Liu Wei

**Overview**Media

Liu in 2022

## Signature

**Liu Wei** (Chinese: 刘伟 *Liú Wěi*; born March 8, 1987), also known as **Dawei** (大伟 *Dàwěi*, lit. "Big Wei"), is one of the co-founders and the current chairman and president of Shanghai miHoYo Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Together with his classmates Cai Haoyu (蔡浩宇) and Luo Yuhao (罗宇皓) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, they formed miHoYo based on their shared interest in technology and ACG (anime, comics, and games) culture.

## Education

In 2009, Liu obtained his bachelor's degree in Information Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After that, he had planned to study abroad but stayed in Shanghai due to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. He got into a dual major program and obtained his master's degrees in Communication and Information Systems from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Electrical Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012. As a university student, Liu described himself as a loner who avoided club activities and did not socialize with others. However, this changed when he became president of the student council, an experience that pushed him into business and prepared him for executive roles.

His mentor Sue Van of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation gave him the nickname **Forrest**.

## Career

During the early days of miHoYo, when *Houkai Gakuen 2* was released, Liu was responsible for research and development. Due to the game's technical problems that prompted complaints from players, the company's public relations were at risk; Liu took on the role of a customer service representative. He described 2014 as a difficult period and attributed his graying hair to the problems the company experienced that year. At that time, because of their little understanding of entrepreneurship, Liu and his partners were developing games based more on their own hobbies, and they did not have a deep understanding of the game market and consideration of the intuitive feeling of users.

> 我在2012年底到2013年我还做了一年的客服娘，就客服小妹。我觉得做客服给我最大的感受，你每一个用户数据后面其实不是一个数据，他是一个个鲜活的人，每个人都会有自己的需求，他会有自己的问题。那个时候你去跟他们聊天的时候你才真真正正感受到玩家的喜怒哀乐，你才真真正正会对玩家有同理心。
>
> From late 2012 to 2013, I even worked as a customer support representative, commonly known as a "customer service girl." I believe that working in customer service gave me the greatest insight because behind every user's data is not just a set of numbers; they are living individuals with their own needs and problems. When you engage in conversations with them, you genuinely feel the joys and sorrows of the players, and that's when you truly develop empathy for them.
>
> — *Global People*, 2021
>
>

As a customer service rep, Liu gained the nickname **Brother Wei** (大伟哥 *Dàwěigē*) for engaging with players in social media communities. He is also known by the nickname **Dawei** (大伟 *Dà Wěi*, lit. "Big Wei"). The miHoYo team did not do much formal marketing and used Liu's interactions with players as their method of promotion.

In May 2022, Liu and his partners entered the annual 500 Rich List published by the financial magazine New Fortune (新财富): Liu's net worth amounts to 30.5 billion, Cai's has 55.3 billion RMB, and Luo has 28.8 billion; Song Tao (宋涛) of Hangzhou Miyi Investment has 20.25 billion.

### Positions

Since May 2019, has been the vice president of the Shanghai Youth Entrepreneurship Association (上海市青年創業協會) for a four-year term.

In December 2020, he was appointed as a non-executive director and a member of the strategy and development committee of Xindong Network (心动网络股份有限公司).

In September 2021, when miHoYo was promoted from a party branch to a party committee under the Communist Party of China, Liu was elected as the party committee's secretary.

Since July 2022, he has been serving as one of the part-time vice presidents of the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce (上海市工商业联合会), General Chamber of Commerce (总商会).

### Awards

In December 2018, Liu was one of the fifty non-public economic figures to be conferred the honorary title of "Outstanding Builder of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in Shanghai" (上海市优秀中国特色社会主义事业建设者) by the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee's United Front Work Department.

On September 27, 2022, Xuhui District held the "Civil Servants Who Please the People" (人民满意的公务员), May 1st Labor Award honor assembly, where Liu was awarded the 2022 Shanghai May 1st Labor Medal.

In November 2022, the Shanghai Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Association (上海市文化创意产业促进会) and Shanghai First Financial Media Co., Ltd. (上海第一财经传媒有限公司) recognized Liu as one of the "Top Ten People of Cultural Enterprises in Shanghai."

On April 27, 2023, Liu was one of the twenty-two individuals from Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park (张江高新区) to be awarded the 2023 May 1st Labor Medal at the National May 1st Labor Award and National Worker Pioneer Commendation Conference (全国五一劳动奖和全国工人先锋号表彰大会).

## Community image

At a community event, fans wanted to design an image for him, and the most popular design was a bald, featureless-headed figure with the character "伟" written on the face. Liu would later make cameos in various *Honkai* media as that character. A nickname the character has gone by is Nicholas Dawei (尼古拉斯・大伟), "Nicholas" being a reference to American actor Nicolas Cage, whose name Chinese fans would adopt if they thought of themselves like a star. The joke carried over to *Honkai Impact 3rd* broadcasts in English.

### Unusual Hilichurl

> The team designed this monster as an in-game cameo of our company president, Forrest Liu, in hilichurl form. Players, whenever you feel in a bad mood, or there's something you're not happy about in the game — and after you've voiced your concerns via the Feedback function — please feel free to seek out this most unusual hilichurl and vent all of your frustrations on him with my blessing.
>
> — Cai Haoyu, 2020
>
>

In *Genshin Impact*, Liu's alter ego is the Unusual Hilichurl (奇怪的丘丘人 *Qíguài de Qiūqiū-rén*, lit. "Strange Hilichurl"). Just like Liu's *Honkai* image, the Unusual Hilichurl sports the character "伟" on its face, or rather, its mask. In combat, he tosses items referencing miHoYo's previous games: a yellow plushie resembling Bronya's doll Homu, and cabbages resembling mascot Ai-chan's hair. The Unusual Hilichurl is nicknamed "Dawei-qiu" (大伟丘), and its voice was performed by Liu himself.

When players defeat the Unusual Hilichurl once, they achieve "...Well, That Was Strange" (...出奇迹? *Chū Qíjī*, lit. "...A Miracle Made?") with an initial reward of 5 Primogems. Its name in Chinese is a reference to a joke going back to *Houkai Gakuen 2*, when players would say a seven-character mantra before rolling the gacha: 怒艹大伟出奇迹 *Nù cǎo Dà Wěi chū qíjī*, lit. "Angrily screw Dawei to produce a miracle!" The joke was once referenced in a post by the official *Houkai Gakuen 2* account on Sina Weibo in 2015.

### Dawei's Villa

The Unusual Hilichurl's title, "Menace of the Mansion" (别墅之灾 *Biéshù zhī Zāi*, "Calamity of the Villa"), is a reference to a joke that the money earned through gacha goes to Wei's private villa. Previously, the joke was turned into the Dawei's Villa (大伟哥别墅) event shop in *Honkai Impact 3rd*, which offers the player a 4-star Supply weapon or Stigma by choice. The shop can be unlocked with Dawei's Black Gold Card (大伟哥黑金卡), which the player earns after reaching a total top-up amount of 20,000 RMB (3,000 USD).

> 这就得从二蹦子时代说起了。开全神池，出限定=大伟哥要修海景房。发福利，送周边=拆了大伟哥的别墅。衍生到三蹦子，某些活动期间的高性价比礼包，直接就叫大伟哥别墅的一块砖，大伟哥别墅的一面墙之类的。 这个算是个和怒艹大伟出奇迹一样的古董梗了。
> It all started from the era of *Houkai Gakuen 2*. When a limited character was released through the gacha system, it meant that Brother Wei wanted to build a ocean-view home. When freebies and merchandise were given out, it was jokingly referred to as demolishing Brother Wei's villa. This joke extended to *Honkai Impact 3rd*, where during certain events, there were high-value gift packs named after components of Brother Wei's villa, such as a "brick" or a "wall." This became a nostalgic meme similar to "怒艹大伟出奇迹."
>
> 崩坏每次发福利， 就有玩家调侃说： 大伟哥用来买别墅的钱又被扣下来发福利 。
> Every time *Honkai* gives out perks, some players joked that the money that Brother Wei used to buy villas was deducted to give these perks.
>
> — NGA BBS, *Genshin Impact* forum thread dated May 27, 2021.
>
>

The joke was referenced by the miHoYo Recruitment publicity account on WeChat. In January 2018, the account published an article about the *Honkai Impact 3rd* annual meeting, which had a lottery event with a prize pool containing Apple smartphones and computer mice. The article was titled "Extra! Brother Wei Sold His Villa to Organize a Year-End Party For Everyone!" (号外！大伟哥把别墅卖了给大家办年会). For the next year-end party in December 2019, the joke about "demolishing the walls of Brother Wei's villas" was included in reference to the prizes for employees.

### Redemption code turnover

In November 2017, a collaboration event between *Houkai Gakuen 2* and *Girls' Frontline* was held. During the collaboration livestream with Wei Liu, *Girls' Frontline* producer Yuzhong (羽中), who was also handling the computer, had accidentally shown the images of three redemption codes all in one go as Windows Photo Viewer was set in slideshow mode. Viewers commented reactions that reference the Dawei's Villa joke:

> 眼看羽中当着大伟面把别墅的一面墙给抠了（￣▽￣）
> I watched as Yuzhong picked away at one side of the villa's wall right in front of Dawei!
>
> 大伟:妈\*\*，拆了我别墅一堵墙，晚上睡觉都漏风
> Dawei: Mother- After tearing down a wall of my villa, it's so drafty when sleeping at night."
>
> 羽中，你当年扒我别墅的时候可曾想到今天啊。
> Yuzhong, did you ever imagine back when you burglarized my villa that we would end up here today?
>
> 哈哈，羽中怒拆大伟一面墙，太搞了
> Haha, Yuzhong angrily demolished Dawei's wall, it's so funny.
>
>

### Birthday celebrations

In 2016, for the entirety of March 10, the probability of all artifacts were raised by 15%; the 5-star artifacts 自洪调和, Kiana的礼服, 鸟鲁德女神圣衣, 芙雷雅的祈襦, Seele的遮新, and 倪克斯之脹 were boosted by five times and gained by players as level-20 5-star equipment; and selected artifacts can be upgraded to 7-star Zhiqiang artifacts.

In 2017, for the entirety of March 8, the probability of all artifacts were raised by 15%; the 5-star artifacts 千姬物语, 血色礼装, 海德拉的吐息, 阿修罗之怒, 海姆达尔号角, and Casull were boosted by five times; players are able to directly obtain level-50 equipment and upgrade selected artifacts to 7-star Zhiqiang artifacts.

In 2018, players can claim 60 Crystals via mail with a letter titled "big伟的生日红包" (Dawei's Birthday Red Envelope) addressed from 尼古拉斯•big伟 (Nicholas Dawei) saying:

>
> 一直以来承蒙舰长关照，过生日绝不能忘记给舰长发福利！60水晶请舰长收下，还希望舰长以后在“献祭”我时温柔一些2333
> I have always been grateful for the Captain's care, and I must never forget to give them a birthday gift! Please accept these 60 Crystals, Captain. I also hope that in the future, when you "sacrifice" me, Captain, you will be a little gentler, hahaha.
>
>
>
>

In 2019, the mail given to players is similar to the one in 2018. The letter this time says:

> 今年的生日格外不同……因为我终于成为了人群中最闪亮的 光头！为了感谢舰长一直以来的支持，请收下这60水晶～希望 以后“献祭”我时温柔一些，我会吓到的啦2333
> This year's birthday is particularly special... because I have finally become the shiniest baldy among the crowd! To thank the Captain for their continuous support, please accept these 60 Crystals~ I hope that in the future, when you "sacrifice" me, you will be a little gentler. I will get scared, hahaha.
>
>
>

In 2020, from March 8 to 9, players can log in and claim 100 Crystals, 16 Magic Milk Teas, "Fragmented Green Star" and "Forbidden Academy."

In 2021, a special illustration was posted on social media, and players can claim 100 Crystals and 100 Stamina via mail on this occassion.

In 2022, animated GIFs of Liu's character were posted on social media: Wei wearing wigs of Bronya and Raiden Mei's hairstyles, and Wei wearing a mask with Theresa Apokalypse's derpy fish-eyes.

* The Theresa Apokalypse fish-eyes originated from 4-koma artist 掉线狂魔\_火星 back in 2018.

In 2023, a special illustration was posted on social media.

## Notes

1. ↑ On September 15, 2023, Liu took over Cai Haoyu's position as chairman of the board, thus becoming the new legal representative of the company. Article 13 of the Company Law of the People's Republic of China states: "The **chairman of the board**, the executive director or the manager of the company shall act as the **legal representative of a company** pursuant to the articles of association of the company and the same shall be registered according to the law. In the event of any change in the legal representative of the company, formalities shall be carried out for registration change."
2. ↑ "肏" is replaced with "艹" or "草" due to the original word's vulgarity.

## Trivia

* In *Tears of Themis*, Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yuhao appear as Howard Syter (蔡昊雨 *Cài Hàoyǔ*), William Lewis (刘炜 *Liú Wěi*), and Ingrid Rosworth (罗羽好 *Luō Yǔhǎo*), respectively. Their names are homonyms of their real-life counterparts.
* On July 17, 2023, Shanghai-based Zhihu user 文铃仙优昙华院因幡 posted the article "How to evaluate Brother Wei shedding tears on the spot during the *Honkai Impact 3rd* Summer Carnival?" (如何评价大伟哥在崩坏3夏日嘉年华中泪洒当场?), a narration of their job interview with Liu Wei in 2015.

## External links

* gtforrest on Baidu Tieba
* Forrest Liu on ClubhouseDB
* 刘伟Forrest on Douban
* Forrest Wei Liu on Facebook
* Forrest Wei Liu on LinkedIn
* 刘伟Forrest on Sina Weibo (defunct)
* ForrestForrestForrest on Sina Weibo (inactive since 2019)
* Forrest Wei Liu on YouTube

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "喜讯 | 校友刘伟荣获2023年全国“五一劳动奖章”！". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
2. ↑ "「大伟哥生贺」今天也在等待奇迹出现！" . *Weixin*. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
3. ↑ "上海米哈游网络科技股份有限公司". *Qixinbao*. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "CHANGE OF NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF BOARD COMMITTEES". *HKEXnews*. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
5. ↑ "Forrest Wei Liu". *LinkedIn*. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 '"Honkai Impact 3rd x Neon Genesis Evangelion" Interview - "Pursuit of Dreams"'. *YouTube*. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
7. ↑ "His Name is Forrest". *Georgia Institute of Technology*. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "テクノロジーオタクが 世界を救う：App Store ストーリー". *App Store*. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
9. ↑ "2022新财富500富人榜（搜索版）". *Sina Finance*. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
10. ↑ "大伟哥、刘千里获任心动公司董事". *Youxi Putao*. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
11. ↑ "中国共产党上海米哈游网络科技股份有限公司委员会党员大会顺利召开". *mihoyo.com*. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
12. ↑ "上海市工商业联合会（总商会）第十五次代表大会召开". *The Paper*. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
13. ↑ "向榜样学习！第五届上海市非公有制经济人士优秀中国特色社会主义事业建设者光荣榜". *Sohu*. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
14. ↑ "喜报！上海米哈游网络科技股份有限公司党委书记刘伟获得2022年上海市五一劳动奖章". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
15. ↑ "[喜迎二十大 奋进新征程]上海交大近10位校友获2022年上海市五一劳动奖章". *Shanghai Jiao Tong University*. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
16. ↑ "米哈游荣获“上海文化企业十强”". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
17. ↑ "【喜讯】2023年全国五一劳动奖揭晓！张江高新区47个集体和个人获奖！". *kcb.sh.gov.cn*. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
18. ↑ "尼古拉斯". *Baidu Baike*. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
19. ↑ "The special GLB 4th-anniversary program - Honkai Impact 3rd". *YouTube*. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
20. ↑ "GLB 5th-Anniversary Special Program - Honkai Impact 3rd". *YouTube*. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
21. ↑ Genshin Impact 1.1 Update Details Revealed, Coming November". *IGN*. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
22. ↑ "《原神》1.1版本前瞻直播录像". *Bilibili*. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
23. ↑ "米娜桑空帮哇！". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
24. ↑ "别墅之灾 笑死". *NGA BBS*. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
25. ↑ "号外！大伟哥把别墅卖了给大家办年会". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
26. ↑ "你和欧皇只差了一个米哈游的距离". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
27. ↑ "全神器超绝UP". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
28. ↑ "大伟哥生贺 全神器超绝UP". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
29. ↑ "大伟哥生日发水晶啦！". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
30. ↑ "大伟哥生日快乐！". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
31. ↑ "在这个特别的日子，让我们一起喊出那句——". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
32. ↑ "「大伟哥生贺」今天也在等待奇迹出现！". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
33. ↑ "大伟哥生贺 | 今天也要元气满满！". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
34. ↑ "某位女士的全身照补完~". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
35. ↑ "大伟哥生贺 | 周年庆会场大揭秘！". *Weixin*. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
36. ↑ "【未名人物】". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
37. ↑ "【主线第五章相关角色CV公开】". *Sina Weibo*. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.