Experience:
Ding Lan has loved music and dance since she was a child, and began to learn the violin at the age of nine and train in the basic skills of dance. 11 years old, she was admitted to the dance training class of the Henan Provincial Song and Dance Troupe. 12 years old, she was admitted to the actor's class of the Henan Provincial School of Theater and Opera (a five-year course of study), and during the period of her schooling, she had the leading roles in rehearsed Yu operas such as "The Tale of the Red Lanterns", "Broken Bridges", "The Lending of Umbrellas", "The Playing of the Golden Boughs", and "The Red Lantern". 1981 Graduated from the theater school and was assigned to the Henan Provincial Drama Troupe, where she rehearsed the dramas "Investigation and Analysis of Fifteen Divorce Cases" and "Fifteen Moons", and was later transferred to the Actor's Troupe of Beijing Film Studio. Ding Lan's life as a movie actress began with the sensational Shaolin Temple, in the summer of 1981, when she was rehearsing for a play, she was spotted by Zhang Xinyan, the director of Shaolin Temple, who went to watch the play, and was asked to act as the female lead of the movie, White Flawless. At that time, Ding Lan had neither formally studied martial arts nor had she ever appeared on the screen. In order to meet the requirements of the film, she studied martial arts with a teacher, practiced hard, and overcame the programmed performance of the opera, and finally acted the innocent, lively, simple and cheerful shepherdess, which was loved by the audience, and she became the object of a series of martial arts films - playing the female lead Caixia in "Shaolin Lay Disciples", playing the female lead Erfeng in "Shaolin Shaoko", playing the female lead Thirteen Sisters in "The Warrior Girl", playing Thirteen Sisters in "The Warrior Girl", and playing Thirteen Sisters in "The Warrior Girl". She also played the lead role of Shen Zuohong in "The Thirteen Sisters of Chivalry", a Chinese-Japanese co-produced stereoscopic film. In life, Ding Lan enjoys sports, studies and loves nature, but is also an introverted woman who prefers tranquility. Her good physical fitness, basic skills in dancing and martial arts, as well as the duality of her character are probably why directors are always willing to cast her as an ancient chivalrous woman. However, she doesn't want to set a box for herself. In recent years, she has also worked hard to develop her own theater, has been in the opera film "sedan chair" as the heroine Wang Dingyun, "Dream of the Red Mansion" as Jia Xichun, TV series "want to burn" as the heroine Shi Yun, TV series "broken Biyunan" as the heroine Lixin. 1979 in the "Shaolin Temple" as a shepherd's daughter and famous, shortly after the performance, into the Henan Drama Troupe, and then in the "disciple of the Shaolin Temple" as the role, the "13th Sisters of the Chivalrous Girl", the "13th Sisters of the Chivalrous Girl", the "13th Sisters of the Chivalrous Girl", the "13th Sisters of the Chivalrous Girl". She played Thirteen Sisters in Thirteen Sisters of the Chivalrous Lady. She later worked as an actress in the BeiJing Actor's Theater Troupe, and in 1991, went to Singapore, where she worked as an actress in Singapore Broadcasting Television (now MediaCorp).
Film works:
1979 "Shaolin Temple" as Shepherdess
1983 "Shaolin Temple Disciples" as Hong Caixia
1984 "Shaolin Kid" as Erfeng
1986 "Thirteen Sisters of the Chivalrous Lady" as Thirteen Sister He Yufeng
1986 "Carrying the Sedan Chair" as Wang Dingyun
1987 "The Thief of the Eastern Tombs" Episode 3 and 4 as Shen Zuohong
1988 "Killer of the Wasteland"
1989 "A Dream of Red Mansions" Part 3 Episode 5 and 6 as Jia Xichun
1993 "Ne Zha"
1997 "Zhao Gongyuan Shuai Fighting the God of Plague"
Television Work:
1993 "Lotus Battle" as Lanlan
1994 "Crane Whistling in the Nine Heavens" as Li Hongsleeve
1994 "The Heavenly Master Zhong Kui's Beauty of the River and Mountain" as Wan'er
1995 "Love on Earth after the White Snake" as Xiao Qing
1998 "Journey to the East" as Guanyin Goddess of Mercy
1999 "Ne Zha, Lotus Boy" as Na Cha
2000 "Family Matters" as Xiang Hong
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Ding Lan travels to two places in pursuit of excitement (2006/02/23)
Ding Lan.
In 1983, Chinese movie star Ding Lan came to Singapore to perform martial arts for the first time at the National Theatre, and was impressed by the diligence, simplicity and cleanliness of the Singaporean people, which laid the foundation for her settlement in Singapore. 20 years later, she is now sharing her personal experience of traveling between Singapore and China to share with Xintiandi readers her frank and sincere views on the two places. Ting Lan, a modern woman who is courageous in her choices and true to her own nature; we can also get a glimpse of the Singapore of the past and the China of the present through her glittering eyes of vitality.
In 1991, after starring with Jet Li in the acclaimed movie "Shaolin Temple", Ting Lan moved from Beijing to become an actress with Radio Television Singapore (now MediaCorp).
In 2001, as a Singaporean citizen, she said goodbye to Singapore and moved to Beijing to start a new chapter in her life, this time without hesitation, just as she had left her decade-long career in the movies to join the ranks of television actors.
Two years ago, she said goodbye not only to Singapore, but also to two decades of colorful careers as an actress, in an effort to find a more authentic self.
Leaving the fluorescent screen to set up a boutique
Since leaving MediaCorp, she has set up a family boutique company, which has expanded across China, Australia and locally. Away from the fluorescent screen, she is still as bright today as she was before.
She says: "Now Singapore is where I live and Beijing is where I work."
She said that when she first came to Singapore in 1983, she was y attracted to Singapore, including the drive and honesty of the Singaporeans, the clean government and the clean environment, as China and Singapore were totally different environments at that time.
China "moved"
By the late 1990s, however, she realized that the landscape was slowly changing. China's economic liberalization had made it a dynamic and energetic country, much like the Singapore she had seen in the 1980s. In contrast, she felt that the pace in Singapore seemed to be slowing down, and that society was becoming "quieter".
Particularly when she went back to China and saw the crowds of people everywhere, she wondered why Singapore had lost such vigor. Only, she still can't say why.
She said, "It's purely my personal opinion, I find that people are less kind to each other than they used to be, and this may have something to do with the impact of the financial turmoil, which has made Singaporeans seem to have changed."
In her personal career, she has begun to find that her passion for the performing arts is limited by objective circumstances. She says: "The current movie and TV industry and the market as a whole is dominated by young idols, so what if you have 20 years of acting skills?"
Seeing the potential of China's emerging consumer base, she quit filming in 2001 to pursue a career in business in Beijing, China, thinking, "Time is precious, and you have to move fast or you'll lose your chance.
Don't be too quick to criticize investing in China
Summarizing her two years of business experience, she said: "China's economy has a lot of potential, and for foreign businessmen, it's a market that's worth spending time in, for example, spending the first half of the year or even a year to learn about China's consumer trends. For many of my Singaporean friends who go to China, I think patience is important."
She believes that Singaporeans can spend more time getting to know the locals when they arrive in a new environment, rather than making criticisms at the outset.
She said Singaporeans are the most down-to-earth when comparing Chinese in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, but such characteristics may also lead to Singaporeans being more conservative in general.
A beautiful girl born in Zhengzhou, Henan province, who made a name for herself in the Beijing film industry as a young girl, making a name for herself in Southeast Asia because of her talent; then came to Singapore and circled back to where she started. What place does Singapore occupy in Ding Lan's mind map?
Ending a marriage and letting the future take its course
In her mind, Singapore is a place to live, and she has purchased a home for herself. As a result of her relationship, her sister and brother have come to live in Singapore, and her parents often come to Singapore for a short stay.
During her ten years in Singapore, she ended a marriage, and Ting Lan is consistently optimistic about the future of her relationship, saying that everything will go her way.
She said: "For the ten years I spent in Singapore, I think there were gains and losses, and I have grown in all aspects. Singapore has opened my eyes to a wider and bigger world."
Ding Lan, who describes herself as "over 30, under 40", has sought out a different splendor for each decade of her life, with China and Singapore being her main scenes of life. The cultural differences between the two places have overlapped her joys and sorrows, and enriched her life experience.
Principle of friendship: seeking common ground while reserving minor differences
Coming to live in Singapore, Ding Lan at first thought that there would be no distance between her and Singaporeans with the same skin color and hair color, but later realized that due to the cultural differences between Singaporeans and Chinese, they are indeed people from two different countries.
She said: "Due to geography and education, there are big cultural differences between Singaporeans and Chinese, and I hold the principle of 'seeking common ground while reserving minor differences' with my Singaporean friends. I never force people to agree with me, but it is important to understand each other."
When she first came to Singapore, she said she was indeed very uncomfortable. As a movie star, she was treated very well in China and was always the leading lady in her acting opportunities, yet all that changed when she came to Singapore.
Not being a leading lady in her first movie really made her want to go back
She said: "I didn't feel as valued as I was in the past, and I couldn't take it in at the time. But since I'm here, I can't be without a job since I chose a more comfortable environment, so I worked hard."
She remembers that her first movie was "The Years of Sorrow and Happiness," and that she was really tempted to go back to China because she realized she wasn't the lead actress. The struggle continued for a year or two, but she slowly adapted and fell in love with TV production, especially being able to interpret different types of roles, which was "very enjoyable".
Twenty years of acting and never really happy
Despite 20 years of acting, Ding Lan told reporters that she has never been truly happy.
She said, "Whether it's movies or TV, it's a collective work, so it's impossible to meet everyone's requirements, yet the work I'm currently carrying out allows me to go around the world sourcing merchandise, and even getting people to design it as well, by virtue of my own connoisseurship."