On October 6th， news outlets reported that during the National Day holiday， several veteran actors were “back on duty” at tourist attractions， becoming a unique spectacle during the break.
Recently， a netizen encountered Luo Jiaying， famous for his role as “Tang Monk” from “A Chinese Odyssey，” at an attraction in Hangzhou. Luo Jiaying， who is over 79 years old， appeared to be in good spirits. Dressed in his classic袈裟 (monk’s robe)， he recreated the iconic character from “A Chinese Odyssey.” Upon hearing tourists call out “Shifu” (Master)， he readily responded with a cheerful “V” sign and a hearty smile.
He maintained an enthusiastic demeanor throughout the encounter， interacting with visitors. When a group spontaneously began singing “Only You，” he responded by waving， instantly evoking nostalgic memories of “A Chinese Odyssey” for those born in the 1980s and 1990s. Netizens playfully commented， “I almost waited for him to start singing ‘Only You’.”
It wasn’t just Luo Jiaying. During the National Day holiday， tourists in Shanghai， Guangdong， and other regions also encountered veteran actors like Yue Yueli， Zheng Guolin， and Li Guolin at various scenic spots. Many younger netizens exclaimed， “They seem to be in better shape than I am!”
In fact， celebrities engaging in “re-employment” offline is not a new phenomenon. Previously， actor Zheng Guolin had been acting as an NPC (non-player character) at major tourist attractions， interacting enthusiastically with visitors.
While some observers questioned why a celebrity would stoop to this， Zheng Guolin himself thoroughly enjoyed the experience， participating in dancing， signing autographs， and taking photos. When tourists would call out， “Greetings， Your Majesty!” he would immediately bestow “official titles，” providing a significant emotional boost to the visitors.
Zheng Guolin addressed these questions directly in his livestream. When posed the most pointed question: “Are you doing this because you’re short on money?” Zheng Guolin candidly admitted， “Am I short on money? Yes， I am! I’m just a small actor， an ordinary person who needs to support my family.”
He shared that he comes from a family of ordinary workers， with no formal acting background or connections. He has reached his current position through hard work and opportunity. He emphasized， “There is no noble or lowly work， only whether you work hard or not. Earning money through my own efforts to support myself and my family is perfectly fine， in my opinion.”
Compared to acting jobs where a first part might be filmed without a sequel， the fixed schedule， lack of script restrictions， and prompt payment offered by tourist attractions make it a lucrative opportunity for established middle-aged and senior actors.
