1. Epilogue flashback: The eldest son competed for the power of the inheritance, and his friends generously supported the younger son
In 2009, Cheng Kuian, the film giant who was once popular in Asia, quietly passed away from us at the age of 54. His departure undoubtedly made countless fans and his friends deeply sad and regretful.
, a film legend who has created countless classic villains in his life, actually endured the pain caused by his biological son's ruthless struggle for his inheritance in the last stage of his life.
Originally, Cheng Kuian's two sons were supposed to inherit their father's rich inheritance. With his talent and hard work, he has successfully made many Hong Kong movies popular, and at the peak of his career, his daily salary was even as high as a staggering 500,000 Hong Kong dollars!
However, what is amazing is that the eldest son did not hesitate to monopolize all the inheritance of Cheng Kuian, and even the basic living expenses of the younger son were not paid.
In the face of this family dispute, many of Cheng Kuian's friends before his death tried to persuade his eldest son, hoping that he could consider it carefully. However, the eldest son, who only valued financial gain, completely ignored the advice of his father's old friends.
In the end, only Cheng Kuian's old friends, who have always maintained noble sentiments, spontaneously set up a growth fund for his youngest son to fund his daily living expenses, so that this family dispute can be settled.
Seeing the selfless dedication of these old friends, if Cheng Kuian was still alive, he would definitely be moved to tears. He has been a philanthropist all his life, and has extended a helping hand to friends in the circle and people in his hometown who need help countless times.
However, he could not have predicted that in the final journey of his life, he would have to witness the tragic situation of his children who had conflicts over inheritance issues and led to the breakdown of the family, which would undoubtedly make him resentful.
2. Cancer Insertion: After four years of fighting cancer, weight loss has plummeted
"Life is the greatest hope in life, and I will do my best to survive this difficult time." Cheng Kuian said firmly in an interview with the media. His tenacious vitality is truly admirable, but fate does not seem to have given him enough tolerance and patience.
In 2005, Cheng Kuian suddenly felt extremely unwell at a shooting scene, with severe vomiting and dizziness, and was diagnosed by a doctor that he unfortunately suffered from nasopharyngeal cancer! After learning this cruel truth, this superstar, who once called for wind and rain in the film industry, was filled with fear and uneasiness in his heart.
However, he never showed the slightest weakness and immediately cooperated with the doctor to initiate the first chemotherapy treatment.
However, the process of chemotherapy is extremely painful and torturous. Cheng Kuian, who is 1.85 meters tall and has a strong physique, gradually lost weight like a skeleton under the erosion of the disease.
The heroic might of the past is gone, replaced by a skinny, emaciated image. His weight plummeted from more than 200 pounds to less than 100 pounds. However, even in the face of such a difficult situation, Cheng Kuian remained steadfast in his belief and never gave up his desire for recovery.
During his hospitalization, his close friends Zhang Jiahui, Zeng Zhiwei and others came to visit him one after another, and gave him precious gifts such as Ganoderma lucidum and cash, wishing him a speedy recovery and peace of mind to receive treatment.
However, Cheng Kuian still stuck to himself and resolutely decided to reduce his salary and continue to devote himself to filmmaking, just to be able to leave more living expenses for his family. "The illness is ruthless, but I still want to work hard to make money, which is really a bit of a childishness.
He often laughed at himself.
After four years of stubborn struggle with cancer, Cheng Kuian was finally forced to leave the hospital temporarily due to physical exhaustion, and planned to return to his hometown in the New Territories to recuperate. At that time, many media reporters wanted to go to cover the report, but they were blocked by local villagers.
Because in the years when Cheng Kuian was chasing his dreams when he was young, this small fishing village was his starting point. As a generous benefactor, the villagers were grateful to him and naturally wanted to dispel the troubles of the last stages of his life.
3. The Golden Age Narrative: Becoming popular as a villain will meet the storm
In the 80s of the last century, the Hong Kong film industry was in its golden age of glory. Many powerful actors competed on this stage and became household names.
Such as Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Chow Yun-fat and others, they are calling for wind and rain in the film industry, dominating the leader, adding countless legends to the history of film.
In this brilliant era of acting, Cheng Kuian, who is over 30 years old, became famous overnight with his excellent villain role. In 1985, he successfully created a "Dasha" character with a hideous appearance and a pure and kind heart in the movie "Jiren Tianxiang".
Although he is only a supporting role, his superb acting skills make the audience unforgettable.
The director of the film, Li Xiuxian, was full of praise for Cheng Kuian's wonderful performance, not only spoke highly of him in person, but also taught him acting skills in person, and accepted him as a disciple, becoming the second important mentor in Cheng Kuian's acting career.
Since then, the master and apprentice have established a deep teacher-student friendship.
After this wonderful master-apprentice encounter, Cheng Kuian's acting career ushered in a new space for development. The following year, the artist challenged the role of the ruthless villain of the gangster in the classic "True Colors of Heroes" and the sequel "True Colors of Heroes 2", and his outstanding performances made the audience unforgettable!
In the process of competing with Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung and many other superstars on the same stage, although Cheng Kuian is only a supporting role, his existence has not tarnished the entire stage, but with his unique temperament of being fierce and wild in appearance and full of kindness in his heart, he is deeply imprinted in the hearts of the audience.
Since then, Cheng Kuian has almost become the "queen" of Hong Kong directors, and his name has become synonymous with box office guarantees.
There is a saying that is widely circulated in the industry: "If Cheng Kuian is not invited to participate, then this movie is destined to be a great success." It is precisely because of his accurate interpretation of the villain role that Cheng Kuian became famous in one fell swoop, and his value skyrocketed.
At the peak of his career, his single-day salary was even as high as a staggering 500,000 Hong Kong dollars.
However, what is admirable is that despite doubling his wealth after becoming famous, he has never been fooled by money and has always maintained a humble and approachable personality. Whether in the crew or in the entertainment industry, Cheng Kuian has never flaunted his wealth or status, he has always mingled with actors who debuted at the same time such as Tony Leung and Ekin Cheng, and has never shown a very high self-esteem and arrogant attitude.
On the contrary, it is precisely because of his open-minded and generous personality traits that he has won the respect and love of countless friends. Fourth, the beginning of the interlude: poor background, after prison
Cheng Kuian was born in a poor fishing village in Hong Kong's New Territories, and his family lived in a difficult situation. As the eldest son, he had to take care of four younger brothers and a younger sister, while his parents depended on cultivating meagre land to make ends meet.
In order to reduce the burden on his family, Cheng Kuian began to work outside to earn money since he was a child.
At first, he worked as a lowest-level odd worker at Shaw Brothers Film Company, earning a meager salary of only 60 yuan a month. At that time, he had no interest in acting, and his daily work was to carry props, clean up, and at most act as an extra.
However, even a meager income of only 60 yuan is already a considerable wealth in the eyes of Cheng Kuian and his family. In order to allow his brothers and sisters to receive education, Cheng Kuian can only grit his teeth and stick to this boring job.
However, day after day, year after year, there came a time when he could no longer endure such a life and decided to give up the job.
However, before he could get a chance to implement this plan, a group of hooligans blocked his way and offered to pay him $600 a month and invite him to join their team. This is undoubtedly ecstatic news for a person who has been in poverty for a long time! Cheng Kuian accepted the proposal with almost no hesitation.
However, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he learned that his so-called "job" was actually working as a security guard in a dance hall. Despite his burly stature and hideous countenance, he did not show any outstanding talent in the industry, but gradually gained notoriety.
However, in a fierce physical altercation, in order not to implicate his companions, Cheng Kuian resolutely chose to take full responsibility and was finally sentenced to four years in prison. The day after he was imprisoned, his wife gave birth to a healthy and lovely boy for him.
Thinking that he was in prison at the moment when his wife needed him the most, Cheng Kui's peace of mind must be full of endless remorse and helplessness.