A Chinese tycoon spent US$100 million on a Star Trek HQ: NetDragon Websoft’s sci-fi-obsessed Liu Dejian replicated the Starship Enterprise for his offices – and just appointed an AI CEO

Sep 8 , 2022

Netdragon Websoft’s Star Trek-inspired headquarters is quite literally like something out of a movie – they even paid CBS for the rights. Photo: NetDragon

The founder of NetDragon Websoft, a gaming and mobile internet company, bought the rights from CBS to build its Fuzhou HQ in the image of the Starship Enterprise

The enormous building’s interior even has sliding doors like those in the Star Trek films, and also boasts a swimming pool, tennis courts and a horseback riding area

Even the most diehard Star Trek fan buying expensive memorabilia at auction could never hope to match the mania of this sci-fi-obsessed Chinese tycoon. Mega fan and wealthy tech entrepreneur Liu Dejian is a tough one to beat. He has spent close to US$100 million to make his company headquarters look exactly like the Star Trek spaceship. Liu’s net worth is estimated at US$660 million, according to the annual Hurun report on China’s wealthiest individuals.

Beam me up, Scotty: NetDragon’s HQ’s Star Trek inspiration is made clear from the air. Photo: NetDragon

The executive director of NetDragon Websoft, one of China’s most popular mobile internet providers, bought the rights from CBS to build a home and an office block in the Chinese city of Fuzhou based on the American science fiction entertainment franchise.

Let’s take a closer look at this incredible tribute – the only licensed Star Trek building in the world.

A US$97 million mega office for employees

The six-floor building is heavily inspired by the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, which appeared in three Star Trek films in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Dubbed “The Enterprise”, the US$97 million tower emulates the emblematic circular contours and tubular features of the show’s spaceship, according to images on the website of the People’s Daily newspaper.

NetDragon employees don’t just get to enjoy novel perks like tennis courts and swimming pools, but sliding doors à la the Starship Enterprise. Photo: Arch20

Construction on the 260-metre-long (853-foot-long) building commenced in October 2010 and was completed in 2014. From the base, the building actually looks quite ordinary. However, the grandeur of the structure can be witnessed from drone footage – or from the comfort of your home on Google Earth.

Located in the eastern province of Fujian in China, NetDragon’s Star Trek-inspired headquarters also has a sea view. Photo: NetDragon

The Enterprise comprises not only an impressive starship shape, but comes with amenities including a football field and four tennis courts situated on a circular plot of land surrounded by water. Proving that he really is a hardcore Trekkie, Liu has even installed automatic sliding gates to divide the workspaces inside the building. In addition, massive 9-metre (30-foot) metal slides help employees travel from the third floor to the ground floor in a flash, much like in the films.

The NetDragon campus also has a train. Photo: NetDragon

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x