Xu is a successful actress, director and blogger. In China, which advocates modesty, she is not ashamed to publicize her success and talent.
Sitting in a humble office near Chaoyang Park in Beijing (also found in many talk shows), she said: I'm beautiful … smart … curious … quick to learn. There are only one or two movie posters of Du Lala's promotion in this office, which were just released when she was interviewed. Xu Jinglei will laugh after praising himself. China people are not used to being so arrogant, but I am 36 years old. I can't hold my tail between heaven and earth. I clearly thought so, but I didn't say so. "
Xu has every reason to be proud of his achievements. She came into the public eye in her twenties. At that time, Xu, a performance major, played a policewoman in the hit TV series "Romantic Love", and this role fell in love with a gangster.
But Xu, who grew up in Beijing, is by no means a conceited person. She is good at communicating with ordinary people through her own blog, which looks no different from ordinary people. Since its launch at the end of 2005, her blog has accumulated more than 286 million hits. Most of her blogs are about trivial details of daily life, such as insomnia, her cat, her diet (for an actress, she has a good appetite) and photos of her wearing casual clothes without makeup. Although her writing is casual, there is a pleasant frankness, as if to say to the reader: Look, this is my life, no different from yours. I like my life!
Xu knows how to use her popularity and influence for business operation, and she doesn't hide or whitewash it. In April 2007, when she became the most famous blogger in China, she started an electronic magazine called Open. This magazine focuses on the lifestyle of young people, with an average of 1 10 million hits per month. From April this year, Xu began to sell "Keira" brand ornaments to customers.
Xu said that she started the magazine to realize her childhood dream and to reach out to advertisers, some of whom may also be interested in investing in her film project. Xu's magazine and film production company now has more than 20 employees, most of whom are young people in their twenties.
Lenovo and other companies that advertised in her magazine did appear in Xu's latest film, Du Lala's Promotion. This is a movie about the love story of a young girl Du Lala and her office, with the shadow of Sex and the City and charming women. Xu is one of the screenwriters of this film, and also the director and starring (but not an investor) of this film. Due to the placement advertisements of Mazda Motor and Lipton Black Tea in the film, two-thirds of the investment of 20 million yuan was recovered even before the film was released. The box office revenue of Du Lala's Promotion exceeded 1 100 million yuan, which is quite impressive by the standards of China. This also makes Xu the most commercially successful female directors in China.
She was criticized by the media for the product placement in the film. An online commentator wrote: Audiences buy tickets to watch movies, not advertisements. Have you considered the legitimate rights and interests of consumers? This comment was reprinted by People's Daily and several major domestic portals. But Xu doesn't think there is anything wrong with this. She said that this is a commercial reality that everyone in China's film industry has to face. Investing in making movies is a high-risk business in China, because there are not as many cinemas in China as in the United States, the movie audience is still relatively small, and the film copyright has not been effectively protected. Xu said: "I am a creator who considers the interests of investors very much. ... whatever I do, it must be interesting first, and then it must be commercially feasible. I won't do anything impossible. "
As a pragmatist, Xu also knows the risks of engaging in content business in China.
ZUMApress.com
On April 7, Xu attended the press conference of the premiere of the movie "Du Lala's Promotion".
Unlike Han Han, the most influential blogger in China, she rarely touches on political or sensitive social issues in her blog. Han Han is a social critic who was once rumored to be her boyfriend (Han Han also appeared on the cover of Xu magazine in May this year). For some unclear reasons, the launch time of Han Han's own magazine has been delayed for more than half a year. Xu was also rumored to have had contact with satirical novelist Wang Shuo.
In 2008, she set five principles for her blog: try not to mention other people's names; Try to restrain your meanness; Try to report good news without worrying; Try not to talk about politics, regardless of current events, and let your family rest assured. But the fifth principle is: "If you really want to say something, don't hold back too much. On the one hand, it is good for your body and mind. But the consequences are at your own risk. "
Xu only updates his blog a few times a month, sometimes even once a month, just like this May. Sina.com still ranks Xu as a popular blogger after Han Han. When she updates, her new blog always attracts many people. Her current blog is mainly to promote her movies and magazines. Her two-stage blog post published on April 16 received nearly 373,000 hits and 4,400 reader comments. The content of this blog post is simple: that day is her birthday, so please go to see the promotion of Du Lala; The film was released that weekend, and the box office revenue was very good.
But under the surface of mercantilism and pragmatism, there may be her principles and bottom line. She refused to advertise on her blog, although blog is the most influential of the three media she has set foot in. Xu said it would make the blog too commercial, so I wrote my own blog out of interest. Unlike magazines and movies, blogging has no cost (except her personal cost), so there is no need to make money by blogging.
Speaking of opening a Weibo in Sina. Xu said that she is not interested in doing so, and she is currently focusing on movies. She said: "I don't want other people's expectations to become my pressure. The most important thing is what I want to do. This kind of motivation is why you can do a good job. "