Originally published in "China Youth" magazine 2022 issue 18
Hou Jingjian : Feel the spirit and strength of role models
Text - Han Xuezhu Bao Mengxuan
When Hou Jingjian is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of the young Mao Zedong he created. As a "post-85" actor, he has successively appeared in " Iron Shoulders Bearing Morality ", "Mao Zedong", " Autumn Harvest Uprising ", "'s Great Turning Point ", " Awakening Age ", " Glory and Dreams ", "" He played Mao Zedong in many TV dramas such as and , and was praised by the industry as the most influential young Mao Zedong actor in China. Played Mao Zedong 14 times, portraying the same character to the extreme.
Stills from "Age of Awakening", Hou Jingjian as young Mao Zedong
"Play a good role"
Hou Jingjian was only in his twenties when he played Mao Zedong for the first time. By chance, an elder recommended him. He never thought he could play Mao Zedong. In 2009, he played Mao Zedong, who was working in the library of Peking University, in the TV series "Iron Shoulder Bearing Morality". He was similar in age to him at that time, so he was relatively consistent in youth and vigor.
"This feeling of 'pie falling from the sky' makes me feel at a loss. I feel that even if my appearance is recognized, I am still too young and my understanding of modern Chinese history is not deep enough. This character is very important to me. It's just out of reach." He said that when he played Mao Zedong for the first time, the challenge was enormous, and more can only be deduced from imitating Mao Zedong's every move and through the similarity of appearance. What Hou Jingjian can do is to read more information, watch previous films and the performances of his predecessors, imitate those actions, try to truly understand the character of Mao Zedong, and try his best to be close to the role.
It is much harder to play a character a dozen times than to play a dozen or so characters. From the first time I played Mao Zedong, I had no experience and could only perform alone, and now playing Mao Zedong for the 14th time, Hou Jingjian said: "The difference from the first time is that now I hope to find a feeling of lifting weights with ease .I am no longer in a tense state when filming, but I will do enough preparations and put my energy into the filming instead of showing it on the surface."
"What I have to do is to keep learning and make the performance better. 'Be grounded'. From the masses, to the masses, so we must start from the perspective of the masses and understand what they want. We not only need artistic innovation, but also learn new ideas and understand the needs of the new era. Only To understand what the real mainstream values are, we can better integrate." When it comes to creation, Hou Jingjian has his own understanding.
Hou Jingjian
"Back to the beginning of history"
Hou Jingjian believes that as he has shaped Mao Zedong's characters again and again, Mao Zedong's strong personal charm has had a profound impact on him, giving him a steady stream of spirit both in and out of the play strength. He said: "There are too many shocking stories in these works of revolutionary history. By playing this role 14 times, I am fortunate to be able to experience the period from the youth Mao Zedong to the founding of New China in 1949, The rise of our Chinese nation. From the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921 to the present, how powerful the power of Marxist belief and the selfless dedication of countless revolutionary pioneers. We live in the happiest era, but we must constantly reflect on ourselves and return to the The starting point of history, feel the spirit and power of role models." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th Tenth National Congress of the China Writers' Association that young literary and art workers should be guided to keep the right path and walk the road , to encourage them to innovate more and produce high-quality products, and support them to play the leading role and be the protagonists.
"We not only need to preserve the tradition, but also find a new direction for literary and artistic creation in the new era. In school, the teacher often said that there are only small actors and no small roles. We must respect history and never forget our original intentions. Forge ahead and practice responsibility with practical actions." Hou Jingjian said.
"Tell Chinese stories well"
In recent years, a series of revolutionary historical works such as "Age of Awakening", "Glory and Dreams", " Ideals Shine on China " and " Merit " have frequently brokenOut of the circle, especially after the hit of "The Age of Awakening", the young Mao Zedong played by Hou Jingjian was widely praised. As one of the main creators, Hou Jingjian believes that the primary factors for creating "explosive" main theme film and television works are dedication and belief.
"This is not just for actors, but also for all teachers involved in the creation process. While creating works, respect for history and reverence for revolutionary ancestors are essential. The narration, post-editing and soundtracking, as well as the performance of the actors all need to be constantly innovated. What this industry needs is selfless communication, asking the market and audience for advice, and striving to make the main theme film and television works conform to the facts, the aesthetics of today's audience, and the The needs of the times."
When asked about the idea of "creative transformation and innovative development" proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping to carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture, Hou Jingjian replied: "In the early 1950s, Comrade Mao Zedong proposed to let a hundred flowers bloom, The policy of 'a hundred schools of thought contending with one hundred schools of thought', emphasizing the creation of a lively spiritual and cultural situation, has been warmly welcomed and supported by the majority of intellectuals. This shows that our party has played an important role in cultural construction in the early days of the founding of New China. There is a deep understanding of its laws. Today's 'two innovations' is a continuation. The premise of creative transformation and innovative development proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping is to remove the rough and extract the essence, and remove the false and preserve the true."
As an actor, Hou Jingjian's perception of life and things senses are more intense. Before telling Chinese stories well, it is more important to understand Chinese stories. The cognition of things directly affects the shaping of the character. If there is no usual observation and accumulation, it will not be able to interpret it more fully during the performance. He said: "We must connect the study and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech with the responsibilities, missions and creative focus of literature and art in the new era. Actors should consciously cultivate morality and self-cultivation, integrate art into the people with firm belief, and lead the cause of literature and art. Through continuous improvement of the ability to understand the essence of life, grasp the pulse of the times, and understand the voices of the people, the practice of learning and implementation will be transformed into the creative achievements of writing people's epics and telling Chinese stories well." The revolutionary themed TV series "Avenue of Fire" has been completed. With a deep sense of historical mission, the whole play focuses on the party's lofty ideals and lofty pursuits, showing the dedication of the Chinese Communist Party to the people and the nation.
Stills of "The Fire on the Great Road"
"The Fire on the Great Road" tells about the unique period from 1931 to 1935, from the nationwide anti-imperialist patriotic movement after the May 30 massacre to the time when the Red Army left the Central Soviet Area and embarked on the Long March Road. In the historical period of 1999, within the party, Mao Zedong was excluded and suppressed. But Mao Zedong always adhered to his beliefs, brought faith, support and light to the entire army, and led the people out of the predicament.
In "Avenue of Fire", how to express the complex state of mind of the characters from the inside out, and then highlight the special charm of the characters from the outside to the inside is the key to this performance, which is a big challenge for Hou Jingjian.
Hou Jingjian himself also admitted that it is still difficult to perfectly shape the image of Chairman Mao Zedong in different periods. "In addition to being watched by everyone, a film and television work can also make the audience feel the power of the spirit, which is the original intention and mission of our actors."
Hou Jingjian, actor from mainland China.
played Mao Zedong in many film and television works such as "Iron Shoulders Bearing Morality", "Mao Zedong", "Autumn Harvest Uprising", "Communist Liu Shaoqi", "The Great Turning Point", "Chunhui", "Awakening Age", "Glory and Dreams", "Numbers of Merry People", etc. .
has won the 32nd Huading Award, Best Actor in a Chinese Modern TV Series, "Excellent Actor" at the 8th Asian Micro Film Festival in 2020, and the title of Ambassador of Deyi Shuangxin in China's "
Xing Rui Award". 2017 New York TV Festival " Golden Oak Award " Most Promising Actor Award.
"China Youth" Magazine No. 18 in 2022
"Classic Youth Dream"
Director Producer: Pi Jun Hao Xianghong School: Zhang Sixu Liu Xiao Liu Bowen
Cover design: He Qing
editor: Shenxi
