Lao Zhu is the nickname of Zhu Jianguo, an actor from Qingdao. Born to an Italian father and Chinese mother, Lao Zhu grew up clamming at the beach near Zhan Qiao pier, later going to work for one of Qingdao’s light industrial companies. Zhu made it through the C Rev, married, had a daughter and a grandkid, all of them “di di dao dao Qingdao Ren”.
Around the time he retired from his workaday job, Lao Zhu was recruited to appear in films requiring foreign looking faces. His heritage became an asset as he was cast in movies, tv series, and commercials. He was part of the group that made the first big budget movie at the Hengdian World Studios in Hengdian, Zhejiang (known as China’s Hollywood), a 1997 production called The Opium War.
Lao Zhu is currently active in the Chinese TV/film industry, and has appeared in scores of historical dramas. The pictures here show him as a naughty priest visiting a bawdy house. Look for his visage on a TV near you – he often appears on CCTV and QTV. Though Lao Zhu has a life apart on the tube, he’s really a down to earth guy, and a real Qingdao Ren through and through.
Check out more on being in a TV movie in Qingdao. Who are the Top 5 Film/TV Stars from Qingdao?
