Running the trail to his roots

At 10, determined to pursue a better education, he left his remote village to attend primary school in the county seat.

Getting there meant crossing a mountain — a grueling 20-kilometer journey over steep slopes and rocky paths, sometimes scrambling on all fours to reach the top.

After primary school, he enrolled in a martial arts school in Xichang in Liangshan, where he trained in sanda (Chinese martial arts sparring).

In 2014, he entered the Sichuan Film and Television College, and it was there that he began to develop an interest in acting.

Although he studied management, he frequently slipped into broadcasting and acting classes and also began modeling.

A teacher later introduced him to work as an extra at Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang province.

"On set, I worked every single day, taking on all sorts of roles," he recalls. "The maximum number of costume changes I had in a single day was seven."

Those busy days as a part-time worker, he adds, planted in him the desire to become an actor.

Instead of taking the stable job his parents had hoped for, he moved to Beijing after graduation to chase auditions.