Yang Zi’s Salary Under Spotlight

Continuing a strong performance by clinching Most Popular Award at the recent Weibo night, actress Yang Zi’s (楊紫) looks set to continue her bright streak into 2024 – but a recent scandal threatens to fuel controversy.

Publication Claims Yang Zi Was Paid 100 Million Yuan

A report by a renowned financial magazine cast the spotlight on Chinese streaming platforms hoping to lower production costs by cutting cast actors’ salaries, and even provided examples of previous projects where actors’ salaries pushed up overall production costs. Among those cited is the 31-year-old actress. One of China’s top idol actresses, Yang Zi was reportedly paid over 100 million RMB for 2021’s Immortal Samsara <沈香如屑>, directly running afoul of Chinese authorities’ legal cap on entertainers’ pay in the year 2018.  Sparking an outcry, netizens urged the relevant authorities to take the matter seriously and thoroughly investigate possible infringements.

According to the annual financial statistics released by the production studio behind Immortal Samsara, cast actors’ total salaries for the production amounted to around 40 million RMB. This conflicted with Yang Zi’s reported remuneration figure, leading to further speculation by netizens. Many fans of the actress called on their idol to make an official clarification to prevent mistruths from spreading. However, Yang Zi has yet to respond directly to the matter, instead posting a photo of herself in festive outfit alongside a happy lunar new year greeting, teasing about an upcoming project with actor Li Xian (李現).

Source: HK01