After the first trailer for “Yuan Yang Kou” was released, there was a scene of various artists on the overpass, with Qi Shejiang hopping on stilts, and Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang barking like dogs, which drew the audience in. One day, Qi Shejiang checked his Weibo and found many people tagging him in a video. It was recorded by an audience member in a park in the capital, featuring a pair of young crosstalk performers performing. The blogger said: “I casually recorded this in the park before the Spring Festival and found out, aren’t these two the disciples of Qi Shejiang! The ones barking like dogs in the trailer!”
After the trailer was released, Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang’s visibility increased a bit, plus they had been reported before just because they were Qi Shejiang’s disciples. Qi Shejiang casually retweeted it. Later, he learned that it was indeed a passerby who filmed the video, but it was actually sent by a contact from the production team to create publicity for the movie. Soon the production team’s news came out, telling everyone the story: “This is @Mo Sheng @Qi Leyang training for ‘Yuan Yang Kou.’ Director Tang’s only requirement for them was to perform street art until they earned back ten thousand!”
This training was quite interesting.
Wow, Director Tang really knows how to push actors! Particularly as the production team went deeper, sparking everyone’s interest, they indicated that Qi Shejiang and his disciples’ bond formed during this time, and Qi Shejiang actually went to teach them how to perform on the street—that they were also clueless at the beginning. This time, it really spiraled out of control. By this time, there were indeed people—not arranged by the production crew—who found videos of Qi Shejiang performing, including that very classic segment where Qi Shejiang first learned to bark like a dog. It turned out someone captured that moment; even Tang Shuangqin arrived late and missed the whole process.
