Renowned author Qiong Yao passed away on the 4th, leaving behind a farewell letter that quickly became a trending topic on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Mainland Chinese actress Zhao Wei, who rose to fame for her role as “Xiao Yanzi” in Qiong Yao’s drama “Princess Pearl,” also posted a tribute on Weibo. This marked her first post on the platform in three years.
Qiong Yao, known for her romance novels, screenwriting, film production, and songwriting in Mandarin, had authored over 60 romance novels during her lifetime. Many of her works were adapted into films and television dramas, becoming a part of the memories of people from the 1970s to the 1990s. Actors who portrayed the main characters in her stories became overnight sensations, with female actors earning the title “Qiong Girls.”
The television drama “Princess Pearl,” scripted by Qiong Yao, gained immense popularity after its release in mainland China in 1998, becoming a household classic and launching the careers of numerous stars. Zhao Wei, who was chosen by Qiong Yao to play the energetic and mischievous “Xiao Yanzi,” despite facing prior official censorship and a three-year absence from Weibo, posted on the platform to mourn her mentor Qiong Yao.
In her Weibo post, Zhao Wei shared a photo of her clasped hands with a caption that read, “The rolling Yangtze River flows ceaselessly, washing away heroes. Right and wrong turn empty. The green hills remain, the red sunsets recur.” Fans commented in the thread, “We knew ‘Xiao Yanzi’ would appear.”
Zhao Wei, who skyrocketed to fame with “Princess Pearl,” faced a sudden nationwide ban in China on August 26, 2021. All her acting projects were taken down from various platforms, her name was removed from cast lists, her Weibo super topic was closed, unreleased projects were recast, causing turmoil in the entertainment industry as colleagues distanced themselves from her on social media, seemingly afraid of any association.
The reasons behind Zhao Wei’s sudden ban are varied: some speculate it is related to her proximity to Jack Ma, while others suggest she was caught up in political power struggles involving former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and current President Xi Jinping.
Despite occasional rumors of a comeback in recent years, nothing materialized thereafter. On the night of November 12, she posted a photo on Instagram spinning a top, with a “sunflower” emoji, sparking discussions among netizens.
As speculations arose about the meaning of Zhao Wei’s “sunflower” emoji possibly hinting at a comeback, on November 19, the news of “Zhao Wei’s company being forcibly executed for 14,177 yuan” (RMB equivalent) surfaced as the top trending topic on Weibo.
According to legal litigation information from Tianyancha, at that time, Zhao Wei, “Tibet Longwei Cultural Media Co., Ltd.,” and “Xiangyuan Culture Travel” had a new entry as the executed parties with an amount of 8,488 yuan, with the Zhejiang Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court as the executing court. Furthermore, the two mentioned companies were also subjected to a forced execution of 5,689 yuan.
Records show that Tibet Longwei Cultural Media Co., Ltd. was established in November 2016, with Peng Shengkai as the legal representative, and registered capital of 2 million yuan, with Zhao Wei and Sun Dan holding 95% and 5% of the shares, respectively. In late 2016, Zhao Wei and her husband controlled “Longwei Media” with 3.06 billion yuan and later controlled Wanjia Culture (now known as “Xiangyuan Culture Travel”), which was then completely transferred.
In April 2018, the China Securities Regulatory Commission issued an administrative penalty decision to Wanjia Culture and related personnel, including Zhao Wei and her husband Huang Youlong, imposing a 5-year ban from the securities market. Warnings and fines were also issued to the companies and individuals involved.