Chinese Actress Zhao Liying Shines at Awards Ceremony
Zhao Liying, a popular actress in mainland China, stood out on the evening of the 21st when she won the Best Actress award at the “Feitian Awards” for her role as “Xu Banxia” in the TV series “The Wind Blows Half a Summer,” defeating the highly anticipated Tang Yan. As she went up on stage to receive her award, tears of joy streamed down her face.
Upon accepting the award, Zhao Liying admitted that she had not prepared a speech for winning. Overwhelmed with emotion, she choked up several times and shed tears. After composing herself a bit, she expressed her belief in a line from the series, “I never make wishes because they never come true,” and now her wish had indeed come true.
A minor mishap occurred when Zhao Liying was walking the red carpet, as her skirt seemed to be too long, causing her to stumble. For a moment, she lost her balance and nearly fell, but luckily she regained her footing quickly and got back to normal. This split-second moment of imbalance unexpectedly became a hot topic on social media.
In this award evaluation, Tang Yan, also known as one of the “85 Flowers,” once again found herself trailing behind Zhao Liying. They had both previously been nominated for the Magnolia Awards, one of China’s top three television awards, with Tang Yan losing to Zhou Xun once and to Wu Yue another time. This time, being nominated for the Feitian Awards alongside Zhao Liying in the same year, reports from Chinese media outlet “NetEase Entertainment” revealed that Tang Yan seemed stunned at Zhao Liying’s victory, appearing frozen and bitter.
In the early hours of the next day, Zhao Liying took to Weibo to thank everyone, expressing that every step she took onto the stage to receive the award felt surreal. She shared a photo holding her trophy, her smile radiating brightly, with her eyes squinted into thin lines. Fellow celebrity Xie Na congratulated her in the comments, leading fans to admire their friendship: “The best sister-brother relationship!” “What a fairy tale friendship!”
Award-winning actress Zhao Liying is now being hailed as the shining star among the post-85 generation. In response to this, renowned Chinese director Cheng Qingsong posted on Weibo, suggesting that actress Yang Mi should strive harder. Initially including the controversial topic of “Zhao Liying winning the Feitian Award” in his post, he seemed cautious to avoid unnecessary disputes, ultimately choosing to rewrite his message.
Since her debut, Zhao Liying has appeared in many popular TV series such as “The Journey of Flower,” “Legend of Lu Zhen,” and “The Stories of Feng Ching.” Known as the “Queen of Ratings” in Chinese dramas, she transitioned from an idol drama actress to a respected leading lady with her performances in series like “The Wind Blows Half a Summer” and “Happiness in a Thousand Homes” released in 2022.
In recent years, Zhao Liying has shifted her focus to the big screen, making guest appearances in films like “The Twentieth” as the character of a “deaf-mute mother” earlier this year. She has also completed filming for movies such as “Matters of Tigers and Wolves” and “Joanne’s Matters,” along with a new film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan.
Despite her background of receiving non-academic and vocational education, Zhao Liying, who rose to fame, has often been portrayed as an inspiration, known as the “Three Mothers of the Entertainment Industry,” with many stories of her hardships circulating online. However, with her straightforward and candid personality, Zhao Liying has stated her refusal to accept certain fabricated or exaggerated narratives.
At the age of 36, Zhao Liying has collaborated with male actor Feng Shaofeng, who is nine years her senior, in TV dramas like “The Monkey King’s Daughter Country” and “The Story of Minglan.” While their marriage lasted only three years, their relationship has continued to draw public attention.
After reaching a new peak in her career following the divorce, Zhao Liying has been occasionally spotted dining out with Feng Shaofeng during breaks from filming, taking care of their child together. Due to their frequent interactions involving their child, some netizens anticipate a possible reconciliation between the two. Their civil post-divorce relations have earned them the title of the “rare divorce role models in the Chinese entertainment industry.” Their family-like relationship continues to spark interest and discussions among the public.