On May 27th, news about mainland Chinese actress Mao Xiaotong trended at the top of Weibo’s hot search list. It was revealed that on the 25th, actor Liu Jin posted a video on Weibo disclosing that he had been owed 16,000 yuan (RMB) in unpaid wages by the crew of the second season of the drama “Painted Skin: The Resurrection” since 2017 and had yet to receive it. Furthermore, the lead actress of the same drama, Mao Xiaotong, who recently portrayed a Northern Qi princess in the popular series “Joy of Life 2,” was owed as much as 12.5 million yuan in remuneration.
Liu Jin, who had previously played bit roles in films like “Charlotte’s Trouble,” shared a two-minute video on Weibo on the 25th. He expressed that seeing his colleagues, actors, crew members, and assistant directors being owed wages online frequently reminded him of his own similar experience from years ago.
Recalling the summer of 2017, Liu Jin took on a role in the second season of “Painted Skin: The Resurrection.” During the filming process, due to financial issues, the production company suddenly halted operations, forcing all actors to disperse on the spot. He was owed 16,000 yuan by the crew and has yet to recover it.
He discovered that he was not the only extra owed money. It came to his attention that the female lead of the drama, Mao Xiaotong, sued the production company and won the case. However, the execution of the judgement was halted because the company under which the production was registered had no assets that could be liquidated.
Liu Jin revealed that Mao Xiaotong never received her approximately 12.5 million yuan remuneration, so there was little hope for him to recover his 16,000 yuan. On the afternoon of the 27th, the news about “Mao Xiaotong owed 12.5 million yuan” surged to the top of the hot search list.
According to a report by “Morning News,” the legal case mentioned by Liu Jin in his video indeed existed. A court verdict was publicized online as early as June 2021, with Mao Xiaotong’s (Shanghai) film and television studio as the applicant, and the defendants being Wang Zhi and the Beijing-based “Centennial Projection” Cultural Media Co., Ltd. The court in charge of the case was the Dongcheng District Court in Beijing.
The first-instance verdict indicated that Mao Xiaotong’s (Shanghai) studio requested the court to order “Centennial Projection” to pay 12.5 million yuan for services in the third and fourth episodes of the TV drama “Painted Skin: The Resurrection” along with a late payment penalty of 2.5 million yuan, in addition to bearing legal fees of 104,800 yuan incurred during the litigation, a ruling that the court supported.
Research revealed that the series “Painted Skin: The Resurrection” was filmed in 2017 and produced by the Beijing-based “Centennial Projection” Cultural Media Co., Ltd. Both the official Weibo account of “Centennial Projection Cultural Media Co., Ltd.” and the Weibo account of the drama “Painted Skin: The Resurrection” ceased updates as early as September 2017.
However, many netizens have focused on Mao Xiaotong’s remuneration issue. Some pointed out that seven years ago, Mao Xiaotong was not as popular as she is now, yet her salary for playing the lead role was already in millions, prompting discourse on how high the salaries of A-list stars must be. Others expressed regret, saying “Even after winning a legal battle, she couldn’t receive her dues,” and “The industry’s pricing rationale is unclear, but she is undoubtedly a victim.”
At 35 years old, Mao Xiaotong rose to fame with the youthful idol drama “Love O2O,” where she starred alongside Zheng Shuang. Being promoted to leading lady status, her recent appearances in dramas like “Nothing But Thirty” and “The Family” have received positive feedback. In the currently trending drama “Joy of Life 2,” where her screen time is not extensive, she portrayed the role of a Northern Qi princess and earned a salary of 9 million yuan, surprising some online commentators.