Originally trained as a biologist, Wu came to the U.S. in the late 1990s, earned his Master of Science from Brandeis University, and later, received his Master’s in Business Administration from the Ross School of Business, the University of Michigan in 2000.[i] Wu worked at several managerial jobs after following his graduation. It was during these positions where Wu gradually found his passion in artistic creation and filmmaking.[ii] His documentary film, Beijing or Bust [北京], was completed in 2004, which portrays the experience of six American-born-Chinese (ABC) as they migrated from the US to China to search for identity, career, and purpose in life. Beijing or Bust is not only his first film, but also his first reflection on the Chinese cultural after graduating from a U.S. institute.[iii]

His documentary films, which usually portray Chinese or American-born Chinese youths, have received funding support from The Ford Foundation JustFilms, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Institute and international broadcasters.[iv] Wu’s first feature documentary, Beijing or Bust, was shown on PBS.[v] His later film in 2014, The Road to Fame [成名之路], was published in March of 2015, received funding from The Ford Foundation JustFilms and Center for Asian American Media, and was co-produced by BBC, VPRO, CNEX and DR.[vi] The film won the Grand Jury Award and Best Editing Award at the 2014 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.[vii] Wu’s effort also precipitated the first cooperation between the Chinese Central Academy for Drama and the U.S. Broadway.[viii] He also produced Nowhere to Call Home, which The New York Times calls “inspiring dialogue, not dissent, in China.[ix]” His upcoming film, People’s Republic of China, continues to focus on Chinese youths in an inspection of China’s popular online showrooms, where people in their late teens and early twenties can attract millions of fans and become multi-millionaires with live online karaoke.[x]