China National Theatre 1st-class actor Yoo Bon-chang died of illness in Beijing on September 24. At 93, he left a deep impression on different generations through the 1985 drama ‘Ji Gong’ and his role as Yashu in the 2023 drama ‘Blossoms.’ When remembering one actor’s long career, what scenes connect these two roles?
3-Line Summary
1. Yoo Bon-chang died in Beijing on September 24
2. ‘Ji Gong’ and ‘Blossoms’ are cited as his signature works
3. The differences between the roles show the scope of his career
‘Ji Gong’ at 52, the Face Imprinted on the Public
Yoo Bon-chang (游本昌) was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, China, in 1933, and continued acting in theater and on screen for more than 70 years. According to reports, he worked as a performing artist and 1st-class actor affiliated with the China National Theatre.
The work that made him widely known was the drama ‘Ji Gong,’ which aired in 1985. At the time, Yoo Bon-chang was 52 when he took the lead role, playing Ji Gong, a monk who appeared eccentric on the outside but punished evil and helped the good. His appearance in worn shoes and a hat became an image that long evoked the work.
The role did not remain merely a hit from a particular period. All three articles identified ‘Ji Gong’ as one of Yoo Bon-chang’s defining memories alongside reports of his death. The fact that a character played by one person remained a shared memory across several generations is the clearest starting point of his career.
Yashu in ‘Blossoms,’ Encountered at 90
Yoo Bon-chang drew attention again by playing Yashu (爺叔) in director Wong Kar-wai’s 2023 drama ‘Blossoms.’ Yashu is portrayed as a figure who influences the protagonist A Bao’s growth in the business world. Through restrained acting, Yoo Bon-chang expressed the atmosphere and life experience of a seasoned Shanghai merchant.
The lively, humorous image of ‘Ji Gong’ differs greatly from Yashu’s cautious, introspective presence. For that reason, Yashu in ‘Blossoms’ can be understood as a role showing that Yoo Bon-chang did not remain confined to his earlier signature performances. The fact that he appeared in the work at 90 also reveals the length of his acting career.
One outlet explained that ‘Blossoms’ tells the story of A Bao, who moves between business and the stock market in Shanghai in the early 1990s. Within it, Yashu is depicted as a figure who teaches not only how to make money but also how to treat people. Yoo Bon-chang’s performance was praised for making this character a central axis of the story.
More Than 70 Years on Stage Between the Two Roles
Yoo Bon-chang’s death brings to mind again the two symbolic roles left by one actor. In ‘Ji Gong,’ he played an approachable yet righteous monk; in ‘Blossoms,’ he played an adviser who had witnessed changes in the era and in commerce. Although the characters differed, acting that leaves a vivid impression of each person connects the two works.
It was also reported that he spent his later years living in a care facility with his spouse. He reportedly did not want to burden his family and conveyed the attitude that wherever he was, that place was home. Yet the record likely to endure longer than his final appearance will be Yoo Bon-chang’s acting as encountered by viewers from different eras in the works that belonged to them.
References
Tags #유본창 #游本昌 #제공 #濟公 #번화 #繁花 #야숙 #爺叔 #중국배우 #중국드라마 #왕가위 #연기인생