People Who Achieved Success
“It's never too late”.
“No one can stop you from achieving success; you just need to set your mind to it”.
Wang Deshun became the "hottest grandpa in China" after Fashion Week in Beijing 10 years ago.
He was immediately approached to endorse longevity pills and luxury cars, despite not taking any pills or knowing how to drive.
He's simply Wang Deshun. He has a wife, two kids, and a grandson. And he looks like he just jumped out of a youth fountain.
Wang Deshun started out as a bus controller, then worked in a factory, and even did some shoe shining.
For over 20 years, he was a theatrical actor. He trained in the Stanislavski method, fully embodying the struggles and emotions of his characters. When he was in his 40s, he fainted on stage twice. A doctor diagnosed him with a vegetative disorder and advised him to stop acting.
It turned out that Wang was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. However, he decided not to leave the profession entirely. His fellow actors thought he was crazy, especially since he was so close to retirement.
He was immediately approached to endorse longevity pills and luxury cars, despite not taking any pills or knowing how to drive.
He's simply Wang Deshun. He has a wife, two kids, and a grandson. And he looks like he just jumped out of a youth fountain.
Wang Deshun started out as a bus controller, then worked in a factory, and even did some shoe shining.
For over 20 years, he was a theatrical actor. He trained in the Stanislavski method, fully embodying the struggles and emotions of his characters. When he was in his 40s, he fainted on stage twice. A doctor diagnosed him with a vegetative disorder and advised him to stop acting.
It turned out that Wang was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. However, he decided not to leave the profession entirely. His fellow actors thought he was crazy, especially since he was so close to retirement.
Achieving great success
He seemed even crazier to them when shortly after leaving, he started volunteering at a school for the deaf. Every day he would go to school and tell stories to the students. He learned sign language and studied their facial expressions. Inspired, he began performing in pantomime. This form of art is typically seen as more comedic. But Wang's dramas were about love and hate, life and death. He called them philosophical pantomimes. Thanks to them, he soon received invitations from all over the country. For example, one of the pantomimes, titled "Life," traces the human "odyssey" from the womb to the grave.
Achieving personal success
When Wang turned 50, an exhibition of Rodin's sculptures arrived in China. Wang was struck by their beauty. It seemed that art could bring one closer to eternity. During this exhibition, he noticed something new in himself: his body wasn't so different from the bodies of the models.
When he told his wife about it, she asked, "Why not mime like a statue?" A statue? Two statues: one real and one Wang. The idea was to apply movement to stillness, so the real statue would seem alive, while the living statue (Wang Deshun) would sometimes appear motionless. These two, in their constantly changing relationship with each other, were telling a story. Wang called it "Living Sculpture."
When he told his wife about it, she asked, "Why not mime like a statue?" A statue? Two statues: one real and one Wang. The idea was to apply movement to stillness, so the real statue would seem alive, while the living statue (Wang Deshun) would sometimes appear motionless. These two, in their constantly changing relationship with each other, were telling a story. Wang called it "Living Sculpture."
"I became instantly obsessed with it," says Wang Deshun.
That obsession led him to the gym, the ice rink, and the pool. At 57 years old, he started training seriously to become... a Rodin statue.
In 1993, he presented his first "Living Sculpture" in Beijing. Dressed only in a fig leaf, painted bronze with oxidized green, he stood on stage beside a statue of a naked woman with outstretched arms.
In 1993, he presented his first "Living Sculpture" in Beijing. Dressed only in a fig leaf, painted bronze with oxidized green, he stood on stage beside a statue of a naked woman with outstretched arms.
What does art mean to Wang Deshun?
"Using the most ordinary means to express the most complex emotions. To show the interweaving of feelings through simple forms.
In acting, dialogues and actions were used.
In pantomime, a person cuts out words and focuses solely on action. I cut out the acting and preserved the poses on stage. I just stand there. It’s the simplest form. And when I push it to the extreme, I become a sculpture”.
Vision, preparation, practice, risk.
The combination of all these elements allows Wang Deshun to remain youthful and in a state of constant re-evaluation.
In acting, dialogues and actions were used.
In pantomime, a person cuts out words and focuses solely on action. I cut out the acting and preserved the poses on stage. I just stand there. It’s the simplest form. And when I push it to the extreme, I become a sculpture”.
Vision, preparation, practice, risk.
The combination of all these elements allows Wang Deshun to remain youthful and in a state of constant re-evaluation.
