Wang Baoqiang (simplified Chinese: 王宝强; traditional Chinese: 王寶強; pinyin: Wáng Bǎoqiáng; born April 29, 1984) is a Chinese actor. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie Blind Shaft, for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards with Megan Zheng. The same role also won him the Best Actor prize at the 2003 Deauville Asian Film Festival and 2004 Golden Kinnaree Award (Bangkok International Film Festival).

Early life

When Wang was 8 years old, his village showed the movie Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li, which inspired him to become a martial arts star in movies like Jet Li or Jackie Chan. Wang insisted on going to a Shaolin Temple though his family opposed it, in the same year. He believed that once he learned martial arts he could be a film star. 6 years later, Wang Baoqiang hadn't starred in any films but possessed excellent Kung Fu skills. Many people had told him that only in Beijing might he have the opportunity to become a film star. With only 500 RMB (about 70 US dollars) to his name, Wang said goodbye to his family and headed to Beijing at age 14 on his own.