Li Yong
Encyclopedia
Li Yong is a leading host
on China Central Television
(CCTV). He is known for his unorthodox presentation skills and outfits.
Li's family originate from Shandong
, but he grew up in Xinjiang
, the west part of China, where he was interested in painting as a child. He excelled in the National College Entrance Examination
and planned to become an actor. From 1987 he studied radio at the then Beijing Broadcasting Institute, where he began dating Ha Wen. The two subsequently married; Ha has both produced Li's programmes for CCTV and been his publicist. Li is a member of the Communist Party of China
. After graduating, he joined CCTV's in 1991 as a choreographer. While he has also worked in news, he has made his name in light entertainment. He now lives in central Beijing and the couple have a daughter born in 2002.
Since 2001, he has been one the six main hosts of the CCTV New Year's Gala
, which has a regular audience estimated at over one billion people. He is often used in on-screen and printed promotional material as the public face of CCTV.
Li was launched to fame by Lucky 52
(幸运52), a CCTV-2
gameshow with audience figures around 50 million. Based on a British gameshow format (possibly Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
). The show aired on Saturdays at 6:55pm. The last air was 25 October 2008 and its repeats, as Li has announced/CCTV has announced that Lucky 52 will go off air.
He then added Super 6+1, another gameshow broadcast on CCTV-2
on weekend evenings after Xinwen Lianbo
. A spin-off talent competition named Chinese Dream was aired during the October 2005 National Holiday
, as CCTV attempted to respond to the success of rival Hunan TV's Super Girl
. Despite the support of SARFT, which was alleged to have clamped down on rival programmes, the programme was considered a relatively failure and was folded back into Super 6+1.
The World Brand Laboratory has recognized Li as the top TV host in China since their ranking began in 2004. His worth to CCTV is currently estimated at ¥
500 million (at 2007 rates, £33m or US$66m). The 2005 ranking described him as unconventional, "humorous and intelligent".
He is known for his flamboyant image and his looks, which have been described as unconventional and even ugly. His on-screen dress is often formal men's attire with such modifications as sequins and brightly-coloured linings. His hair is longer than is conventional for Chinese men of his age and status. The 2005 ranking noted his tendency to laugh in front of the camera, at his own jokes.
This Li Yong should not be confused with numerous other Li Yongs, notably the current Vice-Minister of Finance.
, on the grounds that it breached SARFT guidelines. Ha denied that Li had endorsed the product, while admitting that he had attended a corporate publicity event for the produce.
In November 2006, Li ran into further controversy at a television awards ceremony. His comments on the possible sex of the baby Jiang Qingqing was carrying were not appreciated.
Shortly afterwards, Chinese media reported that Song Tiechan, a forty-nine year old man from Wuhan
, had completed surgery to make him resemble Li.
On 12 January 2007, Li implied Shaanxi citizens were "lazy" on Lucky 52, prompting criticism on China's influential bulletin boards. He subsequently apologized on his blog. In the 2007 CCTV New Year's Gala
, Li and other hosts made a series of mistakes just before midnight, giving rise to the infamous "Black Three Minutes".
The mounting pressure led to rumours in September 2007 that Li had resigned from CCTV. They were denied by Lucky 52. He did resign a year later, and the show has gone off air since 25 October 2008, leaving millions of Chinese fans of Lucky 52 behind.
The timing of these controversies may mark a downturn in Li's fortunes. However, they may simply reflect the increased availability in English of stories about a figure who has always been controversial.
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
on China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
(CCTV). He is known for his unorthodox presentation skills and outfits.
Li's family originate from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, but he grew up in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, the west part of China, where he was interested in painting as a child. He excelled in the National College Entrance Examination
National College Entrance Examination
The National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or commonly known as Gao Kao, is an academic examination held annually in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. This examination is a prerequisite for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level...
and planned to become an actor. From 1987 he studied radio at the then Beijing Broadcasting Institute, where he began dating Ha Wen. The two subsequently married; Ha has both produced Li's programmes for CCTV and been his publicist. Li is a member of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
. After graduating, he joined CCTV's in 1991 as a choreographer. While he has also worked in news, he has made his name in light entertainment. He now lives in central Beijing and the couple have a daughter born in 2002.
Since 2001, he has been one the six main hosts of the CCTV New Year's Gala
CCTV New Year's Gala
The CCTV New Year's Gala is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Central Television. Broadcast on the eve of Chinese New Year on its flagship CCTV-1, satellite channels CCTV-4, CCTV-9, CCTV-E, CCTV-F, and CCTV-HD, the broadcast has a yearly viewership of over 700 million viewers, making it...
, which has a regular audience estimated at over one billion people. He is often used in on-screen and printed promotional material as the public face of CCTV.
Li was launched to fame by Lucky 52
Lucky 52
Lucky 52 is a variety show of CCTV-2, hosted by Li Yong. It was premiered in November 1998 and used the format of GoBingo. Due to the reformation of the channel, the last episode of the show aired on October 25, 2008....
(幸运52), a CCTV-2
CCTV-2
CCTV-2 is the finance focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.The primary concerns of this channel include:* Energy conservation* Stock exchange...
gameshow with audience figures around 50 million. Based on a British gameshow format (possibly Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
). The show aired on Saturdays at 6:55pm. The last air was 25 October 2008 and its repeats, as Li has announced/CCTV has announced that Lucky 52 will go off air.
He then added Super 6+1, another gameshow broadcast on CCTV-2
CCTV-2
CCTV-2 is the finance focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.The primary concerns of this channel include:* Energy conservation* Stock exchange...
on weekend evenings after Xinwen Lianbo
Xinwen Lianbo
Xinwen Lianbo is a daily news programme produced by China Central Television . It is shown simultaneously by most terrestrial television channels in mainland China, making it one of the world's most watched television programmes...
. A spin-off talent competition named Chinese Dream was aired during the October 2005 National Holiday
National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...
, as CCTV attempted to respond to the success of rival Hunan TV's Super Girl
Super Girl
Super Girl or Super Voice Girls was an annual national singing contest in People's Republic of China for female contestants, organized by Hunan Satellite Television between 2004 and 2006...
. Despite the support of SARFT, which was alleged to have clamped down on rival programmes, the programme was considered a relatively failure and was folded back into Super 6+1.
The World Brand Laboratory has recognized Li as the top TV host in China since their ranking began in 2004. His worth to CCTV is currently estimated at ¥
¥
¥ is a currency sign used by the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan currencies. The symbol resembles a Latin letter Y with a double stroke. The base unit of both currencies shared the same Chinese character pronounced yuán in Mandarin Chinese and en in Standard Japanese...
500 million (at 2007 rates, £33m or US$66m). The 2005 ranking described him as unconventional, "humorous and intelligent".
He is known for his flamboyant image and his looks, which have been described as unconventional and even ugly. His on-screen dress is often formal men's attire with such modifications as sequins and brightly-coloured linings. His hair is longer than is conventional for Chinese men of his age and status. The 2005 ranking noted his tendency to laugh in front of the camera, at his own jokes.
This Li Yong should not be confused with numerous other Li Yongs, notably the current Vice-Minister of Finance.
Controversies since 2006
In September 2006, Li appeared in an advertising campaign for Sunyard product of the Zhejiang Shiyou Timber Co. Ltd. The CCTV editorial committee omitted him from their "top ten" list for 2006, perhaps suggesting diminishing support within the organization's management. The original incident later prompted an investigation by CCTV's disciplinary inspection departmentDiscipline Inspection Commission of the Communist Party of China
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China is the quasi-government body within the People's Republic of China charged with rooting out corruption and malfeasance among Communist Party of China cadres...
, on the grounds that it breached SARFT guidelines. Ha denied that Li had endorsed the product, while admitting that he had attended a corporate publicity event for the produce.
In November 2006, Li ran into further controversy at a television awards ceremony. His comments on the possible sex of the baby Jiang Qingqing was carrying were not appreciated.
Shortly afterwards, Chinese media reported that Song Tiechan, a forty-nine year old man from Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, had completed surgery to make him resemble Li.
On 12 January 2007, Li implied Shaanxi citizens were "lazy" on Lucky 52, prompting criticism on China's influential bulletin boards. He subsequently apologized on his blog. In the 2007 CCTV New Year's Gala
CCTV New Year's Gala
The CCTV New Year's Gala is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Central Television. Broadcast on the eve of Chinese New Year on its flagship CCTV-1, satellite channels CCTV-4, CCTV-9, CCTV-E, CCTV-F, and CCTV-HD, the broadcast has a yearly viewership of over 700 million viewers, making it...
, Li and other hosts made a series of mistakes just before midnight, giving rise to the infamous "Black Three Minutes".
The mounting pressure led to rumours in September 2007 that Li had resigned from CCTV. They were denied by Lucky 52. He did resign a year later, and the show has gone off air since 25 October 2008, leaving millions of Chinese fans of Lucky 52 behind.
The timing of these controversies may mark a downturn in Li's fortunes. However, they may simply reflect the increased availability in English of stories about a figure who has always been controversial.