Feng Yuanzheng’s intro at conference elicits wisecrack from session member
BEIJING: When Feng Yuanzheng introduced himself during the first session of the 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, a member joked “We all know you. You don’t have to introduce yourself.”
A a member of the committee, Feng had said: “My name is Feng Yuanzheng. I’m an actor from Beijing People’s Art Theatre.”
When a member joked about not needing to introduce himself, Feng persisted: “Well, then I’d better introduce myself again. Even today, many people still call me An Jiahe.”
An Jiahe was a character he played in the 2001 series Don’t Respond to Strangers.
The character, one of the bestknown villains in the history of Chinese TV, is a surgeon, who beats his wife, and he has almost become a synonym for domestic violence in China.
“It is a role that deeply rooted in people’s hearts,” said Feng, 56. “So, I suppose that qualifies as success.”
On domestic violence, Feng said: “People did not realise how serious domestic violence was. So, in a way, I became a campaigner against it.”
On another issue, Feng said he is glad to see public interest in high-end culture growing in recent years.
Added Feng: “Earlier, people used to host a banquet or go to a karaoke bar for entertainment. But now, they often focus on the arts and cultural performances.”
On the need to train more young actors, Feng said: “Our generation will soon retire. So, we train young people through more practice.
And we get them to regularly read scripts aloud in public, as a common complaint we hear about young actors is that they cannot deliver their lines well.”