On a cold night in 1961, the first cry of a baby came from Harbin, Heilongjiang, and Xu Jinjiang came to the world. Parents happily named their child "Jin Jiang", which means that he can be as talented as this magnificent river in the future.
Since childhood, Xu Jinjiang has shown an unusually strong talent for painting. The neighborhood could always see this thin scholarly boy sitting in the yard painting stroke by stroke, sometimes even losing track of time.
His paintings evoke a strong sense of tranquility and contagion, as if born with an artist's heart.
At the age of 10, Xu Jinjiang was fortunate to become a disciple of Guan Shanyue, a master of the Lingnan School. Under the careful guidance of Mr. Guan, his painting skills have become more and more perfect.
The sketches of the human body on the walls of the studio record the growth process of a child's persistent pursuit of art.
At the age of 20, Xu Jinjiang was admitted to the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts for further study. He is no longer the thin scholar in the memory of the neighborhood, but has been replaced by a distinctive artist's temperament.
Classmates say that Xu Jinjiang is the one most likely to become an outstanding artist.
However, the changes in life forced Xu Jinjiang to put down his paintbrush. The death of his father and the illness of his mother forced him to find a job where he could make money quickly.
In 1981, this young man, who originally dreamed of becoming an artist, temporarily changed his career to become an actor.
When he appeared on TV with his glasses on his glasses and plain clothes, everyone was shocked. No one would have thought that this seemingly rugged man would hide a soft and sensitive heart for art.
And he will also use his story to prove to the world that the appearance may not be the same as the heart, and everyone has infinite possibilities.
In 1983, amid many doubts, Xu Jinjiang officially debuted as an actor.
Because of his natural deep facial features, coupled with thick eyebrows and big eyes, which gives people a mysterious and unpredictable feeling, Xu Jinjiang could only accept some villain followers at first.
In order to get more performance opportunities, he did not hesitate to endure humiliation, and even had to repeat the plot of being defeated by the protagonist dozens of times. At first, Xu Jinjiang was always nervous and forgot words, and his movements were stiff, and he was criticized by the director for being "like a piece of wood".
But he was not discouraged, and just silently went back to Xi the script, rehearsing the movements repeatedly in front of the mirror, repeating the same fight scene again and again, until all the mistakes were corrected.
For a long time, Xu Jinjiang seemed to live a robot-like life, devoting himself to the study of acting skills. Xi before going to bed and getting up to rehearse have become a part of his life, and this has gradually made progress.
Finally, one day 8 years later, Xu Jinjiang and others came to a turning point in their lives. Director Mai Dangxiong took a fancy to the potential of Xu Jinjiang's acting skills and gave him the first villain protagonist in his life.
Taking on the big task for the first time, Xu Jinjiang was so nervous that his whole body trembled. But when the director shouted "Action", he turned into a villain, without the slightest panic, and successfully completed the performance.
Since then, Xu Jinjiang has become a must-have villain in many classic film and television works, and they have been vividly interpreted one by one. He found that the path of an actor is no easier than that of an artist, and only by constantly honing can he achieve success.
In 1997, a failed investment left Xu in huge debt. He thought hard about how to make money to pay off his debts in a short period of time, and finally chose to take on some tertiary films.
On the first day of joining the group, Xu Jinjiang was very embarrassed when he saw the script that required full nakedness, and even had the urge to run away. Over the years, he has been an upright and steady actor and has never had such an experience of blaspheming himself.
However, thinking of his sick old mother at home and the high debt backlog, Xu Jinjiang still mustered all the courage to persevere.
In order not to embarrass the actress, Xu Jinjiang will prepare in advance and keep a polite and professional distance from the other party. Even if there is a physiological reaction, he will take the initiative to ask for a break from the field to prevent the situation from getting out of control during the filming.
Despite his reluctance to play such movie roles, Xu Jinjiang never took the opportunity to take advantage of actresses. His integrity and professionalism have been praised by all the actresses.
After starring in more than 30 tertiary films, Xu Jinjiang finally paid off all his debts. Although this experience made him feel ashamed, it made Xu Jinjiang understand that an actor cannot lose the principle of being a person in any environment, and only by treating this profession honestly will he be recognized.
This became the most valuable lesson of his acting career.
In 1994, an encounter destined to change the fate of Xu Jinjiang took place in Yunnan.
It was a sunny afternoon, and Xu Jinjiang stumbled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel when he accidentally saw a group of female soldiers in military uniform walking through the door. One of the female soldiers with short hair and conspicuous dimples caught his eye.
Xu Jinjiang felt that his heartbeat became faster at that moment, and he mustered up the courage to chase him out, and confessed and proposed to the other party in full view of everyone. Although the female soldier rejected this inexplicable man on the spot, this move became the beginning of the fate of the two.
Half a year later, an unexpected encounter brought the two together in Beijing again. Xu Jinjiang once again solemnly submitted a marriage request to the female soldier Yin Zhuping. Yin Zhuping hesitated again and again, but still agreed to try to get engaged to Xu Jinjiang.
There was no long-term relationship, and the two got married in a flash. At the beginning, Yin Zhuping was full of suspicions about this land life, but seeing Xu Jinjiang's meticulous care for her, he gradually developed love.
Today, the two have grown old and become a model couple. When asked about the hasty decision to get married, Xu Jinjiang always said with a smile that some fate is destined to last for thousands of years, and there is no need for too much rational consideration, just follow your heart.
Looking back on his acting career, Xu Jinjiang couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.
From a young man who dreams of becoming an artist to an actor who needs to face the camera all the time, his life trajectory is full of ups and downs and changes.
At first, Xu Jinjiang needed to learn to adapt to the lens and overcome the discomfort of standing in front of the flash; Later, he learned Xi acting skills and dedication in the training of villain roles; In the most difficult moments, he chose to take on some reluctant Fengyue films, but still maintained his work ethic.
has been in this circle for many years, and Xu Jinjiang's most valuable insight is that actors must first be honest and dedicated and focused, no matter how the environment changes, this is the foundation of the foothold.
Nor did he regret his choice. Because Xu Jinjiang understands that whether it is art or performing arts, it all requires long-term hard work and perseverance, which is the process of realizing value.
On the road of life, looking back, there will always be some difficult or embarrassing times. But it was these experiences that made him who he is today.
Today, Xu Jinjiang hopes that his story can encourage more young people who are passionate about artistic exploration, not to give up their dreams because of obstacles and temptations, but to find their own light as long as they work hard and persevere.