“Kungfu Prince”: Once Famous, Now Criticized as Outdated, Yet Still Holds Assets Over 350 Billion

Thich Tieu Long then and now

Anyone who loves Chinese martial arts knows Shi Xiaolong. Shi Xiaolong became famous at the age of 5 as a child star. 

Based on his acting ability and popularity at that time, this young Shaolin disciple was expected to become a new generation of martial arts superstars. However, what people did not expect was that after growing up, Shi Xiaolong did not develop smoothly and could only be an actor specializing in supporting roles.

Thich Tieu Long (left) was once a child martial arts star loved by audiences of the 8X and early 9X generations. With natural acting and innate martial arts ability.

Martial arts star Shi Xiaolong (real name Chen Xiaolong) is a famous child star with many films such as “Shaolin Little Boy”, “New O Long Court”, “Chinese Dragon”, “Young Bao Qingtian”, “9-year-old District Chief”, “The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber” 2003…. 

Born into a family with a tradition of martial arts, Thich Tieu Long was trained properly and soon became involved with roles in martial arts films. 

In 1993, the 8x actor was given his first role in the movie Shaolin Boy and quickly became a promising name in the Chinese entertainment industry.

At the age of 15, despite being sought after by filmmakers, Shi Xiaolong decided to study abroad in the US. After returning home, the actor no longer maintained his former glory. In 2020, Sina called him a “past his prime” star. 

In 2021, Shi Xiaolong took on the lead role in the film Yan Xihe La Yao Zhuan but only received below average box office revenue.

Turned to directing web movies but not very successful

After trying to regain his showbiz glory, Shi Xiaolong decided to change his career direction. He still sticks to the action-martial arts film genre. However, since 2022, in addition to his role as an actor and martial arts director, the male star has started practicing directing. The projects he produces are mainly web films, which do not require large investment costs and are of high quality.

Star Shi Xiaolong turns to directing.

The first film starring and directed by Shi Xiaolong, released on online movie viewing platforms in China in 2022, is called “Detective Chen” but did not achieve much success.

When it was first released, the film was suspected of plagiarizing the content and filming style of Stephen Chow’s School of War, but the work still earned 19.5 million yuan (2.7 million USD), higher than many films shown in theaters at that time. On Douban, Detective Chen was rated 5.7/10 for quality.

According to Thich Tieu Long, he does not care about the box office revenue of the films he produces. The actor affirmed that money is not his top priority. Becoming a film director is like a new challenge, worth experiencing in life.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the projects he produces, Thich Tieu Long also actively participates in drama films, although he is not the main actor.

Thich Tieu Long once shared that he is not afraid of being known as an outdated man, having to rely on online movies to earn money and maintain his position in showbiz. He said he does not seek to achieve great success, he just wants to use his seriousness and popularity to attract young audiences to watch martial arts – action movies.

Huge fortune and a life of luxury

In recent years, although he has not achieved success in showbiz, Thich Tieu Long has had a luxurious and prosperous life that many people envy at the age of U40. 

He became a secretive tycoon of Chinese showbiz with luxurious and expensive hobbies. Shi Xiaolong is passionate about collecting supercars and watches and is not afraid to spend money on having fun with friends.

Although his career is no longer outstanding, Shi Xiaolong is still considered a “hard to touch” star in Chinese showbiz. He has strong family support. Shi Xiaolong’s father is martial artist Chen Dongshan, one of the 18 great Shaolin masters. Chen Dongshan currently holds a series of positions in the cultural and commercial agencies of Zhengzhou province (China).

In addition, Shi Xiaolong’s father is also the principal of the Shaolin Tungshan Martial Arts School, owning 9 companies scattered across China, with a total value of 1.4 billion USD. Wu Diao – the actor’s adoptive father – was once the general protector of the Zhulian gang (a branch of the Triads) in Taiwan. 

Currently, Ngo Dieu is the president of Taiwan’s largest film and television studio – Truong Hoang.

After a period of being criticized for being unattractive due to gaining weight, Thich Tieu Long has now taken care of his appearance and looks much more handsome.

Page 163 says that Shi Xiaolong also owns a considerable fortune, over 100 million NDT (14 million USD). This is the private fortune that the actor accumulated from the sky-high remuneration from his childhood acting career and profits from investment and business activities. Not to mention, he also received a huge inheritance from his father.

Currently, the actor inherited a large fortune from his father, martial artist Tran Son Dong. The father and son opened their own martial arts school and are also very successful businessmen and investors. 

At the age of over 30, although his reputation is no longer what it used to be, Thich Tieu Long is still considered to have a more prosperous and luckier life than many of his child colleagues of the same time.