ENG

  • Haijun ZHANG

    Equity Partner / Beijing

  • Tel +86-10-5796-5002

    Email zhanghaijun@zhonglun.com

  • Practices

    Litigation & Arbitration, Construction & Project Development, Debt Restructuring & Non-performing Assets

  • Industries

    Media, Sports & Entertainment

CV

Haijun ZHANG

Mr. Zhang is a veteran dispute resolution lawyer with over 15 years of experience. His practice spans entertainment law, construction and project development, debt restructuring, and non-performing assets. Tapping into deep roots in the entertainment industry, Mr. Zhang has participated in film and TV projects through both legal and investor roles. His credentials encompass entire lifecycle of film projects, from project approval, production, marketing and distribution, to box office revenue allocation. He has also participated as a co-writer in television script development. With a unique combination of industry experience and legal insight, Mr. Zhang goes beyond traditional legal services, positioning himself as a strategic partner and co-creator of value for his clients.

To date, Mr. Zhang has advised over 50 prominent domestic and international clients on both contentious and noncontentious matters across film, music, culture, and sports sectors, covering areas such as film financing, production and distribution, talent management, live performances (including musicals and concerts), contract negotiations, conclusion, and termination for celebrities/online streamers, crisis response, IP disputes, and sports games. He counsels his clientele on both a retainer basis and a project basis.

Mr. Zhang has substantial experience in cross-border and Hong Kong-related entertainment law matters. His clientele includes a top-tier Chinese-speaking superstar, the renowned Hong Kong director Mr. Yau, dozens of production companies including Universe Entertainment and Culture Group Company Ltd. (1046.HK), Sun Entertainment Ltd., Sil-Metropole Organization Ltd., Focus Films Ltd., as well as several European and American entertainment companies. His experience in China's mainland is also substantial, with a diverse client base ranging from many well-known artists, singers, actors, and directors, to leading talent agencies and film production companies.

Furthermore, Mr. Zhang has provided retainer-based legal services to national ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) (Service Center), and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), gaining extensive experience as legal advisor to government bodies.

Representative Matters

Entertainment Law

Representative Clients

  • Hong Kong artist Mr. Lau

  • Hong Kong director Mr. Yau

  • New Peking Opera artist Ms. Chu (deceased)

  • Hong Kong screenwriter Erica Li

  • Hong Kong screenwriter Eric Lee Sing

  • Universe Entertainment and Culture Group Company Ltd.

  • Sun Entertainment Cultural Co., Ltd.

  • Sil-Metropole Organization Ltd

  • Infinitus Entertainment Limited

  • Topman Global Limited

  • Beijing Meng Zao Zhe Co., Ltd.

  • Focus Films Limited

  • Focus Music Limited

  • Trinity Cine Asia

  • Guangzhou Jiesi Brand Consulting Management Co., Ltd.

  • Jessence Fashion Limited

  • Uthink Chinese Culture Limited

  • A prominent Hong Kong-based television and broadcasting conglomerate

  • China Film Co., Ltd

  • Beijing Herui Film Culture Co., Ltd

  • Guangdong Shengge Media Co., Ltd.

  • Yiming Culture (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

  • Meisheng Space Film and Television Cultural Media Co., Ltd.

  • Shengdeng Entertainment Co., Ltd.

  • Shengshi Sports Club Co., Ltd.

  • Chinese heavyweight boxing champion Mr. Junlong Zhang

 

Entertainment, Film & Television, Live Performances, and Endorsements

  • Provided legal services to the UK-based distributor Trinity Cine Asia in acquiring theatrical distribution rights for the blockbuster Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 across 37 countries and regions in Europe

  • Provided comprehensive right protection services for a widely beloved Chinese singer's world tour, covering issues related to the concert name, trademarks, audio-visual copyrights, image rights, and name rights, with services encompassing trademark strategy, registration, negotiations, platform complaints, communications with regulatory authorities, negotiations with infringers, and civil litigation, during which prominent achievements included causing the takedown of offline infringing content in another city within one day and securing a formal apology from the infringer

  • Advised a short-form drama production company on its U.S. market expansion, including equity structuring and full-cycle commercial contract review

  • Advised a Hong Kong company on the acquisition and introduction of an overseas music festival franchise and related investment transactions for festival organization

  • Advised Universe Entertainment and Culture Group Company Ltd. on public relations consultation and other matters in the mainland of China

  • Advised the Chinese heavyweight boxing champion Mr. Zhang on his brand agent agreement and an advisory services and representation agreement with a U.S. agency, with services covering promotion and sponsorship agreements, boxing match arrangements, and competitions

  • Represented a Hong Kong client in handling the framework agreement for the production and performance of a classic musical which was performed across Macau, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Singapore, with negotiation services including production, revenue sharing, travel expenses, administrative permits for cultural and public security, and fire control, stage equipment clearance, insurance, venue facilities, ticketing, publicity, security, merchandise, copyright, shared investment, sponsorship, signature, dispute resolution, etc.

  • Representing a client from Hong Kong in handling its dispute with a Chinese mainland client regarding a TV drama's commissioned production, supervision, and operation management contract, including drafting and negotiating the contract

  • Represented a well-known Hong Kong artist in handling his endorsement for an internationally renowned shampoo brand

  • Represented a company based in Shenzhen in its acquisition of a performance trademark, including designing the transactions leading to and arising from the acquisition and completing the trademark acquisition to eliminate intellectual property risks for the performance

  • Assisted a Hong Kong music company in handling its digital music distribution agency agreement with a Chinese mainland institution

 

Artist and Influencer Agency Contract Disputes

  • Advised the UK-headquartered global management company of a leading Greater Bay Area influencer in negotiations with a major platform on a global exclusive representation sub-agency cooperation, and secured successful execution of the agreement within one month

  • Advised a well-known professional athlete and the athlete's overseas management company on reaching a new cross-border cooperation agreement with a Chinese agency within one month

  • Represented a Chinese artist in the termination of an exclusive representation agreement with an overseas agency, securing a smooth resolution within one month and assisting the artist in safely returning to China

  • Represented a young actor in a dispute with a management agency concerning contract termination, securing a settlement and release within one month

  • Represented a Chinese mainland artist surnamed Xiong in resolving disputes arising from his exclusive strategic cooperation agreement and supplementary. agreement with an MCN institution, achieved termination of the agreement and obtained compensation beyond expectations

  • Represented the Chinese mainland artist surnamed Song in handling his artist new media operation cooperation agreement with an MCN institution

  • Represented the Chinese mainland artist surnamed Xu in handling the termination of his artist management contract with his agency

  • Represented a well-known artist in an arbitration case for terminating his contract with his agency

  • Represented several agencies in disputes with their artists regarding the termination of their contracts

  • Providing ongoing legal services to multiple management companies based in China's mainland

 

Public Relations for Artists and Talent Agencies

  • Represented a well-known artist, in assisting with handling the alleged "advertising slogan plagiarism" public relations crisis for this artist's endorsement of an internationally renowned brand

  • Represented a well-known Hong Kong artist, in over a dozen Chinese mainland courts for portrait rights and reputation rights disputes, securing full victories across all proceedings

  • Handled portrait and reputation rights protection for well-known entertainment artists in the Chinese mainland

  • Assisted the production company in handling the public relations crisis of its film roadshow at Peking University

  • Handled public statement consultation for a Hong Kong entertainment company's artists

 

IP & Entertainment Industry

  • Represented the defendants, including a well-known Hong Kong actor, a prominent Hong Kong director, and famous Hong Kong screenwriters, as well as an entertainment company, in a high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit concerning a well-known Hong Kong film, and successfully secured a full dismissal of all claims, including damages of up to CNY 100 million, made by the plaintiff

  • Represented a Hong Kong-based company in connection with a film copyright transfer agreement with a Chinese mainland production company

  • Provided legal services to a Chinese mainland IP operation company in connection with the introduction of a globally popular live-action animation franchise into the domestic market

  • Represented a Hong Kong-based company in handling transaction documents related to the introduction of copyrights for hundreds of classical Chinese books to a prestigious overseas academic institution

  • Represented a Beijing-based cultural media company in a dispute between an artist (surnamed Chen) and a Zhejiang-based cultural tourism company

  • Handled a copyright issue between a Chinese mainland company and an investment institution regarding the film "Crazy Stone"

  • Conducted a copyright compliance review for a script over which the Beijing Film Industry Co., Ltd. planned to cooperate with a party in shooting

 

Investment, Production, and Screenwriting

  • Acted as an investor in the film "Little Love" (2019), which was released in the Chinese mainland, and participated in the entire process from planning, project approval, and filming to the promotion, box office revenue sharing, etc., taking on roles far beyond legal advisor

  • Acted as a joint screenwriter for legal dramas in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, where he participated in the entire scriptwriting and project planning process, including designing the legal scenarios for the main characters who were legal professionals in those shows and assisting the cast and crew in experiencing real-life courtrooms and law firms in the Chinese mainland

 

Film and Television Production

  • Act as retainer-based legal advisor for a cultural company (in Beijing) and provided end-to-end legal services for a mainstream film the client invested in, including project initiation, filming, production, promotion, distribution, and screening

  • Act as retainer-based legal advisor for Beijing Meisheng Space Film and Television Cultural Media Co., Ltd. and invested in and provided end-to-end legal services for the film "Little Love"

 

Dispute Resolution

  • Acted as legal representative for the Ministry of Natural Resources in court proceedings

  • Represented the Ministry of Emergency Management in litigation cases

  • Represented a Chinese mainland celebrity in a high-profile divorce and property division case and successfully reached a settlement through multiple rounds of complex negotiations, minimizing economic loss and reputational damage for the client, thus garnering high praises from the client

  • Represented a Hong Kong-based investment company in a bankruptcy creditor confirmation dispute before Wuhan Intermediate People's Court and successfully overturned the first instance ruling on appeal, resulting in the court's revocation of the first instance judgment favorable to the opposing party and a reversal of the outcome, which ultimately led to securing the key victory for the client in a bankruptcy claim totaling CNY 1.2 billion with a final judgment

  • Represented a Beijing-based real estate company in a share transfer contract dispute case at the Beijing Arbitration Commission, with the disputed amount of approximately CNY 120 million (over CNY 3 billion in economic interests), which involved two arbitrations and ultimately resulted in an arbitration award of complete transfer of shares

  • Represented a Hong Kong-based Chinese mainland investment company in an investment debt enforcement case at the Guangdong Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court, with the enforcement amount of approximately CNY 500 million, by auctioning pledged listed company shares, assisting the client in recovering investments to the greatest extent possible

  • Represented a leading real estate enterprise in Handan, Hebei against a construction central enterprise in a construction general contract agreement dispute before the Handan Intermediate People's Court and the Hebei High People's Court, with a disputed amount of approximately CNY 300 million, where all parties submitted evidence totaling over 2,000 pages, and, led by Mr. Zhang, the legal team leveraged its experience in engineering and dispute resolution over a three-year period, securing a ruling that dismissed 55% of the opposing party's claims and prompted the latter's partial withdrawal of claims, which was upheld by the final judgement

  • Represented a venture capital company from Tibet and appeared before the Supreme People's Court regarding the objection to an execution distribution plan, involving approximately CNY 500 million, and ultimately secured a favorable outcome

  • Represented a client in a dispute over a maximum mortgage claim against a bank and its branch before Nanhu People's Court, Zhejiang Province, and facilitated a satisfactory settlement, efficiently releasing significant assets and unlocking CNY 330 million in value

  • Represented a Beijing-based investment company in response to an arbitration case against Ningbo Investment Partnership Enterprise (LP) regarding disputes arising from a capital increase agreement and a repurchase agreement, with the subject matter amounting to approximately CNY 300 million, where faced with mounting adverse evidence, the legal team adopted an alternative approach from a commercial perspective and went through multiple rounds of negotiations outside the arbitration procedure, ultimately, compelling the opposing party to settle, achieving a most favorable outcome for the client

  • Represented a leading real estate enterprise from Langfang, Hebei, in a litigation case before Langfang Intermediate People's Court regarding a dispute over cooperative development, with the subject matter amounting to approximately CNY 300 million, and successfully facilitated a settlement and mediation of the case, achieving a satisfactory result for the client

  • Represented a well-known commercial real estate enterprise in a construction contract dispute against a curtain wall contractor with a military industry background, where the contractor filed a claim of CNY 150 million, covering complex cost components such as labor, temporary works, transportation, material price increases, and various change orders and supplemental claims supported by thousands of pages of evidence, resulting a highly complex lawsuit requiring extensive expertise in law, construction, and cost valuation, and after proceedings including cost appraisal and spanning over 18 months, the court issued a first instance judgment ordering the client to pay only CNY 26 million, a reduction by over 80% of the opposing party's claim, after which the client also prevailed on counterclaims and was awarded compensation for construction quality guarantees

  • Represented a client in a shareholder liability dispute concerning creditor protection claims and obtained a favorable judgment, mitigating potential exposure of CNY 50 million

  • Represented a well-known Beijing-based private equity fund in an equity investment project involving a healthcare company. Successfully initiated arbitration proceedings in Shanghai, resulting in a full exit and recovery of the repurchase payment—approximately CNY 40 million—within four months, an outcome significantly exceeded the client's expectations

  • Represented a unicorn enterprise in the parking management industry in initiating an investment agreement case before the Beijing Headquarters of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), with the subject matter amounting to approximately CNY 11 million, and ultimately succeeded in recovering CNY 10 million for the client, despite difficulties in obtaining evidence

  • As the legal representative of an investor from Shanxi Province, Mr. Zhang defended a client in a guaranteed contract dispute case at a court in Beijing with a disputed amount of approximately CNY 29.5 million. In this case, the opposing party believed they would win easily, as the debtor had lost credibility, and the client, as a high net-worth individual, faced extremely high guarantee risks. Mr. Zhang carefully reviewed the evidence chain. Mr. Zhang found a breakthrough in the critical guaranteed contract from the perspective of evidence completeness, successfully forcing the opposing party to withdraw their lawsuit and recover CNY 29.5 million for the client

  • Represented a client in a high-end villa contract termination dispute in Beijing, obtaining a final judgment from Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People's Court that upheld the contract termination and confirmed the client's claim for over CNY 60 million in refund and accrued interest, safeguarding the client's critical assets amid real estate market downturns

  • As the legal representative of a buyer of a villa in Beijing, Mr. Zhang filed a lawsuit at a court in Beijing in a dispute over a house purchase contract, with the disputed amount of approximately CNY 50 million. He successfully assisted the client in winning the case and obtaining the ownership and occupation of the villa through the court's enforcement procedure

  • Represented a client in a dispute with a developer concerning obstruction of property rights in a high-end residential project, successfully defending the client's rights against property quality issues

  • Represented a well-known Shenzhen-based internet company (Nasdaq-listed) in arbitration proceedings in Shenzhen in a construction contract dispute brought by a geotechnical engineering company concerning foundation pit support and piling works involving claims of approximately CNY 55 million and successfully secured a reduction of over CNY 15 million in the client's liability

  • Represented a subsidiary of a leading internet company (listed on Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) in an arbitration case against an A-share listed company, with claims of approximately CNY 80 million and promptly secured a full preservation of the opposing party's bank deposits to efficiently facilitate a full settlement and compel the opposing party to make payment within two months, a favorable outcome that significantly exceeded the client's expectations

  • Represented a leading smart parking unicorn company in a retrial of a contract dispute case before the Guiyang Intermediate People's Court, overcame adverse findings from the first instance judgment, and obtained a favorable retrial ruling, resulting in the client's successful enforcement of the retrial judgment and recovery of over CNY 4.6 million within three months

  • Represented a real estate company in arbitration over a lease agreement and litigation regarding electricity supply with a neighboring commercial operator, assisting the client in achieving litigation objectives and gaining an advantageous position in subsequent commercial negotiations

  • As the legal representative of a 4S store sales company of an automobile brand in Sichuan Province, Mr. Zhang defended the client in a construction engineering contract dispute case at the Intermediate People's Court of Yibin, Sichuan Province. The client was a subsidiary of a listed company, and the opposing party was a local general contractor. This case set an example for the client of similar projects in Sichuan. After conducting legal representation and on-site evidence collection work, the court dismissed 75% of the opposing party's claims

  • Representing a minority shareholder of a Shanxi-based listing candidate in filing a lawsuit before a court in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, concerning a dispute over the ownership and interests of the company and its affiliates and over infringement of rights of minority shareholders, successfully obtaining a satisfactory outcome for the client

  • As a representative of a Shanghai-based overseas engineering company, He filed a lawsuit on behalf of the company and its partner in a contract dispute over an energy project in the Cayman Islands, which was successfully settled

  • Represented a Shandong-based A-share listed company in defending against an arbitration case before CIETAC Beijing Headquarters concerning a helium supply contract dispute. The tribunal ultimately dismissed 99% of the claimant's monetary claims, securing a result far exceeding the client's expectations

  • Represented a central state-owned enterprise and a listed company in Zhejiang in responding to claims filed by their respective actual contractors, resulting in both plaintiffs withdrawing their lawsuits in courts

  • As a representative of a listed company from Shandong Province, Mr. Zhang defended the client in a contract dispute case at the Second Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin. He ultimately persuaded the appellate court to adopt my client's position and successfully overturned the first-instance court's ruling, winning the final ruling on the jurisdictional objection appeal

 

Construction and Project Development

  • As lead partner, provided ongoing legal advisory services to the Ministry of Natural Resources of China (formerly the Ministry of Land and Resources)

  • As lead partner, provided legal services for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Village construction project

  • As lead partner, provided legal services for the handover project of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) headquarters building

  • As lead partner, provided legal services for Baidu's headquarters construction project

  • As lead partner, provided legal services for the Xunlei headquarters construction project

  • As the lead partner, provided ongoing legal advisory services to Longford Group and Oceanwide Group

  • As the lead partner, provided legal services to Baidu for constructing data centers, office buildings, and smart cities nationwide for 17 consecutive years

  • As the lead partner, provided specialized legal services for the renovation of the office building of China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. Beijing Branch

  • As the lead partner, provided end-to-end legal services for the China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. Beijing R&D Center project, covering all stages from land use acquisition to project completion and acceptance

  • As the lead partner, provided specialized legal services for China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. Henan Branch's acquisition of a new office building

  • As the lead partner, provided ongoing legal advisory services to the Second Engineering Bureau of China State Construction Engineering Corporation for three consecutive years (2014-2016)

  • Provided legal services for the construction of the Xiaojiahe Staff Housing Project for Peking University (over 900,000 square meters) for 15 consecutive years, covering land acquisition, relocation and resettlement, administrative litigation, project commencement, and contract disputes throughout the entire process

  • As the lead partner, providing ongoing legal counsel service to Ronbay New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. for factory construction projects in Zhejiang, Hubei, and Guizhou, covering general corporate and regulatory matters

 

Debt Restructuring and Non-performing Assets

  • Represented Baidu in filing a series of lawsuits against China Evergrande Group for overdue accounts at the Guangdong Intermediate People's Court, and handled the related creditor claims filing in the insolvency proceedings

  • Represented the mainland investment platform of Hong Kong New World Department Store China Limited in a project concerning debt restructuring in the context of equity and debt investment exits 

  • Represented Sinoocean Group in the disposition of a non-performing real estate asset project

  • Represented a real estate-focused fund under Vanke in the acquisition of a non-performing asset portfolio originated from HNA Group

Honors and Awards

Ranked Lawyer in Technology,Media & Telecoms (TMT),The Legal 500 Asia Pacific – Greater China,2026

China Top Ranked Lawyers (Band 2) in Sports & Entertainment,Legalband,2025

Notable Practitioner in Construction,Asialaw,2025

Leading Lawyer in Entertainment & Sports,Lvxin News,2025

Leading Lawyer (Band 2) in Construction in Greater China Region, Chambers,2022-2026

Outstanding Graduate (Top10%),Peking University,2009

"5·4 Scholarship" (Top 5%),Peking University,2007

Memberships & Affiliations

Member of the Board,China Society for Economic System Reform

LL.M. Graduate Practice Instructor,Peking University Law School,January 2024 to present

LL.M. Graduate Practice Instructor,Beijing Normal University Law School,September 2020 - September 2023

Related

  • Bar Admissions/Professional Qualifications

    PRC Bar, 2011

  • Education

    Visiting Scholar,University of California,Los Angeles
    Executive Education Program,Harvard Law School,Harvard University
    Film and Television Finance Program,Beijing Film Academy (Cohort 15)
    EMBA,The University of Hong Kong (Cohort V,Class 165)
    LL.M. in American and International Law,Temple University (PA,US)
    J.M.,Peking University Law School (Beijing,China)

  • Professional Experience

    Equity partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm, March 2024 to present
    Managing partner and Director of Executive Committee, Beijing Zhonglun W&D Law Firm, July 2009 - March 2024

  • Languages

    Chinese
    English