Brunei star eyes bigger stage in most populous country

Bruneian actor Wu Chun said coming to China to pursue his career about a decade ago was one of the most important decisions he has ever made. It also proved to be the wisest one.

"As an ethnic Chinese, it has always been my dream to pursue a career in China," said the actor and singer. "I wanted to devote more of my energy to acting, and in China the sector is more developed and box office takes are bigger."

The 39-year-old went on to springboard his career in acting with a number of his kung fu movies hitting big screens in China before his personal style became better known and attracted audience followings with his roles in reality shows such as Dad is Back and Where Are We Going, Dad? together with his daughter Nei Nei and son Max.

"For them, it was an amazing experience to get to go to cities, big or small, in China, and to see people's lifestyles and become part of their lives," he said, referring to the experiences of his son and daughter in the Chinese reality shows.

Wu said he is keenly aware of the importance of learning the Chinese language, as he himself attended Chung Hwa Middle School, the largest private Chinese school in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital.

"In the beginning I tried to speak English with them. But over the past two or three years, I kept reminding myself to talk to them in Chinese at home. In my experience, if you know Chinese, you will have better future development prospects," he said.

Wu said he now spends half of his time in China, even though he lives in Brunei with his family. And he has tried to play a bigger role in helping people of the two countries know each other better.

"In China, I tried to introduce Brunei's food and culture. And in Brunei, I told people what it is like to live and work in China," he said.

One of the major differences between life in the two countries, he said, is a remarkable difference in the rhythms of life and work.

"I think it might take time for Bruneians to adapt to life in other countries. Here the rhythm of life is so slow. While in China, especially in first-tier cities, everything is so quick," he said.

"So I keep telling my employees here, if you are like this in China, you will lose your job," he joked. "So I keep urging them to stay positive, stay hungry for knowledge, and be more enterprising."

Wu said he is more than excited about the visit of President Xi Jinping to Brunei this week.

"For me, half of my life is now in China. The visit elevates the friendship between our two nations to a higher level, and it will also help the two peoples to better learn about each other's culture," he said.

He noted that it will also facilitate more Chinese investment to Brunei, which will benefit its economy.

"More tourists are also coming here. I fly back from China three to four times every month, and I am so happy to see there are now barely any vacant seats on my flights," he said.