China’s richest man serenaded his employees at his company’s Chinese New Year gala last weekend.
Wang Jianlin, the chairman of the entertainment and real estate conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, got on stage with a few dancers to belt out the popular Chinese rock song “Fake Monk.” His employees looked on through a sea of smartphones.
The foot-tapping billionaire has a lot to celebrate this year: his conglomerate inked a deal to buy Legendary Entertainment, one of the largest independent studios in Hollywood, earlier this month. The $3.5-billion buy was the largest ever between China and Hollywood. Wang forecasted that the company’s entertainment arm will see a 30% growth in revenue this year, even as its real-estate arm suffers revenue declines.
In China, where karaoke is a popular social pastime, the former military man is known as a karaoke lover. “The Chairman feels this is one of his hobbies and there’s no other meaning,” a spokesperson told the Journal’sChina Real Time.