Lu Qi

Lu Qi, born in 1952, grew up in Chongqing. He was raised in the compound of the Chongqing Municipal Cultural Bureau and was exposed to the performing arts from an early age. In elementary school he joined the school's poetry recitation team, showing an early interest in stage performance. He later took up musical instruments, studying the flute and the erhu; on days when there was no school he followed a teacher for professional erhu training. In 1970 Lu Qi passed the entrance exam for a professional troupe organized by the Chongqing Cultural Bureau and became an erhu player, which also marked the start of his performing career. Soon after he was recruited into the military, donned a uniform, and devoted himself to military cultural work.

Lu Qi’s film and television career began in 1978. His first film role was in the drama Mountain City Snow (Shancheng Xue), in which he played a bodyguard to Premier Zhou Enlai. That same year he began taking on a variety of roles. In 1988 he won the Best Actor award at the 10th China Golden Rooster Awards for his lead role in the film Baise Uprising, which brought him formal recognition in the film world. After that, Lu Qi frequently portrayed the key historical figure Deng Xiaoping, depicting him from youth to old age in productions such as Baise Uprising, China’s Divine Fire, Liberation of Yunnan, Tibet in Turmoil, and Deng Xiaoping in Chongqing.

In 1995 Lu Qi transferred to the August First Film Studio of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, further solidifying his professional standing in military-themed works and historical portrayals. He continued to play Deng Xiaoping in a series of television dramas, including Liberation, Forward, Forward!, Geda Living Buddha, The Eighth Route Army, and General Xu Shiyou, many of which focus on modern Chinese revolution and historical events.

Lu Qi’s work spans film, television, variety shows, and stage recitation. In recent years he has expanded into film production, participating in films such as Coming Down from the Mountain and Deng Xiaoping’s Path, and has received multiple acting awards, including the 2022 Beijing International Film Festival “Most Popular Actor Among University Students.” In 2023 he was honored as one of the “Outstanding Film Artists” in the centennial of Chinese cinema.

Widely recognized by audiences and peers for his nuanced portrayals and solid acting skills, Lu Qi is regarded as one of the representative figures in Chinese film and television. He also serves as dean of the Film School at Xiamen Nanyang Vocational College and is committed to film education.