Guo Jingming is considered the most popular and successful of a dozen Chinese celebrity authors born around or just after 1980. Although he was not born a "princeling" and has no connection with the ruling elites, he is already a millionaire writer and publisher at the age of 29. He was born in Zigong, Sichuan Province, to an engineer father and bank clerk mother. He studied Film, Art & Technology at Shanghai University before leaving without a degree in 2008. He started his writing career in 2001 while still in high school. His first novel, "City of Fantasy" (2003), was sold more than 800,000 copies in the first 2 months of release. Since then, he has released 3 bestsellers and set up his own publishing company. Forbes Magazine ranked him 53 on its China's top 100 celebrities listing in 2011. He was the only Chinese writer to make the list. His Shanghai ZUI Company hires 80 writers and 20 comic book artists. In 2011, 25 of 30 bestsellers in China came from Guo's stable of writers. In the Channel News Asia's programme, "Conversation With: Guo Jingming", Guo talks about China’s young generation, accusations of plagiarism, and the provocative pictures on his blog. Commenting on the young Chinese writers' advantage over the older generations, he opined that writers of his generation "were born and now live in what could be the Golden Age in China: no wars, or unrest or hunger". Guo had been voted China's most hated celebrity due to alleged plagiarism and narcissism. With regard to the writing and provocative photos of himself on his blog, he said: "You don't have to look at it if you don't like it. Your opinion is not important to me. What's most important is that I find it fun." Conversation With: Guo Jingming http://www.channelnewsasia.com/tvshows/index.php?id=123egdePJ Guo Jingming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_Jingming Mainland material boy is writing the dream http://www.scmp.com/article/989546/mainland-material-boy-writing-dream A Pop Idol Writer For China's New Generation http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104569352 Guo Jingming tops rich writers' list http://www.china.org.cn/china/2011-11/22/content_23975607.htm Guo Jingming Succeeds in "City of Fantasy" http://www.china.org.cn/english/NM-e/106691.htm
