What do you picture when you hear of a calligraphy creator? Based in Hangzhou, this young artist is also a livestream star and startup founder. From a small Beijing studio to his Hangzhou art space, and now global crossborder business, calligraphy links him to the modern era, bringing fresh vitality and commercial prospects to China's traditional art. Here is his story. 

XIONG WEI Founder, FOYUNN "My name is Xiong Wei. I was born in 1993 in Fujian province. I live and work in Hangzhou now. I wear many hats. 

I am a calligraphy content creator on social media. 

I also work as a teacher, run my own business, and am a postgraduate student at the China Academy of Art."

This science and engineering graduate launched offline calligraphy training in Beijing in 2017, then ran his social media business in Hangzhou starting in 2022. He now boasts more than two million followers across platforms and runs his own art space and studio in Hangzhou. 

XIONG WEI Founder, FOYUNN "This is our art space, named Fuyunli. 

The name means a place where you can reach out and touch the clouds."

Here, together with his team, he runs online livestreams. Their work ranges from teaching and developing calligraphy merchandise to hosting study tours. So far, he has 30,000 students both online and offline. 

XIONG WEI Founder, FOYUNN "In January 2026, we hit a monthly turnover of 3 million yuan. From the end of last year through the first half of this year, our livestream performance has kept improving, with sales per livestream climbing steadily, from 50,000, 100,000 and 150,000 yuan all the way to 400,000 yuan. I expect our upcoming livestreams could reach 500,000 yuan in a single session. Our annual revenue exceeded 10 million yuan in 2023."

Yet reaching for dreams has never been easy. Like many young entrepreneurs, Xiong Wei has also had his own "Odyssey moment". 

XIONG WEI Founder, FOYUNN "April and May 2025 marked the toughest phase of our startup journey. We struggled to pay salaries month after month and had to borrow money everywhere just to make payroll. The worst part was we had no incoming revenue at all. Still, I never once thought about giving up. Looking back, massive pressure and a strong sense of duty pushed me to keep moving forward. As a Chinese writer Yu Hua once put it: when you are already at rock bottom, nothing can be harder than this."

Having pulled through the toughest slump, he has successfully turned calligraphy into a thriving business. With the rise of China chic and wellness driven consumption in recent years, Xiong plans to expand his business from China to global markets. 

XIONG WEI Founder, FOYUNN "Last year, a flood of US users flocked to the RedNote. We quickly put together a fully-English calligraphy video and found it well-received by overseas audiences. We officially launched cross-border e-commerce in September via a standalone website to promote our products and calligraphy art globally. We have developed more than a dozen custom-made brushes from our own supply chain, alongside themed merchandise such as 24-solar-term scented candles."

And speaking of the future, Xiong Wei has laid out an ever-clearer roadmap. 

XIONG WEI Founder, FOYUNN "If everything goes smoothly next year, our revenue could quadruple. Should our cross-border e-commerce take off, we may seek institutional financing to expand our business. For entrepreneurs, passion always matters most. Overthinking gets in the way. It is my passion that helps this art spread and endure."