After filming ended for his upcoming idol drama series River Lovers with Genie Cho, Singapore-born, Taiwan-based actor-singer Leon Jay Williams took off to China to participate in a 2010 spring drama series last week.

He is reportedly the first of the cohort of Taiwanese idol drama actors handpicked by CCTV to make a breakthrough in the Chinese station's primetime television slot. The 33-year-old will also be recording the theme song for the show. Production for Zhang Xiao Wu De Chun Tian was slated to begin in September this year, however, due to a clash in Leon's schedule, the production team decided to begin filming the other actors' portions first.

Besides paying him a hefty sum of S$19,000 per episode, CCTV also arranged for the Singaporean actor to live in a luxurious villa suite with a personal chauffeur at his service.

"This time round, I am enjoying a luxurious life like a King for filming this show. I am staying in a place like Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Two days before we started filming, I was not used to the food provided for the production crew and got my manager to feedback my opinion to the lifestyle manager. That night itself, the production team prepared a simple meal with three plates of non-oily vegetables. I was a little shocked at the Hollywood-like treatment given to me."

Missing in action for the past two years, Leon has been slowly making his entry into the Chinese market. Last year, he was the lead in the Chinese film, Shi Quan Jiu Mei, which a record S$12,000,000 at the box office.