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“Win in China”

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Entrepreneurship is no longer a dirty word in China. Select businessmen, and a handful of women are now held up as powerful icons. In China’s major cities these days, highway billboards featuring real estate and tech moguls who emerged from poverty have replaced many of the massive tributes to Chairman Mao and heroic workers. Filmmaker Ole Schell traveled to the city of Weifang in Shandong province, to profile an up-and-coming lingerie baron and a member of a new generation of high-profile Chinese entrepreneurs. Photo: Ole Schell

• Watch the trailer to “Win in China”
• “Win in China” website

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This text below is a phonetic transcript of a radio story broadcast by PRI’s THE WORLD. It has been created on deadline by a contractor for PRI. The transcript is included here to facilitate internet searches for audio content. Please report any transcribing errors to theworld@pri.org. This transcript may not be in its final form, and it may be updated. Please be aware that the authoritative record of material distributed by PRI’s THE WORLD is the program audio.

MARCO WERMAN: I’m Marco Werman. This is The World. Entrepreneur is no longer a dirty word in China. Businessmen and women are now held up as powerful icons. In China’s cities these days highway billboards featuring real estate and tech moguls have replaced many of the massive tributes to Chairman Mao and heroic workers. Filmmaker Ole Schell traveled to the city of Weifang to profile an up and coming lingerie baron – a member of China’s new generation of high profile entrepreneurs.

OLE SCHELL: Weifang is a smoky, bleak, industrial city where commerce pulses around every corner.

STREET MERCHANT: You want to buy? Cheap, cheap for you.

SCHELL: Curbside merchants hawk bootleg DVDs and knockoff designer bags. Here in this frenzied commercial landscape, some Chinese entrepreneurs have achieved celebrity status. One of China’s newest celebrity entrepreneurs can be found at the Ti Hui Lingerie factory here in Weifang. He invites us to follow him into what looks like a storage shed. The sign on the door says Bra Specimen Room. The proud proprietor of the factory is 37-year-old Zhou Yu. He shows off racks of faux leopard-skin bras, feather boas, lacy garters, and angel wings. He asked us to take whatever we liked – for our girlfriends of course.

ZHOU YU: [SPEAKING CHINESE]

TRANSLATOR: I want all women to love my brand of underwear around the world.

SCHELL: The TV show “Win in China” catapulted Zhou to fame two and a half years ago. Think of the program as a Chinese version of “The Apprentice.”

HOST WANG LIFEN: [SPEAKING CHINESE]

SCHELL: “Win in China” was one of the most popular programs on the state-run television network. It featured 120,000 budding entrepreneurs competing to impress a panel of China’s most celebrated businessmen. The prize was a 4.5 million-dollar pot. The show’s creator, the producer, and host, Wang Lifen, said the program was designed to reeducate the Chinese masses on the rudiments of business practice and to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.

WANG LIFEN: [SPEAKING CHINESE]

TRANSLATOR: Today entrepreneurs are the biggest icons in our society. Since China began the open door policy our personalities here in China have been changing. We’ve gone for more communal ways of thinking to be more individualistic and the ultimate goal of this show is to spread the spirit of enterprise throughout China.

SCHELL: Lingerie entrepreneur Zhou was a contestant. And for some viewers, and even some judges, he was THE contestant. The one that the audience of 200 million viewers adored and gossiped about. He was affectionately nicknamed the wolf for his raw predatory style and willingness to spy, cheat, and lie with great charm and energy. Zhou was the only finalist not to have gone past high school.

[MUSIC FROM FINALE OF SHOW]

SCHELL: The show’s finale was a lightening round of quick back and forths. Here a female contestant accused the wolf of being rough around the edges.

FEMALE CONTESTANT: [SPEAKING CHINESE]

TRANSLATOR: You said earlier that one of your shortcomings is your bad temper. My question is as a CEO are there other areas that you need to improve? We have seen that your marketing and sales skills are very strong. But I didn’t see you improve in any other areas. Why is that? I’d like you hear say something about your education and ability to think.

SCHELL: The wolf responds with trademark vigor.

YU: [SPEAKING CHINESE]

TRANSLATOR: In terms of learning and thinking I believe I’m one of the best of the 12 finalists. I’m not well educated but I’m standing here today. This proves my strong learning and thinking abilities.

SCHELL: When Zhou grew up most Chinese still wore unisex Mao suits. He says he realized that Chinese women were developing sophisticated tastes and he borrowed money and went into lingerie. It turns out he had judged the trends just right.

YU: [SPEAKING CHINESE]

TRANSLATOR: Things are different now. If I had been living abroad, I probably wouldn’t have become so successful because there are not as many opportunities. Now the environment is still young. I’m very lucky to be here.

SCHELL: Although he was only a runner up on “Win in China” Zhou is now expanding his empire. He used his $800,000 prize money to finish building a new 30,000 square-foot factory. There are rows and rows of women hunched over sewing machines surrounding by piles of bras contributing to Zhou’s earnings of about $6 million US a year. Although Zhou came in second on “Win in China” he is the most successful of the program’s winners. Despite his often unscrupulous tactics he and businessmen and women like him are pushing China forward with their brand of entrepreneurial zeal. For The World I’m Ole Schell in Weifang, China.

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