"In Kunming Lilliputian Scenic Area, there are more than 100" Pocket Man "actors whose average height is less than 1.3 meters. They play the roles of kings and soldiers, build a virtual country and attract tourists from all over the world. In the shadow of COVID-19, the bleak and deserted scenic spots briefly resumed their excitement during the "May Day" Golden Week. Take off the costumes, and under the similar figure, these actors have different lives. "
On May 3, actors wearing masks lined up to pass the audience wearing masks in the Lilliputian Scenic Area in Kunming. There were more than 100 "Pocket Man" actors in this scenic spot, and 51 people returned to their posts before May Day. According to statistics, from May 1 to 5, Yunnan received a total of 9,966,200 tourists, returning to 66.8% of the same period last year.
Due to the epidemic, we missed the peak of Spring Festival travel and ushered in the "May Day" Golden Week with almost no tour groups. In Xishan District, Kunming, Chen Mingjing, the founder of Lilliputian Scenic Area, is worried about the benefits of the Golden Week. The epidemic has caused him a loss of at least 20 million yuan. The actors in Lilliput are all pocket people.
Since the establishment of the scenic spot in 2009, many actors have followed him until today. For these actors, this place is more than just a place to make a living. This is their country and their home.
On May 3rd, the actors who played samurai wore masks under fake beards.
Looking for "country"
Chen Mingjing used to run the instrument business. When he was on a business trip by train, he met two "pocket people". During the conversation, he realized the difficulties of this group. "Children have never been tall and have been bullied by bad boys in the village since childhood. Mom can’t lift her head, and some people will say, what did you do to give birth to such a doll? The hometown is not the hometown, it is their hell. "
Before Guan Shilin was 30 years old, his only income came from selling toys on holidays. Although the income is difficult, he also hopes that he can do his part to help his parents who are farming reduce some burdens. Guan Shilin didn’t like publicity, but if he wanted to make some money, he had to squeeze into crowded places. As soon as the stall was set up, children in the market excitedly pointed at him, and the bolder ones simply ran to the front and surrounded him, laughing and shouting. Guan Shilin has a kind temper. Although he is unhappy in his heart, he does not start to drive away.
The peers in the village go out to school, work to build a house, get married and have children. Everything an adult should do seems to have nothing to do with him. When others enter the society, he returns to his own small world, and his social activities become less and less. In his 30 s, Guan Shilin carefully handled his own sentimentality, chatting with netizens only about happy things, and digesting the troubles alone.
He felt that life had been like this, but the news that Chen Mingjing recruited Lilliputian actors changed Guan Shilin’s life. Chen Mingjing decided to set up an enterprise and explore ways to solve the dilemma of this special group. The first step is to let them work from their hometown. "If you don’t have a job, you can’t support yourself. If you always rely on others, how can you have self-esteem?"
A real job has a relatively stable income every month, and 100 colleagues are the same people as him. Guan Shilin feels that this is the right "country" for him.
When I came to Guan Shilin in Lilliput, I was steady and friendly, and soon became everyone’s "Guan Ge". Anyone who has troubles and no money to spend likes to come to him. One of the colleagues who made him feel particularly considerate and kind opened Guan Shilin’s closed heart and later became his girlfriend.
Colleagues working here had their own ideals when they were young: to be teachers and pharmacists, but these ideals were later broken due to physical defects. In the new life started by Lilliput, they have born new dreams.
Lu Mei, 26, from Wenshan, Yunnan, has worked for one year. Her dream is to have a grand wedding with her boyfriend.
Chen Zhongyou, 46, from Pu ‘er, Yunnan Province, has worked for 10 years. His dream is to buy a small four-wheeled ATV instead of walking.
Li Ying ‘an, 31, from Hanzhong, Shaanxi, has worked for 8 years, and his dream is to buy a car.
Yu Jianyi, 26, from Yizhou, Guangxi, has just started his job, and his dream is to find a girlfriend he likes.
Zi Huihong, 20 years old, from Dali, Yunnan Province, has worked for one year. Her dream is to get a driver’s license early and get ready to buy a car.
Back to the safe haven
On May 3rd, an actor dressed as a samurai walked among mushroom villages.
Compared with Guan Shilin, Li Feng, who lives in Chongqing, is lucky. With the help of his brother, sister and friends, he runs a fishing gear shop. I watched the small shop every day, ending my wandering life of singing, dancing and performing skits at night shows in various places. Li Feng, who loves to play, began to guard the counter to earn money to support his family, marry and have children, and his life gradually became "on the right track", which is exactly what his father wanted before his death.
When the epidemic came, the store was forced to close. When he lost his income, he remembered a phone call. After dialing, it was his old leader Chen Mingjing on the other end of the phone. He said that he wanted to return to Lilliput and find a stable income to support his family.
Ten years ago, Chen Mingjing just started to build this mysterious country. Like Guan Shilin, Li Feng was one of the first veteran residents and 108 "pocket man" actors who came here.
At that time, my father came here with Li Feng, hoping to find him a stable job. Living in the dormitory, colleagues from all corners of the country are almost the same size, which makes him feel particularly cordial and colleagues soon become friends. Between friends, there is naturally no strange look, which makes him feel practical.
Apart from meeting so many friends at once, Li Feng is most satisfied with the flexible company system. He can visit his family once a week, and an actor who has a long way to go home like him can save up and take a long vacation together. "This rule is very humanized."
The good times didn’t last long. The next year, his father was seriously ill. Li Feng bid farewell to his friends and returned to Chongqing to run a small shop to accompany his father through his last days. After his father left, Li Feng felt like a duckweed, and the person who sheltered him from the most storms in the waves of fate left. Filial piety became his greatest wish, and he stayed in Chongqing until the wave of the epidemic came, and he drifted back to Lilliput again.
Wearing armor and holding weapons, this is his samurai costume in Lilliput. Before returning to Lilliput, he ran a fishing gear shop in his hometown of Chongqing and guarded the counter every day.
"Senators"
During the "May Day" Golden Week, the actors took a group photo in the "Mushroom Village".
After ten years’ return, Brother Guan is still here. He and Li Feng recognized each other at a glance. Now, Guan Ge’s main job is to manage actors, and he has a separate office, laughing at himself for doing logistics.
Perhaps because of his mobile phone, Li Feng felt that he was not out of touch with the outside world. In their spare time, they brush social software like live broadcast and short video, think about their life feelings and look at the news of the outside world. More often, Guan Ge prefers to listen to some sad songs quietly.
Although the number of tourists in this year’s "May Day" Golden Week is not as large as that in previous years, compared with the cold and cheerless days in previous months, the "May Day" lilliputian country is also briefly lively. Guan Ge kept calm, reminding everyone at meetings or WeChat groups from time to time, paying attention to self-protection, wearing masks and keeping a proper distance from tourists.
Among the tourists, an actor dressed as a samurai rides a pony that the scenic spot looks for according to their figure. Compared with the cold weather during the epidemic, Lilliputian temporarily regained its popularity during the May 1 Golden Week.
Before May Day, Brother Guan bought his girlfriend an electric car, which was much more expensive than the one he rode himself, 1000 yuan. This kind of portable electric car can greatly change the height of the seat and even the handle after it is bought back, and it is very popular in Lilliput.
The refitting work was carried out after dinner. In the afterglow of sunset, on the concrete floor outside the dormitory area, the men were busy in too many cooks. It was very lively. Brother Jia, the "mechanical master", wore sunglasses and brought a chainsaw. Andhadhun Zhao Binwen ran upstairs and pulled off the wiring board, holding a mobile phone for weeks to help Brother Jia fill the light. Brother Guan’s girlfriend is very satisfied with the modified car.
While Jie Ge was refitting the car, Yang Chuan intended to show off his car skills. This kind of BMX, which is popular in Lilliput, has sensitive brakes. Yang Chuanxiu likes to play "tail flick", so his tires are changed more frequently than others.
Like Li Feng and Guan Ge, the "elders" who came to Lilliput ten years ago are now left with Zhao Binwen and Cheng Zhou.
Zhao Binwen found his wife Peng Mei here. On May 20, 2013, they had a wedding in Lilliput. Zhao Binwen got a C5 driver’s license, bought an SUV, and modified the throttle and brake into a right hand to control. The couple drove nearly 200 kilometers and went to Peng Mei’s hometown.
Peng Mei said that the two have no plans to have children for the time being. After consulting several hospitals, they learned that the genetic risk is high. Li Feng’s first child finally decided to have an abortion because of deformity. He and his wife cried for a long time.
Cheng Zhou had both children, but unfortunately, when the two children were five or six years old, his wife accidentally fell dead while doing farm work, and Cheng Zhou, who was originally full of hope, fell into the abyss of sadness.
Relying on the subsidy of length of service, he earns more than 2,000 yuan a month every week. If his wife were alive, the family could still maintain, but now he needs his elderly parents to help him raise children.
Chen Mingjing said: "These actors are all from bad karma. They came here to trust me, and the company’s losses can’t affect their treatment. As long as it is within its ability, it will definitely improve everyone’s working and living conditions as much as possible. " Brother Guan suggested to the company to increase the actors’ income and more entertainment facilities, such as night market, small bar and chess room. At present, the company has suffered serious losses due to the epidemic, and these ideas are difficult to realize.
Chen Mingjing once dreamed of making the Lilliputian country bigger and expanding the number of actors from 100 to 1,000. But now, as the head of the enterprise, his first consideration is to try his best not to let this big ship that has been sailing for more than 10 years sink.
On May 4th, Dong Hongyu and Yu Jianyi were wrestling. During the performance, they both played the role of "Qigong Master" from Tubo, and continued to play their respective roles in their spare time.
On May 3rd, Chongqing actor Su Xingxing was cooking in the kitchen. On the third floor of the dormitory is a row of public kitchens and restaurants. Every two people share one room. Tired of eating lunch boxes, they can cook by themselves.
On May 4th, Ceng Wei, who plays Avanti, wants to hug the child of an acquaintance. It is difficult for "pocket people" to get married, and the genetic probability of defects is as high as 80%, which also makes people who try to have children daunting.
On May 3rd, the actors who finished the performance put on their clothes and waited for 6 o’clock sharp to get off work.
Figure, text/Caixin reporter Chen Liang
Photo Editor/Du Guanglei
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