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Can a billionaire build a new Hollywood in China?

Can a billionaire build a new Hollywood in China?

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Wang Jianlin
Wang Jianlin

Wang Jianlin, the richest man in China, has begun building what he hopes will become his home country's own version of Hollywood. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wang's Dalian Wanda Group broke ground on the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis on Sunday with executives from Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. pictures on hand. Also in attendance were A-list actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Ewan McGregor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Travolta, and Nicole Kidman. The businessman says he wants to build something like the Hollywood sign in the hills above Qingdao as well. "It's my dream," Wang tells the Journal. "I strongly believe that China will be the center of the global film industry." With this vision in mind, the Movie Metropolis will cost as much as $8.2 billion to construct and include a theme park, wax and film museums, and the world's largest film production studio.

Read the Journal's story on Wang to learn more about his efforts to bring Hollywood and China closer together, and check out its star-studded photo gallery of the ground breaking in the source link below.