Wang Baoqiang

Template:Infobox Chinese-language singer and actor Template:Chinese name Wang Baoqiang (simplified Chinese: 王宝强; traditional Chinese: 王寶強; pinyin: Wáng Bǎoqiáng; born 29 May 1984) is a Chinese actor. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie Blind Shaft, for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards with Megan Zheng. The same role also won him the Best Actor prize at the 2003 Deauville Asian Film Festival and 2004 Golden Kinnaree Award (Bangkok International Film Festival).

Other international names

His international names in other countries are Vương Bảo Cường (Vietnamese), ワン・バオチャン (Japanese), 왕바오창 (Korean)

Nicknames from Hurry Up, Brother

• Shaolin Baoqiang
• Chinese Key Master

Early life

When Wang Baoqiang was 8 years old, his village showed the movie Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li, which inspired him to become a martial arts star in movies like Jet Li or Jackie Chan. Wang insisted on going to a Shaolin Temple though his family opposed it, in the same year. He trained in Shaolin martial arts. With only 500 RMB (about 70 US dollars) to his name, Wang said goodbye to his family and headed to Beijing at age 14 on his own.

Career

As an Extra

By the front gate of Beijing Film Studio, there are always people queuing to get a job as an extra. Wang joined this queue and got some roles as an extra. During this time he lived in the cheapest accommodation possible (approx. 100RMB pcm) with several other people and walked to the film studio early every morning. On some films he could do extra work for 20 - 25 RMB per day (about 3 dollars). When his 500 RMB collection of savings and pay had nearly run out Wang took a temporary job in the construction fields. He remembers that during Spring Festival Eve one year he even needed to borrow money to buy steamed bread. He recalls this time in Beijing as the most trying period of his career. Recalling the days waiting for a role outside the film studio, Wang said to those still queueing: "This is what I, also, have been through."

Blind Shaft

Wang apparently received news he had been cast in "Blind Shaft" whilst working in the construction field. A communal pager went off and the workers who checked it told Wang he had been called on for the role. As his first role playing a main character, Wang was initially disappointed that the film was not a martial arts film, but he recognized it as a good opportunity for his career. He was given 500RMB up front, which was a huge amount of money for him at the time. During the filming period conditions for the cast and crew were low. They were the subject of abuse from the people actually working the mines and a couple of accidents happened. Several members of the team even left and pressure was put on Wang to also quit. He didn't, and so earned a further 1000RMB for his work. Critics later agreed that Wang naturally fit the role of Yuan Feng Ming and he was given a warm reception abroad. For his role in "Blind Shaft", Wang received the Golden Horse Film Festival's Best New Performer Award as well as two prizes from France and Thailand for Best New Performer. However, the film was never permitted release in Mainland China.

A World Without Thieves

After Blind Shaft, however, Wang Baoqiang didn't attract much attention. But his confidence made him strong enough to continue to fight for his dream. In 2004, Feng Xiaogang was selecting actors for A World Without Thieves . The leading role of the movie, "Sha gen", was uncertain. Once Feng watched Blind Shaft, he decided Wang Baoqiang as "Sha gen". When the film was released, Feng said:" the only one person who will become a new star will be Wang Baoqiang!" He appeared as Shagen in Feng Xiaogang's 2004 film A World Without Thieves as a naïve village boy who is carrying his life savings in cash home with him on a train. On the way to the station, he loudly professes that he does not believe in thieves, while oblivious to the fact that one team of professional pickpockets are competing to steal his money while another two thieves seek to protect him. The two Thieves, who were acted by Andy Lau and Rene Liu, become his best friends throughout the film, even with Rene Liu calling him "younger brother" jokingly.

"He isn't a blind person!"

After A World Without Thieves He appeared as "A Bing" in TV Series An Suan as a blind intelligence agents who has extraordinary hearing abilities. An Suan was the most popular TV Series of 2006 in China. It's a hard work for Wang to act as a blind person, he was arranged to live with real blind people and then had a good performance in the series. In 2007 when he was filming the movie The Assembly, people who lived near their playstaff saw him and screamed surprisingly: "He is A Bing in An Suan! But he isn't a blind person?"

Everybody loves Xu Sanduo

Although Blind Shaft, A World Without Thieves and An Suan had achieved great success but it was only a beginning for Wang. In 2007 the TV series Soldiers Sortie had unprecedented influence in many aspects of Chinese people's lives. Its value goes far beyond just a piece of art work. Wang's character, Xu Sanduo, is a young military recruit who is not clever but very devoted to whatever he does. With his own efforts and some companions' help, the simple man wins respect and confidence.

The drama was a quick hit on China's small screens. Almost every main actor now has his own group of fans. "Xu Sanduo" became a household name overnight. Wang Baoqiang, as the leading actor, became one of the most influential people of 2007 in China, and has hit headlines of almost all major newspapers, and his signature smile is seen on one magazine's cover after another. He is also planning to release his first song.

The Chicago Tribune reported on Sunday the fondness by the Chinese people of a dramatic series Soldier Sortie, saying the hero captures a spirit of innocence.

Xu Sanduo, the hero in the TV dramatic series, is a "character whose mix of laws and charms has made him an unlikely television phenomenon who seems perfectly crafted for his time". Xu, a shy, simple son of a poor farmer, is the subject of complaints by his father for his lack of skill about planting crops. After his father forces Xu to show off his physical strength by climbing a tree, the army recruiter takes pity on Xu and signs him up just to get him away from the father. The drama shows how the country boy becomes a special forces star through training such as carrying heavy logs. He also fights valiantly against unnamed foreign foes with his companions. "The pyrotechnics are impressively lifelike and modern," Chicago Tribune said. "Xu's flaw is dimness. But his determination to succeed through hard work seems refreshing in today's China, in which connections and canny strategy seem to guarantee success more often than simple perseverance."

Top Chinese search engine Baidu.com has put a character sketch of Xu Sanduo, the hero of a popular TV series, at its logo on Wednesday, declaring they will pick a person in the spotlight every month starting from November. Beijing Daily Messenger reported that the website will choose the logo person based on search rankings by netizens on their engine, like Time Magazine's Person of the Year. The person should have been in the public arena during the latest month and he or she will represent a current trend, spiritually or practically speaking, an officer from Baidu told the newspaper. For example, Xu Sanduo, this month's person, is a devoted soldier. He is an ordinary person but he possesses an optimistic and persistent spirit, which is greatly applauded by audiences, the officer said.

The move has been welcomed by netizens. "Whenever I log on to the website and am greeted by Xu Sanduo's smiling face, I feel encouraged and full of energy," one user was quoted as saying.

My Brother is Shun Liu

Wang Baoqiang starred in an endearing militaristic series about the invasion of the Japanese into China. He is Shun Liu, a skilled sniper, and after just 8 months of training, he is able to kill thousands of Japanese. He is held as a hero, and his officer in command is so attached to him that he decides to call him Chen Xiao Lei because his name is Chen Da Lei. Shun Liu disagrees and claims that it sounds as if he is his son, which he is not. So his commanding officer agrees and decides to call him Chen Er Lei.

Throughout the series, Shun Liu continually works hard despite his inability to comprehend certain things. He makes efforts to learn how to read and charms all around him. His comrades appreciate and admire his abilities. Shun Liu is instructed to kill the commanding Japanese officer. He is prepared and well hidden, waiting for the perfect moment. As he is hidden, he witnesses a Japanese soldier raping his sister. He is unable to do anything because he cannot give away his position. He kills the commanding officer, and he returns full of vengeance. He then goes to see his sister who is crying out "My brother will come to save me." while in a trance. When Shun Liu turns his back, his sister commits suicide, jumping into a well.

Despite warnings and pleas, Shun Liu is determined to seek revenge. When the Japanese surrender and board their ships at the port, Shun Liu desires to kill the soldier that murdered his sister. He is hidden, ready to shoot, but he cannot bring himself to it. He fires a few shots at some flags, and in turn, the Nationalist army begins shooting at him. Most of the shots miss, and Shun Liu shoots a box filled with ashes (that the man who killed his sister is carrying), but does not kill him (this soldier ends up committing suicide). The Nationalist army continues to shoot, even when Shun Liu's commanding officer demands them to stop. Finally, the tower that Shun Liu is on explodes, and he falls to his death.

Chen Da Lei narrates the whole series, endearingly referring to Shun Liu as his brother.

Personal life

Wang Baoqiang married Ma Rong on 10 February 2010. They have two children. On 14 August 2016, Wang made a post to Sina Weibo announcing he would divorce Ma. He accused her of entering an extramarital affair with his agent, Song Zhe, and transferring/concealing some of the couple's assets. In a later Sina Weibo post, Ma said Wang had abandoned their family, and threatened to sue him for defamation; she filed a case against Wang on August 16. The divorce became a trending topic on Sina Weibo, where posts with the hashtag #WangBaoQiangDivorce were viewed over five billion times. Mu Zheng of the National University of Singapore suggested the split conformed to the perception that Chinese couples had to be "evenly matched" for marriages to succeed. Wang filed for divorce that was accepted by a Beijing Court, and the trial was held in October 2016. Song’s wife also filed for divorce.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Chinese title	Role	Notes
2001	Big Shot's Funeral	《大腕》	guest	Uncredited
2003	Blind Shaft	《盲井》	Yuan Fengming
2004	A World Without Thieves	《天下无贼》	Sha Gen
2007	Born To Run	《烈火男儿》	Long Dachuan
	Assembly	《集结号》	Jiang Maocai
	Two Stupid Eggs	《大电影2.0之两个傻瓜的荒唐事》	guest
2008	A Mediator in Green Mountains	《绿满山乡》	Wang Xiaoqiang
	The Equation of Love and Death	《李米的猜想》	Qiu Shuitian
2009	The Founding of a Republic	《建国大业》	A soldier
	Eaters	《大胃王》	Xiao Shuai
	Da You Cun Bright Future	《大有前途》	A Kun
2010	Little Big Soldier	《大兵小将》	A spy
	Fire of Conscience	《火龙对决》	Huang Yong
	East Wind Rain	《东风雨》	Xiao Kai
	Lost on Journey	《人在囧途》	Niu Geng
2011	Love for Life	《最爱》	Dazui
	Choy Lee Fut Kung Fu	《蔡李佛拳2010》	Chen Cheng
	Mr. Tree	《HELLO!树先生》	Mr. Tree
2012	Romancing in Thin Air	《高海拔之恋II》	Zhang Xing
	Jack of All Trades	《神通乡巴佬》	Chu Zhongtian
	Fairy Tale Killer	《追凶》	Wu Zaijun
	Lost in Thailand	《人再囧途之泰囧》	Wang Bao
2013	Better and Better	《越来越好之村晚》	Yang Guoshu
	Unbeatable	《激战》	Boss Chan
2014	A Touch of Sin	《天注定》	San'er
	Iceman	《冰封：重生之门》	Sa Ao
	Kung Fu Jungle	《一个人的武林》	Feng Yuxiu
2015	Running Man	《奔跑吧！兄弟》	himself
	Monk Comes Down the Mountain	《道士下山》	He An
	Impossible	《不可思议》	Tang Liguo
	Detective Chinatown	《唐人街·探案》	Tang Ren
2016	Buddies in India	《大闹天竺》	Wu Tian
	Iceman 2	《冰封：永恒之门》	Sa Ao
2017	Detective Chinatown 2	《唐人街·探案2》	Tang Ren

Television

Year	Title	Chinese title	Role	Notes
2002	Seventh Imperial Envoy Liu Luoguo	《七品钦差刘罗锅》	A waiter
2005	Secret Plot	《暗算》	A Bing
2006	Legend of Shang Dynasty	《传奇·幻想殷商》	Nezha
	Soldiers Sortie	《士兵突击》	Xu Sanduo
	Red Flag Children	《红旗渠的儿女们》	Bao Xiang
2009	My Brother's Name Is Shun Liu	《我的兄弟叫顺溜》	Shun Liu
2010	For New China to Go Forward	《为了新中国前进》	Dong Cunrui
2011	Lei Feng Story	《新雷锋班的故事》	guest
	My Father Is Ban Deng	《我的父亲是板凳》	Bandeng
2013	Heroes in Sui and Tang Dynasties	《隋唐演义》	Li Yuanba
2015	Rise to Fame Overnight	《我是机器人》或《一飞冲天》	Yuan Bao

Variety

Year	Title	Chinese title	Role	Notes
2006	A Date With Lu Yu	《鲁豫有约》	Guest
2011	Happy Camp	《快乐大本营》	Guest	2011-04-02
	A Date With Lu Yu	《鲁豫有约》	Guest
2012	Happy Camp	《快乐大本营》	Guest	2012-12-22
	A Date With Lu Yu	《鲁豫有约》	Guest
2014	A Date With Lu Yu	《鲁豫有约》	Guest
2014–2015	Hurry Up, Brother	《奔跑吧！兄弟》	Member	Season One
2015	Happy Camp	《快乐大本营》	Guest	2015-05-09
	Happy Camp	《快乐大本营》	Guest	2015-11-14
	Takes a Real Man	《真正男子汉》	Guest	Season One
	Hurry Up, Brother	《奔跑吧！兄弟》	Guest	Season Three
	Run for Time	《夺秒中》	Guest

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result	Notes
2003	Blind Shaft	40th Golden Horse Awards - Best New Performer	Won
2004		5th Deauville Asian Film Festival - Best Actor	Won
		2003 Bangkok International Film Festival - Best Actor	Won
2005	A World Without Thieves	Chinese Film Media Awards - Best New Performer	Nominated
2006		28th Hundred Flowers Awards - Best New Performer	Won
2007		BQ Celebrity Score Awards - Most Potential Actor	Nominated
		QQ Entertainment Awards - Favorite TV Actor (Mainland)	Won
	Soldiers Sortie	Sina Web Festival - Best TV Actor	Won
2008		China TV Golden Eagle Awards - Human Spirit Award	Won
		China TV Golden Eagle Awards - Favorite Actor	Won
		2nd Huading Awards - New Artist (Public Image)	Won
		Enlight Entertainment Awards - Best New TV Artist	Won
		BQ Celebrity Score Awards - Favorite Actor	Nominated
		BQ Celebrity Score Awards -	Nominated
2009		Chinese Television Flying Apsaras Awards - Outstanding Actor	Nominated
		BQ Celebrity Score Awards - Favorite Actor	Nominated
		Sohu TV Drama Season Review (Autumn) - Favorite Actor	Nominated
2010	My Brother's Name Is Shun Liu	Shanghai TV Festival - Best Actor	Nominated
		3rd Huading Awards - Best New Actor (Social Impact)	Won
		Chinese Film Media Awards - New Century Top Ten	Won
		Enlight Entertainment Awards - Best TV Actor	Won
		BQ Celebrity Score Awards - Favorite Actor	Nominated
2011		5th Huading Awards - Best Artist: Comedy Movie	Nominated
		Enlight Entertainment Awards - Most Talked Movie Artist	Won
		New York Chinese Film Festival - Asia Most Popular Artist	Won
		LeTV Awards - Most Popular Movie Actor	Won
		BQ Celebrity Score Awards - Favorite Actor	Nominated
	Mr. Tree	Tokyo Filmex - Special Award	Won
		Asia Pacific Screen Awards - Best Actor	Won
2012		19th Beijing Student Film Festival - Best Actor	Nominated
		Chinese Film Media Awards - Best Actor	Nominated
2013	Lost in Thailand	20th Beijing Student Film Festival - Favorite Actor	Won
		China Film Director's Guild Awards - Best Actor	Won
		9th Huading Awards - Best Media Actor	Won
		BQ Celebrity Score Awards - Favorite Actor	Nominated
2014		China Film Director's Guild Awards - Best Actor	Nominated
		China TV Star Image Standings - Best Image Young Star	Nominated
	Kung Fu Jungle	6th Macau International Movie Festival - Best Supporting Actor	Nominated
2015		34th Hong Kong Film Awards - Best Supporting Actor	Nominated
		2015 Shanghai International Film Festival - Best New Action Actor	Won
2016	Detective Chinatown	China Film Director's Guild Awards - Best Actor	Nominated

External links

• Wang Baoqiang at IMDb