Director says action scenes in TV serial are real

Singer-actor Li Mao lead stars the war-themed TV series Dang Kou (Cracking down the Enemies). [Photo provided to China Daily]

Former martial arts champion-turned director Jiao Xiaoyu says that all the action scenes in his latest TV series are real.

Dang Kou (Cracking down on the Enemies), a 40-episode wartime series, is airing four episodes every night on Beijing Satellite TV since May 24.

Jiao's latest directorial effort follows hits such as Landmine Warfare and The Legendary Broadsword.

Set in the 1930s, Dang Kou relives the Chinese fight against the Japanese invasion through an unlikely perspective — the protection of a treasure.

Before the filming, Jiao made all the cast members take part in a training program on weapon use and close combat.

Singer-actor Li Mao in the war-themed TV series Dang Kou. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Once a professional martial artist, Jiao says he believes that only real fights can create good visual effects. But the explosions and gunfire on the sets were a nightmare for the cast.

Li Mao, the lead actor, recalls at a recent Beijing event that during one scene he had to carry a 10 kg gun in one hand, use his other hand to support an actor playing an character who is injured, and run across a battlefield.

He says the loud noises during the filming still haunt him, but he believes the real-life scenes work better.