On August 3, the 63-year-old renowned actor Ma Jingtao appeared at a scenic spot in Zhejiang, dressed as the God of Wealth, interacting with the audience amidst high temperatures. This was his third “temporary job” at a scenic area in over a month. In a live broadcast on June 21, Ma had fainted due to low blood sugar caused by the high temperature, but he resumed work the following day.
Ma Jingtao is a Taiwanese actor and singer who has been developing his career in China in recent years. Videos shared by netizens showed Ma appearing as the “God of Wealth” at the scenic spot on August 3, in good spirits as he recited the prescribed lines and interacted with the crowd. When one of the actors in the group was not fluent in delivering the lines, Ma asked the director if dubbing would be arranged later, stating “if it’s with the original sound, then we need to film it again”.
After the filming at the scenic spot concluded, Ma Jingtao encountered a large number of tourists on his way back to the hotel, patiently fulfilling their requests for photos together, willingly making lively poses to enhance the group photos.
Reportedly, Ma Jingtao has seen a sharp decrease in acting opportunities in recent years, and he has chosen this performance method during the summer to achieve a “re-employment” of sorts.
According to incomplete statistics, the appearance at this scenic spot marks Ma Jingtao’s third temporary job within a month. Starting from June 18, Ma had begun his activities at Hangzhou Song City, appearing at the scenic area as characters such as Zhang Wuji and He Shiwei.
On June 21, Ma Jingtao fainted during a live broadcast at Hangzhou Song City. The video showed Ma attempting to maintain balance by leaning on the host’s shoulder before eventually collapsing with a loud thud. Staff helped him up, and after regaining consciousness, he was seen holding his head, indicating a possible impact to his head.
The following day, Ma Jingtao resumed work. He recorded a video thanking everyone for their concern, explaining that the previous night, due to the hot weather, he had a moment of confusion but suffered no serious harm.
It is known that Ma Jingtao has been through two marriages and has a daughter and two sons. His 34-year-old daughter is married, while his two sons are expected to pursue careers in the entertainment industry. Ma Jingtao also has responsibilities towards his original family; his father passed away, his mother incurred debts due to gambling, and his brother has been imprisoned twice, leaving him to provide for his brother’s children’s education and living expenses over the years.
In recent years, China’s economy has been persistently sluggish, and the film and television market has been increasingly bleak, with reports of actors facing unemployment becoming more common.
In June of this year, news of 35-year-old mainland actor Shi Yuanting doing part-time “mountain climbing services” appeared frequently in hot searches. In his videos, he self-mockingly mentioned how difficult it had been to find acting jobs in recent years, forcing him to rely on part-time work to support himself.
On March 8, 41-year-old mainland actor Zhao Leiqi was found by netizens running a shoe shining stall. When asked by some customers about his situation, Zhao Leiqi responded by saying, “With no roles to play, setting up a stall and serving people can also earn money!” His words reflected the difficult situation in the mainland entertainment industry.
Earlier, grassroots-born actor Li Jiaming shared a video on social media showing him selling fried noodles at a stall in his hometown, sparking discussions among netizens.
Related data shows that the number of TV dramas approved by the China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television was 160 in 2022, decreased to 156 in 2023, and further dropped to 115 in 2024. In 2014, a decade ago, this number was 429.
Additionally, a publication by “Rhino Entertainment” on April 28 pointed out that the Chinese film market has plummeted this year, with the box office during the Qingming Festival dropping by 55% and no signs of recovery during the May Day holiday. The entire film market in April hit a historical low point.