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**Funny man-turned-billionaire destroys relics for fancy club By Wan Lixin | 2011-8-25 A COUPLE of years ago I wrote an apology for Zhao Benshan, a rustic质朴的，朴素的comedian accused of low taste and obscenity猥亵，诲淫. I pointed to the need for tolerance of an uneducated performers eagerness to entertainChinas multitudes of peasants. They deserve to enjoy some light moments from time to time. Today no one dares accuse of Zhao of being low-brow. He is now the boss of a media group, a fancy restaurant, and an exclusive club. To enter that club costs a minimum 180,000 yuan (US$28,500) membership fee. Thats a huge sum, though insiders comment that Zhaos club membership fee is not particularly prohibitive(价格)非常高的in comparison with similar clubs mushrooming in the capital. Still, the inauguration成立典礼；开张of the club on August 16 caused a great sensation. A glamorous富有魔力的，迷人的Hong Kong superstar who was involved a few years ago in a leaked sex video scandal was transported in Zhaos 200-million yuan (US$31.3 million) private jet to add luster光泽;光辉to the already star-studded明星荟萃opening ceremony. To ease traffic for the troop of visiting luminaries杰出人物attending the ceremony in the heart of the capital, a bus lane was taken out of operation and turned into a dedicated VIP limousine大型高级轿车lane. While 54-year-old Zhao was hobnobbing亲切交往with those dignitaries高官显贵, he had already experienced a metamorphosis变形，变状, from a humble, rustic skit讽刺剧，滑稽短剧performer to an entertainment tycoon巨人mired陷进泥坑in luxury. In this metamorphosis, Zhaos native simplicity and rustic qualities have been totally bleached漂白away by commercial capital. The explosive growth in his wealth has afforded the shrewd entertainer a unique insight into the interplay between money and power in a country breathless for growth. A club, named after a character in his successful TV serial comedy, would intensify that interplay. Does he still remember those peasants whose simple laughs first built his fortu