Hong Kong director Chen Kaige and mainland Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, starring in the film “The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley,” directed a lot of attention when filming began. This was due to Yang Mi and Zhao Liying simultaneously playing important roles in the movie, leading to a clash between their fans due to the “fan culture”. Unexpectedly, as they started promoting the new film, Zhang Ziyi and Yang Mi met at the “Shanghai Cake Bureau” without inviting Zhao Liying, which caused some to perceive it as intentional exclusion. Therefore, at the recent premiere of the Shanghai International Film Festival, Zhang Ziyi and Yang Mi directly addressed the situation.
Based on one of the four major mysteries of the Republic of China, the topical movie “The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley” has recently been officially scheduled for release. As the promotional activities for the film heat up, the interactions between the main actors have unexpectedly become a hot topic of discussion.
On the day of Mangzhong, Yang Mi posted a creative photo of a Mangzhong cake on Weibo, decorated with purple corn kernels and wheat grains, which received an enthusiastic comment from Zhang Ziyi: “Cake! It reminded me of our cake, let’s meet at the Shanghai Cake Bureau!” Yang Mi quickly replied, “Definitely have to meet up!” Their interaction resembled a conversation between close female friends, appearing very intimate and coordinated. This sparked a frenzy among netizens, quickly making it a hot search topic.
However, some netizens began questioning “Where did Zhao Liying go?” and “Was she not invited?” Some even speculated that Zhang Ziyi and Yang Mi were forming a clique and intentionally excluding others, with rumors circulating that fans of Zhao Liying, who supposedly had conflicts with Yang Mi in the past, were boycotting the film “The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley.”
Amidst the brewing controversy, Zhao Liying also shared a photo on Weibo revealing her short hairstyle for her character “Xilin” in “The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley,” along with the caption “Hello, Miss Xilin.” Shortly after, Zhang Ziyi praised the “short-haired, handsome Xilin” in the comments section, propelling the topic to the top trending spot on Weibo, interpreted by netizens as an effort to dispel exclusion rumors and complimenting Zhang Ziyi for her fairness.
The following day, Zhao Liying responded with a shy emoji to Zhang Ziyi, which led some to question her seemingly reserved attitude. In response, Zhao Liying’s team and fans stepped in to explain that she has always been understated in character, not inclined towards social media hyping, and values the interpretation and acting skills of her roles.
During the premiere of “The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley” as the opening film of the Shanghai International Film Festival, Zhang Ziyi and Yang Mi explained the situation surrounding the “Shanghai Cake Bureau”: because the characters they play, Zhan Zhoushi and Wang Xumei, develop a mutual respect in the film, Wang Xumei treats Zhan Zhoushi to a sweet experience, prompting Yang Mi to pretend it’s her birthday in the plot and invite her to have cake.
Yang Mi further emphasized, “This is a moment where the two female characters support each other in their toughest times.” Therefore, the “Shanghai Cake Bureau” event was mainly for promoting the movie, without any intention of exclusion.
In fact, reports revealed that on the premiere day of “The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley” at the Shanghai International Film Festival, Zhao Liying flew to New York to attend a special screening at the Tribeca Film Festival for “In the World,” a film she stars in.
“The Incident at Jiangyuan Alley” has already gained immense popularity two years before its release: the movie commenced filming in 2023, was selected for the non-competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, features a renowned cast, and marks Zhang Ziyi’s return to the film industry after giving birth with this high-profile production. Wave after wave of publicity has continuously stirred anticipation among audiences, leaving them eager to watch the film as soon as possible.