Super Zoo

Suming suddenly felt like he bore the sins of the world. At the end of the day, if he hadn't set up that online platform, Nangong wouldn't have been assigned a temporary task, and right now the two of them could be walking hand in hand: Nangong's large hand holding his own small one, strolling through the night market in Causeway Bay, perhaps even bumping into celebrities like Tin Lok, Tak Wah, or Yenzu who might be filming there...

But on second thought, if he didn't set up the online platform, didn't strive to manage various businesses, didn't interact with the animals, the zoo and the company wouldn't be able to develop, and he would still be the poor kid who couldn't even find a job. Even if Nangong was willing to follow him, all he could do was to take her to set up a street barbecue stall in the small alleys of Yangchuan City and watch others enjoy skewers...
Experience tales with empire

With these thoughts, his mood improved greatly.

"Don't worry, once the show is over, I'll definitely make up for the trip!" It seemed that they really had to wait until Labor Day.

Nangong wasn't someone who made a fuss over nothing. Since the TV station did have an important interview task, she prioritized work. Her thoughts quickly returned to the program, and she said over the phone, "Okay then. Prepare seriously, this report is very important to the top."

...

"This morning at 10 am, Mr. Sun, the Deputy Mayor, accompanied by Wang Jian She, the Director of Yangchuan City Forestry Bureau, and others, visited Yangchuan City Zoo. With the accompaniment of Song Zhiwen, the zoo director, they held a symposium with the zoo staff. During the symposium, Mr. Sun had a friendly conversation with the zoo employees and carefully inquired about the zoo's development and the staff's income levels after the reform. The zoo employees expressed that the restructuring brought new vitality to the zoo and motivated their work enthusiasm. As the zoo's scale expanded, their personal incomes also saw significant increases...

At noon, after dining with the employees in the zoo's cafeteria, Deputy Mayor Sun and his entourage toured the entire park. When they came to entertainment projects outsourced by the zoo, such as boat rides and Ancient Moon Xian Residence, Mr. Sun eagerly boarded a boat and took a tour on Naval Lake Zoo...

Comrade Suming, the Deputy Director of the zoo, gave a detailed introduction of the live streaming platform's functions to Mr. Sun and his group. Mr. Sun nodded frequently after hearing this, thoroughly inquired about the technical principles of the live streaming platform, current traffic, and other information, and even joined the famous writer Han Han and well-known director Yi Xing for a live stream, interacting intimately with viewers...

In the live stream, Mr. Sun highly praised the series of reforms carried out under the leadership of the two directors after the zoo's restructuring, and congratulated Yangchuan City Zoo on its impressive achievements.

After its restructuring, Yangchuan City Zoo, through continuous innovation in developing new projects and cooperating with social enterprises, combined traditional zoo operations with modern internet technology in a series of measures, quickly finding its footing in the market economy. While ensuring public educational services and serving the leisure needs of citizens, it also created economic benefits. It became a positive example for many other institutions undergoing reform, paving an effective path...

Lastly, Mr. Sun expressed the hope that Yangchuan City Zoo would continue to persevere, aggressively move forward and achieve more great results, driving the tourism economy of the entire Yangchuan, and becoming a model for urban construction and ecological protection, as well as a harmonious coexistence of nature and people..."

The coverage of Yangchuan City Zoo was actually part of a comprehensive series of programs. The visit by Deputy Mayor Sun this morning was just the beginning of this series.

Ordinary people might not pay too much attention to this coverage, and moreover, the zoo had become quite reputable and eminent in the minds of Yangchuan citizens, making the leaders' inspection seem quite natural.

But to 'industry insiders', other zoo managers across the country, the significance was different.

"Did you see that, Yangchuan City is starting to set examples!"

"This Mr. Sun mainly focuses on the economy, right? Who would have thought that a zoo, a unit that basically doesn't make money, could become a beacon of economic development? This was unimaginable in the past."

"Comrades, our brother units are catching up despite such difficult circumstances. Here at Capital Zoo, with our abundant resources located in the political center, we should give more thought to the future development path of the zoo."

Zoo leaders around the country felt somewhat envious upon seeing the report.

Just as a zoo director had said, a zoo is a public education institution and is not aimed at making a profit. It would be understandable for a leader in charge of urban cultural and ideological construction or environmental protection to conduct the inspection, but an inspection by a deputy mayor who focuses on the economy definitely has deeper implications.

This means that in Yangchuan City, the zoo is not just a piece of decorative facade, nor a 'non-essential unit'; it has gained a significant political and economic status.

Strictly speaking in terms of making money, the zoo could never compete with large factories or real estate developers. Its main role is still to serve as a city's public face. When this promotional role becomes large enough, quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

For example, the current live streaming platform is virtually a twenty-hour, non-stop promotion of Yangchuan City and the zoo to all parts of the country. As long as the live streaming platform exists for a day, continues to be this popular, the visibility of Yangchuan City will rise higher day by day.

In some places far from Yangchuan, there were even those who didn't know the provincial capital Jiangjin City, but were aware of Yangchuan City, and such cases were not few and far between.

Unbeknownst to many, a small trend of following in the footsteps of Yangchuan City Zoo emerged quietly among national zoos.

Some practices of Yangchuan City Zoo couldn't be replicated, like anything involving Fox Immortal, which could only be discussed verbally to grasp the spirit; while others could be directly adopted, such as the live streaming platform that had already been under construction.

Following this, the TV station produced several programs with an in-depth look at the zoo from the perspectives of both the zoo's employees and the contractor, Taoyuan Entertainment Company.

The final interview regarding the zoo was held on schedule in the studio of Yangchuan City TV Station, featuring two guests, Suming and Mr. Han. Jiao Shou simply couldn't find the time, as he was holed up in Whisperwind Pavilion writing scripts all day.

To make sure no one was unaware of this live streaming platform, the host Nangong Yan, after introducing the platform and showing some video clips from the live streams, turned the camera to Mr. Han first.

"Thank you, Mr. Han, for being our guest at the TV station. Everyone knows you've had many jobs, and are currently a professional race car driver. What made you suddenly take up live streaming?"

Mr. Han still wore his lazily content smile and said, "I'm not in it for the long haul; maybe it's just fate. I happen to like animals a lot and have always kept dogs. This visit to the zoo coincided with Mr. Su launching the platform, so I joined in for the experience."

Nangong chuckled and asked, "I heard that on the day you appeared, you received a large number of gifts?"

Mr. Han and Suming exchanged glances before Mr. Han took over and said, "Yes, about the gifts, Jiao Shou, Mr. Su, and I have discussed it. We've decided to donate all the gifts from the viewers to the zoo at no charge, to support wildlife conservation and the development of the zoo's infrastructure, helping the animals live better lives."

"Very grateful," Suming interjected with a chuckle from the side.

"Speaking of gratitude, I want to thank the zoo too. Through this program, it seems my fan base has grown quite a bit," Mr. Han said with a chuckle, shrugging.

"Celebrities often participate in public service activities to promote nature conservation. This time, Mr. Han, you can truly be said to have made a real contribution to animal conservation," Nangong commented.

"It's not just about me, actually," Mr. Han continued. "If other celebrities and well-known individuals want to engage in such activities in the future, they can also do so through the zoo's platform. It's a direct form of charity, and for the celebrities themselves, it's a way to gain publicity."

"So, Mr. Su, the Taoyuan-themed Weibo account for the zoo is nearing eight hundred thousand followers, and the day-to-day traffic of the live streaming platform is continuously rising. Surely, part of this is due to the celebrity effect. What does the zoo have in mind for the future of the live streaming platform after Mr. Han leaves?"

Nangong turned the conversation to Suming: "Will you continue to invite celebrities to participate in live streaming, as Mr. Han suggested?"

"Definitely, that will continue. We are already starting to develop a mobile APP client. Regarding celebrity streamers, to be candid, multiple acclaimed individuals have proactively reached out to the zoo, hoping to participate in charity live streaming."

Celebrities are all exceedingly savvy; they don't need Mr. Han to make such a statement. Anyone with even a little fame wouldn't truly be interested in those tens of thousands worth of gifts; it's easier to simply donate them to the zoo for the benefit of the animals without any cost to themselves.

In other words, in the future, when inviting celebrities to live stream, the zoo side won't need to spend much money. Of course, top-tier celebrities might be an exception, but there are far too many willing celebrities from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, ready to promote without a charge.

"You might remember, Jacky adopted a river dolphin baby, and I can reveal that he called me the day before yesterday, expressing his desire to visit the zoo and do a live stream with the river dolphin baby next time he's in the mainland. Of course, relying solely on celebrities isn't enough to support the entire platform."

Suming continued, "Animal performances are one aspect, celebrity participation is another, but additionally, the zoo is looking to hire full-time broadcasters. Celebrity hosts will support, but full-time broadcasts are the main focus."

"Full-time broadcasters?" Nangong Yan echoed.

"Yes, full-time broadcasters will be online for one to two hours every day, fostering interaction between the broadcaster, animals, and audience. This gives ordinary people a chance to showcase themselves on screen," he explained.

Suming concluded with a smile, "The zoo's mission has never been solely about protecting animals, nor is it about sacrificing humans for animal conservation, as extreme measures are not sustainable. As fellow beings on this planet, we hope for mutual advancement between humans and animals and harmonious coexistence with nature. Humans give animals a chance, and in return, animals offer humans a gift."