Watch online: My Brother is Shunliu, Episode 12 / Download - 2009 Wang Baoqiang CCTV Prime Time All 26 Episodes [Mandarin Subtitles]

Following the instant success of film "A World Without Thieves" and TV series "The Soldier's Sortie", Wang Baoqiang will again bring to CCTV-1 prime time his leading role in the anti-Japanese war drama "My Brother Shunliu" from June. In a recent interview, Wang Baoqiang revealed that he would change his image as Xu Sanduo, the simple-minded soldier, into a smart sharpshooter.

Gory War Scenes

"My Brother Shunliu" tells from the perspective of "Commander" Zhang Guoqiang the story of Shunliu (played by Wang Baoqiang), a stubborn rookie soldier during the Anti-Japanese War, who won multiple victories for his army with his superb shooting skills and grew up through baptism of gunfire.

Wang Baoqiang disclosed that the hardships endured in making this drama were no less than those in making "The Soldier's Sortie". He said that the production team completed a great many large-scale war scenes during filming, and the director often required movie-level quality. For the largest war scene, the crew even mobilized over a thousand extras to complete the scene, which also involved many explosive points. As a TV war drama, it had already reached its peak.

Regarding the stunning effects of this war drama, Wang Baoqiang frankly said, "The scenes are gory, with many sad images such as blood flowing like rivers and corpses covering mountains. Also, there are many scenes where soldiers wrestle hand-to-hand with Japanese soldiers when the enemies attack."

Dreaming Back to "Assembly" to Find a Gun

Wang Baoqiang said that he played a "sharpshooter" in the drama who knew since childhood that one must be as one with the gun, man becomes the gun, and the gun becomes man. Thus, Shunliu's gun was also a crucial element in the drama.

There is a scene in the drama where Shunliu captures a sniper rifle from a Japanese soldier on a hill after defeating him. Wang Baoqiang recalled that originally this scene was not in the script. The reason for adding this scene was because one night he dreamed about a gun that he had used in "Assembly". "I really dreamed about it," Wang Baoqiang said seriously, "The gun was actually one I used before while filming 'Assembly', but it was not given close-ups then. I just thought the gun looked particularly cool and powerful. Unexpectedly, I dreamed about it again when playing Shunliu. I think since Shunliu is a sharpshooter, he should have a very powerful gun." So he kept nagging the director about it, and finally got the gun included in the drama. It turned out that the gun Wang Baoqiang dreamed about was a real gun owned by Bayi Film Studio. To fulfill Baoqiang's dream, the crew went through great trouble to finally get the gun.

This Time, He's Smarter

Wang Baoqiang believed that compared to Xu Sanduo, who brought him fame and fortune, Shunliu shares some similarities with him. They both have very stubborn and persistent personalities, sometimes prone to tunnel vision. But they also have significant differences. Shunliu grows up continuously on real battlefields, has more backbone than Sanduo, and can always keep his head clear in the most brutal battles, knowing what to do and how to do it to kill more enemies and bring more glory to his army.

But Shunliu is an ordinary soldier who comes from the mountains and has a simple side, which is somewhat similar to Xu Sanduo. "Shunliu is resolute, tenacious, has his own character and temper, and things he wants to stick to. He will better meet the audience's expectations of a tough hero," Wang Baoqiang summarized.

In 2009, I Am Shunliu

From "A World Without Thieves" where he played "Sagen" to "The Soldier's Sortie" where he played "Xu Sanduo", Wang Baoqiang's acting route seemed to always follow the same style. Would such "repetition" limit his acting range?

Facing this question, Wang Baoqiang appeared quite relaxed. He told the reporter that this was not a problem. When he played "Sagen" before, people called him "Sagen" wherever he went. But when "Xu Sanduo" appeared, people remembered "Xu Sanduo". He believed that this "Shunliu" would also be remembered by everyone. Wang Baoqiang said: "I love the character 'Shunliu' so much. In 2009, I am 'Shunliu'. Please call me 'Shunliu'!"