A young actress from mainland China, Sun Yiwei, has made the difficult decision to sell her property in Beijing and return to her hometown in Shandong. This choice comes after a challenging year during which she has faced a complete lack of acting opportunities, leaving her unable to manage her mortgage and daily living expenses. Consequently, she and her family are now temporarily residing in a storage shed owned by her uncle, which is filled with various odds and ends.
Sun Yiwei, whose birth name is Sun Xiaoshuang, was born in September 1992 and graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, majoring in performance. Throughout her career, she has appeared in various television dramas, including “Infinite Vitality,” “Jade Shattered,” “Battle King EX,” and “The Rival.” Despite not having major roles, she was consistently involved in acting projects. However, the recent contraction of the film and television industry, coupled with the rise of AI-generated short dramas, has significantly diminished opportunities for real-life drama productions and minor roles. After a year without receiving any acting contracts in Beijing, facing the reality of lost income while still needing to pay her mortgage and social insurance, she made the difficult decision to sell her home and return to her homeland.
Upon her return to Shandong, due to a shortage of housing in her family, Sun moved into her uncle’s unused storage shed, which is cluttered with tools and other items. The space has rusted hooks on the walls and only features an old iron bed. Once she had set up her bedding, she remarked that she felt “quite content.”
Reports indicate that Sun Yiwei’s situation, marked by a lack of acting opportunities and a need to reduce fixed expenses by selling her home, is accurate. However, her narrative shared on social media, branded as a “Seeking Life Diary,” has been criticized for containing fictionalized elements and dramatized details regarding her living conditions.
Sun Yiwei has often humorously referred to herself as an “18th-tier actress” and stated that selling her home is not an indication of defeat but rather a way to cut her losses. Living in a shed is not a sign of her decline; instead, she views it as a way to navigate her current situation and eventually await new acting opportunities. She expresses a relatively calm mindset, prioritizing her daily life while keeping the door open for future work in the industry.
With the ongoing chill in the Chinese film and television landscape and the swift encroachment of AI-generated short dramas into the market, many mid-tier and lesser-known actors are facing severe challenges. In addition to Sun, numerous actors are returning to their hometowns or switching careers as a result of the lack of work.
Actor Xu Peng, who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, has also experienced a downturn. Known for his roles in “Let’s Try the World” and “A Thought Across the Mountain,” he lost his planned role in a short drama to an AI production during the first half of 2026. This situation forced him to leave Hengdian and return to his hometown in Qingdao, Shandong. There, he began selling orange juice at night markets and took over his grandfather’s vegetable stand, working hard to make ends meet.
Similarly, 1998-born actor Zhang Xiaolei, who previously starred in numerous micro-dramas and earned a monthly income of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, has returned to his rural home in Gansu to cultivate crops after finding it increasingly difficult to secure work in real dramas due to the impact of AI.
Another actor, Jiang Feng, went without audition notifications for six consecutive months. Eventually, he left the film base and returned to his hometown in Sichuan, setting up a vegetable stall to support himself while waiting for new acting opportunities.
Li Jiaming, a veteran actor known for his roles in popular dramas like “Bright Sword” and “China Brothers,” faced a significant reduction in acting contracts due to economic pressures on his family. He returned to his hometown in Yuncheng, Shanxi, where he started a food stall selling fried noodles while also engaging in live streaming to supplement his income.
Some actors who remain in cities or near Hengdian have taken to selling goods at markets or working part-time jobs to make ends meet. For example, 41-year-old Zhao Leqi, known for his roles in dramas such as “Remaining Crimes” and “The Silent Truth,” found himself operating a shoe-shining stall on the street during his time without any acting work, charging 10 yuan per service to help cover his living expenses.
Reports from local media indicate that many supporting actors and extras who have long been stationed in Hengdian are turning to alternative sources of income during this period of inactivity, selling cold noodles or opening small food shops. Others have taken up part-time jobs as delivery drivers or ride-share operators while some even work as guides on Mount Tai to keep up with their mortgage payments and daily living costs. Furthermore, a number of young artists, after experiencing long stretches of inactivity or internal industry struggles, have announced their departure from the entertainment industry altogether.