In 1976, in an ordinary worker's family in Baoji, Shaanxi, a baby boy fell to the ground. Grandpa named him "Fang Chao" and placed expectations on him "beyond ordinary people". Fang Chao's father was a geological survey worker, and his mother was a warehouse keeper.
Although the family background is ordinary, both parents have outstanding appearances, Fang Chao inherited this advantage, with a round face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a smile that can melt people's hearts. In 1978, the god of fate favored this lovely little boy.
The famous director Xie Jin is preparing the movie "Ah! The Cradle", the original little actor suddenly had stage fright and cried. Just when the crew was at a loss, the assistant director, that is, Fang Chao's uncle, had an idea and took the two-year-old Fang Chao from thousands of miles away to the Yan'an set.
Xie Jin didn't have much expectations, he just wanted to try this child he had never met. However, to everyone's shock, Fang Chao, who had never acted, had no stage fright in front of the camera and performed extremely well.
Even the most difficult crying scene, he basically passed it all over again. Fang Chao's talent amazed everyone present, and Xie Jin immediately decided to increase his role. During the filming, Fang Chao not only had outstanding acting skills, but also won the love of the crew with his innocent and lively personality.
Whenever the director shouted "card", he immediately turned back into that naughty little boy, which made everyone laugh. Xie Jin couldn't put him down, and Fang Chao became Xie Jin's "exclusive little actor".
Ahh After the release of "Cradle", Fang Chao became popular overnight and became a well-known "national child star". The audience was impressed by his immature and delicate acting skills, and at the same time felt distressed for this sensible and precocious child.
Fang Chao's first work opened up his popularity and brought him more opportunities. A bright child star was born, he conquered the audience with his talent, and also started his legendary road as a child star.
In 1982, 5-year-old Fang Chao ushered in another peak of his acting career. The film "Wrangler" directed by Xie Jin became popular all over China upon its release, and Zhu Shimao and Cong Shan became household names with this film.
In this film, Fang Chao plays the son of Zhu Shimao and Cong Shan, "Qingqing". Although it is only a cameo role, Fang Chao's performance has become the finishing touch of this movie.
In one scene, the family sat on the grass, and Qingqing, played by Fang Chao, said an impressive line: "Dad is a kite in Mom's hand, no matter how high it flies, the line is still in Mom's hand."
This innocent and meaningful sentence, coupled with the super aura of the performance, made the audience want to touch his head through the screen. As the son of a horse wrangler, Qingqing naturally had to come into contact with horses.
Fang Chao, who was only 5 years old at the time, had close contact with Ma for the first time, and even the director was worried that he would not be able to complete these scenes. However, Fang Chao not only completed the task, but also naturally lay on the horse's back during the shooting, gently stroking the horse's head with his small hands.
This scene was captured by director Xie Jin and edited into the movie. Fang Chao's innocent smile and bold actions added a touch of warmth and fun to the film, and this scene also helped the film win the Outstanding Film Award of the Ministry of Culture that year.
Fang Chao's outstanding performance in "Wrangler" once again proved his talent, and he was hailed as a "genius child star". The success of this film has brought Fang Chao's popularity to new heights, and it is even more popular in Chengdu than the leading actors Zhu Shimao and Cong Shan.
In the years that followed, Fang Chao participated in films one after another, in which he played the leading role many times. Whether it was "Under the Bridge" with Gong Xue and Zhang Tielin, or "Spring Water Dingdong" with Lu Yi, Fang Chao at that time was undoubtedly the most dazzling "first brother".
At the age of 14, Fang Chao starred as a Japanese orphaned puppy baby in "The Bell of Qingliang Temple" directed by Xie Jin, showing more mature acting skills and a deep understanding of the role. Without professional training, with talent and love for acting, Fang Chao continues to shine brightly on the screen.
This series of successes has made Fang Chao a well-deserved representative of the peak of child stars. However, instead of being complacent about his success, he maintained a humble and studious mentality, and continued to hone his acting skills in many movies starring older generation movie stars.
Despite being only a cameo role at times, he made a lasting impression on the audience with each appearance. At the age of 15, Fang Chao's life encountered a major turning point. He has just finished filming "The Bells of Qingliang Temple" and is immersed in the sense of accomplishment brought by being an actor.
However, a conversation with director Xie Jin changed the trajectory of his life. Xie Jin found Fang Chao's mother and suggested earnestly: "The child is already older, if you want to engage in the actor industry for a long time, you might as well go to school to receive professional training."
These words made Fang Chao and his mother fall into deep thought. After careful consideration, they decided to suspend all performance announcements and let Fang Chao concentrate on preparing for further studies. With his love and longing for his acting career, Fang Chao made up his mind to apply for the Beijing Film Academy.
However, the long-term experience of filming in the crew made him fall behind a lot of cultural classes. In order to make up for this gap, Fang Chao began to study hard. He forgot to sleep and eat, and studied cultural classes day and night, hoping to realize his dream through his own efforts.
On the day of the exam, Fang Chao walked into the exam room with confidence. The results were indeed gratifying, and his cultural class grades successfully passed the requirements of the college. However, what Fang Chao never expected was that he was eventually rejected by the academy.
The reason turned out to be his height - only a little more than 1.7 meters, which could not meet the appearance requirements of the academy. This blow is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Fang Chao. He can't accept that his years of acting experience can't match the height difference of a few centimeters.
But Fang Chao didn't give up. With unwillingness, the next year, he applied for the Shanghai Theater Academy again. However, fate seems to have played a cruel joke on him.
The result was still rejected because of the height issue. The two failures almost made Fang Chao ruin his dream of being an actor. He was unwilling, but helpless. Acting is a career he loves, but the strict requirements for appearance in the entertainment industry make him have no way back.
was once the pride of the sky, and he seemed to be reduced to an ordinary person overnight. Fang Chao's heart was full of contradictions and struggles. He is deeply aware that in an industry where appearances are important, the acting skills and experience that he is proud of seem to be less important.
This experience forced Fang Chao to re-examine his future. He began to wonder if he should give up on the dream he had loved since he was a child and find a new path in life.
After being rejected twice in a row by professional colleges, 18-year-old Fang Chao had to face the cruel reality. used to be a high-profile child star, but now he has to leave his beloved showbiz for a while and start an ordinary life.
With confusion about the future and reluctance to give up on the past, Fang Chao came to the bustling metropolis of Shanghai. However, what awaits him is not a glamorous life, but a difficult way to make a living.
He found a job in an ordinary restaurant, where he was busy during the day and worked part-time as a food delivery at night to support his family. Every day, all kinds of customers pass in front of Fang Chao, and no one recognizes this former "national child star".
Looking at himself in the mirror, Fang Chao was often in a trance, as if the former glory was just a dream. He often thinks that if he had been able to go on to higher education, he might have become a director by now.
However, the weight of reality leaves him no time to dwell on the past, and the pressures of life force him to work hard. From the spotlight to ordinary life, this huge gap makes Fang Chao feel lost.
Once, he was the genius child star who could easily handle various roles; Now, he has to run for a livelihood and experience the ups and downs of ordinary people. This change of identity made Fang Chao experience an unprecedented psychological impact.
However, even in the most difficult moments, Fang Chao's love for acting has never been extinguished. In addition to his busy work, he still secretly practices his lines or watches some classic movies.
He always looks forward to one day returning to the stage he loves. The experience of this period made Fang Chao deeply understand the difficulty of life. He began to understand the joys, sorrows and sorrows of ordinary people, and these experiences also accumulated valuable life experience for him to return to the entertainment industry in the future.
Despite the difficulties of life, Fang Chao did not give up his dream, and he firmly believed that as long as he worked hard, he would one day shine again. Just when Fang Chao thought that he would spend the rest of his life in the ordinary, the god of fate favored him again.
One day, the famous actor Shao Feng came to the restaurant where Fang Chao worked for dinner. Perhaps it was fate, Shao Feng recognized this once dazzling child star at a glance. Shao Feng extended a helping hand to Fang Chao and expressed his willingness to help him return to the showbiz.
Faced with this sudden opportunity, Fang Chao's heart was full of contradictions. He has experienced glory and loss, and returning to show business means that he will once again face the world that has hurt him.
After some careful consideration, Fang Chao finally decided to accept Shao Feng's help and chase his dream of being an actor again. However, the road back to showbiz has not been smooth. Fang Chao found that he could no longer be the center of attention as he did in childhood.
He can only play some supporting roles, or even dragon roles. Faced with this situation, many people may feel depressed and inferior, and some may even choose to give up. But Fang Chao didn't.
He knows very well that in this circle that pays attention to appearance, many actors will desperately lose weight, shape and straighten their teeth, hoping to get more opportunities by changing their appearance. However, Fang Chao chose another path.
He began to think about how he could find his place in this circle. After a period of exploration, Fang Chao realized that maybe he could try to work behind the scenes.
So, he began to learn about filmmaking and worked hard to transform into a producer. This transformation was not easy, but Fang Chao's efforts were not in vain. After he became a producer, he participated in the production of many film and television works, which received a good response.
Although he is no longer the protagonist in front of the camera, Fang Chao still finds a foothold in the industry he loves. Fang Chao's experience reflects the cruel reality of the entertainment industry to some extent.
However, his story is more about a person's persistence and indomitable spirit towards their dreams. From a child star to a behind-the-scenes worker, Fang Chao's every step has been difficult and firm.
Although he has experienced many ups and downs in his life, Fang Chao has never given up his love for movies. He used his own experience to prove that even if the road ahead is bumpy, as long as you have ideals in your heart, you can still forge ahead and finally shine a unique light in life.
Fang Chao's story is not only his personal history of struggle, but also an inspiration and inspiration for all dreamers. Now, the 47-year-old Fang Chao has changed beyond recognition, and he is like the cute little boy in his childhood.
Although his appearance has changed dramatically, he is still working silently in the film and television industry, continuing to chase his dreams in another way. Fang Chao's experience has triggered people's deep thinking about the phenomenon of "judging people by their appearance" in the entertainment industry.
His story teaches us that appearance does not define a person's worth, and that true talent and persistence are the most valuable. In this industry where appearance is important, many people lose themselves in pursuit of a perfect image.
However, Fang Chao's experience reminds us that the value of an actor should not be determined solely by their appearance, but should focus more on their acting skills and understanding of the role. Despite the twists and turns in his life, Fang Chao never gave up his love for movies.
He used his own experience to prove that even if the road ahead is difficult, as long as you have a dream, you can still shine on the stage of life. Fang Chao's persistence and hard work is not only a sticking to his original intention, but also a kind of inspiration to the entire industry.
Fang Chao's story also makes us reflect on whether actors only need beautiful skins? If an actor only wins by his appearance, what is the difference between him and a model? A truly excellent actor should be able to interpret all kinds of life with his heart, not just a hanger who can take pictures with different tricks.
Perhaps, in the future, the entertainment industry will become more tolerant, no longer judging people by their appearance, but truly respecting everyone with dreams. Fang Chao's experience undoubtedly provides strong evidence for this change.
Although Fang Chao is now 47 years old and still single, we sincerely wish him a happy life in the future and continued progress in his career. His story will forever inspire those dreamers who have persevered in the face of adversity.