At the start of 2025, "Nezha 2" dominated the box office, propelling director Jiaozi onto a remarkable path. Observers questioned: Why Jiaozi? Wang Changtian, Chairman of Enlight Media, provided an answer—twelve years prior, he first met the young man whose company was on the brink of collapse in Chengdu: "We saw his potential and quickly decided to invest."

By March 2026, at the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) Portugal round, the Chinese motorcycle brand "Zhang Xue Motorcycles" achieved a double victory, instantly achieving legendary status. The same question arose again: Why Zhang Xue? Cheng Junhua, General Manager of Zhejiang Venture Capital Group, part of the Zhejiang state-owned assets system, clarified succinctly: "Investing in a project means investing in the person. Judging the actual controller is one of the most critical factors."

Today, the discussion is not about motorcycle technology or a frame-by-frame analysis of "Nezha," but rather a deep examination of an ironclad investment principle through the stories of these two "obsessives": What kind of obsession leads to top-tier success? A deeper question follows: What kind of capital can truly incubate world-class Chinese brands?

Jiaozi's success originated from a "deviation" from a conventional life path. After the national college entrance exam, he was admitted to the West China School of Pharmacy at Sichuan University. In his third year, he encountered MAYA software, which completely altered his trajectory. After graduation, he did not seek a "secure job" but joined an advertising agency. He soon realized this wasn't his true calling. In 2004, the 24-year-old Jiaozi resigned decisively to enter the animation industry, then widely viewed as an "unserious pursuit." Subsequently, following his father's sudden passing, his mother supported him on a meager 1000-yuan monthly pension, allowing Jiaozi to focus entirely on his work at home for over three years, a period some might call "relying on his parents." During these years, his diet consisted largely of instant noodles and simple meals, sustained by "spiritual nourishment" from animation and games. Some criticized his life choices; others advised him to "come to his senses." He stated, "It seems unbelievable to many, but I insist on doing what I love, unaffected by external opinions."

In 2008, using a computer with only 768MB of RAM and borrowing friends' higher-spec devices for manual frame-by-frame rendering, Jiaozi completed his first personal animated short, "See Through." The work subsequently won over 30 domestic and international awards. In the credits, he listed a long roster of names—Disney, Wan Laiming, Akira Toriyama, Ang Lee—thanking them for providing unimaginable encouragement to an unknown creator working in obscurity. Yet, despite the acclaim, capital had not arrived. It's important to recall that before "Monkey King: Hero is Back" truly opened the box office floodgates for domestic animated films in 2015, the industry had long been in a "dormant" state. Jiaozi's life mirrored this stagnation. In 2009, he co-founded the "Jiao Ke Li" animation studio (predecessor to Kekedou Animation) with Liu Wenzhang. In an unfriendly broader environment, they survived by creating commercial animations. Finally, in 2015, Enlight Media, seeing promise in domestic animation after "Monkey King's" success, reached out. Yi Qiao, CEO of Enlight's subsidiary Coloroom Pictures, called Jiaozi, revealing their selection criteria: first, being poor; second, being poor but persevering. This described Jiaozi perfectly. In his own words: "So poor that you couldn't even pretend to have money." Thus, an agreement was swiftly reached. The gears of fate began to turn, initiating another five years of intense, dedicated work, culminating in the "Nezha" series, which surpassed 20 billion yuan at the box office.

During the creation of "Nezha," Jiaozi's near-obsessive perfectionism was seen by others as "inefficient" and "torturous," but in his logic, it was "necessary to show audiences something they haven't seen before." An industry anecdote illustrates this: a special effects artist, frustrated by demands for the leopard-head effect for the character Shen Gongbao, resigned and changed companies. However, the same shot followed him to his new employer. Jiaozi quipped, "I don't know if people can change their destiny, but making Shen Gongbao grow fur was his fate." In retrospect, Enlight Media's decision to invest was not without basis. While others were skeptical of animated films, Enlight had quietly invested in over 20 animation companies since 2012. After burning through 2.5 billion yuan over a decade, they finally found their "Jiaozi" and "Nezha." When Wang Changtian initially predicted 7 billion yuan in票房 for "Nezha 2," outsiders dismissed it as "fantasy." When the prediction came true, people realized this "audacity" was built on a profound philosophy of "investing in people." Wang Changtian stated plainly: "We saw his potential."

When Jiaozi was at his poorest and his company faced collapse, capital intervened not because the project proposal was glamorous, but because they saw a person who was "poor but persevering." Wang Changtian believed this embodied a long-term perspective—persisting in doing what is right but very difficult. Today, Jiaozi is no longer economically "poor," but has immediately plunged into the creation of "Nezha 3." He is still persevering.

Every young person has a motorcycle dream. In the film "A Moment of Romance," the iconic scene where Andy Lau, riding an RG500r with Jacklyn Wu on the back, speeds down the highway, his nosebleed trailing in the wind, became an unforgettable cinematic moment. That year, Zhang Xue was three years old. He too had a dream—to see Chinese-made motorcycles conquer the world. Unlike Jiaozi's introverted persistence, Zhang Xue's personality is more outgoing. Once he identifies an opportunity, he charges ahead relentlessly. His love for motorcycles "surpasses his love for his own life." At 19, he chased after a racing team in the rain, begging for a chance to appear on TV and join a professional team. At 26, with only 20,000 yuan in savings, he ventured to Chongqing, the "Motorcycle Capital," beginning an 11-year cycle of borrowing and repaying debts. At 31, the first model, the 500X, launched by Kayo Motors, which he helped found, sold over 800 units, finally improving his circumstances. At 37, he left the company he built from scratch with nothing, determined to focus on what he truly wanted—developing engines. That same year, Zhang Xue Motorcycles was established. In January 2025, Zhang Xue Motorcycles completed its Series A funding round with a pre-money valuation of 1 billion yuan and a post-money valuation of 1.09 billion yuan, raising 90 million yuan. In March 2026, Zhang Xue Motorcycles won at WSBK Portugal.

This is a twenty-year story of persistence driven by passion. He wrote in his diary: "I love vehicles too much; they bring me joy, and I suffer for them. They engage every nerve; it's as if I was born for motorcycles. When I'm in a bad mood, just riding one lets the wind carry my tears away. On the bike, I can forget all my worries." Passion can sustain one through long years. But without funding, it's all theoretical. Zhang Xue came from a rural background in Hunan Province, with no money, resources, or connections. At 19, he declared to a camera: "If you have a dream, chase it! Because I am brave, my life is more exciting!" So, he became a racer, learned mechanics, worked as a mechanic, and studied engines. In the motorcycle field, he forged himself into a product manager through sheer effort. In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, he admitted that his current success stems from every stage of his life. "The first stage, repairing bikes, I learned the entire structure inside out. The benefit of repairing is I've seen every kind of breakdown, knowing which designs fail easily and which don't. The second stage, as a racer and mechanic, I developed a 'feel' for bikes that engineers lack. The third stage, during four years working in Zhejiang, I learned the entire motorcycle manufacturing process."

These experiences laid a solid foundation for entrepreneurship. But the market is invariably harsh. In February 2025, Zhang Xue Motorcycles, less than a year old, faced being unable to pay salaries. Zhang Xue scrambled, borrowing from friends, peers, suppliers, even his landlord, to scrape together 7 million yuan to cover payroll. Investor Cheng Junhua remarked, "With someone like that, you don't doubt his sense of responsibility." After assessing hard metrics like on-site management, documentation standards, supply chain, and business model, Cheng Junhua conceded that what ultimately convinced him was Zhang Xue's formidable expertise. "He has an obsession with motorcycles. He's repaired them, been a racer; his understanding is incredibly deep. While riding, he can diagnose a problem just by the sound. Using his own knowledge and skills, he can modify a bike to enhance performance—this ability is extremely rare among entrepreneurs." The subsequent story is well-known. In January 2026, Zhejiang Venture Capital Group led the Series A round with 90 million yuan. Two months later, Zhang Xue Motorcycles stood atop the world podium. Zhang Xue said with a smile, "We just kept doing this one thing, kept doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it, for a very, very, very, very long time. Then it produced a result, and a successful one at that. At that moment, our hearts were undoubtedly surging, incredibly excited."

Faced with the "difficult moment" of Zhang Xue starting over from scratch after leaving Kayo, capital still assigned a valuation of 1 billion yuan. Perhaps, for investors, the most compelling aspect of Zhang Xue is that when he says, "I am not afraid of failure; I charge ahead regardless," capital smells not risk, but possibility—the potential to break foreign technological monopolies and elevate Chinese manufacturing to the world stage. This "audacity" of capital ultimately transforms into a positive, enabling ecosystem. Just as Enlight aims to build a "Chinese Myth Universe," and Zhang Xue Motorcycles strives to become a global top-ten brand, capital uses long-term funding and patience to match the long-term goals of creators. This "audacity" turned the 20-billion-yuan票房 of "Nezha" and Zhang Xue's championship victory from chance occurrences into near inevitabilities.

Recently, Zhang Xue's story has stirred emotions. People repeatedly ask: How did the young man from a Hunan village reach the world's summit? Meanwhile, in investment circles, backers are actively seeking introductions to this entrepreneur. In my view, the reason Zhang Xue Motorcycles' victory resonates so powerfully is precisely because—this path to success is exceedingly rare. Recently, I met a post-00s entrepreneur at a tech hub, a recent university graduate focused on AI comic series. He adopted the stage name "Wonton" as a tribute to Director Jiaozi. Hearing him discuss his project, I glimpsed a familiar look in his eyes—stubborn, burning, unconcerned with consequences.

In April last year, at the Beijing International Film Festival, director Jiang Wen shared his thoughts. He said: "I think of director Jiaozi... He accomplished something remarkable. This isn't the peak; it's just the beginning. You don't serve just one jiaozi; you serve a whole plate. So you need to bring them out plate by plate; there will be many more. This is definitely a starting point." One "jiaozi" has surfaced. But beneath the water, millions more are struggling upwards. The "Hangzhou Six Little Dragons" are among them; Zhang Xue is one. Perhaps one day, the young man called "Wonton" will be too. They are a group of entrepreneurial "obsessives." And standing behind them is Chinese capital, playing a pivotal role.