A different cut

TV actor Wu Xiubo looks for roles that can set him apart from his industry peers, he tells Han Bingbin .

Wu Xiubo, 46, looks sharp in his slim-fit suits and vintage coiffure, and speaks gently with a shy smile. Among Chinese TV stars of his generation, he is probably the only one to still present a middle-class image of himself. Among the country's most celebrated names in popular culture, Wu's rise to fame within a few years is an inspiring story.

After graduating from the China Central Academy of Drama in the 1980s, Wu spent years in jobs that led him nowhere close to a fulfilling acting career. He made a living from running a restaurant among other activities, and was even misdiagnosed with intestinal cancer, leaving him traumatized for a long time.