Before he was known for playing powerful male leads in short dramas, Liu Qing had a very different career goal.
He had dreamed of becoming a singer since childhood and eventually studied vocal music at Bohai University in an effort to pursue that ambition.
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But after studying music for some time, Liu Qing realized that becoming a professional singer would require a significant financial investment to continue his training.
“I wanted to become a singer since I was a child. After studying for a while, I realized that it would be difficult to achieve that dream because I would need to invest a lot of money in further training and education,” Liu Qing said in the interview.
He eventually gave up on that dream.
Instead, he began looking for another career that would allow him to make use of his appearance and his comfort in front of a camera.
That decision led him into modeling.
He Spent Nearly a Decade as a Wedding Model
Liu Qing’s entry into modeling was largely accidental.
While taking part in a wedding-host competition, he appeared as a model playing the groom. Another model involved in the event later posted about it on social media.
A photographer happened to see Liu Qing in the post and approached him about working together.
At first, Liu Qing had no plans to turn modeling into a full-time career.
“At the time, I thought I could make some extra money, enough to cover my living expenses,” he recalled.
But the work gradually grew.
“My work got better, and my income increased as well,” Liu Qing said.
He eventually spent around eight to 10 years working as a model.
After being in the industry for so long, he jokingly referred to himself as a “veteran model.”
Much of his work involved modeling wedding suits and playing the groom in photo shoots. The job also meant constantly traveling from one city to another.
“I really enjoyed it. Every day was quite fulfilling. Our pace was extremely fast. We would finish a shoot in one city and then have to travel to another city that same night,” he said.
Liu Qing said the work took him to numerous locations across China, including many of the country’s famous gardens and scenic settings used for wedding photography.
He also enjoyed the lifestyle that came with the job.
“The income was pretty good. I could do photo shoots, wear suits every day, and look quite handsome,” he joked.
Why He Started Looking for a More Long-Term Career
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