(Chinese Version)

Editor’s Note:

In the past 26 years, Wu Qilong was not only an actor but also a businessman. Driven by his broad interest, Wu has conducted businesses in a number of industries, including e-commerce, catering, real estate, stock, IT and games, etc. Can you believe that his team actually upgraded the sticker photo cameras a decade ago and developed a smart watch eight years ago.

Wang Feng, CEO of Linekong Entertainment Technology, who has worked with lots of actors, celebrities, concluded that: “Mr. Wu is the most clear-minded, experienced and extraordinary one I have ever met.”

Where did his insight into the business world come from? What change has he been through? The following is a special report carried out by Business Value’s journalist, Liu Meiqi, and edited by TMTpost:

The Legend of Zu is the second TV series whose intellectual property is run by Wu Qilong and his team. The first one is The Bride with White Hair.

On April 13th, The legend of Swordsman, the very first series of The Legend of Zu, was officially released. After the press conference, Wu Qilong was finally able to sit down and have an in-depth interview with journalists from more than 10 media agencies in Hengdian, one of the largest movie studios in Asia. The interview lasted over 4 hours and didn’t end until 11pm. The temperature difference between day and night during Hengdian’s spring was so large that the daily temperature can reach 38 degree Celsius but reduce to 0 degree Celsius in the evening.

After the interview, Wu crept into his tent, took off his costume and put on a black down jacket and a dark brown peruke. He then left the tent and went into a van. “May I smoke here?”, he asked the staff in the van.

The legend of Swordsman, had been shot in Hengdian for 76 consecutive days before the press conference. Wu Qilong, both an actor and the producer of the TV series, had to stay up until two or three o’clock in the morning so as to edit the TV clips.

Wu Qilong first came to the public attention in 1988 as a singer, whose nick-name was “The Thunderbolt Tiger”, in the boy band Xiao Hu Dui (Little Tiger). In 2011, Wu Qilong again attracted public attention by starring Si Ge(the fourth son of the emperor) in the TV series Treading on Thin Ice. During those years, despite some ups and downs, Wu was always a singer, and an actor.

Yet, Wu, for the first time, became the producer of a TV series. After preparing for over two years, Wu Qilong has gradually carried out a series of derivative products of The Legend of Zu, such as TV series, game, Internet series, film, book, record, etc.

In the past 26 years, Wu Qilong was not only an actor but also a businessman. Driven by his broad interest, Wu has businesses in a number of industries, including e-commerce, catering, real estate, stock, IT and games, etc.

In 2014, Wu Qilong, for the first time, entered the Forbes’ Top 10 Wealthiest Chinese Celebrity list and ranked 9th, with an annual revenue of 67 million RMB. “I would rather call Wu as a businessman than an actor”, said Wang Feng, the developer of The Legend of Zu’s game and CEO of Linekong Entertainment Technology.

IP manager of The Legend of Zu

Wu Qilong’s company, Zhejiang Dongyang Straw Bear Entertainment, was located only in the Hengdian Chinese Film Industrial Park and only several-minite-drive away from the shooting place of The Legend of Zu, Qin’s Palace. Wu Qilong not only worked, but also lived in this four-floor building.

After we arrived at his office, Mr. Wu asked if he could go out for a minute. When he came back, he’d already taken off his peruke, braided his hair, with a cup of red wine in his hand.

Since last year, everyone in the film industry seemed to be eyeing on intellectual property of TV series. In general, IP managers will simply sell the IP to game companies, and comic companies after the TV series is broadcasted.

However, while the craze for the TV series quickly fades away, it will take two or three years for game developers to develop a mobile game and at least half a year to develop a web game. By the time the game is launched, the craze for the TV series will have already ebbed away.

Wu Qilong found that “While film makers concentrate only on film-making, game-developers are only focused on writing codes. There is a large need of go-betweens between film-makers and game developers.”

Wu Qilong aims not only to sell the IP, but also to connect the film industry and game industry. “The film-makers and game-developers must join together and develop different versions of a same product at the same time”, said Wu.

The Legend of Zu is a great challenge for Wu Qilong. He spent the entire 2014 preparing for this project, holding meetings with staff from different departments of his company, and partners in his Straw Bear Beijing Office, while gave up shooting any TV series.

By the end of 2013, Wu Qilong had already worked out a detailed IP management plan of The Legend of Zu. According to his plan, his company would gradually carry out all kinds of derivative products (TV series, game, Internet series, film, music, etc) of The Legend of Zu in four years.

In fact, Wu Qilong entered the game industry early in 2012 and founded Beijing Straw Bear Technology. He saw the huge potential of game industry, but was also aware of the risk.

When Wu Qilong entered the game industry, the game industry in China was still dominated by web games, while mobile games were still on the rise. In no more than two or three years, however, mobile games have become the mainstream.

Wu Qilong was well aware that he knew not much about product developing and was in dire need of a reliable and responsible partner. That’s when he got to know Wang Feng, CEO of Line Entertainment Technology and commissioned Wang Feng full right to develop the game version of The Bride with White Hair.

“I am very cautious every time I get to know a new partner. To better understand them, I will look up their information as best as I could and listen to my friends” suggestion, said Wu.

Wang Feng has worked with lots of actors, celebrities, but still concluded that: “Mr. Wu is the most clear-minded, experienced and extraordinary one I have ever met.”

When Wang and Wu first met, they talked mostly about entertainment and film-making. Later, when they came to games, their conversation lightened up. At the end of their conversation, they found that they were not only talking about games, but also new trends of Internet and new technologies.

Wu Qilong, along with his agent, even went to Wang Feng’s office to further talk about their cooperation. He shared with Wang Feng not only his understanding of the game version of The Legend of Zu, but also his ambition and plan in the coming three years.

After Wu’s introduction to his plan, Wang Feng was shocked. “I have never met an actor as smart and creative as Wu Qilong”, said Wang Feng.

As a matter of fact, Wu Qilong has always been a hardcore gamer ever since he was a kid. That might help explain his insights into the game industry. Wang Feng even invited Wu to become the executive producer of the game version of The Legend of Zu, since Wang believed that “Wu knew what kind of game best appeal to game players, and how to convert elements from TV series into games”.

The development of the game version of The Legend of Zu started at the second half of 2014, even before the TV series. At that time, one side of Wu’s office was plastered with draft pictures of different weapons. Wu Qilong even adjusted the weapons in the TV series so as to keep in line with the game.

In the past few months, Wang Feng received hundreds of draft designs of different kind of scenes, characters, and weapons.

During last year’s Spring Festival, Wang Feng sent a text message to Wu Qilong, asking where he was spending his Spring Festival. However, Wu Qilong replied that he spent his entire Spring Festival in Hengdian, working day and night. Shocked by Wu’s diligence, Wangfeng made a joke to Wu, asking “why are you more hard-working than game developers?”.

In fact, Wu Qilong aimed to devote all his efforts and resources on The Legend of Zu and “became the first one to connect film-makers with game-developers and fully explore the potential of the an IP.”

Leading innovator in commerce and technology industry

Wu Qilong also spent these years exploring new possibilities.

Wu Qilong entered the entertainment industry as an actor, but when he found that actors were in a passive position when shooting a new TV series, he wanted to convert this position.

Wu Qilong used to choose TV series based on his own preference, but when he found that although he could choose which TV series he wanted to star in, he couldn’t decide if a certain TV series could work out in the end and became on air. Oftentimes, he found that some TV series just paled into insignificance and failed to get on air after shooting it for more than four months.

“I merely wanted to bring together the best directors, actors, playwrights, and produce a really brilliant TV series”, Wu explained the reason why he set up his company at the first place.

In 2003, Wu Qilong left Hong Kong and went to Beijing. It was exactly at that moment that Wu founded Straw Bear.

What Straw Bear aimed to do stretched out to the entire film-making industry chain, from investment, development to issuing. The huge ambition went hands in hands with risks. According to Wu, he lost several millions of RMB when making the first two TV series and saved for three years so as to shoot The Bride with White Hair.

Wu Qilong’s company made a lot of attempts in the past few years. Since there was no equipment for aerial shooting when his company was founded, Wu himself bought two UAVs from Japan. Unfortunately, they fell into a river in an accident. When Wu wanted to buy another one, Japanese companies were forbidden to export UAVs to China.

Later on, Straw Bear signed contract with Ye Zuxin and Liu Sitong, participated in the post-production of Battle of Wits, shooting and production of TV series such as Ticket, Death Trip. Moreover, Straw Bear co-produced The Bride with White Hair and Incisive Great Teacher etc.

“To succeed, mere enthusiasm is never enough, we also need to seize the opportunity and get enough support from a bunch of people who dare to work hard, even in vain”, said Wu Qilong.

Straw Bear’s budget turned red in recent years. According to statistics, Straw Bear earned 84 million RMB merely through The Bride with White Hair. It is said that The Bride with White Hair and To Advance Towards the Fire these two TV series have already brought to Straw Bear 160 million RMB.

“One should start with passion, but gradually calm down and work out ways to best appeal to one’s audiences”, said Wu.

Wu Qilong started as the founder of a film company a decade ago, but has been busy helping other companies to operate. Straw Bear, Wu Qilong’s own company, is decorated with wood and looks more like a high-tech company. This building is the workplace of not only a film company, but also a game company, record company and even a trading company.

Wu Qilong always wishes to do something different. “Sometimes, I might even look a little bit crazy since I dare to do things that everybody else dare not do”, said Wu.

During the summer vacation of Wu Qilong’s second year in the primary school, he did several part-time jobs at the same time, washing cars, waxing the floor during the day, while selling clothes and trinkets in his stand during the night. “I sold things at a higher price but quite different from other stands’, so that I earned much money”, said Wu.

After entering the entertainment industry, Wu Qilong invested in a series of industries, such as catering, clothing, pet stores, yachts, real estate and even stock and IT, etc. “When I look back, I will also be amazed by the variety of industries I have participated in”, said Wu.

Wu Qilong has a lot of friends from IT circle, including smart phone manufacturers, chip manufacturers, mobile phone case makers, etc. “Many fads in the IT industry were first come up with in my conversation with my friends”, said Wu.

He admitted that: “I didn’t major in technology, and I can’t write codes, but I believe as long as I can bring together best technology and idea, I can develop products that appeal to the users”.

In fact, Wu Qilong entered IT industry even a decade ago.

At that time, people transferred files through infrared ray, while Bluetooth technology was still on the rise. His product, however, can help users edit their sticker photos and transfer to other gadgets via infrared ray, Bluetooth and even USB. Sounds like a primitive MeituXiuxiu, right? Wu Qilong’s company even carried out a charging machine, which can help users pay their phone, electricity, gas bills. However, all these efforts failed because they were so ahead of the time.

8 years ago, Wu Qilong’s company already carried out a smart wearable product, which could help measure the heartbeat and blood pressure of the elderly, position them, children, and even pets.

Yet, when he tried to have it manufactured, he found that the cost was too high. So he made a compromise and applied for a patent for his product. The design picture of this product is still kept in his computer.

After years of failed attempt, he paid more attention to the timing, since “an invention that is carried out too early or too late will both end up in failure”.

From an actor to a leading innovator

Wu Qilong entered the entertainment industry at an early age, but his career foundered, so he was forced to do part-time jobs to pay for his study. He even had to pay back the debt for his family for twelve years.

“We have no idea the meaning of things we are doing right now”, Wu Qilong never realized that his training in judo and taewondo would turn out beneficial to his career, “I learned to calm down, work hard when I was learning judo and taewondo”.

Before Wu Qilong attracted public attention through Treading on Thin Ice and The Bride with White Hair, he had worked in the film-making and production industry for more than a decade.

Ren Yue, Wu Qilong’s broker when he first came to Beijing, worked with him till now. According to her, “Mr. Wu is both a keen actor and a clear-minded businessman”.

These years, Wu Qilong always worked so hard that he would stay up a lot and assign work at 3am on WeChat. When Ren Yue once complained, Wu Qilong promised that he would never contact his employees then. When he had to assign works in the midnight, he promised to begin his conversation with “Excuse me”.

“He could be really demanding, sometimes”, Ren Yue remarked, “When Wu was angry, he will only remain silent, which scares me a lot”.

A few years ago, Wu Qilong once asked Ren Yue why he worked so hard but often missed the opportunity, Ren Yue consoled him and said “Just wait, there will always be a day when you shall harvest from what you have sowed”. Ren Yue’s words proved true in these recent years.

Right now, Wu Qilong was highly respected by his employees and by his friends.

Wu Qilong cares about his friends and employees and will do his best to help them. Rumor has it that he once bowed and said sorry for his employees, saying “I’m so sorry for my family’s fault”.

Wu Qilong is indeed really busy, since he has to manage six companies and two studios at the same time.

He admitted that he did “feel stressed out sometimes with so many things to deal with”.

He is busy almost every minute and has to work over 17 hours every day. Every day is planned beforehand. Sometimes, he will become so busy that he will even forget what he is busy at the moment.

To adjust, he will just do something different. Previously, he joined the army when he became very successful in 1997, and went to Peking University to study EMBA when his business became successful.

At present, Wu Qilong has to study and shoot at the same time. The first day he went to Peking University, many fans asked him to take pictures with him. He happily agreed, since he wanted to be easy-going and get ready to be normal and get to know others as a friend.

“In the past, I was quite an introvert and felt uncomfortable around people that I didn’t know”, said Wu.

Later on, he became aware of the importance of interaction with different people. So he set out to be more active.

Wu Qilong is also willing to learn. “I have to not only know my own business, but also be aware of the political and economic environment”, said Wu.

Wu Qillong is not afraid of uncertainties, instead, he is open to different possibilities. He believes that there will always be a way out.

He is indeed quite ambitious. “I want to carry out something really eye-opening and surprises everybody. Who knows, I might just do something so different one day and surprise everyone”, said Wu.

（The article is published and edited with authorization from the author @Liu Meiqi, please note source and hyperlink when reproduce.)

Translated by Levin Feng (Senior Translator at ECHO)