The Way to Stardom

Xiao Wei

The story of Michael， from Syria， is a vivid illustration of the trials and tribulation as well as the rewards of all the effort of the aspiring dreamers in the Hengdian World Studios experience on their way from extras to stardom.

After graduation from college in 2014， Michael landed in Yiwu to pursue his entrepreneurial dream and help with his fathers business. His foreign trade company in the worlds largest small commodities trading hub opened its door right after he finished his language study at the Yiwu Industrial and Commercial College， where he honed his Chinese.

麥克在新《倚天屠龍記》中扮演妙峰使者（右二）。Michael （second from right） in a Kung-fu blockbuster

麥克在片場背臺詞。Michael reads his lines on the location.

麥克在片場和演員對臺詞。Michael and a Chinese actor rehearse their lines.

Over the years， Michael worked up the ladder from a nameless extra into a legendary guest actor， releasing his passion and talent in more than 40 films and TV dramas， including? （2017） and? （2017）. He will also appear in the new TV edition of Louis Chas? ready to make its debut.

In whats dubbed “Chinas Hollywood”， Michael started off as a temporary actor， just like all the others struggling to catch the eye of talent scouts and film directors. He fell in love with Chinese kung-fu when he was a child. “The kung-fu films and TV dramas I watched when I was a little boy turned me into a huge fan of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. They are the symbol of justice， and they are so cool，” recalls Michael.

Michaels stage debut was in Malaysia， where he spent a few years after graduation from high school in Syria. His handsome face caught the eye of an organizer of a runway show when he was taking photos with the models. The experience gave him self-confidence that he thought becoming an actor someday might be a little more than just a daydream.

It did not take Michael too long to stand out in the “model class” he attended at the Yiwu college. One day he got a phone call from a middleman based in Hengdian， where the Hengdian World Studios is located. The rest of the story is pretty much plain sailing.

As an extra， Michael could not afford to say no to any role he was offered a chance to play. His patience and full devotion paid off. Finally the day came when he had the freedom to choose what he wanted to play.

For Michael， the language obstacle sometimes brings enormous extra pressure to handle， especially when it comes to scripts written in classical Chinese. “It is not easy for native speakers to figure out everything， not to mention for a foreigner.” The action scenes also involve a lot of hard work， and practice does not necessarily make perfect. “You get hurt easily， and it is commonplace to wait on the spot for hours for the next scene to start，” Michael shares， his eyes shining. For him， however， all the hardship is worthwhile. He has worked with some of the most popular TV and movie personalities in China， including Hu Jun， Zhang Han and Zhu Yilong. In Hengdian， he has made many friends over the years.

“It has been exciting because what I can do in those movies is not something I can possibly try in the real world; and being able to live the life of a pilot for a while is pretty thrilling，” remarks the Syrian.

It took Michael only one years study in Yiwu to pass the HSK， the standardized test of Standard Chinese language proficiency for non-native speakers such as foreign students and overseas Chinese. Now speaking fluent Chinese， he calls Yiwu his second hometown. Over the years， he has traveled a lot and has been to many places all over the country， but the small-city lifestyle， together with its vibrant business atmosphere， seems to have met all the needs of his living a comfortable life in a foreign country. With a good many restaurants representing a smorgasbord of culinary styles， he never feels the need to be homesick when it comes to food. Outside the showbiz engagements， he is still a businessman， lending a hand for his fathers foreign trade business and working with his friends to launch an APP that promises to provide valuable tips and information for businesspeople in China.

One of his New Year resolutions is to make more money so that in the near future he and his girlfriend will have a sweet home in Yiwu.