"Royal Sir" He Guorong committed suicide by burning charcoal: a record of the difficult survival of marginals in the entertainment industry

Little Chinese New Year's Eve, TVB children can't laugh......

In the early hours of the morning, I swiped a shocking and sad news: the familiar "ghost guy Ah sir" Ha Kwok Wing burned charcoal at his residence in Saigon.

The family immediately called the police, but by the time rescuers arrived, he had died of exhaustion at the age of 58. There was no suicide note at the scene, and the insider revealed to Hong Kong media that Ha Kwok-wing's wife died of illness a few months ago, and it is not ruled out that he missed his beloved wife and went to a dead end.

Because of his particularly gentlemanly appearance, He Guorong often played elite roles such as senior superintendents, ambassadors, and foreign businessmen in TVB when he was young, and everyone was used to his extravagant appearance, but in fact, his Hong Kong drifting experience was quite bumpy.

What makes us even sadder is that in recent years, several familiar licorice actors have left us in the sad way of burning charcoal.

The queen sir passed away, did he go to chase his deceased wife?

He Guorong used to play the role of a British superintendent, in fact, he is from Kimpey, Queensland, Australia, and has two younger sisters at home.

Influenced by international students in college, he was very fond of Cantonese and was curious about Hong Kong.

River Guorong is a super fan of Leslie Cheung, because the English name happens to be called Gregory, friends suggested that he simply call his Chinese name Guorong, and River is the translation of the English surname "Rivers", so there is the name River Guorong.

In 1985, Leslie Cheung went to Australia for a concert, and in order to get close to his idol, River Kwok Rong tried every possible way and finally became Leslie Cheung's special driver in Australia.

He drove Leslie Cheung to work every day, one day on vacation, his brother asked him to drive with sightseeing, the two have been driving from Sydney to Canberra, after drinking coffee, his brother proposed to drive his own return, so he happily sat in the passenger seat, the two chatted while driving, chatting for more than three hours.

recalled this past on April 1 last year, he still felt "so happy", and then hoped that everyone would always remember Leslie Cheung...... Now both Kokuei are gone.

A year after Leslie Cheung's concert, he once again became Alan Tam's free driver when he held a concert in Australia, and the unforgettable experience with the two superstars made Leslie Tam yearn for Hong Kong even more.

In the late 80s, when he decided to move to Hong Kong, he first taught English at a business school and sought a settlement opportunity. Alan Tam is a very good person, seeing that he is fluent in Cantonese, he invited him to be a guest at the concert for three consecutive nights and sang "Never Want You".

Until he saw the Cantonese-speaking foreigners at the TVB job fair, he did not hesitate to go for an interview. After several collaborations, he finally officially signed a contract with TVB in August 1988, becoming the first foreign artist to sign a contract with TVB.

He plays a variety of supporting roles, but the biggest impression of mainland audiences on him is, of course, all kinds of sirs.

"Forensic Pioneer II", "Criminal Intelligence Bureau", "The Great Era", "Wonderful Hands and Benevolence I" and many other dramas are played by him, and netizens also call him TVB's queen sir.

In addition to Ah Sir, he has actually played a murderer.

In "Forensic Record", he plays the role of Vanness, the owner of a fashion store, because his wife has a habit of splitting his legs, and he likes to wear rose perfume every time he splits his legs, which causes him to kill when he smells this perfume.

This case also made rose perfume and butterfly jewelry together and become a shadow for girls.

He Guorong once laughed at himself that he was the most powerful foreigner.

And in addition to being an actor, he has always had a dream of being a singer. He once recorded a cover of Cantonese songs at his own expense, but unfortunately his body kept suffering from physical obstacles, such as severe acid reflux, which burned his throat, which affected the album release plan.

After the contract with TVB expired, he did not renew the contract, but he has always emphasized that "without TVB, there would be no River Guorong", but due to the influence of the market economy, it is difficult for TVB to maintain its former glory.

The screenshot is a driver in a variety show

After leaving TVB, he tried to do stage plays, held concerts and developed in the mainland, and also became Chow Yun-fat's English teacher, following him to teach English on Hollywood sets.

He Guorong is very fond of Cantonese, and has also promoted the importance of Cantonese many times, and has also made a lot of videos to teach netizens how to learn Cantonese skills.

Although he was not popular, he finally had no worries about food and clothing, and various rich stage experiences also made him live a happy life...... Until bad luck struck, his life began to systematically collapse.

He believed in the wrong friend, borrowed and invested, not only did all the money he earned go down the drain, but he also went into debt.

In 2017, he suffered from basal cell carcinoma, and later had 2 surgeries because of irregular heart rhythm.

When he was at his poorest, he didn't even have a hundred dollars in his pocket, and he was in debt.

The only thing that makes him happy is that no matter how difficult the days are, his wife is always by his side.

Mrs. Ha Kwok Wing was met in a Cantonese cram school when he first came to Hong Kong for development, and registered for marriage a year later.

Some netizens once ridiculed Mrs. Ha Kwok Young's appearance, but he said that it was his greatest luck to meet his wife in this life, even if he chose to be an actor with a meager income, his wife had no complaints from beginning to end.

When the economy was at its most difficult, He Guorong and his wife went to set up a stall to sell handmade jewelry, because they were all made by his wife, even if netizens wanted to find him wholesale, he could only shake his head, "Impossible, the quantity is limited."

Because of his limited funds, he didn't think about opening a store, but just tried his best to live every day.

Some enthusiastic netizens wanted to donate to him after knowing about it, but he refused, and he hoped that the enthusiastic netizens would donate the money to people and charities who were more in need.

If you really want to support him, you can buy tickets to support the movies or albums he has made, or see his wife's handmade jewelry, but persuade netizens to "don't buy it if it doesn't suit your taste".

He and his wife really have the backbone of Hong Kong people.

It is rumored that he still can't make ends meet when he sets up a stall, so he changed careers to drive a taxi, and there are pictures and videos, but in fact, he just went to record a variety show.

In 2015, the online platform "Mao Ji TV" produced the music program "Golden Melody", and created a large number of adaptations of spoof pop songs, among which "ATV Eternal" sung by him was the most popular, and he was also awarded for it.

When he won the award, he took the stage to thank his wife for her dedication, and his wife took a happy look in the audience to take pictures of the whole process with her mobile phone.

In recent years, he has also been invited by mainland production companies to take over the filming of films such as "Anti-Black" and "My Motherland and Me".

In 2018, he also held his own solo concert "River Kwok Wing 31.31 Dare to Dream Concert" to commemorate the 31st anniversary of his arrival in Hong Kong, and Koo Juji also went to be a guest. He also confessed to his wife again.

Due to his wife's poor health, the two never had children, but adopted a lot of stray dogs, and the couple treated them as relatives.

Most of the stray dogs are not in good health, so he has to spend the money he earns on the treatment of stray dogs. Originally, the money he owed for the operation was almost paid off, because he had to treat 13 stray dogs, and he was in debt again, owing 800,000 yuan.

However, he owes all credit card companies, rarely borrows money from friends, and does not want to trouble his relatives in Australia.

After the outbreak of the epidemic, his work suffered a heavy blow and he stopped working for half a year, but he still faced it positively. If you have a film, you will shoot it, and if you don't, you will find other ways to make money to support your family, such as being a video blogger, filming a self-sufficient life as a farmer with your wife.

In fact, his health has been poor, and in recent years he has suffered from depression, basal cell carcinoma of his right ear, acid reflux and other diseases.

Although he is not in a good state and has reduced updates on social platforms, he is still filming, and the last scene was "Under the Super Nervous Machine Robbery" with Zhang Jingxuan last year.

More than 10 hours before his death, he also shot the latest advertising film for the foreign Chinese online supermarket, in which he played a multi-role teaching New Year's goods.

Unexpectedly, less than a day after the advertisement was launched, he passed away in the most decisive way, and his friends had notified his two younger sisters living in Australia to come over to deal with the aftermath.

In fact, since the beginning of the unblocking, He Guorong's commercial performances have increased, and even a neighbor who has known him for nearly 20 years invited him to serve as the spokesperson of the electronic door lock with a million rewards...... Therefore, the last straw that crushed him should be because of the death of his wife.

Married for more than 30 years, no matter how difficult life is and how painful the body is, as long as the person you love the most is still around, the world doesn't seem to be so bad. The departure of his wife also removed the only pillar of his spiritual world.

The showbiz is not all 208, they are all barely alive

Unless you climb to the top in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, the workers in front of and behind the scenes are just ordinary workers, not to mention 208, if you are not careful, you will fall into financial difficulties, and life is very difficult.

On May 18 last year, 59-year-old Nel Nel Zhang Xuerun committed suicide by burning charcoal at home, according to the news because of financial difficulties.

Zhang Xuerun is a Hong Kong artist and a well-known image director, and his father is Zhang Zidai, a Hong Kong football king, so his childhood life is quite happy.

Later, his parents divorced due to emotional discord, so he immigrated to Canada with his mother and studied fashion design there. In 1988, he returned to Hong Kong to participate in the "Asia-Pacific Song Contest" and was also shortlisted for the quarterfinals.

By chance, he also met supermodel Liu Juanjuan, and was invited to serve as the image designer of "Miss Asia Contest", and later had a good relationship with many contestants from Sister Asia, Luo Lin and Yang Cheng were nominated by him to participate in the beauty pageant.

Zhang Xuerun has also made guest appearances in movies and served as a host, but there has been no eye-catching role, but the image design work has been done well, he has served singers Tang Baoru and Guan Shuyi as image directors, and has served as image consultants for Chen Huixian, Aaron Kwok and others.

It's just that because of habit, he didn't have much savings, and the investments he made failed one after another.

When the epidemic struck, he invested 6 figures to cooperate with friends to launch disinfectant supplies, and finally lost all his money. Later, I opened a video platform, which looked good, and I also cooperated with some businesses, but I couldn't receive money.

An insider revealed to the Hong Kong media that as an image guide, he was so poor that he couldn't even afford new clothes for a whole year, so the Hong Kong media speculated that the cause of his death was financial hardship.

But Rowling and Zhang Xuerun's family emphasized that he had no financial and emotional problems, and speculated that he committed suicide after a depressive episode.

Those who are famous in the entertainment industry, have heads and faces, all have financial problems, and it is even more difficult for extras at the bottom, even if they want to live, even if they "live like livestock", but the hardships of life are often beyond the body's endurance.

In 2019, a 64-year-old extra died suddenly after finishing work in the early morning on the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui.

That night, he made a cameo appearance as a tea guest in "Anti-Black Passerby A", and he didn't finish work until 4 o'clock in the morning, and wanted to lie down on the seaside bench in Tsim Sha Tsui to take a break, but the temperature was a little cold that day, and he couldn't wake up after lying down.

Hong Kong media also made a headline with "There are frozen bones on the road" with embarrassment.

According to insiders, Liu Hezhi also participated in the filming of "Love Home: Happy Express", which was only 34.5 Hong Kong dollars (about 31.7 yuan) for 1 hour, with a maximum of 10 hours a day, but he has been homeless for several months and often sleeps on the streets......

It is not excluded that some licorice actors themselves have money and leisure, and filming is enjoyable (such as Sister Helen who plays the cleaner with Hermes on her back), but most of them are just trying to "get two meals".

Struggling in emotional ruins

In addition to financial troubles, there are many people in the circle who will be troubled by emotional illness. Originally, people in the literary and artistic circles are naturally sensitive to emotions and sensibilities, and there are a lot of gossips in the circle, once trapped by emotions, it will be really difficult to get out.

Last Christmas, former Asian sister Li Shuxian originally asked her friends to have a barbecue together, and her friends didn't notice that she was emotionally abnormal, but the next day came the news that she burned charcoal and was sent to the hospital at the age of 47.

In the 1995 Miss Asia competition, Li Shuxian, Gong Xuehua and Yang Gongru were all big favorites, and in the end, she lost to Yang Gongru and debuted as the runner-up and signed with ATV.

After entering the circle, she starred in many film and television dramas such as "Waiting for You to Come Back" and "Who is the Murderer", and also served as the host of "Afternoon Tea", but her development was not very good...... It is also understandable that ATV was still too mushy at that time, and unless she played the heroine in a super IP, there were not many opportunities to rise to the top.

The only memory point is Fang Ting, the girlfriend who played the role of Hong Xing's dragon leader Jiang Tiansheng (played by Ren Dahua) in "Crazy Boy 3: One Hand Covers the Sky".

The scene in which she was coerced by the "crow" in the film became a major selling point of the film, and she also became one of the representatives of the "sister-in-law" in Hong Kong films because of the role of Fang Ting.

In 1998, Li Shuxian married Hong Kong martial arts actor Lu Huiguang, and then faded out of the entertainment industry to be a full-time housewife, and the two had two children after marriage, but this marriage finally lasted only 8 years due to less gathering and more separation and personality incompatibility, and the children were raised by Lu Huiguang.

In 2007, Lai Shuxian married Xu Zhizheng, who works as a beauty doctor, and gave birth to two more children after marriage. Lai treated her four children the same and would take them on trips with her two younger half-brothers. 

In 2012, her husband was photographed kissing a female employee on the street, and Li Shuxian moved out of the house in a fit of anger, but in the end she chose to forgive.

Unexpectedly, in 2013, her husband was once again exposed to a female employee, and was photographed by Hong Kong media to buy sex toys to meet female employees. Li Shuxian took off her wedding ring and left a message on Weibo "Pig Rancid (潲)", suspected of fighting back against Xiao San.

When Hong Kong media and netizens speculated that she would divorce, she still chose to forgive, and Xu Zhizheng has not had other scandals since then, and the two have also shown a lot of affection.

Last year, she also made a comeback to filming, making a cameo appearance in the drama "Law and Love" starring Xie Anqi , Guan Zhibin and others.

In addition to returning to the front of the camera to perform, she also enrolled in the International Jewellery Course, which she completed in July last year. She looked happy on the day of graduation and was ready to continue her studies at the next level, ready to open up a more magnificent world of gemstones.

It turned out that she and her husband had long since separated, and had been suffering from depression for many years.

After her death, the house also became a murderous house and was put up for sale at a price 10 million below the market price.

It wasn't until her death that the public knew that Lai had been emotionally ill for 20 years, and no one knew what kind of mental anguish she experienced after the lively Christmas party that day.

Sister E's conclusion:

According to the teacher who listened to the crisis intervention, "charcoal burning suicide" actually requires technical support, and in the process, the person who committed suicide may change his mind in time due to unbearable physical pain (burning sensation of internal organs and suffocation) and other reasons.

As for "charcoal burning", it is always easier to succeed in Hong Kong, probably because Hong Kong people live in a relatively small space...... This sounds even more poignant.

One house, two people, three meals and four seasons, this sounds like an ordinary life, but it is an unattainable dream for many people, even in the bustling Hong Kong and the glamorous entertainment industry.

He Guorong and Zhang Xuerun also worked hard to live before their deaths, and even before they committed suicide, they can still be seen trying to pass on some positive and positive values.

It's just that sometimes the collapse is only in a thought, and they are just tired. Suicide was not the result of their cowardly compromise, but just at that moment, their strength and will to survive were exhausted.

He Guorong can't be harsh, although he was crushed by bad luck, he has worked hard to face and fight - but he will still sigh, if he had taken a deep breath for a minute, or if a wisp of music, breeze, and sunshine disturbed his mind, would everything be different?

Just like many charcoal packets in Hong Kong will be printed with the "suicide prevention line", for the frustrated, this is the last line of defense in life, maybe a listening and a word of comfort can make them immediately off the cliff in time.

Finally, I want everyone to remember Rilke's words:

There is no such thing as victory, and holding on means everything.

Today's topic:

What is your impression of these licorice actors?

Let's talk in the comment area~