Zhou Lun-fa makes a comeback to comedy

"I didn't bring anything with me when I came into this world, so I don't have to take anything with me when I leave. Right now, a bowl of white rice for lunch and dinner is enough for me. I have diabetes, so sometimes I only eat one bowl."

Actor Zhou Lun-fa, 68, made these remarks and chuckled during a press conference held at the KNN Theater in Haeundae-gu, Busan on Thursday. He was honored with the 'Asian Filmmaker of the Year' award at the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which opened Wednesday. In 2018, Zhou Lun-fa announced his intention to donate his entire fortune of 5.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (approximately 810 billion won at the time). He is widely known for leading a frugal life, including using the same cell phone for 17 years and wearing slippers while riding the subway. "It wasn't me but my wife who donated my wealth. I didn't want to part with my hard-earned money,” Zhou humorously remarked. “Now I have to live on pocket money," eliciting laughter from the audience.

Despite a career spanning 50 years in the entertainment industry, Zhou Lun-fa appeared to have transcended notions of pride as a top star and harbored no regrets about the past. "Some people may think I am a superstar, but I am just an ordinary person,” he said. Nonetheless, he couldn't conceal his profound love and passion for acting. "Without movies, there is no Zhou Lun-fa,” Zhou Lun-fa said. “I couldn't study much, so movies opened up a world for me that was incomparable to anything else."

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing also attended the BIFF with her comeback film 'Green Night.’ She had disappeared abruptly in 2018 amidst a tax evasion scandal, leading to rumors of her death and her vanishing from public view. Chinese authorities stated that she had been fined approximately 883 million yuan. After a five-year hiatus, the actress made her return. "Life, much like the human life cycle, has its highs and lows,” she said during the press conference. “It was a period for me to find inner peace."


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com