Recently, on the stage of CCTV3's "The Braver, The Better," a familiar couple surprised the audience.
On stage, the couple dressed in Tibetan attire danced gracefully to Tibetan songs, their faces filled with happiness. This happy couple is none other than Lin Hao, once known as the "Wenchuan Little Hero," and his beloved Zelam. Sixteen years have passed since the 9-year-old boy saved two classmates with his tender hands, and he has now grown into an adult, becoming a "protector of the countryside" for his hometown. What has Lin Hao experienced in these 16 years?
01
On May 12, 2008, when the Wenchuan earthquake struck, 9-year-old Lin Hao was in class with his classmates. In an instant, the teaching building collapsed, burying Lin Hao and his classmates under the rubble. After two hours of struggling for survival, Lin Hao did not run away after crawling out of the ruins; instead, he turned back into the ruins and carried out two classmates with his tender hands. After settling the two classmates, Lin Hao continued to try his best to rescue the other students trapped under the rubble. When the rescue team arrived, he even guided the soldiers to rescue the trapped students.
"In fact, I was also very scared, but seeing my classmates even more frightened, I felt that I had to be strong," Lin Hao said in an interview after the disaster.
Lin Hao's bravery and perseverance not only saved himself but also brought hope to his classmates and boosted the morale of the disaster-stricken people.
After the earthquake rescue, Lin Hao was awarded the title of "Heroic Youth in Earthquake Relief" by the Central Civilization Office, the Ministry of Education, the Communist Youth League Central Committee, and the National Women's Federation for his heroic actions during the Wenchuan earthquake. Subsequently, Lin Hao's heroic deeds were widely reported by various media and praised by the people across the country. More and more people began to like this 9-year-old "little hero."
2008 was a special year, as China was about to host the 29th Olympics after years of successful bidding.
At this time, Zhang Yimou, then the chief director of the opening ceremony, made an unexpected decision: to let those who made outstanding contributions in the Wenchuan earthquake carry the national flag with Yao Ming.
After repeated discussions within the director's department, everyone unanimously decided to choose the 9-year-old "little hero" from Wenchuan, Lin Hao, to represent and carry the national flag with Yao Ming at the opening ceremony.
02
Thus, on August 8, 2008, accompanied by the giant footprints in the Beijing sky, "Little Hero" Lin Hao was carried in Yao Ming's arms as they led the Chinese delegation into the Bird's Nest stadium together.
Facing the audience from around the world, Lin Hao was not intimidated at all, and even after entering the venue, he kept calling out to Yao Ming, "Don't get lost." At that moment, Lin Hao stood on the world stage, and his smile and confidence touched everyone. Lin Hao confidently expressed his dream in front of the camera: to be admitted to Tsinghua University, become an architect, and build houses that won't collapse.
After the Olympics, Lin Hao's life trajectory changed. He actively or passively participated in more publicity activities, and more honors fell upon Lin Hao's young shoulders, such as "Touching China Figure" and "20 Young People Who Influenced the World."
This brought Lin Hao higher popularity, and with family support, he began to contact the entertainment industry while completing his studies, starring in educational films reflecting left-behind children like "Ma Dong's Holiday," which introduced Lin Hao to the entertainment industry.
In the movie "The Big Sun," Lin Hao played a child who lost his family in the earthquake. He used his personal experience and sincere emotions to vividly portray the role. In the TV series "Full Mountain Fighting Ghosts," Lin Hao played a smart and brave little hero. He used his wisdom and courage to outwit and defeat the enemy. Viewers saw Lin Hao's growth and transformation, as well as his passion and dedication to the performing arts.
Continuous work allowed Lin Hao to earn a considerable amount of money, and his family moved out of the resettlement housing after the earthquake, from the countryside to Shanghai, and finally settled down in Sichuan.
From a left-behind child in the mountains to a "little hero," Olympic flag bearer, and then an entertainment star, the changes in life and the rise to fame in the entertainment industry seemed to make Lin Hao particularly arrogant, confused, and lost. Lin Hao seemed to be indulging in the fame and wealth of the entertainment industry, gradually losing himself. Frequent work and relocations also severely affected Lin Hao's academic performance, making his once attainable dream of Tsinghua seem out of reach. External criticism of Lin Hao grew stronger, believing that he might have forgotten his original dream and become someone who only pursued fame and wealth.
But as early as 2010, Lin Hao donated the income from his first album to the Red Cross. In 2013, Lin Hao established the "Lin Hao Love Chain Fund," China's first public fundraising fund initiated by a minor. Lin Hao invested the income from his acting fees and albums over the years into public welfare undertakings, demonstrating his choices through practical actions. Also in 2013, Lin Hao was elected as a director of the China Radio and Television Association's Children's Actor Working Committee, and his acting career seemed to reach new heights. Lin Hao enjoyed the feeling of acting and wanted to enter a professional art school for systematic learning.
03
In 2014, Lin Hao basically gave up on his dream of attending Tsinghua and instead applied to several art schools. In 2018, Lin Hao participated in the art exams of art schools such as the Central Academy of Drama and Shanghai Theatre Academy, but his grades were not ideal. His dream of entering an art school through the college entrance examination was shattered, and his acting career stalled. The gap between ideals and reality can sometimes be an uncrossable chasm, and the blow of reality made Lin Hao realize his original intention even more clearly.
Eventually, Lin Hao was admitted to a junior college in Shanghai. During his university years, he focused on his studies, reduced his work in the entertainment circle, and even started campus second-hand market projects with his classmates, winning entrepreneurial awards from relevant departments in Shanghai.
In June 2021, after graduating from university, in response to the national call, Lin Hao resolutely chose to return to his hometown to start a business and help revitalize the countryside. Through interacting with his fellow townspeople, Lin Hao realized that there were many excellent products in the town, but it was difficult for the town to promote these products on its own.
People began to see Lin Hao's presence on short video platforms. Lin Hao used various new media to actively promote local specialties, conducted live-streaming to help farmers, and helped develop the local economy. For this purpose, Lin Hao founded Chengdu Wanxiang Liangpin Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., built his own platform to help farmers, and the promotional short videos he produced set a record of over 14 million views.
Within two years, his team provided cultural tourism and agricultural product promotion and live-streaming services for more than ten counties including Wenchuan County, Jinchuan County, and Jiuzhaigou County, bringing local products such as pear paste, seabuckthorn juice, yogurt, barley cakes, zamba powder, green wood fungus, matsutake, and Sichuan pepper to the whole country.
On May 12, 2023, the 15th anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, Lin Hao returned to his hometown, Yingxiu Town, once again. As a returnee entrepreneur and protector of the countryside, Lin Hao brought the live broadcast lens to allow millions of netizens to witness the great changes in his hometown together.
Just as Lin Hao was fully committed to the revitalization of his hometown, love quietly arrived. A Tibetan girl named Charlie Zelam began to appear in Lin Hao's videos, dancing hand in hand.
04
In 2024, Lin Hao registered his marriage with Zelam.
Once Lin Hao's wedding news was announced, it received the full blessings of netizens. Zelam, a talented Tibetan girl, is not only good at singing and dancing but also shares common interests and enthusiasm for public welfare with Lin Hao. In November this year, Lin Hao appeared on CCTV3's "The Braver, The Better" program with his wife Zelam. They danced happily to the joyful Guozhuang dance and introduced the delicacies and scenery of their hometown, allowing more people to understand and fall in love with Aba.
Lin Hao now lives a peaceful and happy life. He has many identity labels: hero, actor, internet celebrity, volunteer, agricultural ambassador, protector of the countryside, etc. But he says, "Identity labels cannot completely define me. I am just an ordinary person. But when I accept applause from others, I must take on the corresponding responsibilities."