In September 1933, an ordinary family in Taizhou welcomed their eldest son, You Benchang. As the only boy in the family, he naturally became the treasure of his parents and sisters.
However, fate seems to have played a joke on this young boy. This young You Benchang is extremely weak and often needs to be treated in bed, and major illnesses and disasters follow one after another.
One day, a wandering monk passed by You's house and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh when he saw the young You Benchang. He asserted that with You Benchang's current creation, he may not live to be 13 years old.
This prophecy was like thunder for the You family, and the monk then pointed out that You Benchang had a relationship with Buddhism, and if he could really take refuge in Buddhism, he might be able to survive the disaster.
Because of their deep concern for their son, You Benchang's parents took him to Shanghai Fazang Temple to apprentice when he was 6 years old. The young You Benchang was given the gift of the Dharma name "Chengpei" here.
Miraculously, after apprenticing to Guanyin Bodhisattva, You Benchang received the blessing of the Bodhisattva, and his physical condition gradually improved, and the number of illnesses also decreased.
When he was 15 years old, You Benchang overcame the "catastrophe" of 13 years old, and his parents recognized him and made him quit. Although this trip to Buddhism was short, it planted a seed of art in his heart.
After You Benchang returned to secular life, he began to come into contact with the wider world, and his second sister was very fond of literature and art, and often took him to watch various performances and movies, among them, Chaplin's pantomime left a deep impression on him.
The change of light and shadow on the stage and the variety of actors attracted this teenager.
You Benchang likes to listen to the play with his parents, and every time he sits obediently under the stage, watching everything on the stage intently. Slowly, he began to imitate Jigong's words and deeds on stage and perform in front of his family, which made everyone happy.
Since then, You Benchang's figure has always appeared on the stage of various festivals.
In 1948, after graduating from high school, You Benchang joined the art troupe. A year later, he was sent to the Shanghai Theater Academy for systematic study in acting. At the time of graduation, he joined the Central Experimental Theatre in Beijing and became a professional actor.
The young You Benchang was full of longing and ambition, thinking that he had the opportunity to show his strength. Little did he know, however, that 30 years of obscurity awaited him.
The gears of fate began to turn again, and You Benchang's artistic life had just begun.
After entering the Central Experimental Theater, You Benchang found that his acting path was not as smooth as he thought. Although he has excellent professional ability, he can only be accepted into a few small and insignificant roles.
You Benchang is an unsociable person. He watched his colleagues emerge from the same period, but he remained obscure. However, he was not discouraged by this and instead saw this time as a valuable opportunity to hone his acting skills.
He cherishes every role very much, even the supporting roles will be fully dedicated. In order to interpret the role of serfs in the drama "The Great Thunderstorm", he studied 19 translations repeatedly; In order to present a more exciting magic show, he was even able to faint on stage hungry.
He carves each character with his heart, and seems to be silently preparing for the future to shine, carefully and meticulously.
In the past 30 years, You Benchang has played a total of 79 small roles. For many, this long wait is an ordeal, but for You, it is an important time to accumulate valuable experience.
He has always maintained his love and dedication to acting, especially a deep passion for pantomime performances. The Chaplin movies he watched as a child made him interested in the performance form of pantomime.
You Benchang is good at using his spare time to take on performances and tutoring, and arranges every day to the full. He is constantly refining his acting skills and hopes to one day be able to do so.
Opportunity always favors those who are prepared. In the 1980s, Huang Yihe, the director of the Spring Festival Gala, unexpectedly saw You Benchang's pantomime performance and was deeply moved. He invited You Benchang to show the pantomime "Shower" on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala.
You Benchang attracted the attention of the national audience at once with his performance movements and expressive posture.
This appearance was an important turning point in You Benchang's acting career. Although the most popular program of the Spring Festival Gala that year was Chen Peisi's "Eating Noodles", You Benchang's performance attracted the attention of Zhang Ge, the director of "Jigong".
Therefore, he received the TV script of "Jigong".
When You Benchang was 52 years old, his fate ushered in a turning point. Zhang Ge found him and invited him to play the leading role in "Jigong". Faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, You Benchang did not immediately agree.
It turned out that before he received the call, he had just seen in the newspaper that his apprentice Yan Shunkai was also going to play Jigong. Because he was unwilling to compete with his apprentice for the role, You Benchang postponed his decision, saying that he still needed to think about it in detail.
However, there is a misunderstanding here. Yan Shunkai and You Benchang are not actors in the same crew. Under the persuasion of the unit and the crew, You Benchang decided to try this role.
After he finished filming from Dalian, he immediately went to the crew of "Jigong" for an audition.
Although director Zhang Ge finalized You Benchang's role as Jigong, some people still questioned that You Benchang was not a professional comedian and might affect the performance of the role.
In the face of doubts, You Benchang did not defend himself, but made up his mind to prove himself with strength.
In this way, after 30 years of obscurity, 52-year-old You Benchang ushered in a turning point in his career. He must not miss this precious opportunity.
With apprehension and excitement, You Benchang began the filming journey of "Jigong".
"Jigong" is a classic in the history of Chinese TV dramas, bringing joy and emotion to the audience. The play tells the story of Jigong monk Jigong saving people, punishing evil and promoting good, showing the profundity of traditional Chinese culture and the brilliance of human nature.
The success of "Jigong" is inseparable from the superb acting skills of the actors and the careful construction of the production team. The leading actor of the play, Mr. You Benchang, with his unique performance style, interprets the role of Jigong vividly, which is deeply loved by the audience.
At the same time, the production team has also made great efforts in costumes, makeup, props, etc., striving to restore the original appearance of history and bring a real visual experience to the audience.
"Jigong" has not only achieved great success at home, but has also won wide acclaim overseas. The show has been broadcast in many countries and regions and has been warmly welcomed by overseas audiences.
This also reflects the growing influence of Chinese TV dramas in the international arena and has made important contributions to the dissemination of Chinese culture.
The success of "Jigong" is also inseparable from the values it adheres to. Through the image of Jigong, the play conveys positive energy and moral concepts to the audience. It tells us that no matter what kind of predicament we are in, we must uphold justice and kindness, and use our own strength to change the world.
This value was not only significant at the time, but is still instructive today.
In short, "Jigong" is a TV series of great significance, which not only brings joy and emotion to the audience, but also shows the profundity of traditional Chinese culture and the brilliance of human nature.
Its success is inseparable from the superb acting skills of the actors and the careful creation of the production team, and also inseparable from the values it adheres to, this TV series will always remain in the hearts of the audience and become a classic in the history of Chinese TV dramas.
You Benchang, who received the invitation to star in "Jigong", was both excited and uneasy. He knew it was the opportunity he had been waiting for 30 years, but he also knew it was a heavy responsibility.
You Benchang has made great efforts and efforts to strive for the perfection of the role.
He only sleeps four hours a day, and when he wakes up, his mind is full of relationships between the characters in the play. He struggled to think about how to interpret Jigong's state of being drunk but not drunk, until one day when he was woken up on the set to catch up on sleep, the hazy feeling of "stepping on cotton and swinging lotus leaves in the wind" was suddenly caught by him, and Jigong's image suddenly came alive.
You Benchang's ultimate pursuit of details is admirable. He personally took the costume home to be old, and used a steel wire to cut the fan to the slit, just to present a real image of Jigong with "broken shoes, broken hats, and broken robes".
He endured the stench of spoiled elbows on the shooting site, just to shoot the most realistic meat-eating scene. This scene was later included in the acting textbook by the Beijing Film Academy and became a classic.
For the sake of the realism of the performance, You Benchang even asked the staff to really beat him. Although the members of the crew feel sorry for him, he is over half a hundred years old, but he still insists on "doing a full set of plays".
As a result, this scene was filmed 12 times, and You Benchang was beaten 12 times and repaired for several days. His wife and daughter inadvertently came to visit the crew and saw him thrown down from the two-meter-high buckle, even though there was a thick cushion on the ground, which made the mother and daughter feel distressed.
His efforts have finally paid off. In 1985, "Jigong" set a ratings record as soon as it was broadcast, and You Benchang became popular all over the country overnight. The image of Jigong he created is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and people call it "a classic that can never be surpassed".
At that time, You Benchang's total salary for filming "Jigong" was extremely insignificant compared to the millions of salaries of other traffic stars, even less than 1,000 yuan.
Fame did not change You Benchang's original intention. He still always maintains his awe and persistence in art, and always adheres to his own principles: do not accept shoddy scripts, overly commercialized scripts, and assembly line production scripts.
However, You Benchang did not regret this. This persistence has offended many people and missed many business opportunities.
In Yau's view, performance is a noble art that will never tolerate being desecrated. Even under the pressure of the performance indicators set by the unit for the actors, he resolutely refused to bow to money and resolutely chose to leave.
"I will not bow to the renminbi because of the results," he said. "
You Benchang's insistence on character made him like a clear stream in the impetuous film and television circle, and won the respect and love of the audience. However, he paid the price for sticking to his principles, and there was almost no film to make for the next few decades.
But he has no regrets, believing that artistic value far outweighs commercial interests.
You Benchang's story tells us that a true artist must have superb acting skills, but also have firm beliefs and noble character. It is this kind of dedication and persistence to art that makes You Benchang stand out in the entertainment industry and become the eternal "Jigong" in the hearts of the audience.
Throughout life, ups and downs are the norm. For everyone, family and career can be the two most important aspects of life, and they can also be the main reasons for life's ups and downs.
When it comes to families, there can be a lot of problems and challenges at times. For example, relationships between family members can become strained, and financial stress can be heavy, all of which can affect the happiness and stability of the family.
However, the family is also our most important support system, which can provide us with warmth, support, and security, so we need to work hard to maintain the harmony and stability of the family and solve the problems in the family as much as possible.
There can also be a lot of ups and downs when it comes to your career. For example, challenges at work may make us feel frustrated and helpless, while the joy of success may also make us feel fulfilled and proud.
However, career is also an important way for us to realize our self-worth and pursue our dreams, therefore, we need to work hard, keep learning and improving our abilities to achieve our career goals.
In the face of the ups and downs of family and career, we need to maintain a stable mindset. We need to learn to face life's difficulties and challenges and learn from them.
At the same time, we also need to learn to be grateful and cherish, cherish the people and things around us, and everything we have.
In conclusion, the ups and downs of family and career are the norm in life, and we need to learn to face and deal with them. Only in this way can we better achieve our goals in life and live a happier and more fulfilling life.
Life is always challenging. Just when You Benchang's career was at its peak, family changes followed. His wife was diagnosed with cancer, and the news came like a bolt from the blue.
You Benchang unreservedly left all his work behind and devoted everything he had to take care of his wife. He accompanies and takes care of him all day long, day and night. With his caring care and the support of his wife's strong perseverance, his wife successfully overcame the illness and brought hope to the family.
However, You Benchang's troubles are not over. While he is busy taking care of his wife, his adolescent daughter also presents him with new challenges. She decided to give up the college entrance examination and devote herself to a career in writing.
At first, You Benchang did not approve of his daughter's idea, and on the one hand, he encouraged her to write, and on the other hand, he tried to persuade her to take the college entrance examination. However, her daughter has her own opinions, and when You Benchang saw that his daughter's work won the award, he was no longer stopped and chose to support and understand.
After settling down with his family, You Benchang returned to the entertainment industry, but found that he was no longer so popular. He used to be full of commercial value, but now it is difficult to find new drama contracts. However, instead of being discouraged, he had a bold idea: to achieve his dream of pantomime.
In 2000, 67-year-old You Benchang decided to invest in the filming of a pantomime "Mr. You Smiled Dumbly" out of his own pocket. He hoped to show the audience the charm of Chinese pantomime through this drama, but he didn't expect the show to be dumb before it was broadcast.
The number of viewers of the pantomime is small, and the TV station is reluctant to take the risk of buying the copyright of the play, so You Benchang lost a fortune.
You Benchang directed and acted in the mythological TV series "Lifan" in 2009, but unfortunately the fate of the show is the same as the previous work, and no one buys the copyright.
In the process of two creative failures, You Benchang, who was already 73 years old, lost all his savings.
You Benchang behaved very calmly in the face of failure and ridicule from others. He says he would be content if only one person could be inspired by his work.
You Benchang's attitude of indifference to fame and fortune and focusing on art has won the love of the audience. Although his career has encountered setbacks, his love and pursuit of art has not diminished in the slightest, but has become stronger because of these experiences.
This spirit is the greatest wealth of You Benchang.
Despite the setbacks in his career, You Benchang never stopped pursuing in the field of art, and when he was not filming, he devoted himself to art education. He often goes to schools to teach children the art of drama performance.
He also personally directed the performances of young people on stage.
Under his guidance, many students have made remarkable achievements, some have even been specially recruited by Tsinghua University, and some have even appeared on the stage of the National Center for the Performing Arts. They all have extraordinary talent on display.
In July 2009, in order to shoot the drama "Master Hongyi", the old man You Benchang became a monk again in the Daguang Temple in Heilongjiang, and received the name "Dingchang".
For this drama, he put in hard work. From buying copyrights, leasing venues, building actors, to paying salaries, the whole process was done by You Benchang himself, and he personally followed up the script rehearsal.
Rehearsing plays was expensive, and he recruited 24 actors, but they had different beginnings and fundamentals, and each required his personal guidance. You Benchang is not troublesome at all, he is very patient to guide over and over again.
When the film was first shown on the big screen, almost no one watched it. But You Benchang did not give up, he and all the crew members went abroad to perform for charity together, and constantly polished the script in each performance, and finally achieved success.
You Benchang's persistence and hard work have won the recognition and appreciation of the public. In 2017, the play was performed 130 times a year and won wide acclaim.
You Benchang did not show ease in the repeated interpretation, but became more and more fascinated by the performance.
In 2020, You Benchang won the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the greatest affirmation of his lifelong unremitting pursuit of art. The audience responded with warm applause, and You Benchang on the stage also shed tears of excitement.
You Benchang's artistic path was not smooth sailing, he officially began his acting career in 1956, but he insisted on his artistic ideals.
Now 88 years old, You Benchang is still physically strong, and he even follows the footsteps of young people and tries to play emerging short videos. By listening to the video where he affectionately shouted "dolls", it seemed that he had returned to the charming Jigong in the play.
You Benchang used his life to interpret the persistence and love of art, and his story is more moving than any script.