1. Time flies, and the legendary heroes of the year have grown old
In 1992, Li Lianhui, who was famous across the Taiwan Strait, acted in the films "Undefeated in the East" and "Once Upon a Time" series, and his exquisite skills made him famous. However, fate played a cruel joke on him - his agent Cai Ziming was shot to death, and the relationship with his old employer, Golden Harvest Company, also reached an impasse.
As a world-renowned martial arts superstar, how could Jet Li endure being swayed by others? So, he decisively decided to set up his own film production company.
With the help of Yang Dengkui, a heavyweight in the film and television industry, and producer Cui Baozhu, Jet Li finally succeeded in creating his personal company "Zhengdong" and served as the chairman under the name "Li Yangzhong".
Although "Zhengdong" lived a short life, lasting only five years, the five works released during this period are all exemplary works of Chinese action films.
It is worth mentioning that the first work "Fang Shiyu" in 1993 selected the theme of costume martial arts, which attracted much attention at that time, and deliberately incorporated rich comedy elements in order to avoid aesthetic fatigue among the audience.
The film's director lineup can be called luxurious, not only invited Yuan Kui as the director and martial arts instructor, but also invited Xu Anhua to serve as the planner. The screenwriting team is also strong, jointly created by Liu Zhenwei and Cai Kangyong.
The cast is even more star-studded, bringing together many stars from across the Taiwan Strait, such as Hu Huizhong, Xiao Fangfang, Li Jiaxin, Guo Tao, Wang Qian, Zheng Shaoqiu, Wang Quanyou, etc., who jointly performed the flowers of the Chinese film industry.
And Zhao Wenzhuo, who emerged in "Fang Shiyu", left an indelible impression on the audience by playing the role of the cold and ruthless Ordo.
Now, looking back at the passionate era 29 years ago, the once heroic "Kung Fu Emperor" Jet Li has entered old age and has become an elder who rarely appears in public. The last time he appeared on the screen was in the live-action version of "Mulan" in 2020, and then disappeared from people's sight, and it seems that he has devoted all his efforts to the enjoyment of life in his later years.
Second, the stars are gathered and full of vitality
The crew of "Fang Shiyu" that year can be described as bright and vibrant. In addition to Yuan Kui, a talented director and martial arts instructor, the famous screenwriter Xu Anhua also participated in the planning.
The cast also brings together many stars from across the Taiwan Strait.
Hu Huizhong, a martial arts star who was once a smash hit in the Hong Kong film industry, has successfully transformed since starring in the "Overlord Flower" series and joined the crew of "Fang Shiyu". She has short fluffy hair, and her capable personality reveals a bit of ruthlessness and courage like a female killer.
At just 19 years old, Xiao Fangfang has been making a name for herself in the film industry since she was 6 years old, and despite her poor family and difficult childhood, her natural talent for witty comedy has attracted attention.
Li Jiaxin, known as "Hong Kong's No. 1 Beauty", with her delicate melon seed face and graceful figure, can instantly capture the hearts of many young men and women.
And Guo Tao's slightly baby fat image adds a bit of comedy effect and makes him more eye-catching.
In addition to those stars who have long been famous, this film also provides a stage for many newcomers to show their talents. Zhao Wenzhuo is one of them, he played the role of Ordo, brave and fearless, gloomy and ruthless, which immediately won him the praise of "acting rookie".
The choice of supporting roles is also carefully chosen. Liu Hongmei's heroine Luo Bing not only shines in the film and television industry, but also has made remarkable achievements in the field of education.
Actor Wang Quanyou, who once left a deep impression on the audience in "Water Margin", also had a wonderful performance in this film.
Not to mention that there are many small roles, so that Pan Yueming, Yang Qing, etc., who later became film and television superstars, are fortunate to participate in the performance. The whole crew can be described as a "group of flowers" in the Chinese film industry at that time, and the energetic lineup indicates that this work will be a great success.
3. Half a life of ups and downs, encounters are like songs
As that energetic era gradually faded away, each member of the crew of "Fang Shiyu" also experienced their own ups and downs in life.
At the peak of Hu Huizhong's career, his love life was full of twists and turns. Her first "husband" was the gangster Tang Chongsheng, when the two first met, Hu Huizhong was only 18 years old, and Tang Chongsheng's meticulous care for her soon made her heartbeat.
However, the marriage lasted only two years before breaking down in 1996. What's even more regrettable is that in 1997 after the divorce, in order to save Hu Huizhong's heart, Tang Chongsheng resolutely decided to "wash his hands in a golden basin" and change his career to business, but after all, he failed to reunite with her.
Until 1999, Tang Chongsheng was tragically killed in a shooting incident, and his brothers dressed in black saw him off at his funeral, but Hu Huizhong, the former "sister-in-law", did not attend.
Following that year, Hu Huizhong resolutely chose to marry He Zhiping and began to enjoy a peaceful and stable new life. However, fate played a big joke on the couple in 2017, and Ho Zhiping was caught in the whirlpool of corruption scandals.
In the face of the predicament, Hu Huizhong did not flinch, she ran around to seek assistance for her husband, and even did not hesitate to sell her luxury home at a low price, just to find an excellent lawyer who could help her tide over the difficulties, after a long wait and hard work, the lawsuit finally came to an end in 2019, and He Zhiping was only sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Another high-profile actor Zhao Wenzhuo, his emotional journey is also emotional. He and the late diva Anita Mui once had a warm and sincere love, and the relationship between the two had almost reached the point of talking about marriage, however, due to a small misunderstanding, they finally chose to break up.
After Anita Mui passed away, Zhao Wenzhuo offered her affectionate elegy of "the love of this life, go all the way" at her funeral In addition, Zhao Wenzhuo also had scandals with many actresses such as Wu Qili, but after all, it failed to achieve a positive result.
Fourth, the contrast between the past and the present, the world is impermanent
Looking back on the crew in the past, the energetic and passionate atmosphere forms a strong contrast with the desertion of the present, which makes people sigh that time flies and the world is impermanent.
Li Jiaxin, the peerless "Hong Kong's first beauty" in that era, has now married into a wealthy family, away from the hustle and bustle of the entertainment industry, and lives a rich and worry-free life. It stands to reason that she should be the luckiest person, but in an interview, Li Jiaxin still couldn't hide the loneliness deep in her heart.
She sighed helplessly: "We stars seem to be destined to have too shallow fate to have a happy marriage."
Compared with Li Jiaxin's gradual retirement, Guo Tao, who was also a young student back then, shined. He was initially disliked for his round baby face, but he never gave up sharpening his acting skills, and finally made his mark in the 2006 low-budget comedy "Crazy Stone", successfully transformed into a powerful actor, and established a solid position in the entertainment industry.
Today, his film appointments are endless, and his career is thriving.
As for those actors who used to play supporting roles, they have also achieved remarkable results now. After retiring from the film industry, Liu Hongmei chose to return to her alma mater, the Central Academy of Drama, as a teacher, to continue to shine in the field of stage drama and cultivate new talents.
And Wang Quanyou, who plays the jade-faced Yama, has won the recognition of the audience with his outstanding performance in the TV series "Bright Sword" after years of drama training, and now although he has entered old age, he is still living a leisurely life in his old age.
Even the former child star Pan Yueming and Yang Qing, who played the role of a maid, have now entered the harvest season of their lives, and they participate in some wonderful film and television works from time to time.
The "servant" Chen Long, who used to be teary-eyed and cute in the play, has been away from us for many years, but his silly naivety attitude is still deeply imprinted in the hearts of many fans.
Fifth, the light is bizarre, and the red dust is rolling
The entertainment industry has always been a place full of mystery, even if you have extraordinary martial arts and profound Taoism, who can resist the blazing baptism of red dust?
Back to that era, the crew of "Fang Shiyu" was bright and vibrant, and it can be called the popular fried chicken in the Chinese film industry. However, with the passage of time, everyone's fate is like a bubble floating in the vast ocean, which may still maintain its dazzling light at some point, but it will eventually break and dissipate.
Take Xiao Fangfang, who was known as the "Hong Kong Girl with a Thousand Faces" as an example, she is now an old man with silver hair, and her past style has long been gone. Her two marriages were more like brief episodes in life.
Her first husband Qin Xianglin took good care of her, and Xiao Fangfang mistakenly thought that this was the end of her happiness. However, Qin Xianglin later revealed his true colors as a playboy, and even had an affair with Lin Qingxia, and finally the two parted ways.
The second husband Zhang Zhengfu seems to be from a famous family, but in fact, his private life is also unavoidable. However, it was these two ups and downs that made Xiao Fangfang deeply experience the ups and downs of love, thus honing her perseverance.
Since then, she has become independent and self-reliant, and has achieved today's "legendary" life.
Chen Songyong, who played Lei Laohu, was also ill-fated. In the first half of his life, he was displaced, and after stepping into the film and television industry by chance, he became famous overnight, but he encountered the ups and downs of his life.
In 2006, he suffered a stroke and became paralyzed, and since then he has relied on the care of foreign nannies.
On his deathbed, he left all his possessions to this "daughter", which shows how much he cherishes this affectionate kindness.
Sixth, the stars of the past are still stingy now
Judging from the follow-up development of the crew members of "Fang Shiyu", everyone's fate has all gone through the baptism of ups and downs, and no one can really get rid of the blazing test of the red dust.
There are also some people, such as Guo Tao, who have gradually grown from neglected supporting roles in the past to highly respected actors, with a steady stream of film appointments; there are also old actors such as Chen Songyong and Zhao Wenzhuo, who are still on the front line of the film and television industry; of course, there are also those stars who were once smash hits, such as Hu Huizhong and Xiao Fangfang, their life paths are also full of twists and turns.
Hu Huizhong's emotional road can be described as bumpy, she once fell in love with the gangster Tang Chongsheng, but in the end it ended in a breakup, and even when Tang Chongsheng was dead on the street, she did not show up to mourn;
Xiao Fangfang's two marriages were also short and full of regrets, her ex-husband Qin Xianglin had taken care of her in every way, but soon after the marriage, he revealed his true colors, and her current husband Zhang Zhengfu seems to be decent on the outside, but he is actually a romantic character on the inside.
It was these two failed marriages that made her deeply experience the bitter taste of love, thus shaping the "legendary" woman she is today.
As for the actors who used to play supporting roles, although they were unknown in the past years, they have also achieved good results in their respective fields.
Liu Hongmei returned to Chinese opera as a teacher after retiring from the film industry, and also showed outstanding talent on the drama stage, Wang Quanyou successfully became a household name among the well-known actors with the role of "Iron Triangle" played in the TV series "Bright Sword".
Even the child star Pan Yueming and Yang Qing, who played the maid, are now over half a hundred years old, and occasionally make cameo appearances in film and television dramas. And although the "servant of Chen Long" who used to cry in the play has left us, his humble and cute image is still unforgettable and can't help laughing.