Zhang Ling He’s Pursuit of Jade Foundation General Gate Ends with SARFT Holding Meeting and Issuing Four New Directives on Drama Production Standards
So I think this will cap off a weeks-long worth of C-ent chatter, memes, and discussion over what is now officially called “Foundation General Gate” stemming from Zhang Ling He looking too pretty boy as a general in Pursuit of Jade. This week SARFT The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television held a discussion and issued four new standards/directives/aspirations to production teams on making dramas going forward in light of Foundation General Gate, i.e. turning a manly and patriotic figure of a historical General into a pretty boy focused visual over substance portrayal. The first is to stop worshipping visuals, requiring stars to actually be styled like the role they are playing. The second is to avoid relying on star power, to focus on the substance of the drama rather than the star. The third is to stop distorting beauty standards, telling costume and editing to stop using excessive filters and costumes that look out of place for that era. And the fourth is to center the project around the script, to spend most time on the writing to create a quality product. TBH, none of these directives are bad or excessive, but it’s just funny that SARFT had to come out and say it explicitly haha. And alongside Zhang Ling He’s pretty boy general, a bunch of flower boy type actors who have recently played generals are also being brought up to either argue that the criticism of Zhang Ling He only is unfair or as an example of how prevalent this is and needs to be curtailed.
Why Zhang linghe took the brunt of criticism? Chen zeyuan also play a beautiful general, Cheng Lei in that drama with Song Yi,then general Song Mo also very pretty. It must be because Zhang Linghe is the most popular.
Hahaha I prefer looking at pretty boys than … I wonder how many jokers complained about it. They must really hate good looking guys.
Oh, they want period‑accurate realism for generals? Cute. So… who’s the lucky actor volunteering to be styled like someone who fought with 10 cats or 3 dogs and lost and stay sun‑baked, dirt‑crusted, and smelling like a historical biohazard for the entire shoot. Do they realize that in ancient warfare, a “bath” was basically a rumor you heard about from someone who knew someone who once saw a river.
Are they really going for that level of realism? Sure. And I’m the Empress of China.
Honestly, unless they’ve secretly hired Peter Ho, Tony Leung or Choi Min Sik or Toshiro Mifune or Daniel Day‑Lewis and told him to go full method—live in a ditch, eat stale rations, and refuse soap for six weeks—I’ll believe this “authenticity” talk when I actually see it.
Girl, no one is asking your pretty-boy idols to do method acting. They just need to at least pretend like they are exerting some effort.
For real. It’s not like they need to be hyper realistic. Just not the crazy perfect idol styling we’ve been getting. Xianxias I think can get away with it because they’re fantasy. But a more grounded historical should definitely attempt to make their MLs look more real and less polished and pretty.
We want pretty boys with a six pack to look at after a long day of work, we dont give a cent of crap about historically accurate characters OVER
This is all BS eye washing. No actor would be cast unless they were pretty and easy on the eyes. This generation does not care about authenticity or acting skills. We just want pretty people falling in love with each other. It’s escapism at its peak. Hollywood also has many pretty boys but obviously nobody comes close to the Leo and Brad at their peak. Korea is only about pretty boys. We want pretty actors and actresses to look at. That’s it. Plot and acting are secondary.
@peaches, Hahahahahaha. Your quips are amusing! You made my day!
I am all for cutting down on the filters, but seriously, the rest sounds ridiculous. China has created a huge industry revolving around beautiful people, do they want to tear it down? I do not believe anyone is as stupid as actually believing that Zhang Linghe or any other of the guys in the picture look anything like the historical generals? Have you seen any of the paintings showing kings and generals from let’s say the Song or the Tang? Would anyone watch romance dramas starring realistically looking actors? 😅😅😅 What’s next, CEOs? Because trust me, no CEO looks like these pretty boys. But who cares!
Typical washing tactic. Dragging in the other handsome actors even though they didn’t have those elaborate cockroach headgear.
And Koala, you brought up a good point. It’s sad that C-ent is so filled with capitalists who only have eyes for profit that SARFT had to explicitly issue such basic guidelines to them. This is why idol dramas can never be compared to serious or mainstream dramas in C-ent, and I would never go as far as to claim idol dramas win over the serious/mainstream dramas even though I myself enjoy watching idol dramas every now and then.
I don’t see why they can’t just make the same attractive actors just a little less blindingly white skinned and mess up their perfectly styled hair? Like plenty of white actors in Hollywood superhero films are still actractive but are styled with wounds, dirt, blood, and tanned skin in fight and after-fight scenes. Costumeing could create bulk if wanted but I do think there would have been non-steriod-using-looking generals in the past (actually most wood images make the generals look fat). I think maybe the main problem is not how actractive the actors are but that the men look ‘fresh’ faced and too pale. Orlando Bloom in many of his roles is darker skinned than most of the sampled photos above of ‘pretty’ generals. I think they’ll still look hot; its just a style that is more mature-looking. Maybe I’m alone on this, but I think a wilder look is sexier for battlefield scenes ’cause then it makes more of a contrast when the actor playing the general is styled more intimately. A more aggressive-looking-man-taimed-by-love makeup styling is super hot. Same gorgeous actors just a bit ‘wilder’. Anyone else agree?
But Chinese women want their screen idols to look like anime. KPop bois and gals too—all anime looking.
Also, can someone tell me what SPF sunscreen Zhang Linghe has… cause I need it. (I’m not throwing shade I’ve had two skin cancer removals this year!)
Please look into Black Salve. It absolutely does work.
You can test it by dabbing a bit on a healthy skin patch first, just to verify that it doesn’t burn a hole through, like factcheckers lie. But applied on cancerous skin, allegedly it hurts a lot, because after a while it digs through the tissue as deep as the cancer itself has reached. I first heard about it through an Australian’s recounting: https://web.archive.org/web/20120602095152/http://billolearyphuket.com/ArticleView.asp?ArticleID=33
You can make the salve yourself, but if you buy it, make sure you’re not buying a counterfeit.
herbhealers(dot)com
Thank you! I’ll look into it!
Don’t do it, its a scam and dangerous! It’s like snake oil. But if tou wanna ve foolish no-one is stopping you.
lol I think Wu Lei and Song Wei ling will be fine they don’t overdo on the makeup
Here is my gripe though unlike most here. A majority of these younger generation dramas compared to older generation dramas were based on novels that are pure fiction and not completely accurate either in depicting things accurately visually either. Like for instance the female generals dressed to be men generals or reincarnated, transmigrated and died but re do tropes. These are just pure fiction not non fiction and most complete fantasy,sci-fi elements. Did the government forget this aspect and if so that means that book fans may or may not get the desired adaptation so what then? So on top of critical changes they demand this might mean they might want to come up with original content and curtail adapting so many web novels that are not xianxiabe or wuxia where most get away with pretty visuals. I just do not see any hope for fiction and fantasy to truly be adapted into drama format outside of this. Even when they alter the novels that are lgbt as well because heck all are almost always pretty pretty visuals. But the fact that they critiqued on makeup to me is not a bad thing because let’s be real the white washing of both sexes in dramas has been a bit much as well as the strong use of lipstick too like we can’t see they have lips? So this I can get behind.
reminds me of a line from a song
“Don’t hate me cos I’m beautiful”
lol
HAHAHA! True that.
Now I see what is happening… Clearly the Gov has been wanting to do this for a while. Zhang Linghe is just a “Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys” . They drum up the General discussion and in the heat of the moment, they roll out this 4 new Directives.
It is important to find the right popular drama, the most talked about popular actor and capture the heat of the moment. This drama and Zhang Linghe fits all bill. The General discussion is clearly flames by relevant department so they can roll out these Directives.
having said that, the 4 Directives are positive.. I really am bored of watching the same pool of artists on telly. Mnay dont even take time to rest before jumping into next project. Industry needs to change.
It seems some people don’t understand why ZLH is being mocked as the “Foundation General” especially when other “pretty boy” actors like Cheng Lei or Chen Zhe Yuan have also played generals. The key difference is that those actors didn’t receive excessive or aggressive marketing like in POJ and they actually appeared in war or battle scenes with dirt and blood on their faces. In contrast, ZLH was constantly promoted as the most suitable general, almost as if no one else could compare as though he were a “god-like” fit for the role.
However in POJ, he didn’t even have proper war or battle scenes despite being portrayed as a capable and feared general. Instead, he appeared overly polished with a pale face, red lips (even redder than TXW’s character) and flawless skin without any dirt or signs of realism. There are even behind-the-scenes clips showing him riding a fake horse and none showing him seriously training for action or battle scenes. As a result, it feels like his role is mainly to look visually appealing while some fans continue to praise him, even though the drama itself lacks quality in terms of script and logic.
His fans have also been aggressively dragging other actors and dramas into comparisons to defend him. Meanwhile, those actors actually perform real action scenes, ride real horses and put visible effort into their roles. When an official People’s Liberation Army account spoke out amid the controversy, some of his fans even attacked it, claiming jealousy over the drama’s success only to later delete their comments after realizing it was an official account, not just a marketing page.
To be fair, it’s not ZLH’s fault for being good-looking. However, he doesn’t seem to be putting much effort into improving as an actor. He appears to rely heavily on his looks, while his team pushes his image through strong marketing. This raises the question of how he can grow as an actor if he avoids expressions or scenes that might make him look less attractive on screen. As a result, even with a large production budget, the drama avoids portraying realistic war or battle scenes, seemingly to protect his image. This makes the overall performance feel flat and lacking depth, particularly in its political or strategic elements while focusing heavily on romance.
It’s also one of the reasons why C-netizens have mocked the drama so heavily. The marketing team presents it as surpassing many established Chinese hits, and comparisons have been made to well-known series like Joy of Life. However, POJ falls short in terms of storytelling, scale, and execution. This disconnect further fuels criticism especially when viewers suspect inflated popularity or “waterfall” data rather than genuine success.
Because of the aggressive marketing, many people were drawn to watch the drama, only to end up disappointed by its weak storytelling, illogical plot and poor script. The main strengths of the drama are the attractive leads and the beautiful cinematography, which at times make it feel more like a series of music videos than a coherent story.
While some may argue that the drama is still an international hit, it’s also true that many viewers today watch dramas mainly for visual appeal and light entertainment, without focusing too much on story quality and strong marketing plays a major role in that. In addition, “beauty privilege” also contributes to its appeal. As some viewers have openly said, they don’t mind the flaws as long as ZLH looks good on screen.
However, this isn’t necessarily a positive sign for him as an actor. The focus tends to be on his appearance rather than his performance. If audiences lose interest whenever he looks less attractive, it suggests that his acting is not the main factor sustaining his popularity which could limit his growth in the long run.
He rode a fake horse? Why?
Exactly! why did he ride a fake horse? Meanwhile, many actors of his generation can ride real horses and some can even mount and dismount with one hand.
Not only did he rely on a fake horse but ZLH also couldn’t dismount on his own, the staff had to bring a chair for him to dismount from it. He is 190 cm tall, yet that doesn’t seem to help much in this case.
All of this was brought up by C-netizens after his team heavily marketed him as perfectly suited for a general role. In reality,he didn’t seem to fully commit to the role, as most of the praise focused on his appearance rather than his performance. Riding a real horse in close-up shots especially while the horse is running requires genuine physical control and natural expressions, some netizens speculate that the production team avoided such scenes to prevent him from looking less polished.
Instead, they showed him looking flawless in slow-motion shots while riding the horse after returning from the battlefield which led to the popular “foundation general” meme.
In fact, the “foundation general” meme has been discussed more widely than the drama’s story or plot in the popular series POJ which is quite ironic. When people talk about POJ, it’s often the only thing they remember.
Is this what they call a successful drama?
This is also why the authorities stepped in to issue new standards, not because ZLH is good-looking but because the drama lacks quality in many aspects and prioritizes visual appeal over substance. Moreover, the actor doesn’t fully perform his role as an actor but instead comes across more like a model within the drama.
He didn’t. He doesn’t need too. He is pretty skilled rider.
https://x.com/i/status/2033706329010016327
Because he can barely keep himself upright on a horse.
There are several videos that went viral. One, he is “riding” a wooden replica of a horse that is being pushed around by one of the crew. Second was him on a real horse but it was actually being led by additional reins by a crew member that was running ahead and leading it. Then another one was where he couldn’t get down from a horse and had to be helped.
Basically he can’t ride to save his life and didn’t even bother learning the basics.
Most of these dramas use a fake horse at some point, for stunts and for close ups. Most actors and most of these horses aren’t actually trained. You can’t strap a camera onto a horse and get a steady, good shot. And you often can’t drive a vehicle close enough to them to shoot from. And you don’t have enough time or money to lay enough dolly track for an animal that runs that fast, even if you could get them to run next to moving camera on a track — all while the actors are wielding weapons or doing stunts or catching the FL and swinging her up onto his lap. Let’s not even mention drones spooking them.
Just say you are a hater. He didn’t ride a fake horse. BTS to prove it: https://x.com/i/status/2033706329010016327
Also, his acting in POJ is pretty good. Not to mention, he did have fight scenes at the start of the drama and was pretty banged up. In the second part, Changyu’s journey was more about becoming a general so she had more moments on the battlefield while Xie Zheng was in a broader picture situation. Moving pieces behind the scene to counter the enemy. Sure the production should have given us more fights scenes with him but blaming Linghe for this is always weird to me. Same for styling. These were decisions made by the director, styling and scriptwriters. You can actually see the bts for test shorts. They decided on these looks; not Linghe.
Zhang Linghe caught the brunt of the hate because he got too popular. Otherwise, I haven’t seen anyone wear more makeup than Chen Zheyuan in Fated Hearts and yet no one cares to go after him (again not encouraging hate but just stating facts).
Also, historically pretty generals have existed. Look up Prince of Lanling. Beauty doesn’t cancel out competence on the battlefield and it’s not like anyone is watching these dramas for the realism. And if anyone has to be blamed, blame the author of the novel because Xie Zheng in the drama matches the novel description + official illustrations.
I watched FH, CZY plays a prince not the general and he did the battle scenes with dust on his face in the beginning of drama. FH didn’t have the promotion during it aired compared to Pursuit of Jade.
In my opinion, FH plot is better and the story is fast paced, I like Pursuit of Jade but sometimes I fast-forward it as story go nowhere. I don’t get the hype, for me the plot is so so but I kept watching because of TXW, ZLH acting didn’t convince me enough may be it is just me that didn’t get his look. I think Deng Kai has more charisma in the drama.
Did he? They my eyes must have taken a donkey for a horse? lol. Perhaps it’s ZLH AI riding a horse!!!! hahahahahahah
Folks should chill, stop getting excited cuz petty Chinese officials made obnoxious announcements to meddle in the showbiz.
Again, as much as how PoJ is popular oversea, you should not be anxious about ZLH can be a threat to your favs !!!! This is his first breakout hit, and he still has a lot of work to do before becoming great! I’m seeing some folks, the same users, always ganging up against up-and-rising actors once they had break-out hits. You really need some pills to heal your anxiety and insecurity about your own favs’ popularity. lol. Writing long-as$ essays to diss a young actor don’t help either. lmao
Pity for zlh, he won’t be able to take any more roles like this and use his fifteen tons of make up while playing it.
For those crying about it, take a good look at Wu Lei at LLTG as Ling Buyi. Did anyone raise any issues then? No. Was he still a good looking guy playing a general? Yes. Was it still an idol drama? Yes. So it *is* possible to play one and not look like they are carrying the entire Sephora on his face.
Yeah I still recall people swooning over Wu Lei back then, and he looked every bit like a general.
But that to say, the real point of the “foundation general” nickname is still how ZLH’s acting wasn’t convincing as a general. And people usually would give poor acting skills in an idol drama a pass, except that his fans were dumb enough to go around insisting his acting was good and that they prefer a “foundation general” over a realistic general.
Wu Lei was and is thin as a stick! He looked nothing like a general! Dylan Wang looks more like a general than he does! Heck even Zhou Ye looked better than him in the general uniform. Not a single young actor can pull off playing a general since 90% of them are underweight!
Lol Wu Lei stick thin ?? He is more the lin but muscular type reason why from a very young age he could handle fighting scenes
All of them are thin as sticks, including your cited dylan wang and worse of all, zhou ye. The most ridiculously unconvincing female “general” who looked like she didnt have the strength to hold or lift a sword, let alone battle in the war zone LOL joke of a drama.
Wu lei at least is physically active off cam when hes not acting and is lean, with very little fat. He was convincing as a general and had gravitas and presence. Like, are u seriously trying to put him down cos ur mediocre actor foundation general zlh is being criticised by state media? LOL
i would have to agree with @cynthia below. Wu lei did not look like a convincing general to me to be able to take on all of those people in multiple battles and escape alive. The only reason he was able to sell that role was because he was playing it intensely and broodingly. None of these actors look like realistic generals from the time. I watched many historical shows where I am like thinking this person does not look like a convincing general, but sure he’s pretty and people anytime. Just watch it for the romantic chemistry between the leads.
Wu Lei was The WORST general 😂 like… baby boy, what are you doing? So young and tiny. Lol. He was super good in that role, but that’s because I just pretended he was a young prince protecting the land and his lady. HAHAHA.
It’s unfortunate that ZLH had to take the brunt of the criticism. I thought he was great in the Princess Royal and also did a good job in our generation. However, I do agree with the guidelines which seem pretty obvious focus on the script and not the actors. I do hope that this would also mean that people will stop the billing fights because the focus will be on the script rather than who is a bigger actor
I was prepared to say WTF, but honestly, not a bad list of standards. Lol.
Ryan Cheng had a fit body that he flexed a fair few times, playing a warrior, in Shadow Love And I’ve seen him doing a video of a routine featuring push ups and the like. Unless it wasn’t his body in Shadow Love, or it was enhanced. Anyways, his body looked great and warrior-like.
I also thought the same. His jaw line and physique may not have been beyond buff like Peter Ho but compared to the other twig like actors he seemed more fit for it. But I think it is just the overdone makeup that ticked them off more. And I remember koala many years ago did a post on how the government did not like men being portrayed as flower boys because they want to portray manly men and the testosterone growling kind of persona lol I might be exaggerating but that was the impression I got.
I agree he looked quite believable! Strong, muscular, manly.
I hate that when something gets super popular, the government gets involved and the fandoms also double-down a little too hard.
The sarft guidelines make sense, but I feel like it would be too difficult to really enact. I feel like there must be some middle ground.I feel bad for any already-filmed dramas featuring good-looking general and those already in production.
Also, generals can come in different sizes, ages, and looks and but they must stand out with either brute strength or brilliant strategy. The drama, which I loved, sort of failed the ML in that regard by not giving him many opportunities to show that. While they have a lot of scenes of the FL brutally cutting down the enemies and inspiring followers along the way – showing her capacity to lead.
I also feel like on a drama production standpoint – given how fast they need to produce scenes and film, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a reluctant to dirty the hair and makeup, so they can easily shift to film another scene if the drama is mostly of them not involved in battles.
So why didn’t the government get involved when “LLTG” or The Double or Blossom became popular ? 🤔
This is a strategy dubbed “selective distraction” commonly used by CCP. Now the country is experiencing energy shortage and foreign policy failures due to the collapse of the former Venezuela regime and the bombing of Iran. China is in a big trouble dealing with US’s consecutive blows to damage CCP’s interests. Chinese netizens have been making fun of their own government, and there are too many posts mocking CCP online for moderators to take down. CCP needs to find irrelevant scapegoats to divert public attention. What could be better targets? Showbiz celebs!!! No brainer!
Did any of those dramas prompt netizens to report them to the government for manipulating the viewing data? No. They did not. The government got involved because netizens asked them to get involved — but of course, they took it further to promote their own agenda. This mess mostly lies on Tencent and iQiyi for their excessive watering and whatever ‘glitches’ they were using and the excessive behavior of fandoms that the government has been watching.
This is a strategy dubbed “selective distraction” commonly used by CCP. Now the country is experiencing disastrous energy shortage and foreign policy failures due to the collapse of the former Venezuela regime and the bombing of Iran. China is in big trouble dealing with US’s consecutive blows to damage CCP’s interests. Chinese netizens have been making fun of their own government, and there are too many posts mocking CCP online for moderators to take down. CCP needs to find irrelevant scapegoats to divert public attention. What could be better targets? Showbiz celebs!!! No brainer!
Whenever CCP struggled with failures and setbacks in domestic affairs or foreign relationship, there was always a certain public figure that must LOL be plagued with scandals or negative publicity. During COVID-19, it was Xiao Zhan’s 227, now it’s ZLH’s turn to be cooked.
Here comes the anti-China stooge’s propaganda 😂
Which is more logical? The Chinese government divides their citizens against each other and causes further chaos to their society when they already have their hands full with calming their citizens down during covid-19?
Or anti-China syndicates inciting further chaos to the Chinese society to deal further “consecutive blows” to China when the Chinese government already has their hands full?
Using celebrities as a distraction is only valid if it’s something more minor such as exposing some celebrity for adultery or tax evasion, something that won’t cause big divide within your society.
Let’s not forget, it’s a fact that the 227 leader antis had tried to obstruct the Chinese government’s efforts to help the poor farmers who would have become bankrupted during covid-19 as they couldn’t sell their crops due to broken logistic lines and the crops would have all rotted in the fields. These 227 leader antis went around bullsh.tting that buying these crops will do more bad than good because it makes the farmers become complacent or some other bullsh.t. If they worked for the Chinese government, why would they ever do that?
And @Somebody is still trying to distract people from the fact that PoJ tried to whitewash Taiwan’s Chiang Kei-Shek’s intentional bombing of the Yellow River dams.
Nah @Lilith! You’re #1 CCP lapdog on this site! You’re struggling right now to appear normal and healthy. lol. Keep nagging that boring nonsense about Chiang Kai Shek! Ppl know your mental state is unstable. lol
@Somebody I know you have a habit of pushing your own mental conditions to other people.
@Lilith, lol. You’ve been bitter and seething since I called you out for your wild mental gym! Relating Chiang Kai Shek to a simple and entertaining fantasy costume drama is just absurd. But this isn’t the first time and won’t be the last time that you are so unhinged. lol
Zhang LingHe is not the first “pretty looking” general. I think the problem with that drama beside the sloppy plots, and the obvious inflated numbers, is as such a “strong general” he hardly fight at all in the show. The thing that really baffles me is the industry wants me to believe underfed doll-like young girls who look like they have never seen the sun, are strong generals on battlefields.
Let’s not attack Blossom and LLTG. Like stop pitting actors against each other. Those actors had fight scenes and actually rode a horse. Nothing wrong with POJ. Lol crazy govt. I can’t believe they are cancelling ppl for being pretty.
Imagine . . . the govt. wants C-drama to do better historical dramas. I do too but I’m not sure you can achieve it by govt. fiat after years of feeding the audience pretty fantasy.
This blog has got me a good laugh for 10 minutes straight. lol. The excessive oversight of showbiz telling actors how they should look and how much makeup they should wear in fantasy dramas is a farce! lol. CCP is petty as usual and has made it appear the whole country is seething about the pretty faces in PoJ LMAO while PoJ continues to ride on its rising international popularity. As of this week, PoJ has been in the top 10 list of Netflix non-English show for three weeks, advancing from 8th to 5th. PoJ has already passed Legend of Zanghai, Joy of Live 2, and The Knockout in viewership across all international streaming platforms, legal or pirate, and soon should take over Zhao Lusi’s hit drama, Love’s Ambition, as the most viewed Cdrama overseas. Its hit is officially a global phenomenon now. PoJ is literally the only C drama after the Untamed that has ever reached this level of global popularity. Tell me its numbers are watered by Netflix and ALL other international streaming sites! Oh how almighty PoJ’s cyber army (or water army in Chinese colloquial) is conquering all international drama platforms !!!!!!! lol.
Not a fan of any actors in PoJ, but I’m just presenting some facts for savvy drama fans to think about. What are you watching dramas for? To be morally rectified by lectures (they always love to do so LMAO) from Chinese officials or to get yourselves wind down from the daily mundane routine?
Rather than celebrate the breakthrough that a C drama finally can compete with K drama on a global scale, Chinese officials and C netizens chose to gang up against the drama and made a fuss. lol. Such a hopeless crowd!
Nobody says it doesn’t do good internationally, people say Tencent and iqiyi watered things up domestically the way Iqiyi did for coroner diary to boost one of their actors career (Ao Ruipeng). Matter of fact, apart from the inflated numbers and “fondation general” scandals nothing else has really gone viral about it not even the OST.
Sure! Antis can be fixated on the popular narratives against the drama and ZLH fed by the censored Chinese internet. But as an international viewer, what happens on that side of the great firewall doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t think it matters to the majority of international viewers either. I’m just providing different perspectives that numbers in the transparent financial system outside China do prove that PoJ is indeed a massive hit. It’s futile to deny this fact!! Whoever bought streaming rights for PoJ is laughing all the way to the bank right now. lol
Antis or not, international viewers or not this drama’s only trending topics are its inflated numbers scandal and Zhang lingHe not really making it as a general (people have been complaining that he hardly fight on battlefield among other issues concernimg the sloppy plot). Apart from that no OST, no iconic moment nor scene nor line, not even the main characters were really impactful (which has never happen for any other megahit drama with the amount of viewers POJ supposedly have). The buzz has been about tencent and iqiyi (and probably other backers) manipulation behind the scene. And it was to the point that after they leaked the remaining episodes they had to buy hotsearch to inform people, two days after the incident, that the episodes were leaked.
OK, I acknowledge your rant about PoJ. LOL. Regardless, PoJ is indeed a massive hit outside China across different regions. It’s the FIRST Cdrama able to beat several other Kdramas on Netflix, which is a breakthrough for Cdrama, considering Netflix is now an international media mogoul. This is the reality even though many fans of other actors (you should be included?) are not happy about its success and the rising popularity of ZLH. I’ve seen many new fans totally ga-ga over him across different drama forums online. PoJ is the first Cdrama for many of them. I’ve only seen a similar trend for the Untamed. Whether ZLH can reach the level of XZ’s popularity, not sure at this point. Like XZ in the Untamed, ZLH still has work to do to be a seasoned actor. But he has indeed become very popular after PoJ.
There are reasons why PoJ has been sitting in the top 10 list of Netflix’s weekly non-English shows. There are reasons why the drama and ZLH are appealing to non-Chinese audience.
I’m not his fan. He may be just a fluke as some other promising talent such as Wang Xingyue and Li Yunrui appear to be after their breakout hits. Yet to observe! But the fact is a fact! He is popular now outside China. Non-Chinese fangirls are looking for his dramas to watch. lol
@somebody lol Wang Xing Yue maybe a fluke if you say so but if you consider Zlh a better “artist” because of a watered-down drama with a sloppy plot (let’s be hinest the plot is all over the place and weak) and over-the-top slow motions well the only thing I can say is : no wonder the long drama market has been losing recently. I mean not only are capitalists tasteless but also a huge chunk of viewers have been cheering for overhyped idols with mid acting.
@Sirey, don’t put words in my mouth. I’ve never said in any of my comments that ZLH is a better actor than any! I’ve been repeatedly saying he’s very popular now outside China regardless of how the Chinese fans think about him. I’ve watched his clips of PoJ edited by fangirls of different colors on internet. Fans speaking different languages edited his PoJ scenes! I don’t think they are bought by ZLH’s PR team to stan him. lol. It’s a fact that I observe, nothing to do with my preference. There are always hit dramas from time to time not coming from your own favs. I’m just telling ppl to chill.
Shouldn’t you be more worried that ZLH is stealing all of Xiao Zhan’s endorsements? You’re #1 gege is about to be replaced soon.
Lol he is a mid actor though only good at being imposed by tastesless capitalists through manipulations and easily overshadowed by anyone (which also shows a serious lack of charisma). I see better actors in the VSD sector
LMAO!!! (Pun intended LMAO hahaha!) Why should I worry? XZ has been making tons of money these years. I’m pretty sure more than enough for him and his family to live well off for the rest of life. It’s not my business to care about his financial status. lol. I hope he continues to do well in acting so I can watch him more lol. But if he loses steam, just go do something else or retire. What to worry about? He’s not my son! lamo.
@Sirey, seeing how desperately you’re hissing at a rising heartthrob like ZLH, I guess your fav is more a mid actor than XZ. lol. Among all the actors, XZ is the last one to feel a threat from ZLH. lol.
The last 4 pics of “serious warriors” are good enough for door gods （門神）！！！😁😁
The traditional Chinese hang door god pictures to exorcise evil spirits. The uglier the more powerful and effective! lol
This is in line with Xi Jinping’s Thought on Culture – moving away from “visual obsession” and leaning on storytelling. Unfortunately, this is one of the downside of living in China – freedom of expression severely restricted, despite constitutional guarantees, as the ruling CCP maintains strict control over media, internet and public discourse.
LOL Zhang Linghe’s fangirls are everywhere on social media including this site just to defend him.
They even drag down other actors to make him look better while claiming it’s unfair that he’s being targeted simply because he’s popular.
In reality, the attention largely comes from the marketing team which heavily promoted Zhang Linghe as a handsome general to attract viewers. Clips of him looking good on horseback were spread everywhere. The attention did reach him but not in the way they expected.
Even the State Administration of Radio and Television took notice, partly due to the scale of the promotion. Unfortunately, the drama itself turned out to have a weak script and poor storytelling, focusing more on the cast’s visuals. This wouldn’t have been such a problem if the marketing had been more balanced and the production had delivered strong writing and solid acting instead of relying primarily on appearance. Then, the regulator stepped in and later held meetings to establish stricter standards.
As a casual viewer, I find Zhang Linghe’s acting mediocre, while Deng Kai who plays Qi Min outshines him with stronger performance. And fangirls quickly label anyone who criticizes Zhang Linghe as a hater, simply for not praising his looks or acting and for pointing out issues with the plot. Similarly, some of his Chinese fans aggressively attack those who disagree, claiming they are just jealous of his popularity like, what? I’m simply expressing criticism the same way I would for any other drama or actor, I don’t have a bias based on look.
This kind of tactic may work on fans who prioritize looks over acting but it doesn’t work on me or on many casual viewers in China. I find myself agreeing with the State Administration that this has become a real issue. Their effort to call it out and introduce new standards to improve overall drama quality ultimately benefits viewers and the industry as a whole.
Meanwhile, some of Zhang Linghe’s brainless fangirls still react strongly, claiming it’s unfair and questioning why he is being singled out. Amazing!
Tsk
Dont people have enough realistic realism in real world? Do we really need to be reminded of how real general looks like?
Why cant we live in pretty-filled bubble for 45mins a day? We have 23hrs and 15mins worth of ugly reals already -_-
Instead of banning tv generals they should ban fanbases. They are the crazy ones. Not us, normal drama watchers who only wants to escape reality a few mins per day.
@Moonny, Everyone is entitled to express opinions. Antis diss ZLH, and then fans fight back. It’s fair! It’s double standards and hypocrite to only criticize ZLH’s fans but not those who diss him. Not his fan, but I do find him attractive in PoJ. lol. You’re welcome to watch “serious” generals such as Peter Ho looking like ugly door gods（門神). LOL. Just leave others alone. None of your or obnoxious CCP officials’ business to control what drama viewers should appreciate. So pathetic! SMH!
You think ZLH’s fangirls brainless. Equally, others consider antis along with petty CCP officials buffoons!!!! lol. People are blind when the one being attacked isn’t their favs. You’re obviously one of these blind ignoramuses. lol
It’s not “he’s too pretty”, it’s “he’s too fake”. He ruined the opera headdress by riding back with head bouncing up and down in a cocky manner. Fewer filters, less blinding white makeup, logical emotions and scripts. ZLH fans acting like this is his kryptonite. Maybe it’s true, he can’t survive without filters, thick makeup and wigs. They dragged in other actors who don’t have this problem
Isn’t all just PR to make ZLH more popular and being superstar like XZ even with controversial methods.
PR or not? No proof! But I’m seeing his popularity overseas exploding! Chinese netizens are witch hunting to drive him to international stardom. lol. Not only do these stan twitters have a low EQ, their IQ isn’t high either. lmao. He will be more on the radar of investors, producers, and brand names from now on given all the buzz online. lol. Besides, psychology teaches us his will gain more staunch fans who think he’s treated unfairly. This happened to Xiao Zhan in 227. History will repeat. I can’t say at this point ZLH will eventually reach the popularity pinnacle as XZ does. But he’s on the way in that direction given the huge success of PoJ that has added him millions of new fans on Weibo alone. I’m seeing fangirls falling all over him everywhere on drama forums outside China. It’s just the beginning. lol
Back here for more popcorn!!! lol
Also start to rewatch PoJ. Although I didn’t find it as gripping as the Double the first time watching it, I’m just curious how bad ZLH’s acting was as antis have been trying so hard to convince everyone. lol. Tbh, I didn’t really pay close attention to the nitty-gritty of the plot but simply had a blast appreciating beautiful faces all over. lmao. This time, I vow to be not distracted by ZLH’s ethereal beauty and will watch it with Shakespeare’s critical mind. hahahaha.
I found the following comment from Reddit very well said:
“I’m posting this because I have to get this off my chest and I cannot stand what the chinese government and locals are doing to this drama, the cesspool of hate, vitriol and criticism is unwarranted, especially to Zhang Ling He and the Zhu Yu production team whose job is to make the actors look good. It is such a tall poppy syndrome thing where they just want to cut down others who are flourishing. I find it ironic and sad that this drama is doing so well internationally whereas at home, where they should be supporting their own artistes, are being criticised to no end.
Nobody is expecting to see a real general from hundreds of years ago, in an idol drama. In fact, if they wanted to they shouldn’t be watching an idol historical romance drama in the first place, they should be watching a documentary!
There were many dramas with pretty and good looking made up “foundation” generals way even before Zhu Yu aired and this wasn’t an issue until it blew up in popularity. So basically, Zhang Ling He was made a sacrificial lamb to be made an example of. Seriously, what sin did he commit? And what sin did the director and production crew make in wanting to make the actors look good? Because of this smear campaign, innocent people are almost getting cancelled, platforms being told what should be and shouldn’t be filmed because it makes the government and chinese culture look bad.
Total BS and ridiculous for the government to make an example of this drama. I feel sorry for everyone involved in this team with all their hard works going down the drain because others want to see them fail. No wonder the chinese entertainment industry is not doing well and it will continue to falter if china continues to limit artistic freedom and impose absurd restrictions. Thank god this drama is doing well at least outside of China, and everybody’s efforts, Zhang Linghe, Tian xiwei and Zeng qing jie’s work can be appreciated.”
~ Credit to Redittor estarish
I found it funny that Chinese ppl and the government making fuss all the time about dramas doing exceptionally well outside China!!!! This is perhaps a topic for social psychologists to study since this phenomenon is a unique cultural fabric belonging to the Chinese communities only. As a Redditor indicated, Chinese fans seem to have tall poppy syndrome. lol but so true.
Internet reactions to CCP’s reprimand are hilarious too. Very amusing!
As I came across more online reactions, I can’t help flooding this site with fun reads. lol. Here’s another one:
” Do you think certain types of Cdramas would feel less magical without their over the top visuals??
Discussion 🗨
So China’s NRTA just held a meeting with iQiyi, Tencent, Youku, and all the big players.
And the message is – shift from “star-centered” to “script-centered.” stop the “looks above all else.” reject “distorted aesthetics.” make actors “resemble the character” and keep styling “healthy” and “natural.”
basically: stop hiring pretty people just because they’re pretty.
and i read this and thought…
who asked you? 😭
i am not watching cdramas for a documentary. i am not watching for simple, natural and whatever. I am watching because some man in dark robes with gorgeous hair and a face card that never declines is staring at a woman like she’s the last dumpling on earth!
Now look, I’m shallow but I also love a good script and obviously good enough acting. But who deosnt enjoy amazing visuals? Hou Minghao looking ethereal in love in the clouds? Wang Churan and Cheng Lei in How dare you?? What about the gorgeous cinematography in Blossom?
and now they want to make casting about resembling the character and healthy aesthetics. Listen I don’t like the excessive beauty filter. But a good show can have it all. Visuals, good acting and storytelling. If the directors are prioritising looks over acting, then the problem lies with them. Because why are we acting like gorgeous people cannot act?
what does that even mean? no more dangerously men looking 101/10 in flowing robes? no more actresses who look like porcelain dolls crying perfectly? because that’s literally the genre.
Some cdramas are escapism. I am not looking for realism. I am looking for a man who can kill ten assassins without messing up his hair. i am looking for a woman whose biggest problem is choosing between three immortals who are all obsessed with her.
and yes, bad scripts exist. but bad scripts with beautiful people? still watchable. good scripts with “realism”? i’ll read a book.
so NRTA, respectfully: leave our visuals alone. target the root cause which is poor acting, poor directing, and poor writing!
you want healthy aesthetics? give me actors who look like they hydrate and have good bone structure. that’s my wellness routine.”
~ Credit to Prior-Bit9919 from Reddit
I watch it BECAUSE they’re handsome and act well! It’s a idol drama and a romance. I’m not going to watch an non-handsome ‘he-man’ and a plain girl, sorry. They need to get a grip and understand the business is catering to what the watchers want.
Didn’t they try and get back to more rugged actors a few years ago – and it failed because people want to look at handsome? Zhang Linghe, Cheng Lei etc. are handsome but still manly!
Seems like the plain netizens are complaining because they suffer in comparison.
@somebody lol Wang Xing Yue maybe a fluke if you say so but if you consider Zlh a better “artist” because of a watered-down drama with a sloppy plot (let’s be hinest the plot is all over the place and weak) and over-the-top slow motions well the only thing I can say is : no wonder the long drama market has been losing recently. I mean not only are capitalists tasteless but also a huge chunk of viewers have been cheering for overhyped idols with mid acting.
I have to repeat again and over again. What I have been talking about is PoJ’s popularity and ZLH benefits from that cuz he’s a key actor to deliver that product. I’m not critiquing the drama here. I only know many people overseas like it very much.
Besides, I always consider WXY very talented and did a fantastic job in the Double. I hope to see him more. Unfortunately, he’s not able to secure better scripts and PDs after the Double. It doesn’t look good on him. But I heard that his next costume drama is directed by the same PD for PoJ. Let’s see how that fares. This PD has a knack to make male leads stand out. lol
Whoa this article got so many comments. So on some level, POJ is “popular” even if it’s partially marred by notoriety. I actually really enjoyed the first half. I felt like the second half, in particular the last 10 episodes were edited weird. I blame it on the 40 episode limit.
I know that people are blaming the director for the lack of realism, but honestly, his cinematography is soooo good. I’m so impressed by his use of lighting, framing, etc. and how he redirects the actors/actresses. I actually thought the story telling for Lin An arc was good. He made us care about the characters, and then when certain things happen, there’s more impact. I get reminded of that Kill Me Love Me with LXY and WJY where something similar happens, but I just didn’t really care because they just felt like NPCs. I really think the storytelling could’ve used an extra 10-15 episodes to build out the second half.
This is probably not a drama I would rewatch because I felt like the second half crashed quite a bit, but I still really enjoyed it. I don’t follow their domestic numbers but I will say a lot of my friends in the US, who historically only watched kdramas, are actually watching and enjoying this.
As for those other actors people mentioned, I also really like WXY and LYR. Some of their subsequent shows, they probably accepted and filmed before they got popular? Not totally sure. Good scripts are also far and few. To expect hit after hit is unrealistic. Look at Gong Jun. He is still riding on his popularity from Word of Honor. 5 years and 10 dramas later, he’s still getting lead roles and work without another “successful” drama. Not too worried about ZLH, WXY or LYR even if their portfolio is filled with flops for a while. It seems like the fan culture in Asia, it is a lifetime commitment 😊