Entertainment News: Follow Wang Baoqiang's Rise to Film Emperor

That day, just after the Minor Cold solar term, the temperature in Beijing plummeted overnight. Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang, who had gotten out of their warm and comfortable beds at the crack of dawn, put on their thick cotton-padded coats, quickly washed up, and braved the cold wind to head straight to the Beijing Film Studio.

"Hey, Lin Zhi, look... it's snowing!"

As they were on their way, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and Wang Baoqiang suddenly let out a strange cry.

"Yeah, it's snowing. It's best not to let it affect the filming..." Lin Zhi replied casually.

As he spoke, he breathed on his hands, which were red from the cold, to warm them.

Winters in Beijing are quite cold!

He thought to himself, "Looks like I'll have to buy a pair of cotton gloves and earmuffs when I get home tonight..."

Both of them grew up in the north and were used to snow, so after a moment of surprise, they weren't particularly excited.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio, they saw that many hardworking young people who had come to Beijing to pursue their dreams were already there, braving the biting cold wind. They had arrived before the two of them and had already occupied some of the best and most prominent spots.

Lin Zhi didn't take it to heart.

They've even become used to it!

Although he and Wang Baoqiang were already considered diligent and hardworking, almost exemplary in the industry, in this highly competitive world, there are always people who are even more diligent and hardworking than you...

You'll get used to it!

Lin Zhi knew that some of the guys who had arrived at the Beijing Film Studio gates before them to wait for acting opportunities... probably hadn't gone home at all last night, and had spent the whole night freezing on the street, all in order to get those rare chances to act.

Therefore, the balance of this world was broken by these crazy, involutionary guys!

"Ah-Zhi, Bao-Qiang...you're here?"

Immediately, some familiar faces from the Beijing drifters greeted Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang.

Having been working as extras in Beijing for quite some time, Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang have gotten to know many of their "colleagues." After all, they meet here every morning to wait for their scenes, so it's impossible not to know each other...

"It's snowing, I wonder if any film crews are starting production today..."

Wang Baoqiang was an outgoing and sociable boy. During the break while waiting for his scenes, he chatted enthusiastically with the familiar veteran extras at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio.

Lin Zhi didn't want to waste time chatting with these old geezers about meaningless topics. He took out a book on screenwriting from the backpack slung across his shoulder, squatted down on the ground, and began to read it with great interest...

The book, called "Story," is considered a bible for screenwriters. For a novice like him, it seems quite helpful. At the very least, after studying it, he has a general initial impression of how to write stories and scripts.

"The car is here! The car is here..."

Around 8:30 in the morning, just as Lin Zhi was engrossed in reading "Story", Wang Baoqiang, who had sharp eyes, spotted a film crew's vehicle slowly approaching the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio. She immediately called out to remind Lin Zhi, who was focused on reading.

Reminded, Lin Zhi quickly stood up, closed the book in his hand, and stuffed it back into the bag on his shoulder. He stomped his numb feet from squatting for too long while waiting for the film crew's pickup truck to arrive.

"Do any of you know martial arts? We need a few stuntmen!"

After the pickup truck pulled up, a middle-aged man with a beard sat in the passenger seat. Without getting out of the car, he loudly questioned the many extras waiting to film outside the Beijing Film Studio.

"We will, we will... we're from Shaolin Temple!!!"

"I've been practicing martial arts since I was a child..."

Wang Baoqiang immediately responded with delight, then quickly pulled Lin Zhi toward the pickup truck.

He had a dream of becoming a kung fu star since he was a child, which is why he went to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts. He hoped that when he grew up, he could act in kung fu movies like Cheng Long and Jet Li.

However, since coming to Beijing to work as an extra, he has never been part of a film crew that requires action scenes, so he has no opportunity to use his martial arts skills, which often leaves him extremely frustrated...

He saw a film crew that needed stuntmen who could fight, and he immediately perked up, feeling that his opportunity had come and his spring had arrived!

So I'm really happy right now!

"Oh, you guys really know martial arts? Show us a few moves."

The crew member in the passenger seat of the pickup truck glanced at Wang Baoqiang and Lin Zhi, who both had youthful faces and were clearly not very old, and said something indifferently.

"Okay, watch carefully..."

Wang Baoqiang responded excitedly, and immediately performed a few moves of the long fist he had learned at the Shaolin Martial Arts School, and then did ten somersaults in a row.

He performed this whole routine without even breaking a sweat, which shows he's really skilled.

Seeing this, Lin Zhi also displayed his kung fu and performed a set of fist techniques.

actually!

His actual martial arts skills are far superior to Wang Baoqiang's, but most of his skills are practical and his performance skills may be less entertaining.

Of course, it's more than enough to handle a small stuntman in a regular film crew.

really……

The middle-aged man in the passenger seat of the pickup truck, seeing that the two of them truly possessed genuine skills, nodded in satisfaction: "Get in, get in... Don't you know any martial arts yet?"

"I've studied a little..."

At that moment, another tall, thin man came out. Without being asked, he took out a nunchaku and, like Bruce Lee, started twirling it while making some noises.

To be honest, this tall, thin guy was quite skilled with nunchucks, swinging them back and forth in his hands, moving them so tightly that they were impossible to hit himself...

"Okay, you get on the bus too... Is there anyone else who knows martial arts?"

No one else stepped forward. Seeing this, the middle-aged man in the passenger seat of the pickup truck picked up Lin Zhi, Wang Baoqiang, and the tall, thin man, and quickly left the scene, heading towards the film set.

"Hey bro, what kind of film crew are we in? What kind of movie are we filming?"

On the way, Wang Baoqiang, Lin Zhi, and the tall, thin man squeezed into the back seat of the pickup truck, and Wang Baoqiang asked them questions out of curiosity.

The middle-aged man with a short beard in the passenger seat squinted, seemingly asleep or something, and ignored Wang Baoqiang's question without responding.

Wang Baoqiang was rebuffed, and Chong Linzhi stuck out his tongue and then stopped talking.

People with even a little power in a film crew are usually like this; Lin Zhi has seen it so many times these days that he's gotten used to it.

Before long, the pickup truck arrived at Jietai Temple in the Western Hills of Beijing.

Upon arriving at their destination, Lin Zhi got out of the car and was surprised to find that it was the famous "Journey to the West" film crew.

Because the first season of "Journey to the West," filmed in 82, was a huge hit and broke viewership records, it was only natural that a sequel was made. It's currently being filmed in full swing, with many scenes shot on location in Beijing…

"Wow, it's Journey to the West..."

After Wang Baoqiang jumped off the pickup truck, she was so happy that she almost jumped up and down when she saw the main characters, such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, all dressed up in makeup in the distance.