Zheng Geping: I was so stubborn as a kid that my principal slapped me

Even Zheng Geping wasn't spared the 'rod' when he was a kid.

The local actor confessed that his behaviour got him in trouble with his school's principal in the past and earned him a slap. But ironically, he wasn't being an errant child. He just refused to own up to a mistake that he didn't commit.

Speaking to Lianhe Wanbao recently, the 56-year-old hunkle said: "I'm quite stubborn. I won't admit fault for something I didn't do." 

He recalled an incident in his school days when the class was folding origami frogs, and the principal walked in and noticed some paper scraps near his table. Then he was reprimanded for littering. 

"But it really wasn't me (who littered). I kept denying it. The teacher even gave me a look and asked me to own up, but I didn't. The principal slapped me, I cried and I was made to stand as my punishment. But if I didn't do it, I won't admit to it," he said.

Despite his strong personality, the veteran artiste also has a soft side as a kid. He was playing football with his classmate when he accidentally kicked the ball over the fence and it was picked up by some kids from another school who refused to return it to them.

ALSO READ: Health junkie Zheng Geping admits to smoking up to 2 packets daily in the past

As the ball belonged to his classmate, the latter's mother was furious with Geping and asked him to compensate for the lost football. Geping said that he cried on the spot but went home and discreetly picked his savings clean to pay for it. He didn't tell anyone what happened.

He added: "This is why I have the belief that I shouldn't let anyone bully me or my family, and I can't bully others too. I know very clearly what it feels like to be bullied or wronged."

Imitating Bruce Lee

As a kid, Geping always wanted to learn martial arts but his family didn't have enough money to send him for classes.

So he would often watch the Shaw Brothers' wuxia films and imitate the moves from there. He even tried to imitate the late actor-martial artist Bruce Lee. Geping used tape, string, and the wooden handle of a broom to fashion a pair of nunchucks for himself.

He laughed: "It cost me nothing. (And I would) always hit my head and elbow."

Though he had a passion for martial arts and movies, he never saw himself going into acting as it seemed like a distant dream for a kid from a poor family.

Geping also confessed to applying for a position as a stunt actor but he wasn't successful. The doors to his acting career surprisingly opened up after he accompanied his close friend to sign up for an acting class.

bryanlim@asiaone.com