Hou Ming Hao about his role in "Hu Tong" - the interview for the magazine SUPER世界青年 (Feb 2022)
(the whole text below is a quote from the article)
He plays Tie Dan, a guy who was born and raised in a Beijing hutong and a member of the Communist Party. Hou Minghao's grandfather and father are both soldiers, and his family's relatives are also soldiers. He had a natural reverence for it. "Simple and unpretentious, very loyal to the party, very loyal to friends and relatives." Hou Minghao said that Tie Dan has the most sincere and simple character.
Tie Dan's usual identity is "the wrestling master", teaching everyone wrestling skills. "Do you know what "撂跤" is?" Hou Minghao asked. "撂跤" is a colloquial expression for Chinese wrestling. For a long time in the past, wrestling activities in Beijing were prosperous, and wrestling fields were spread all over the Four Nine Cities (Beijing). Whether old or young, they can say something about wrestling, and they can also practice a few times off the court. Back then people were as obsessed with wrestling as modern people are into marathons and weightlifting. Wrestling is both exercising and socializing. Anyone can come. Tie Dan played by Hou Minghao is lurking in the hutong of Beijing and uses his identity as a "wrestling master" to complete various tasks assigned to him by the party organization.
Learning to wrestle is hard and fun. Hou Minghao practiced with the masters a month in advance. He said that at the beginning, it was very hard, and he had no exposure to this traditional skill at all. The teachers were also very strong, and it was very difficult for him to use tricks. Slowly, he found a trick, and after learning to use skill, he got better. Whenever shooting a wrestling scene, Hou Minghao would additionally ask the teachers for advice, and strive to be precise in every movement. "I hope that through Hu Tong, the wrestling culture can be passed on to more people," he said.
In the play, there is a scene where Hou Minghao and Zhao Lusi are wrestling. Although Tie Dan's wrestling skills are better than Zhao Lusi's Tian Zao, Tie Dan is a gentleman to girls. "Tie Dan goes easy with girls, and I will let her knock me down. Of course, if you joke with Tian Zao, you will be beaten." Hou Minghao said with a smile.
Although Hou Minghao did not grow up in the hutong, he would often go to his uncle's who lived in the hutong. "Baijia Rice is very impressive," he said. "The neighbours in the hutong are very close." During meal time, the fragrance of different rice wafts out from each family and gathers in the sky above the hutong to share their delicious food with each other. A warm thing." The director of "Hu Tong" is also from Beijing, and everyone on the filming site would talk about the difference between Beijing in childhood and now.
I am a very lazy viewer so I tend to not analyze things to deeply. Compared to the blatant propaganda shows I can watch this sort of show without getting annoyed every other second. Does it portray a more modern view with values we can always stand behind? Not really. But as it is fiction and I only watch dramas for my own enjoyment and nothing else so it doesn't really bother me in a way that ruins the show. I get your point why you don't like it and that's okay. I can't really watch military dramas for example because of all the themes there.
It's not legitimate in what way? Women were second class citizens in many cultures. Do I agree with this view on women? Of course not. But my point is when I watch historical shows I don't compare it to modern stuff, because that makes no sense at all. In historical works women always seem to have to listen to either their father or another male figure, whereas the mother does not have the same amount of say. Since in the novel Shao Shang is actually a time traveler obviously her characteristics would be different. But since that topic is banned they just kept most of her traits anyway. I happen to love Shao Shang and I think she has had a horrible life with everyone making her feel worthless until recently. But as this is a historical piece of fiction I have different expectations for the characters. If this was a modern drama I would be even angrier then I already am at the people who mistreated her.
Well that's how it worked back in the day? So I am not sure why you are surprised when you are watching a historical drama. Women's status was always lower.
- the interview for the magazine SUPER世界青年 (Feb 2022)
(the whole text below is a quote from the article)
He plays Tie Dan, a guy who was born and raised in a Beijing hutong and a member of the Communist Party. Hou Minghao's grandfather and father are both soldiers, and his family's relatives are also soldiers. He had a natural reverence for it. "Simple and unpretentious, very loyal to the party, very loyal to friends and relatives." Hou Minghao said that Tie Dan has the most sincere and simple character.
Tie Dan's usual identity is "the wrestling master", teaching everyone wrestling skills. "Do you know what "撂跤" is?" Hou Minghao asked. "撂跤" is a colloquial expression for Chinese wrestling. For a long time in the past, wrestling activities in Beijing were prosperous, and wrestling fields were spread all over the Four Nine Cities (Beijing). Whether old or young, they can say something about wrestling, and they can also practice a few times off the court. Back then people were as obsessed with wrestling as modern people are into marathons and weightlifting. Wrestling is both exercising and socializing. Anyone can come. Tie Dan played by Hou Minghao is lurking in the hutong of Beijing and uses his identity as a "wrestling master" to complete various tasks assigned to him by the party organization.
Learning to wrestle is hard and fun. Hou Minghao practiced with the masters a month in advance. He said that at the beginning, it was very hard, and he had no exposure to this traditional skill at all. The teachers were also very strong, and it was very difficult for him to use tricks. Slowly, he found a trick, and after learning to use skill, he got better. Whenever shooting a wrestling scene, Hou Minghao would additionally ask the teachers for advice, and strive to be precise in every movement. "I hope that through Hu Tong, the wrestling culture can be passed on to more people," he said.
In the play, there is a scene where Hou Minghao and Zhao Lusi are wrestling. Although Tie Dan's wrestling skills are better than Zhao Lusi's Tian Zao, Tie Dan is a gentleman to girls. "Tie Dan goes easy with girls, and I will let her knock me down. Of course, if you joke with Tian Zao, you will be beaten." Hou Minghao said with a smile.
Although Hou Minghao did not grow up in the hutong, he would often go to his uncle's who lived in the hutong. "Baijia Rice is very impressive," he said. "The neighbours in the hutong are very close." During meal time, the fragrance of different rice wafts out from each family and gathers in the sky above the hutong to share their delicious food with each other. A warm thing." The director of "Hu Tong" is also from Beijing, and everyone on the filming site would talk about the difference between Beijing in childhood and now.
source:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/NVz7JQws3gpT9QNPvMggiw
I get your point why you don't like it and that's okay. I can't really watch military dramas for example because of all the themes there.
In historical works women always seem to have to listen to either their father or another male figure, whereas the mother does not have the same amount of say.
Since in the novel Shao Shang is actually a time traveler obviously her characteristics would be different. But since that topic is banned they just kept most of her traits anyway. I happen to love Shao Shang and I think she has had a horrible life with everyone making her feel worthless until recently. But as this is a historical piece of fiction I have different expectations for the characters. If this was a modern drama I would be even angrier then I already am at the people who mistreated her.