During his first visit to China in 1997 as a US high school exchange student, John Gordon was given a Chinese name. The name Wang Yuanyuan came from the surname of his Chinese host family in Beijing who hoped their American "son" would maintain an everlasting connection to China.

Gordon went on to marry a Chinese woman and become vice-president of a Beijing-based English learning institution.

Today, Gordon is becoming a rising TV celebrity in China, who impresses audiences with his fluent Mandarin and natural style when he is hosting the CCTV-4 (the International Channel of China Central Television) Chinese learning programme, "Happy China."

Gordon is one of many foreigners who are gaining increasing attention on the Chinese stage. Most of their careers took off from the same launching pad a programme featuring foreign talent on Beijing Television (BTV).

Deepening understanding

Gordon's part-time career as a host can be traced back to his one-year of Chinese language study at the prestigious Tsinghua University. While strolling along campus one day, he saw the recruiting stand of the student radio station. He said that while he was not usually active in extracurricular activities, he thought it would be an interesting way to enrich his studies in China. He registered and was enrolled with another foreign student as the college's first-ever foreign anchors introducing Western music.

Upon graduation in the United States, Gordon came back to Beijing. He co-founded the English-teaching Beijing New Channel School in 2004.

He frequently appeared as a guest on "Common Ground" (Guoji Shuangxingxian), a BTV programme about communication and cultural clashes between foreigners and locals, as well as China National Radio (CNR) where he shared his views on English education.

In early 2005, Gordon was invited to co-host "English Evening" with a Chinese colleague. The show was broadcast between 9 and 10 am daily on the economic channel of CNR. Meanwhile, his friends working on "Common Ground" recommended him for the 2006 Arts from Our Land Competition.

The competition, which debuted in 1995, is one of BTV's popular programmes during Spring Festival. It offers foreigners a stage to display their talents in Chinese arts and understanding of Chinese culture. The competition has helped many participants get their foot in the door into the entertainment industry.

"I am not apt at singing or acting, and the idea of performing in public really makes me tense up. But the more I become anxious about the competition, the more I want to make a breakthrough and fully exploit my potential in that process," Gordon said.

He prepared several stories telling about foreigners' amusing experiences in China. He rehearsed before his students and a taxi driver on his way to the venue of the preliminary. In the final round, he and four other competitors performed a piece of traditional crosstalk that won a third prize. He also acted as an American who had trouble pleasing his Chinese father-in-law in a short play.

The performance won him an opportunity to perform on another BTV programme, "Touching Beijing," which targets foreign audiences in the capital. Four months ago, he joined the team of "Happy China."

The programme uses enchanting scenery and the development of Chinese cities to help foreigners learn Mandarin.

Gordon never thought about being in TV. He has been devoted to deepening cultural exchange between the two countries ever since his first trip to China. For a long time, the main way for him to realize that mission was through language teaching.

"However, working at the TV station with Chinese partners has provided another angle. We get to know more about each other, and our mutual misunderstandings are cleared up," he said.

Different roles

Pierre Bourdaud, Gordon's French performing partner in Arts from Our Land Competition, is more ambitious about becoming a successful actor in China. He teaches English at a kindergarten in Beijing, where his students call him "Peter." Off duty, he is Bo Xiaolong, who performs kung fu and acts.

"I was enthusiastic about action movies of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li in childhood," he said. He began studying martial arts in high school. He majored in Chinese and took acting courses at the university. However, his parents dismissed his dream of becoming an actor because they didn't believe it was a stable career.

"My college teacher, a Chinese, suggested that I go to China where foreign actors and actresses are needed because of the flourishing TV and film industries," he said.

When he was given the script of the crosstalk they were to stage in the final round, he saw it as a mission impossible. He knew nothing about the crosstalk, but had to imitate the performance from a videotape.

The formal show, he said, was "just so-so." After the competition, he received several calls from film directors but had to decline their invitations, because he couldn't take a long leave from work. Sometimes, when Gordon is invited as a guest on TV programmes but can't make the dates, Bourdaud will go instead.

After missing some rare opportunities, he is currently playing a role in the first TV series narrating the life of foreigners in Beijing. He is looking forward to showcasing his kung fu skills. "It's a small role, but it may be a good start," he said. "I told my parents about the TV drama. They sound happy for me, that I could realize my dream here."

His next role is a Syrian in a documentary about the Dunhuang Grottoes. He is also preparing for the 2007 Arts from Our Land Competition. His performance will combine martial arts and French humour.

Experience of acting

For Tomas Gutierrez, who has dual citizenship in Britain and Mexico, participating in the recent documentary hit "Yuanmingyuan" (the Old Summer Palace) enabled him to closely observe the process of filmmaking in China.

When he was studying at Remin University of China last year, Tomas was offered the role of Reverend McGhee. He has some experience acting in Britain and feels "the character was not a very difficult one, but a fairly simple role of observing the events surrounding the burning of the Old Summer Palace." Still, he read a lot of historical material from that period in preparation for the film.

He recommended that the part in which the former glory of Yuanmingyuan is restored deserved special attention. However, the film is still a little too one-sided, he believes, as the reasons the palace was burnt down are not well explained.

(China Daily 12/13/2006 page14)