Wang Jianlin and Dailan Wanda Group to Build $8.7 Billion Chinese Hollywood

Wang Jianlin of the Dailan Wanda Group

The Dailan Wanda Group want to bring Hollywood to China.

On Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, Wang Jianlin announced that his Dailan Wanda Group will spend 50 billion yuan ($8.7 billion USD) to build the world's largest entertainment district in Qingdao, China. Movie stars in attendance of the announcement were Leonardo di Caprio, John Travolta, Nicole Kidman, and Ewan McGregor.

The Dailan Wanda Group's investment could create the world's most influential film industry in China. If successful, it would trump Hollywood's influence in the film industry. Wang Jianlin also hopes that an annual film festival in Qingdao, China would rival that of the annual Cannes Film Festival.

The Dailan Wanda Group has already signed a preliminary deal with global film and television giants for 30 foreign and 100 local films a year. The new state-of-the-art film complex, called the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis (or Chinese Hollywood), will house 20 studios, movie theaters and its own film museum. It is expected to be fully operational by 2017.

Wang Jianlin made this comment: "The future of the world's film industry is in China because we have 1.3 billion people. We will have the biggest film business in the world by 2018."

He went on to say: "Our cultural [entertainment] business is number one in China, but what about the world? This is our future investment direction. Our goal is to become on of the top 10 cultural companies in the world."

The Dailan Wanda Group has donated $20 million USD to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (host of the Oscars). In return, the academy is now a big supporter of the Qingdao film festival.

The Dailan Wanda Group bought the AMC cinema chain in 2012 for $2.6 billion to add to their portfolio of hotels and department stores. Wang Jianlin already has 75 shopping centers and 40 five-star hotels, among others that currently being built.

Image credit: Flickr Creative Commons by World Economic Forum

NBA's Jeremy Lin, Can You Get Knicks Another Win?

Below is an excerpt from my article, New York Knicks Star, Jeremy Lin: The Hard-working Hero from Harvard on Yahoo! Voices:

Jeremy Lin on NBA's New York Knicks

Jeremy Lin is the latest among NBA stars to rise from humble basketball roots, and funnel momentum to the New York Knicks basketball team. Humble referring to graduating from Harvard University, after playing without a scholarship, and then entering into the 2010 NBA draft, undrafted. According to People Magazine, Jeremy Lin is the first NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent in the NBA, and as of late, he has been receiving a lot of attention.



Jeremy Lin's basketball career to date has been about a hard work ethic, and not giving up, despite being passed up and passed around without metaphorically being passed to.

But that hasn't stopped Jeremy Lin.

Read the rest of this article, here.


Excerpt from my article, Knicks & Lin Knock Off Sacramento in Seven Game Winning Streak on Yahoo! Voices.




Jeremy Lin wearing #17 on the New York Knicks

Jeremy Lin is the most trend-worthy news of the month.

Even more so after winning seven games straight since bringing Lin on board. The Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings (Wednesday, February 15th 2012), 100-85.

Unfortunately, ABC and ESPN lock in their televised NBA games at the beginning of the season, because the world cannot get enough of Jeremy Lin: an unprecedented basketball phenomenon. Most of the regular season Knicks games are viewable court-side, or on the MSG network. The Knicks 2011-12 basketball schedule is viewable here.

Jeremy Lin has already been dubbed the Tim Tebow of the NBA, acknowledging that he is also a Christian, with the underlying comparison that Tebow also brought extra momentum to his team - the Denver Broncos - as the man responsible for passing the ball.

Not only has Lin given New Yorkers a reason to come to Madison Square Gardens, but he has reinvigorated his basketball team, and given them a reason to believe. Not to mention that the resale of NBA tickets to Knicks games are up 60% and rising with every win.

More to this article...read the rest of it here.

The New York Knicks basketball schedule can be viewed here.