Chapter 369: Cultural Ambitions and Conflicts

Doo doo doo. Yang Yuan wasted no time—he grabbed his phone and dialed Director Wang Quanbao of Eggplant TV.

In no time at all,

the call connected.

“Yang, is there something you need?”

Director Wang’s calm voice flowed from the phone.

“Director Wang, here’s the deal. We just had an idea—do you think it’s feasible?”

Yang Yuan quickly explained his plan to shoot Journey to the West in Mingsha City.

“What? Filming in Mingsha City?”

After listening, Director Wang’s tone suddenly grew more intense.

“Yes. The new No.3 Entertainment City in Mingsha has been featured in videos by several influencers. It’s perfect for shooting scenes with Bai Long Ma and Sun Wukong wreaking havoc in Dragon Palace. Plus, Mingsha’s other landmarks could greatly shorten filming time and cut costs.”

Yang Yuan’s voice brimmed with anticipation.

But before he could list more advantages of shooting in Mingsha, Director Wang abruptly interrupted him.

“No way! Yang, how can you even think that?”

“No way?”

Yang Yuan was instantly stunned.

“Our project’s primary objective is cultural export! This isn’t just about remaking Journey to the West; it’s about showcasing the breathtaking scenery of Long Kingdom to attract tourists from all over the stars!

Even if Mingsha comes up with this No.3 Entertainment City idea,

it’s still an artificial attraction that can never match the charm of a natural scenic spot.

Do you remember why Mingsha City lost its bid for 5A status? It was because almost all of its attractions are man-made, lacking artistic and promotional value.”

A moment later, Director Wang’s voice returned, laced with disdain.

“But…”

Yang Yuan hesitated to reply.

Although Director Wang’s words held a grain of truth, he argued that the artificial attractions in Mingsha should not be judged by standard criteria—some of the newly built ancient architecture there even holds higher value than many existing historical sites.

After all, he knew better than anyone how Mingsha’s Tengwang Pavilion was brought to life.

“As for funding? Yang, you need not worry! We have a dedicated project budget. Cost is no issue—spend as much as you want! If we can’t even exhaust the funds, that’s on us,” Director Wang continued.

He added,

“Director Wang.”

“Alright, Yang! Don’t trouble yourself with the locations. I’ve already contacted several scenic spots. Your company just needs to manage the shooting schedule. For this cultural export project, we aim to break into international channels first.”

“Uh, okay then!”

At this point, Yang Yuan could only respond with a perfunctory, and then he hung up.

“Yang, what about Director Wang?”

Across the desk, Liu Qing also looked bewildered.

Yang had been on speakerphone, so Director Wang’s words were crystal clear.

“Even if Mingsha seems ideal, they won’t accept an artificial attraction! That’s that—no matter what new spots they build in Mingsha, don’t even entertain the idea.”

Yang Yuan sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair.

“Alright then.”

At noon, under a bright sun in Yan City’s Second Ring, at a cultural department office, Qi Jianwen was briefing six or seven foreigners in a meeting room. The large screen displayed a full map of Mingsha City along with close-ups of its main attractions.

Qi Jianwen, a leading figure in the cultural department.

He had previously advised on projects such as the Long Kingdom Traditional Cultural Expo and the International Magic Competition.

This time,

he took the initiative to propose to the Lanstarr UNESCO Cultural and Natural Heritage Committee that Mingsha City be nominated as a dual heritage site. The review panel from UNESCO had already arrived in Yan City to gather details and conduct initial evaluations.

In Qi Jianwen’s eyes, although Mingsha City often stirred up trouble—forcing him to involve various experts and even ruining the Long Kingdom Technology Expo—

his fondness for Mingsha remained unchanged.

Nationwide,

there are few attractions that highlight Long Kingdom’s traditional culture. How could he support another type of attraction when his heart lay with these? “Mr. Matt, are you saying that Mingsha City’s Tengwang Pavilion and Qingming Scroll are both built to a one-to-one scale based on the originals?”

After a brief pause,

a foreign man in his fifties couldn’t hold back his question.

The others around him shared the same expression of surprise.

“Yes, Mr. Matt. Currently, the preliminary sketches of Tengwang Pavilion have been archived by our Long Kingdom Library in the historical architecture records. If the panel wants to review them, I can arrange it!”

Qi Jianwen nodded immediately.

“And the Qingming Scroll as well.”

After a pause, the man addressing him as Matt asked,

“Yes! The ancient structures depicted in Mingsha City’s Qingming Scroll are perfect replicas of the originals, with every scene faithfully recreated.”

“Oh!”

The members of the review panel exchanged glances and annotated their forms.

After a moment,

Matt raised his head and looked at Qi Jianwen again, “Mr. Qi, aside from Tengwang Pavilion and the Qingming Scroll, are there any other historically verified ancient structures in Mingsha City?”

“Yes! Mingsha City also has the Ancient Protectorate of West Liang. The Yeguang Cup was unearthed there! Additionally, as far as I know, Mingsha City’s Nanzhao Ancient City was built based on an ancient map excavated from Yun Province.”

Without thinking, Qi Jianwen blurted out.

“Protectorate and Nanzhao Ancient City?”

The panel members exchanged another round of glances.

“Yes! Although these two structures were built later, they are consistent with buildings from the same era. By the way, Mr. Matt, will these new constructions impact the evaluation of the tangible heritage?”

At that,

Qi Jianwen paused.

He had wanted to mention the upcoming constructions of Mo Mechanism City and the ‘Epang Palace’ in the core zone of Mingsha City, but reconsidered.

Especially Mo Mechanism City—an edifice recorded only in ancient texts without actual blueprints—it lacks persuasive power.

“Actually, it won’t affect the evaluation. It’s more the historical sites that have been altered during renovations that could have an impact.”

At these words,

Matt shook his head.

“So you’re saying that as far as tangible heritage is concerned in Mingsha City…”

Qi Jianwen couldn’t help but smile.

“According to your explanation, Mingsha City’s tangible heritage should hold up. We’ll now carry out extensive documentation and on-site inspections to ensure all materials are genuine.”

Matt added,

“That’s definitely acceptable.”

“Indeed!”

“Now, let me introduce the traditional cultural projects of Mingsha City in Long Kingdom.”

“No need! We’re already aware of Mingsha City’s extravagant marriage parades, traditional magic shows, and the renowned Four Great Banquets of Long Kingdom—our on-site inspections will verify everything.”

Saying this, Matt shook his head.

They had done a lot of groundwork before coming.

“Alright then! When should we head to Mingsha City?”

“Mr. Qi, in line with our standard procedures and fairness, the review panel will not announce the inspection dates publicly, nor will any accompanying departments be present. We hope you understand! We will notify you as soon as the review results are out.”

“Alright!”

Meanwhile,

at the office building of the Long Kingdom Scenic Rating Committee in Yan City’s Third Ring, Qin Yuwen watched a video on his phone. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes before he quickly masked it.

“Underwater Dragon Palace? An entertainment-themed project like that isn’t really groundbreaking. Other attractions will surely copy it later.”

After a pause, he added,

“I agree. The only unique factor in their underwater theme is the incorporation of Long Kingdom’s myth. But now, some netizens—who clearly haven’t seen much—are tagging our official account online.”

Across the desk, Gao Shang furrowed his brows.

They had assumed that Mingsha City and the Scenic Rating Committee would not clash again within two or three years,

but less than a month later, Mingsha City stirred up trouble once more! Several netizens even mentioned the committee again.

They claimed that now with an exclusive bus station and this project, Mingsha City should meet 5A standards.

This left them in a dilemma, unable to respond or ignore it.

“Do we have a lot of netizens following us?”

Qin Yuwen furrowed his brows.

“There are quite a few, but not as many as you’d think. Most are more interested in the feud between Mingsha City and Dino Park. Now many are waiting for news on Dino Park’s underwater world.”

After a brief thought, Gao Shang replied,

“Underwater world at Dino Park? Then just ignore it! Keep handling it coldly. As I’ve said, as long as the supervisors in Su Province and Mingsha City don’t approach us, we won’t respond! As for the netizens—

they’re just idle chatter. Let it fade away!”

At these words, Qin Yuwen immediately waved his hand.

“Alright then.”

Gao Shang had more to say, but seeing Qin Yuwen’s expression, he held back.

Time flew by, and soon it was evening.

In Mingsha City, at the office of Mingsha Tourism, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng were unaware that UNESCO was planning to evaluate Mingsha City’s heritage status.

At this moment,

they sat at a tea table, casually chatting.

“President Luo, the opening hours for No.3 Entertainment City are spot on.”

Zhu Qiang picked up a purple clay teacup, took a sip, and looked at Luo Peng.

Today, Mingsha City set a new record for visitor numbers!

Preliminary estimates show that Mingsha City generated over 100 million in revenue in a single day. If this influx continues, it might even support construction in the core zone.

Besides revenue, Zhu Qiang felt that performing opposite Dino Park was immensely satisfying.

“Ah, what a coincidence! To be honest, I didn’t even notice Dino Park’s advertising.”

Upon hearing this,

Luo Peng smiled.

He clearly understood the subtext behind Zhu Qiang’s words.