'Be yourself ', farm actors told

Rural folk earn extra income from nighttime show about fictional idyllic setting

CHANGSHA－The only instruction shepherd Liu Mingxiang received after starting his new job as a part-time performer was "be yourself".

Up to four times an evening, Liu and his son herd goats along the riverbank in Changde, Hunan province, in 1-minute "performances" not much different from what they do for work during the daytime.

Liu earns only 9,000 yuan ($1,280) a year from working as a shepherd. But by moonlighting in the live-action show about life in an ancient paradise called Peach Blossom Garden, the family makes an additional 44,000 yuan in annual income.