ZN Animation Chairman Wu Jianrong: the next Walt Disney

Every one of us had a favourite cartoon as a child. Well, there's one man in China making cartoons that, year by year, are reaching more and more children not just in China but around the world. His name is Wu Jianrong and there is no doubt his cartoons are favourites of todays kids.

 

Chen Zhe has more on this enterprising man.

You may not have heard of Wu Jianrong. His name is not recognizable even to most Chinese. Is he as famous as Walt Disney? Of course not. But if you asked Wu himself, he would say: "Not yet."

 

"Right now Disney's number one, but I say: 'I want to be number one.'"

 

Such bold ambition, however, rose from humble beginnings. Wu Jianrong was born in the village of Xiaoshan near Hangzhou. He grew up with many siblings in a family that didn't have a lot of means. He was able to receive only elementary-school education.

 

At the age of 14, he started working as an apprentice mason. With his dedication and native intelligence, Wu soon worked his way up into a foreman's position.

In 1984, when he was only 21 years-old, Wu formed his own construction team. And after 20 years, his company, Zhongnan Group, is now listed as one of the top 500 private companies in China.

 

In 2003, Wu, as the CEO of Zhongnan Group, recognized that there was a sad lack of variety in cartoon programming in China.

 

Shen Shunrong, the current chief editor at Zhongnan Cartoon Company, has this to say about Wu.

 

"He has a lot of foresight. He felt that China needed cartoons, children needed cartoons."

 

The few cartoons that were then shown in the country often had inappropriate content for the younger viewing crowd.

 

Shen continues:
"In 2003-2004, the cartoons were not as varied as today's. Many were foreign and contained violence, so Wu was really concerned. He thought: our kids can't be influenced like this. So he wanted to make healthy and practical programs for children."

 

The father in Wu Jianrong reacted against the negative impact cartoons were having on his own son. The born businessman in Wu Jianrong saw an opportunity to grow Zhongnan Group. Wu was poised to make another fortune, this time not in construction but in animation.

 

"This is an industry that hasn't formed yet in our country. So we believe that even though the Chinese economy has developed quickly in other aspects, in this aspect development has been slow. But in the end it will be developed. If we dominate the national market, that's equivalent to a fifth of the world's market."

 

When Wu decides to undertake a project, he doesn't shilly-shally. And he's not afraid to take risks.

 

"At the time we decided to invest 200 million yuan in the cartoon industry. If we failed, we failed. That was the kind of determination we had."

 

Zhongnan Cartoon Company was formed in 2003 as a subsidiary of Zhongnan Group. By recruiting some of the top animators in the country and working in close contact with the government, Zhongnan became a leader in the cartoon industry within a few years.

 

Witness the company's progress: three years ago, no foreign countries broadcast Zhongnan cartoons. Now, Zhongnan Cartoon Company has more than 60 foreign customers on five continents. And 200 TV stations within China carry its programs. The programs are also popular on the Web.

 

Over its brief lifespan, Zhongnan has produced 14 cartoon shows totaling over 28,000 minutes in length.

According to Wu, there's a major difference between Western cartoons and his products.

 

"They can be more liberal, while we emphasize education. We don't make any cartoons that are inappropriate for little kids."

 

Zhongnan's long-term goal is not only to have its cartoons played all over China, but to become one of the largest cartoon companies in the world.

 

Wu has also pushed merchandising heavily. For example, his first cartoon and also one of the most popular "Sky Eye", now has toys, stationery, and shoes bearing its logo and characters.

 

But Wu plans to expand the Zhongnan brand even farther, even larger. What's his latest big idea? To build a Zhongnan cartoon-themed amusement park.

The China Zhongnan Cartoon City broke ground on April 15th in the Qipanshan district of Liaoning province.

 

Wu says he plans to invest $3 billion yuan in this theme park, which will cover an area of approximately 2 square kilometers.

 

You may think that constructing a humongous amusement park is already an overwhelming achievement for a man who began his life as an apprentice mason with no formal education beyond grade school.

 

But Wu's ambitions know no bounds.

 

"Don't call us 'Disney"' or something inferior to Disney. We're going to build a better amusement park. I'm not going to trace Disney's steps. We are going to be creative. We will have our own Zhongnan style for everybody to see. The number of visitors, our creativity, the return on our investment might be better than Disney's, faster than Disney's."

 

In case you're wondering, Walt Disney opened Disneyland in 1955 at the age of 54. Wu Jianrong is now 46 years-old.

 

You could say that, in this respect, Wu is already ahead of the competition.

 

For China Now, I'm Chen Zhe.

2009-05-14 18:30:31

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