Fifteen-year-old Li Qi ushered in an important turning point in his life. In that special era, literary and artistic work was stagnant, and the young Li Qi was still admitted to the Shaanxi People's Art Theater with his love for performance.
Although the country's literary and artistic work was at a standstill at that time, Li Qi did not give up his dream.
With the changes in the social environment, literary and artistic work has radiated new vitality, and the situation of a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending has provided a stage for Li Qi to display his talents. He returned to his beloved theater stage and interpreted vivid characters with his acting talents.
1980 was undoubtedly a milestone year for Li Qi, a 25-year-old young man, who won the National Drama "Plum Blossom Award", the highest honor in the Chinese theater industry, for his outstanding acting talent.
The moment he held the trophy, Li Qi was full of excitement and deeply felt his unlimited potential and infinite possibilities.
This award is not only an affirmation of Li Qi's years of hard work, but also gives him more motivation to continue to move forward. Li Qi, who is only twenty years old, stood on the stage, his eyes were firm and eager, as if he had seen a brighter future.
He understands that the stage of his life has just begun, and more challenges and opportunities are waiting for him to conquer.
This experience made Li Qi understand that sticking to his dreams and working hard will eventually lead to a reward. With his love and dedication to his acting career, Li Qi began his colorful acting career.
In 1991, the 36-year-old Li Qi decided to leave his familiar hometown and go to Beijing, a land full of opportunities and challenges. Li Qi, who had just arrived in Beijing, faced great difficulties.
He is not familiar with the city and his appearance is not outstanding, in this highly competitive metropolis, his life is quite difficult, he recalls those difficult years, his eyes show a little bitterness, but more of a persistence in his dreams.
When Li Qi was in a difficult situation, the god of fate reached out to him. His fellow countryman Guo Da learned of Li Qi's situation and took the initiative to come to the door to help. Guo Da suggested to Li Qi that he change his acting path and try to enter the sketch world.
This suggestion is like a beam of light in the night, pointing out a new direction for Li Qi.
With Guo Da's help, Li Qi gradually explored his own comedy style. The sketches "Snoring" and "Living in the Hotel" cooperated by the two were great successes, allowing the audience to appreciate Li Qi's unique comedy charm.
This decision not only allowed Li Qi to get out of the trough of his life, but also became a new starting point for his future career.
In 1996, Li Qi ushered in his first TV show "Variety Show". In the environment of the relative lack of variety shows at that time, this show was regarded as a source of joy, which made Li Qi's name gradually known to the public.
He also performed a sketch on the same stage with Ni Ping, who later became the first sister of CCTV, at the "Sun, Moon and Stars" party, further expanding his influence.
Looking back on this period of North Drifting, Li Qi's eyes flashed with gratitude and perseverance. He deeply understands that opportunity always favors those who are prepared. It is with his own efforts and talents, coupled with the help of nobles, that Li Qi was able to gain a firm foothold on the big stage of Beijing and laid a solid foundation for his future acting career.
1997 was an important turning point in the life of 42-year-old Li Qi. This year, he participated in the movie "Party A and Party B" directed by Feng Xiaogang, and played the role of a fat chef in the film that is still fresh in the audience's memory.
Li Qi used his years of acting skills to successfully create a character that was both unpretentious and full of joy, and his performance was both unpretentious and full of joy, which deeply touched the audience, and the success of this movie made Li Qi famous in one fell swoop, and his acting career has since entered the fast lane.
In the same year, Li Qi not only participated in the TV series "Water Margin", but also played the role of "Niu Er". Although there are not many scenes, his portrayal of the "hooligan" character goes deep into the bone marrow and makes the audience addicted.
Everyone praised: Niu Er played by Li Qi perfectly interprets the image of the little rascal and the rogue with his expressions and movements vividly showing the essence of "if you don't die, you won't die".
In the following years, Li Qi's acting career developed rapidly. In 1998, he joined the Army's Art Troupe. In 1999, he starred in "Six Groups of Serious Cases" and "Villagers Live in High-rise Buildings", in which he successfully created the image of an authentic farmer and won unanimous praise from the audience.
In 2000, he played Uncle Niu in the hit drama "A Family in the Northeast", which once again won the love of the audience.
In 2001, Li Qi's acting career ushered in a new highlight. He made his debut at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, and sang a special song "New Kangding Love Song" with Yin Xiangjie, Zang Tianshuo, Liu Hui, and Liu Jinshan.
Standing on that high-profile stage, Li Qi was thrilled in his heart, and he deeply felt the responsibility and glory of being an actor.
Since then, Li Qi has frequently appeared in the Spring Festival Gala, and his performances can always bring laughter to the audience. In 2013, Li Qi participated in the TV series "Shooting the Wolf" and successfully created an image of a money-hungry overseer. In 2018, he appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala again and performed the sketch "At Your Service" with many star artists.
Even in 2022, 67-year-old Li Qi is still active on the screen, participating in the tribute to the "20th National Congress" film "Chinese Youth: Me and My Youth".
Looking back on Li Qi's brilliant acting career, his eyes flashed with pride and gratitude. With his own efforts and talents, he has contributed indelible glory to the Chinese film and television industry.
Just as Li Qi's career was booming, there was also an important turning point in his personal life. During the recording of a show, Li Qi met Gao Li, who worked as a makeup artist.
The two fell in love at first sight, and only a month later, they walked into the palace of marriage hand in hand, Li Qi recalled the scene of his first encounter with Gao Li, and his eyes flashed with affection: "When she saw me, she thought I was like a hooligan, and she didn't dare to contact me, only to find out later that I was actually a very talented and kind person, although I looked like a big and three rough, but I was very good to everyone."
After getting married, Li Qi and Gao Li welcomed their son Gao Dai. In order to thank his wife for her silent dedication, Li Qi decided to let her son take his mother's surname. This decision fully reflects his cherishing of his family and respect for his wife.
Now, Gao Dai is also following in his father's footsteps and devoting himself to his acting career.
In addition to their biological son, Li Qi and Gao Li also adopted a daughter named Gao Ya. When she was a child, Gao Ya was very naughty and mischievous, and once ran out by herself, making the whole family anxious to look around.
When the little girl came back by herself, Li Qi was both relieved and angry, and adhered to the educational concept of "filial piety under the stick", and he gave his daughter an "education" on the spot.
However, under Li Qi's stern appearance, his love for his daughter is really beyond words. When Gao Ya wanted to be a soldier when she grew up, Li Qi did not hesitate to support her.
In this way, Gao Ya began a six-year military life, during which she honed her extraordinary will quality, and Li Qi felt very pleased to see her daughter's growth.
Today, Li Qi and Goryeo's children have worked and started a family. They enjoy family fun, and even when life is twists and turns, the family is always full of laughter. Under the dual nourishment of career and family, Li Qi's life has become more colorful.
Behind Li Qi's wonderful acting career and harmonious and warm family life, there is an inseparable problem - his deep dependence on tobacco and alcohol. For a long time, Li Qi has developed the habit of drinking at least 8 taels at every meal.
In a certain show, he once revealed that he had drunk at least 6,000 catties of liquor in his life, and what was even more amazing was that Li Qi had also practiced a special skill - "smelling wine and knowing the degree".
Li Qi's addiction to smoking is also very large, smoking an average of two packs of cigarettes a day, these seemingly ordinary hobbies, but they have buried hidden dangers for his health. Long-term excessive smoking and drinking led to his physical condition deteriorating, with hypertension, diabetes, gout, hyperlipidemia and other diseases one after another.
In the face of the dissuasion of his family and fans, Li Qi always laughed it off. Even while in the hospital, he would secretly smoke while his family and nurses were away. In order to help his father quit smoking, Li Qi's son spent a lot of money to buy a limited cigarette box, hoping to alleviate his father's smoking addiction by controlling the amount of cigarettes, but with little effect.
In a video blessing for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Qi reminded everyone to eat more meat and not drink alcohol, because drinking alcohol is not good for the body. However, he mischievously said "If you don't drink, you can't do it", showing the appearance of an "old naughty boy", this seemingly contradictory attitude may reflect Li Qi's inner struggle.
Compared with older artists of the same age, Li Qi looks older and in relatively poor health. Still, he struggled to let go of these hobbies that had accompanied him all his life.
When taking medicine, Li Qi will still pair it with wine, leaving the doctor's instructions behind.
Those habits that are difficult to change have become a major concern in Li Qi's later life. Although he knows that these behaviors are harmful to his health, the difficulty of quitting is probably only he can truly understand.
Although Li Qi's current physical condition is not as good as before, he still maintains a positive and optimistic attitude towards life. He often shares his colorful life on social platforms, including not only cooking food himself, but also writing about his life with a splash of ink, and even making a small barbecue and shooting interesting short videos.
These bits and pieces of daily life show the colorful life of Li Qi in his later years.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, when Li Qi sent holiday greetings to everyone, he didn't forget to say "no drinking, no good", showing the side of "old naughty boy". This self-deprecating attitude also seems to reflect Li Qi's helplessness and identification with his own lifestyle.
However, as he grew older, Li Qi began to realize the importance of health, and he began to try to control his habits, trying to reduce the frequency of drinking and smoking. He also actively develops new hobbies and tries to distract himself in other ways to improve his physical condition to a certain extent.
While Li Qi is still struggling between smoking, alcohol and health, he is trying to find a balance between the contradictions and try to make his later life better. This actor, who once shined on the stage, is now performing the last scenes of his life in his own way.