through this incident.
This is similar to the debate between highbrow and lowbrow culture depicted in a later comedy film.
In He Ping's understanding, true elegance is something that ordinary people cannot comprehend.
He went from being conflicted at the beginning to exploring later, and now he seems to have found the real answer—which is actually elegance disguised as victory and defeat, promoted by money.
It's that simple.
"Father, I don't want to think that much."
"I'm just thinking that our Go game can bring us a better life," He Ping said firmly.
“Okay, then I’ll help you.” He Yuzhu made his decision.
Meanwhile, in the South, some people are packaging themselves as cultured individuals, shamelessly deceiving their own people. (End of Chapter)