Is Zhao Liying using her son's fame to boost her own popularity?

Hanoi [Vietnam], February 13: In recent days, the Chinese entertainment industry has been said to be lacking noteworthy topics, to the point that public attention has unexpectedly shifted to the children of celebrities. In this context, Zhao Liying's son, Jiang Jiang, has unexpectedly topped search trends, even though his face has never been publicly revealed.
Notably, the topic of the boy on social media has attracted 2.23 million followers, a number said to be comparable to many rising artists, according to Sohu .
Children become 'tools' for maintaining media coverage.
Some accounts suggest that Zhao Liying has good public recognition and a large fan base, so her son has also benefited from this, quickly becoming a child star. Some even jokingly say that this is a "family fan base" passed down from mother to son.
However, there were still strong reactions because Zhao Liying's son had never been clearly seen in the media, nor had he participated in any entertainment programs. Zhao Liying and her ex-husband Feng Shaofeng had repeatedly called for the protection of their son's privacy. However, the reality is that the boy has many topics of his own and a large following, while the comments are filled with excessive praise.
Many believe that Zhao Liying recently urged viewers not to disturb her son, yet immediately placed him in the spotlight, occasionally posting blurry photos of him that obscured his face. This is seen as exploiting his popularity when needed, then turning her back on him when the need is gone. Some comments frankly state that, given Zhao Liying's recent lack of prominent works that have garnered significant attention, making her son the subject of public interest is a predictable way to attract attention. Some even compare this approach to that of her ex-husband, Feng Shaofeng, suggesting that both used their children's images for media purposes only to quickly discard them, creating a negative impression.
Following a wave of criticism, Zhao Liying's fans immediately reacted fiercely, directing their anger towards Yang Mi. According to Zhao Liying's fans, Yang Mi had just gone through a controversy over who would be the center of attention at the Weibo Night event , was repeatedly embroiled in disputes with Xiao Zhan's fans, and had conflicts with Xin Zhilei, increasing public pressure. Therefore, they argued that Yang Mi deliberately dragged Zhao Liying into the controversy to distract public attention.
However, many argue that this speculation lacks basis. Although Yang Mi and Zhao Liying are often considered rivals in the entertainment industry, if Yang Mi truly wanted to harm Zhao Liying, she could have chosen more negative topics instead of letting Zhao Liying receive attention through her children. Furthermore, Yang Mi is reportedly busy with new film projects and the negative aftermath of Weibo Night makes it unlikely she would devote much energy to extraneous controversies.
In fact, despite being considered rivals, Zhao Liying and Yang Mi have rarely clashed directly in recent years. Both are facing significant challenges in their careers, especially in their transition to film. Notably, these two actresses from the "85s generation" once starred together in the film " Xiang Yuan Long ," aiming for the Best Supporting Actress award, but ultimately neither was nominated, losing to younger actresses. Their efforts to change their image over the years seem to have not yielded the expected results.
The sluggish state of the film market has made their path to transformation even more difficult. Finding quality projects has become increasingly challenging, while many projects have run out of funding midway through. Despite years of trying to break free from the "popularity star" label and enter the film industry, Zhao Liying and Yang Mi are still considered to be struggling with lackluster roles or roles that haven't been convincing enough for critics. Their repeated failure to win major awards like the Golden Rooster or Hong Kong Film Awards is seen as evidence of the deadlock in their career transition.
From controversies surrounding their center stage presence at entertainment events to their children becoming a hot topic, many believe it all stems from a lack of substantial work to solidify their status. Without standout achievements, stars are forced to rely on side stories to maintain attention.
Looking back at the events surrounding Tưởng Tưởng, many people believe this reflects concerns about the level of exposure within the Chinese entertainment industry.
Instead of relying on their children or engaging in online battles for attention, many believe that stars from the "85 generation" should focus on honing their acting skills. Time waits for no one, and if they continue to stagnate, the risk of being replaced by younger artists is only a matter of time.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper