This site uses cookies to help provide a better user experience. By using this site or by dismissing this banner you are consenting to their use. You can find out more on the privacy and cookies page.
Opus Media Group, Time Publishing and Media Company, China and basketball legend Yao Ming, today signed a joint agreement to create and publish The Official Yao Ming Opus.
Opus and Time were delighted to welcome Yao Ming at the signing ceremony. The legendary basketball superstar signed the official number one signature page that will be inserted into the very first copy of his Opus which to be auctioned in 2013 with all proceeds going to the Yao Ming Foundation. Yao then spoke passionately about the project and his personal love of photography;
‘‘I spent many hours looking through my Manchester United Opus and what I found fascinating was the way in which photography presented in this way illustrated the history so well. I am so very humbled that Opus and Time are looking to share my own special moments and thoughts in a similar unique manner”.
Yao, who was born in Shanghai, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), winning a championship in his final year. He was also a gold medal winner with Team China at the 2001, 2003, 2005 FIBA Asian Championships. Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. He reached the NBA Playoffs four times, and the Rockets won a first-round series in the 2009 postseason, their first playoff series victory since 1997.
His story is that of a true sporting superstar that has transcended his sport in both China and the USA and beyond…a global sporting icon.
The Official Yao Ming Opus is the first being created with Opus’ Chinese partner, Time Publishing, a joint venture that signals the first of many Opus projects that the companies hope to produce in future years. The Opus will also be the first ever published and released in both English and Mandarin in the same volume. The Opus will be aimed at both Chinese and international audiences – a true reflection of the appeal of this iconic star and a tribute to a man that has created a unique sporting bridge between cultures in the East and West.
The Official Yao Ming Opus will be published in a number of editions and at price points that will make this unique work available to the widest possible audience. Information about specific editions, prices and a range of Opus derivatives will be announced later in 2012.
Opus Media Group Chief executive, Karl Fowler, commented, “Today is a landmark moment for our brand. Today we are very proud to sign with Yao Ming the most loved Basketball star in China. Our exciting collaboration with Time Publishing will also see Opus entering the market in China with our very first dual language, English and Chinese edition. It is a real honour to be given the opportunity by Yao to create and tell his personal story in true Opus style and we could not have wished for a more esteemed icon to lead the way for Opus in China.
Mr Haiming Tian, Time Publishing and Media Company, said, “The Official Yao Ming Opus” is the first cooperation between Time and Opus. It’s uplifting. Promoting the international joint [partnership] and bringing up Chinese culture going global in terms of strengthening the market direction of cultural industry. Yao Ming is the national icon and the symbol of the spirit for Chinese youth. He has showcased the big influence of the contemporary China and brought China much closer to the world. It is our responsibility and honor to publish Yao’s life and career in a unique premium book to the whole world.”
