Lu Shuming

In this Chinese name, the family name is Lu.

Lu Shuming (Chinese: 陆树铭; 15 August 1956 – 1 November 2022) was a Chinese actor best known for his role as Guan Yu on the 1994 television series Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and also garnered recognition for his roles as Bull Demon King and Li Guang on A Chinese Odyssey (1995) and The Emperor in Han Dynasty (2005), respectively.

Lu Shuming
陆树铭
Born	(1956-08-15)15 August 1956 Qingdao, Shandong, China
Died	1 November 2022(2022-11-01) (aged 66) Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1983–2021
Spouse	Gao Lan
Children	2
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	陆树铭
Traditional Chinese	陸樹銘
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lù Shùmíng

Biography

Lu was born in Qingdao, Shandong, on 15 August 1956, while his ancestral home is in Yantai.^[1] Due to his father having participated in supporting the construction of the northwest China, they relocated to Weinan and then Xi'an in Shaanxi province, where he attended Xi'an Road Primary School and Jiefang Road Middle School. At school, he loved basketball and Beijing Opera.^[2]

Lu began his acting career in 1980, when he was accepted to Shaanxi Provincial Drama Troupe, but soon he was forced to leave the stage for falling in love with an actress.^[2]

In 1983, Lu was cast as Li Hu in Man in the Desert, making his television debut. In the same year, the Communist government began to crack down on people with "Bad Style" (作风不良).^[1][3] Lu was jailed for 16 months for "mental pollution" (精神污染), a "crime" originated from when he danced seven or eight times at his friend's uncle's house.^[1][3] He went on to appear in other works, including Sing a Romantic Song for You (1986), Exterminate the Banditi in Western Hunan (1986), and Bleak Youth (1988).^[2]

In 1989, he was cast as Qin Shi Huang in A Terra-Cotta Warrior, opposite Zhang Yimou and Gong Li.

Lu gained national fame for his starring role as Guan Yu in the 1994 television series Romance of the Three Kingdoms, adapted from Luo Guanzhong's classical novel of the same title.^[4]

He co-starred with Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat in the 1995 film A Chinese Odyssey as Bull Demon King.^[1]

In 1997, he co-starred with Li Jingfei and Sun Yanjun [zh] in the historical television series Sun Wu [zh] as general Wu Zixu.

In 2005, he acted in the historical television series The Emperor in Han Dynasty, playing the role of general Li Guang.^[5] That same year, he starred with Du Yulu in The Rice is Ripe.^[5]

In 2019, he appeared in Battle Between Song and Liao Dynastles, a historical war film starring Siqin Gaowa.^[6]

Lu played a supporting role in the comedy film Stop! Thieves, starring Bruce Leung, Lawrence Ng and Rain Lee and directed by Jacky Zheng.

In 2021, he played the male lead role of Guan Yu in the historical war film Green Dragon Crescent Blade, alongside Kenny Kwan and Jin Song [zh].

Personal life and death

Lu married opera singer Gao Lan (高岚), with whom he had a son and a daughter.^[7][8]

On 1 November 2022, Lu died due to sudden illness in Xi'an, Shaanxi, at the age of 66.^[9]

Filmography

Film

Year	English title	Chinese title	Role	Notes
1986	Exterminate the Banditi in Western Hunan	湘西剿匪记	Liu Dazhu
1990	A Terra-Cotta Warrior	秦俑	Qin Shi Huang
1995	A Chinese Odyssey	大话西游之月光宝盒	Bull Demon King
2019	Battle Between Song and Liao Dynastles	大破天门阵	Mu Yu
2020	Stop! Thieves	站住！小偷	Hu Jiuwan
2021	Green Dragon Crescent Blade	青龙偃月刀	Guan Yu
	Seven Doors	七扇门	Chang Lezu

Television

Year	English title	Chinese title	Role	Notes
1983	Man in the Desert	大漠中的男人	Li Hu
		未粉刷完的墙壁	Bicycle coach
1986	Sing a Romantic Song for You	为君唱首风流歌	Road builder
1994	Romance of the Three Kingdoms	三国演义	Guan Yu
1997	Sun Wu [zh]	孙武	Wu Zixu
2005	The Emperor in Han Dynasty	汉武大帝	Li Guang
	The Rice is Ripe	谷穗黄了	Fan Tianbao
	Fight Against Evil	阻击罪恶	An Ke
2006	Grassland Sentiment	草原情
2011	Strange Destiny of Fragrant Hills	香山奇缘	King Miaozhuang
2015	The Legendary Broadsword	大刀记	Wang Shenghe

Stages

Year	English title	Chinese title	Role	Notes
1988	Bleak Youth	苍凉青春	Erwanzi
1989	Vortex in Spring Tide	大潮中的漩涡	Li Banzheng
1999	In This Family	在这个家庭里	Master Huang
	Xuanyuan Huangdi	轩辕黄帝	Emperor Huangdi
2009	Zhong Kui	钟馗	Zhong Kui

Song

• A Pot of Old Wine (一壶老酒) (2015)

Book

• 我遇关公 [I met Guan Gong] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Oriental Publishing House. 2016. ISBN 9787506083652.

References

1. Zhong Yi (钟一) (2016). 陆树铭“关公附体”之后 [After Lu Shuming's "Guan Gong Attachment"]. Times Figure (in Chinese). 6. Xi'an, Shaanxi: Times Figure Publishing House: 28–35. ISSN 1674-0645.
2. Lu, Shuming (2018). 我演关公 关公塑我 [I Portray Guan Gong, and Guan Gong Shapes Me]. Beiguang People (in Chinese). Chengdu, Sichuan: Beiguang People Publishing House: 9–12.
3. Qian Yi (千一) (23 December 2015). “关公”陆树铭发布新书 首次披露当年入狱细节. Sohu (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 November 2022.
4. Liu Chenjun (刘臣君) (1 August 2007). 访老《三国演义》演员 陆树铭：演关羽此生足矣. sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 November 2022.
5. Cai Yifang (蔡怡枋) (1 July 2004). “关二爷”陆树铭点评众星(图). sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 November 2022.
6. Zhang Nan (张楠) (4 May 2017). 《大破天门阵》开机斯琴高娃陆树铭携众主创到场. 163.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 November 2022.
7. 老版《三国》“关羽”儿子曝近照帅气随爹. sina (in Chinese). 18 December 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
8. Yi Yi (一一) (2022). “关羽”陆树铭：浪子回头真爱“定情鱼” ["Guan Yu" Lu Shuming, a prodigal becomes good]. Bosom Friend (in Chinese). 448. Wuhan, Hubei: Hubei Zhiyin Media Group Co., Ltd.: 19–21. ISSN 1007-502X.
9. 《三国演义》关羽扮演者陆树铭去世 享年66岁. sina (in Chinese). 1 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.