Interview: One Year Anniversary of The Eye of the Storm

Friday, November 16, 2018

In celebration of the one year anniversary of his first book, The Eye of the Storm (which we are currently in the process of translating), Liu Hao Ran held a book signing event at the Page One bookstore in Beijing yesterday.

Apart from being in great spirits and joking around with fans, there was also a brief Q&A session before the signing started. Translation can be found below (keep in mind that he was answering questions in a half joking manner - he was in a really good mood), with more pics from the event! Shoutout to the Cfan who did the transcript. 




Below the interview we also included translations of what Page One employees thought about the event, the fans, and Haoran.





Q: I want to ask, Jian Feng (the Chinese title of the book, which translates to "See the Wind") is a beautiful title - can you explain what it means exactly?
LHR: It's like this: we went through several rounds of discussions just on the book's title alone. Because in the beginning, I was a bit uneasy about publishing a book. I thought at my age, what could I possibly talk about? My age is a bit awkward, because I can't give you a summary of my life, nor do I want to lecture everyone on big life principles or whatnot. Later, I thought about it and thought the name "Jian Feng" worked really well, because young people are like the wind. We don't have a clear direction yet, but there isn't a wrong direction either.


Q: I want to show Haoran a photo. The situation is like this: Four years ago, a good friend of Haoran's held a book signing in this very bookstore. I was the MC then too. What is really interesting to me is that at the time, Haoran sat in the front row supporting his friend. In just four years...the wind really has risen.
LHR: It's a big gust of wind that has blown by.


Q: I think it's a very interesting theme. These four years have been like a tornado.
LHR: I'm in the eye of the storm now, and am continuing to walk down this road as the wind picks up and falls.


Q: These four years, has the wind ever stopped blowing? Or have you come to any other relevations?
LHR: In this current society, the wind will never stop blowing, but you can stop. But if you stop, you might need to walk against the strength of the wind. No matter if you're walking or running as you let the wind guide you, you must be able to stand still. You have to ensure that even if you're borrowing the power of the wind to push you along, you must not be blown away, or blown over. That's pretty important. So it's better to stay grounded and walk steadily. You can use the wind's power to accomplish certain tasks, but you have to be sure of your own direction, even if it means you might be walking against it.


Q: From the end of last year through the beginning of this year, it was very obvious for a while that Haoran was standing in the eye of the storm, because you had so many projects airing at once. How has that wind changed you?
LHR: There hasn't been a big change. What I remember the most vividly was that when Detective Chinatown 2 came out, the box office results were fantastic, and the response and reviews were quite good. I was already in Xinjiang then, filming Novoland: Eagle Flag. I didn't come out for two months, up until the middle of April. I entered the set before Chinese New Year's, and had one day off before getting back to work the next day. So for that entire period - from Chinese New Year's through the middle of April - I didn't come out at all. There was one day when I was lying on my bed in Xinjiang, and I suddenly thought, "Liu Hao Ran, you're actually pretty studious." And I decided then that I wanted to focus on filming, that I didn't want to get carried away.

But often, what you want in your heart and what you can actually can control are very different. When you scroll through Weibo, you'll suddenly discover that more and more people are talking about you and posting about you. Your team will receive a lot of work offers*, and the conditions can be quite good. Not everyone can stay studious then, and I wouldn't have been able to if I had been in a different state of mind. 
*T/N: He's talking mostly about endorsements/magazines/events here versus film/drama projects. 

So I made a stupid decision: I pretended that my phone had no signal, since I was in Xinjiang anyways. When people tried to reach me, I didn't reply hehehe. But it is true that we didn't have signal at times then. Later, there was a day where I actually applauded myself. Having to actually stand your ground in the wind is a lot different than just saying it. But the words that I had written in my book - not to brag, but I stuck to it.



Q: This book went on sale at your 20th birthday fanmeet, and it seems to represent that you've come of age. In regards to this book, how would you recommend it? Why did you bring it to your birthday fanmeet?
LHR: I think it was more of a coincidence. It was my birthday fanmeet, and I was turning 20, which is a pretty important stage in our lives. First, I want to tell everyone, this book isn't me trying to teach you something or preach about life principles. I'm also not trying to tell you there's one correct path to walk either, because there are so many roads you can take. I am here today not just because of myself, but because of the experiences I've had, my family environment, the education I received at school, my work environment, my teachers, my seniors. This is the course of my life, I'm not saying you should follow the same path as me, because everyone's circumstances are different.

I want to tell everyone one thing: you all must find your own direction, your own place in your life. Since I was a child, I hated hearing adults lecturing me on life principles, so that's not my intention here. I hope that through this book, you can understand how I became the person I am today. The book outlines events from my childhood, which might've been quite small, but had a big impact in my life. This book talks about a complete Liu Hao Ran - from the way I think, to the stories it contains.


Q: We just asked a reader and they were most curious about the butcher knife story (you can read about it in Chapter 1 of the Eye of the Storm). How did that unfold?
LHR: Those who grew up in the countryside probably have seen it before. It's one of those large metal shelves that's covered with hooks. They'll hang pork on there, and ask you which part you want. It was a huge piece of pork, and I was standing right behind it. A customer said, "I want that piece", and the butcher said, "Sure!" - and the knife caught me right here (he points at his jaw). My sister was screaming and crying as she ran towards our house, "Ruined! His face is ruined!" This part is actually a pretty dangerous area, because it's near your neck and the important veins. But I honestly can't recall more than that.


Q: In the book, you talked about your apprehension towards the future. It's been about a year - has your life been different than what you had imagined?
LHR: Not really. I'm resting again, right? I'm still riding my little bike. There haven't been any big changes. I really like the state of my life right now, and I don't want to voluntarily change it in any way.


Q: The way we see it is that all of Haoran's roles this past year have been really good.
LHR: They've all finished airing. I spent two years working nonstop to film, and I thought that would last me for four years, but three of them finished airing within the span of three months. I thought that filming for two straight years would allow me to rest for at least a year, but nope.


Q: What are your next plans? When are you going to film a new project?
LHR: No idea, please be patient. What I do know is that I will have Detective Chinatown 3, which will probably be filmed next year. Before that, there isn't anything yet. I've been seriously looking through some scripts. I actually just did an interview inside, and the journalist asked me, "Haoran, what do you want to film next?" I said there is no way I'll answer that question again. Last time, I said I wanted to try historical projects, and ended up spending a year and a half just doing historicals.

So I will no longer say what I want to film - it just depends what I get. You guys have mentioned playing a solider and being in modern or war-themed projects. I'll get to them all, but my pre-condition is that I will not say, "Oh, I have to play this kind of role next", because it's hard to find suitable scripts. I've been looking over scripts, and also reading some novels. Just be patient. I'm not in a hurry, because I'm going to go skiing soon.


Q: Is it a hobby of yours?
LHR: I'm resting right now, so I need to do something with my time. I've already started playing games that I haven't touched in three years. Before I started my break, my team, and friends within the industry, all told me, "Haoran, you've been busy for too long. If you really rested, you wouldn't be able to handle it even for a week. But I've been resting for three months now, and I can tell everyone this: it's fantastic. I feel like I can keep resting for three more years, and then three more years after that.

Our dance academy teacher - of course, he'll probably not be willing to admit that I'm from the (Beijing) dance academy now - used to ask, "When you are dancing, what must you do?" You must relax, and not be wound up too tightly. So my current state of my mind is to relax. And although I might be on break I have a lot to do on a daily basis. I'm looking at scripts, reading books, chatting with friends, and riding my little bike. I'm building up life experience to use for my work later. Because you don't just learn how to act on set, you have to learn from your daily life as well. Plus now I appear at events often. If I really entered set and filmed for three, four months, my phone's going to have no signal again - isn't that worse?*
*T/N: He's essentially teasing the fans who were saying they wanted him to start a new project, hahaha, and basically being like, "Would you rather that I disappear again on set, or be on break but attending events so you can still see me on a regular basis?" 


Q: What does acting mean for you?
LHR: It's something that I'm interested in, and is a way I can earn a living. I saw someone on the Internet once say that being able to support yourself by doing something you love is one of the greatest joys in life. That's how I feel right now, but I can't promise that I will always rely on this. But at this point in my life, I like acting, and it can support me.





Page One Employees Weigh in


Q: How did you feel when you heard Liu Hao Ran was going to be holding a book signing event at the store?
E1: Super excited and really happy. I've seen Haoran didi's Beijing Love Story, It Takes A Real Man, and Nirvana In Fire 2. And when The Eye of the Storm was released a year ago I bought it right away. 
E2: I'm very blessed - I just started working here and got to see Haoran didi's book signing event!
E3: Can I get the day off?! (T/N: Implying that they were going to be overwhelmed with fans at the store) 
E4: I like him a lot, he's one of the new generation folks who can actually act. But then I thought about what it'd be like with so many fans...and we had to coordinate with the police and security guards, so I was a little fearful. 
E5: Wow, I need to tell my girlfriend. 

Q: How did you feel when you saw Liu Hao Ran?
E1: Hahaha, I didn't just get to see him. I talked to him! My face was so red. 
E2: During the break, Liu Hao Ran told his cousin to call his mom that he was going to be late for lunch, and that just noodles was fine. Felt like he's a good kid. 
E3: He's so tall, like a walking clothing rack. (T/N: meaning clothes hold up well on him). 

Q: Which fan left the deepest impression you? 
E1: There was a student who came from Tianjin, but bought a fake ticket (for the event). There were so many emotions that flashed across her face - disappointment, helplessness, sadness, and we saw her quietly wiping at her tears. Later, one of my coworkers gave up her own signed copy of The Eye of the Storm so the girl could catch the train back home for class. 
E2: I was the one who helped him flip to the page to sign, so you can say I was there for the entire process, from the first fan to the last. There were a lot of cute girls, as well as some male fans. There were also older women who were there as stand-ins for their daughters, or aunties who already liked Haoran. 
E3: Some of the girls were so emotional that they forgot to grab their book after it was signed, but Liu Hao Ran called them back. I was surprised by how many people came from different regions. 

Some HQ and LQ snaps of Haoran at the book signing event:












































































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