Disgraced Chinese tai chi master Ma Baoguo comes out of retirement for kung fu film
- Film company announced 69-year-old agreed to appear in Young Kung Fu King a day after retirement message on social media
- Ma says film will ‘break box office records’ as online ridicule continues, with one newspaper saying ‘acting is his real strength’
Fresh off retiring from martial arts after being ridiculed online in videos spoofing hit films, disgraced tai chi master Ma Baoguo is set to make an appearance on the big screen.
In an interview on Monday, Ma confirmed he would be playing an aged kung fu master in the upcoming film Young Kung Fu King and that he was confident in his acting skills.
Ma also added that he expects the film to break box office records. “If you wait and see, it will definitely be popular,” he said, as per Sina’s own Weibo account.
Just two days later the Weibo of the Shandong Yanwutang Film and Television Media Company posted that Ma had agreed on November 16 to film scenes for the upcoming release.
Ma then responded with his own video on November 17 explaining his decision to make the film despite walking away from martial arts to “return to a peaceful life”.
Disgraced master ‘walks away from kung fu ’ after fresh online mockery
“Many film companies have asked me to make films, but I did not agree,” Ma said, but he was convinced by director Zheng Yang that it would promote Chinese kung fu. “I am willing to make the real Chinese kung fu shown in this film.”
He added in his video that his “love for the country” and the film’s desire to promote traditional kung fu meant he had to take part no matter the salary.
Many reports on Chinese social media quoted an insider to say that Ma will be paid 50,000 yuan (US$7,600) for his appearance in the film.
Ma’s announcement that he will play an old kung fu master in the film, which has brought further ridicule and criticism.
ThePaper.cn, a Shanghai-based newspaper, suggested that Ma would be able to play a fake kung fu master “as acting is his real strength”.
Ma opponent ‘scared’ before KO’ing tai chi master – and paid for fight
In the aftermath of his retirement Ma’s official Weibo also launched a fan club “Ma Baoguo True Love Fan Club”. It was reported that members paid to join but once Ma found out he asked the assistant who set it up to return the money.
Ma also trended after netizens noticed that his “rat tail juice” saying had been registered by someone as a trademark.