On July 18, mainland Chinese actor Xiao Zhan simplified his Weibo account from “X Nine Boys Xiao Zhan DAYTOY” to “Xiao Zhan”, and updated his personal profile to “actor, singer”, keeping only his representative works “The Untamed”, “The Sea of Dreams”, and “The Untamed” as the male lead. The topic quickly surged to the top of the trending list.
33-year-old Xiao Zhan, who participated in the talent show “Rush to the Dead Summer” in 2015, debuted as the lead singer of “X Nine Boys” in 2016, and rose to fame in 2019 for his role in the TV drama “The Untamed”. He has since focused mostly on the field of acting.
At 7 p.m. on the 18th, Xiao Zhan officially changed his Weibo name from “X Nine Boys Xiao Zhan DAYTOY” to “Xiao Zhan”, and updated his personal profile, only keeping his representative works “The Untamed”, “The Sea of Dreams”, and “The Untamed”. Zhao Lei, Xia Zhiguang, Peng Chuyue, Wu Jiacheng, Gu Jiacheng, Guo Zifan, and Yan Xujia, who were originally part of “X Nine Boys”, also removed the group name from their Weibo handles.
The official Weibo account of “X Nine Boys” simultaneously posted: “The burning time has created the best boys, nine years of being a man, X Nine Boys wish you happiness every day!” Along with this, they announced the dissolution of the group.
Interestingly, fans’ comments under the post overwhelmingly shouted “happy breakup” and taunted the management company to “shut down”, with some fans even initiating a “no limit circle” drawing to celebrate. Although the trending topic of #XiaoZhanWeiboChange# quickly topped the charts with over a billion views, Xiao Zhan did not post anything special, fueling fans’ anticipation for what the content of Xiao Zhan’s first Weibo post will be.
Information shows that in 2016, Xiao Zhan, along with Zhao Lei, Chen Zexi, Xia Zhiguang, Peng Chuyue, Wu Jiacheng, Gu Jiacheng, Guo Zifan, and Yan Xujia were selected from 16 contestants on the Zhejiang TV talent program “Rush to the Dead Summer”, forming “X Nine Boys”. The “X” in the group name represents the unknown and infinite possibilities. In September 2020, Chen Zexi confirmed his departure from “X Nine Boys” and focused on rap music and fashion.
In fact, “X Nine Boys” has had very few collective activities since 2019, and many members’ contracts have expired. Now that each member has successfully removed the prefix from their Weibo names, it is seen by netizens as a sign of the members breaking free from their old constraints to independently expand their careers, a cause for celebration.
Xiao Zhan, who rose to stardom in Chinese dramas such as “The Untamed” and “Joy of Life”, has become a top-tier star in mainland Chinese television. Therefore, the 40-episode drama “The Sea of Dreams” has been a constant topic of discussion since its premiere this year, with Xiao Zhan’s looks, acting skills, and every move becoming the focus. The drama officially concluded on June 11 this year, with a total streaming volume exceeding a remarkable 2 billion. In order to portray the revenge genius “Zang Hai” in the best possible way, Xiao Zhan diligently practiced lines and etiquette training, and swiftly lost 8 kilograms. His dedication continues to be admired by drama fans.