The financial world could never figure out one thing:
Why wouldn't Zhaoyuan Pictures go public, even after growing to the size of half the domestic entertainment industry?
Investment banks came calling, media moguls came calling, and all kinds of capital lined up with proposals,
but he didn't even pour himself another cup of tea.
Others went public to rake in money. He stayed private
because he didn't want anyone else making decisions for him.
He poured money into special effects studios, into movie theaters, into an animated IP no one believed in,
and built an empire no one could copy.
By the time his competitors realized that the same name stood behind the box-office charts, TV drama rankings, and trending searches,
they finally understood:
he wasn't staying off the table. He was taking the whole table home.
