Back in 1999, Wang Changtian was at a crossroads in his life after Phoenix TV turned down his job application. With the help of a few friends and 30,000 yuan he conjured up China Entertainment Report, a half-hour news programme that zoomed in on China's glitterati, and lived on the gossip they effortlessly created. At first the country wasn't quite ready for a step into the salacious world of celebrity kiss and tell, and he struggled for several months. But attitudes were starting to shift; finally CCTV took a speculative punt and aired a few of his shows. The feedback was good, and things started to snowball for Mr Wang. Last year, turnover at his Enlight Media was 300 million yuan - including television programming, websites, a newspaper, movies, live-event management and a talent agency - all hooked on the themes of entertainment and sport. The nine TV programmes his staff of 400 generate are aired on 300 channels across the country, feeding into hundreds of millions of homes. To what does Mr Wang attribute his success? Malnutrition and tuberculosis, he said. The 40-year-old was born in Dalian , Liaoning province , and was reared on cornbread, lard and boiled water - an inadequate diet that often left him in a sickly state, he wrote in his autobiography, The Great Entertainer. After he entered Fudan University in Shanghai, tuberculosis came back to haunt him and he had to spend long periods alone and away from the classroom. He used this time to read extensively, memorise reams of poetry and sharpen his calligraphy talents. He says he emerged from isolation a far more cultured and confident character, and used his new-found skills to develop an extensive network of friends and acquaintances. Around this time, he started thinking about how the new generation of Chinese were spending their free time: socially, what made them tick? After college he did a stint as a civil servant, carrying out administrative duties for the National People's Congress, followed by a few years as a business reporter for a daily newspaper, and later an evening news producer for Beijing TV. But given China's political and business restraints, he became convinced that entertainment news was where the opportunities lay. That hunch has paid rich dividends, given that six years later he controls the largest privately owned media and entertainment company in the country. Although the entertainment business has been good to him, it still falls into the sensitive realm of media - which causes daily managerial headaches, according to Chen Lizhi, who runs the group's weekly gossip-based paper Big Star, and produces the flagship TV programme. Chinese celebrities are not used to being portrayed in an unflattering light, and threaten to sue at the slightest provocation. The courts have a conservative outlook and always lean on the side of the stars, Mr Chen says. To avoid litigation, he often has to spike juicy stories that would make headline news in other countries. And TV is even worse, with a litany of dos and don'ts coming down from above that leave little room for manoeuvre. Anything deemed sensitive, critical or seen as lowering the cultural tone is out. So are nods towards trendy counterparts overseas - such as news readers daring to turn up with spiked or dyed hair, or slipping in English words. Despite the difficulties, as far as Mr Wang is concerned he has died and gone to a star-studded heaven. 'This is an industry that can bring you fame, wealth and social influence,' he said. 'I feel relaxed and happy where I am. It is not easy to enter an industry like this, so once you enter you should not give it up.' Peter Goff is a Beijing-based journalist
