Last year, the mainland Chinese actress Huang Yangtian, who was embroiled in the “sky-high earring” incident, starred in the drama “The Mermaid,” which premiered on August 4th. Despite being directed by Yang Lei, known for directing “The Three-Body Problem,” the drama received a lukewarm response on Tencent Video. Not only did the viewer engagement fail to reach 20,000, but the market share of actual episode playbacks was less than 2%, ranking only 12th among concurrent series.
Huang Yangtian, 19, starred as the lead in “The Mermaid,” set in a small town in the 1990s. The story revolves around Su Lin (played by Huang Yangtian), who bears the burden of household chores due to her parents’ favoritism towards her younger brother. Neglected and mistreated, Su Lin is forced to play a subordinate role in a school English musical casting, where a privileged classmate, Mana, snatches the lead role of “Little Mermaid” from her, leaving Su Lin to play a humble maid. Subsequently, Su Lin is bullied by Mana and classmates after being caught trying on a white dress, leading to a breakdown.
After a heated confrontation, on a stormy night, Su Lin accidentally falls into the city’s underground drainage system and mysteriously disappears. The plot unfolds with parallel narratives of a surface investigation and subterranean survival.
Following the premiere of the drama on August 4th, there was overwhelming criticism from audiences and professional critics regarding the storyline and Huang Yangtian’s portrayal as the female lead.
Some viewers and critics pointed out that Huang Yangtian’s appearance leans towards a more affluent look, making it difficult for her to embody the struggles and brokenness of a bullied girl living in poverty in the ’90s. Critics also noted her lack of versatility in acting, stating that her expressions mainly reflect defiance even in complex emotional scenes, lacking depth and variety.
Furthermore, some audience members mentioned that Huang Yangtian’s previous leading role in “Rebirth of the Ice Lake” received a low rating of 2.9 on Douban, severely undermining her perceived acting capabilities and audience engagement.
It is worth noting that on the premiere day, there were no advertisements for the drama, indicating extreme caution on the marketing front. Additionally, the production team chose a “bare broadcast” model, going from announcement to release within two days, deliberately concealing the lead actress’s name in official materials and trending search terms, opting out of promotional events or hype, showcasing a strong “minimalist” approach.
According to previous reports, last year, Huang Yangtian shared a photo of herself celebrating turning 18 on social media while wearing the controversial “sky-high earrings,” speculated to be from the luxury brand GRAFF’s classic series with an official price of approximately 2.3 million RMB. This raised questions from netizens regarding her family background and the source of her wealth.
As details emerged about Huang Yangtian’s family members, it was discovered that her father, Yang Wei, previously worked as a municipal employee in Ya’an City. After resigning in 2017, he ventured into business, establishing the Shenzhen Guoying Film and Television Culture Communication Co., Ltd. in 2014, becoming the legal representative and later increasing his ownership to 80% after leaving his public service position.
Coincidentally, Ya’an City started post-earthquake reconstruction in 2013 following the catastrophic 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake on May 20, 2008. The establishment of the film company by Yang Wei in 2014 led to online speculation about the allocation of disaster relief funds.
In 2020, amidst the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yang Wei founded the Yishan Tang (Shenzhen) Biotechnology Company, suspected of engaging in nucleic acid testing operations. Following the “earring incident,” the company underwent commercial changes.
As reported by the Yangtze Evening News, another company associated with Yang Wei is the Shenzhen Shuocimu Beauty Trading Co., Ltd. In May 2025, Yang Wei withdrew from the company, and significant shareholders and members also departed, rebranding from “Yishan Tang (Shenzhen) Biotechnology Co., Ltd.” to “Shenzhen Shuocimu Beauty Trading Co., Ltd.”
To contain public opinion, Ya’an City established a joint working group. On May 22nd last year, it was officially announced that Huang Yangtian’s father, Yang Wei, was under investigation. Despite claiming the “sky-high earrings” were replicas, negative reports about his family eroded public goodwill, leading to a significant portion of netizens vowing to boycott the drama “The Mermaid” as a form of protest.
Netizens reflected on how the “sky-high earring” scandal involving Huang Yangtian highlights that every flaunting of wealth incident in China uncovers a group of corrupt officials.