A well established actor, 58-year-old Chen Daoming has been a model for many young actors and actresses.

Chen started his career at the Tianjin People's Theater and went on to become a household name in China. Over his decades-long career, he has played a variety of unforgettable characters in stage plays, TV series and films.

His most recent work, 2011's "The Sorrow of Comedy", is the biggest hit in Chinese theater history, with an 18-day run at the Beijing Peoples Art Theater. He says people can still learn something from the show.

"The success of the play was due to several factors," Chen said. "First of all, the Beijing People's Art Theater, with its high quality production, is a huge draw for the audience. My co-star He Bin, a great actor, also contributed a lot to the play. And the director Xu Ang, he's very young, but he's very talented and creative.

"You can't say one show's success is just because of an actor or something like that. It's a whole package."

It's no secret that China's theatre scene has seen better days, as box-office hits like "The Sorrow of Comedy" are rarely seen. While some people may think famous actors increase box-office appeal, Chen remains sceptical.

"The audience decides the box-office," Chen said. "But from my point of view, as an actor, whether you are famous or not, your job is the same: to do your best to create a character. The rest is not in our power.

"I think it doesn't matter if there is a star in a play or not. If it's a good production, people will still buy tickets, even if the actors are not famous."

Chen Daoming's next big thing is coming soon, as he gets ready to team up with actress Gong Li in director Zhang Yimou's next film.

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