She has changed the rules in China’s television stations.

The improbable becomes the typical when talking about Li Jing’s career.

It’s an amazing rise that began in 1990, when she was put in front of a microphone—despite an utter lack of experience in, or knowledge about, broadcasting—because she was pretty.

She was 22 and had just graduated from Hebei Normal University’s music department before landing a gig on the set of a TV programme in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

At first, she did weather reports and street interviews. Li was so nervous between takes that she’d speak without stopping to take breaths.

"I had no knowledge about broadcasting and had the embarrassing experience of falling asleep during an interview,” she recalls.

But she grew confident after passing several auditions and, in 1993, became the host of the local news programme, Good Morning, Beijing.

She later moved to CCTV to present a variety show.

And last month, she moved into a newly renovated back lot of Star Studio, one of the capital’s biggest TV production bases.

Li arrives at 11am and stays until midnight. She’s there to film a 30-minute daily talk show programme called Fei Chang Jing Ju Li, or very literally ‘Very Jing’s Talk’.

It’s Anhui TV station’s most-watched programme, which Li not only hosts but also produces.

Her rise from supporting player to executive producer reflects her dramatic transformation from a television personality to the boss of the mainland’s first privately owned TV production company, Beijing Fleet Entertainment Co Ltd.

As a trailblazer in mainland TV production, Li manages every aspect of her programmes, including production, advertising and sales.

“In the past, national TV stations only allowed producers who work for the stations to make programmes,” says Li, who changed the rule with Super Interview. “But now they will give the money to my company to produce programmes.”

Super Interview, which is broadcasted every Saturday on Beijing TV station and has about 22 million viewers, is the first of a number of daily productions Li planned 10 years ago. The show has made her China’s first successful independent TV show producer.

But when she started she had no clue on how to sell her product.

She created the first show on a budget of only 40,000 yuan (US$5,856) and promoted it at the Shanghai Television Festival.

But her confidence came from the fresh design, colourful stage setting, powerful music and casual chatting style, which was in stark contrast to traditional talk shows of the time.

Within three months, the programme became one of TV’s highest rated. Viewers were impressed by the talk show’s entertaining and humourous approach to interviewing celebrities. And the host’s eloquence and unique opinions captured their attention.

“Talk show programmes were serious and formal in the past,” Li says.

“We tried to invigorate the atmosphere by inviting fans and making impromptu comical gestures and remarks.”

About 10 million people tune in to her talk show weekly. And the more successful she is, she says, the stronger her commitment to her work becomes.

Li is also committed to producing other primetime TV programmes.

One of the two most popular is You Are Beautiful, which is viewed by 2 million people per day. The fashion programme tells audiences how to spend less money to improve their looks.

Very Jing’s Talk, which has 15 million viewers, was China’s first celebrity-interview talk show airing daily at midnight.

She is also planning two more programs this year.

Women who are too open about their ambitions usually pay a price in Chinese society, but Li has made breakthroughs in this respect.

As the mother of a 5-year-old girl and wife of famous music producer Huang Xiaomao, she is often questioned about her aspirations.

But Li says she has already achieved what she set out to.

“All the recognition I received after the success of Super Interview was beyond my expectations,” she says.

“The backstage work makes me feel real and stable, and what I’m doing now is acting on my other ideas. I am pretty satisfied.” (By Chen Nan in Beijing/ China Daily/ Asia News Network)