Wu Jing spurs diversity in China showbiz
BEIJING: Fresh from helming China’s largest blockbuster to date, actor- director Wu Jing is the most recognisable face adding to diversity to showbiz in the country.
Wu Jing, 43, is of Manchu descent. He had made his mark in Hong Kong in the martial arts film SPL ( Sha Po Lang), and is now a household name throughout China after the action film Wolf Warrior 2 grossed more than 5.5 billion yuan ( RM3.58 billion).
It is the first film from outside Hollywood to make the top 100 all-time highest grossing movies worldwide.
Wu, a Hong Kong citizen, has been propelled to superstardom thanks to his penchant for fanning nationalistic fervour.
He has been quoted as saying: “The passport of the People’s Republic of China might not be able to bring you everywhere around the world, but it can certainly bring you home safe no matter where you are or what troubles you have run into.”
Also diversifying the showbiz scene in China is singer Han Geng, 33, of the Nanai ethnic group in Heilongjiang.
He joined South Korean boy band Super Junior in 2005, and became the leader of its subgroup Super Junior-M three years later. In 2009, he sued SE Entertainment to terminate his
The passport of the People’s Republic of China might not be able to bring you everywhere around the world, but it can certainly bring you home safe no matter where you are or what troubles you have run into.
contract. Two years later, he was free to resume a solo career.
On Weibo, he has has 49 million followers.
Actress Tong Liya was born in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang. Her father is Xibe, from Xinjiang, while her mother is Han, from Gansu.
In 2002, she finished first runner-up in the Miss Xinjiang beauty pageant. Liya, who is now 33, broke into the mainstream with roles in the television series Palace in 2011 and Beijing Love Story in 2012, both of which were major hits.
Also giving minority groups a strong presence in showbiz is Uyghur actress Dilraba Dilmurat.
Born in Urumchi in Xinjiang, Dilmurat, 25, is a graduate of
Wu Jing, actor of Manchu origin
the Shanghai Theatre Academy. She first starred in a TV drama Anarhan in 2013, and rose to fame playing the role of Fuqu in Swords of Legends in 2014. She also starred in the TV blockbuster Eternal Love this year and the variety show Keep Running.
She has 31 million followers on Weibo, making her the most popular minority star in China.
Fans often make comparisons between Gülnezer Bextiyar and Dilraba, as they are both Uyghurs of the same age.
Gülnezer was discovered while auditioning for the Beijing Film Academy in 2011, and made further strides this year by starring in the book-todrama adaptation Fighter of the Destiny, which attained a huge viewership.
Jike Junyi, nicknamed Summer, is from a Yi village in Sichuan province. She enjoyed overnight success after singing Don’t be Afraid, a remix of a folk song from her hometown, in the first series of The Voice of China talent show in 2012.
The rise of a number of stars from minority ethnic groups in China is in stark contrast to Hollywood, where prejudices remain strong against Asians and other minorities.