by Xinhua writers Zhang Yunlong, Xun Wei, and Zhao Jiantong
BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) — A Chinese bike startup’s shock double victory on the Superbike World Championship has triggered an unlikely cultural second: widespread requires its founder’s inconceivable rise to drive the subsequent installment of certainly one of China’s highest-grossing racing movie franchises.
ZXMOTO, a Chongqing producer based simply two years in the past, claimed back-to-back wins within the WorldSSP class at Portugal’s Portimao circuit on the finish of March, ending what analysts describe as decades-long dominance of top-tier bike racing by European and Japanese manufacturers.
The victory despatched Chinese social media into overdrive — and never solely about bikes. Within days, movie business observers and plenty of web customers had been debating whether or not founder Zhang Xue’s life story ought to turn into the idea for “Pegasus 4,” the subsequent movie in director Han Han’s racing-comedy sequence. The franchise’s third installment has turn into the world’s highest-grossing movie to this point in 2026, with over 630 million U.S. {dollars} on the world field workplace.
“Zhang Xue’s true experience fits exactly what today’s audiences are looking for — a new kind of story,” Song Fangjin, vice-president of the China Film Literature Society, advised Xinhua, including that he had personally reached out to Han Han to suggest the venture.
Zhang’s path seems tailored for cinema. He left college at 14 to turn into a motorbike restore apprentice, later labored as a stunt rider and mechanic, and finally moved into manufacturing. In 2024, after parting methods with a earlier three way partnership, he based his personal model with borrowed cash. Within two years, his firm developed a mannequin able to defeating established world opponents, with the engine and significant elements all produced domestically.
“When we first arrived in this arena, we were looked down upon,” Zhang mentioned. “But when we stood on the top of the podium, they had to look at us again.”
The achievement has drawn sturdy consideration past China. Portuguese bike skilled Rui Belmonte, talking to Xinhua, known as ZXMOTO’s double win a “turning point” for Chinese manufacturers in high-performance racing, including that the consequence had stunned many within the paddock. “We had never seen a Chinese manufacturer so dominant over a full race weekend,” he mentioned.
Han Han confirmed throughout February roadshow appearances for “Pegasus 3” {that a} fourth movie was deliberate, however has not publicly addressed calls to include Zhang’s biography into it.
Zhang himself mentioned he’s open to movie adaptation rights, however insisted on a top-tier manufacturing staff with a powerful portfolio. In return, he provided what he known as “top-level resources” — entry to actual race footage and the usage of precise victory podiums for filming.
Actor Yin Zheng, who featured within the “Pegasus” sequence and is a licensed motorsport competitor, celebrated ZXMOTO’s win on Weibo. “That rural boy who once rode a worn-out motorcycle, falling and stalling but never giving up — he finally put his own bike on top of a world championship podium,” Yin wrote.
When Zhang provided to ship him a complimentary bike in thanks, Yin declined. “I can’t take something for nothing from someone who has given everything to Chinese motorcycling,” he replied.
The business influence has been equally swift. Orders for ZXMOTO bikes have doubled inside days of the Portugal victory, Zhang mentioned. The firm employs simply over 200 engineers, and Zhang identifies analysis capability as the first constraint on additional progress.
Observers observe that adapting Zhang’s story into a longtime franchise carries its personal complexity. Integrating a brand new protagonist into the “Pegasus” universe — which has constructed its id round actor Shen Teng’s character — would require vital artistic recalibration.
But Song, a famend screenwriter, argued the franchise might itself be due for renewal. “The first three films have told the story of their protagonist pretty completely,” he mentioned. “There should be a new hero.”
Still, whether or not Zhang’s story makes it onto the display or not, its cultural influence might already be substantial. For many Chinese viewers, the main points matter lower than the sensation — what individuals take from this, analysts say, is the that means and worth of particular person effort, and a renewed confidence in what Chinese manufacturing can obtain.