In recent news, Chinese popular actress Ju Jingyi is currently in a legal battle with her talent agency “Silk Media” over contract disputes. She accuses the company of paying her extremely low wages during their collaboration, not sharing business profits, and subjecting her to long-term exploitation. On the other hand, “Silk Media” disclosed that they were paying Ju Jingyi a fixed monthly salary of 250,000 RMB, highlighting her earnings of over a billion RMB before taxes. The two parties stand firm on their positions, sparking intense controversy.
Ju Jingyi, dubbed by Chinese netizens as a “once-in-4000-years beauty,” rose to fame as a member of the girl group “SNH48” before embarking on a successful solo career. She appeared in hit dramas like “The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion” and “The Legend of White Snake.” However, upon the expiration of their 10-year contract, a dispute arose between her and her former agency, “Silk Media.”
According to reports from Chinese media, the core of the 2024 contract dispute revolves around the authenticity of a mysterious “supplementary agreement,” leading both sides to present conflicting testimonies in court.
In June 2024, Ju Jingyi announced that her 10-year contract under the “SNH48 Exclusive Artist Contract” with “Silk Media” had ended since 2013, and she had no intention of renewing it, denying the existence of any extension agreements beyond the initial contract term.
In response, “Silk Media” released a statement alleging that Ju Jingyi had engaged in commercial activities without the company’s permission before the contract expired, constituting a serious breach of contract. They filed a lawsuit against her, maintaining that their contract and a supplementary agreement signed on September 10, 2018, were still valid, reinforcing their exclusive management rights.
The legal battle continued as Ju Jingyi accused “Silk Media” of hiding her actual income through the signing of a “double contract,” withholding her entitled share for an extended period. She claimed that the 10-year contract signed in 2013 officially ended on June 18, 2024, and she had no intentions of extending it. Conversely, “Silk Media” continued to accuse Ju Jingyi of breaching the contract, asserting that she had signed an exclusive artist contract in 2013 and a supplementary agreement in 2018, prolonging their exclusive management rights until 2033.
“Silk Media” argued that the supplementary agreement Ju Jingyi signed in 2018 was legally valid, while Ju Jingyi accused the company of forging her signature. Court-appointed forensic examinations conducted in February and September 2025 concluded that the authenticity of the signature could not be determined.
Established in 2010, “Silk Media” pioneered the concept of fostering idol groups in mainland China, attracting investments from prominent entities like the “Chinese Cultural Industry Investment Fund,” “Junlian Capital,” and “Innovation Works,” becoming a darling of the capital market.
In 2013, the large-scale female idol group “SNH48,” trained by “Silk Media,” officially debuted, quickly capturing the Chinese market through a comprehensive model combining theater performances, fan handshake events, and annual popularity contests. This period saw the emergence of artists like Ju Jingyi, Li Yitong, and Huang Tingting, generating over 400 million RMB in revenue for “Silk Media” from 2014 to 2019 solely through the annual popularity contests.
Ju Jingyi stood out as one of the most commercially successful artists nurtured within this system. Since her debut as a second-generation member in 2013, she won the “SNH48” annual championship consecutively in 2016 and 2017. The success of the drama series “The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion” in 2018 not only solidified her personal status but also brought substantial film and television revenue and brand value to “Silk Media.”
However, the operational status of “Silk Media” has been in decline recently. Information reveals that in 2025, both “Silk Media” and its chairman Wang Jing became subject to multiple execution cases, with nearly 130 million RMB worth of equity frozen for up to three years. The news that “Nearly 130 million shares of Silk Media frozen” made headlines on Weibo on December 18, prompting the company to release a stern statement accusing Ju Jingyi and her team of tarnishing the company’s reputation through public opinion manipulation.
In its statement, “Silk Media” denounced Ju Jingyi and her alleged “personal studio” for repeatedly distorting facts, fabricating lies, utilizing illegal means like internet troops to attack the company online, and hinted at publicly reporting their misconduct involving “serious economic crimes” to national regulatory bodies, media, and the public at large.
According to data from “Tianyancha,” “Silk Media” has been involved in numerous legal disputes chiefly related to contract disagreements and unfair competition. Apart from Ju Jingyi, former “SNH48” members like Huang…