Wanda chief gives 'small step' advice

Advice from China's wealthiest man, Dalian Wanda Group's Wang Jianlin: Start out small.

Then ask him what "small" means. You might want to sit down first.

"You shouldn't be that ambitious," Wang said. "Set a small target first, like earning 100 million yuan."

The "small target of 100 million yuan" ($15 million) has become a hot internet topic after China's richest man, Wang Jianlin, founder and chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, said $15 million was a small target during a show on celebrities' daily lifestyles.

His statement went viral on social media sites such as Sina Weibo, with the post garnering 2.4 million hits.

Some users jokingly commented: "Now I understand, Wang's wealth of 170 billion yuan is actually made up by 1,700 small targets."

Other said: "Thinking of his wealth, this is indeed a small target."

Some even rephrased the famous line from Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon: "That's one small step for Wang, but a giant leap for mankind."

Wang made the statement during an interview on the show about how young people who want to become wealthy should plan ahead. The show also displayed Wang's collection of famous drawings in his office and what he likes to eat for lunch in the Wanda Group dining hall.

This is not the first time that Wang's comments have gone viral. His remarks in May on rival entertainment giant Walt Disney also sparked heated discussion online when he expressed confidence that Disney wouldn't be profitable in China for 10 to 20 years, and that Wanda planned to overtake Disney to become the largest tourism company in the world by 2020.

Wang has been shifting Wanda's focus toward the entertainment industry in recent years from its roots in real estate. Wanda signed an agreement to invest $9.45 billion to build a tourism and sports complex in eastern China on Aug 26, its latest effort for this plan.

jindan@chinadaily.com.cn