Former LeVision Pictures CEO Zhang Zhao Dies at 58

Zhang Zhao, former CEO and executive director of LeVision Pictures, one of the largest film production companies in China, died at the age of 58 on Feb. 3.

On the evening of that day, his wife posted an obituary in her WeChat moment to commemorate her beloved partner, revealing that Zhang had passed away due to a critical illness.

Zhang Zhao founded Beijing Enlight Pictures in 2004 and LeVision Pictures in 2011. In the first four years after Enlight Pictures was established, the company produced and distributed more than 20 films, maintaining a 100% growth rate for four consecutive years and building a respected reputation in the industry.

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In 2011, Zhang left Enlight Pictures and founded LeVision Pictures, serving as CEO and Executive Director. He retained his positions when, in 2018, the chairman and CEO of LeTV Pictures issued an internal letter announcing that the company would be officially renamed Lechuang Entertainment.
He then officially announced his resignation the following year, becoming the Vice President of Fosun Group. But within a year, Zhang had left that company, too. At the end of 2020, the 58-year-old chose to start over, founding Jupin Pictures and embarking on a new path.

The entrepreneur was a remarkable and fruitful producer whose works include director Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home, The Great Wall, and Shadow, as well as Guo Jingming’s smash hit drama series Little Times.

Widely seen as the one film and television executive who knew the show business best, he has been named “one of the most influential people in China’s film industry” by many critics.

A roster of celebrities in the business will join the funerals, including director Zhang Yimou and Leshi Group founder Jia Yueting.