As competition to stand out at the Cannes Film Festival grows fiercer each year, two Chinese celebrities are now facing criticism after allegedly breaking festival rules in a bid to gain attention.
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival is currently underway in France and has welcomed many stars from the Chinese entertainment industry. Not long after, Lay Zhang and several lesser-known celebrities reportedly faced off criticism for causing riots on inauguration dayactresses Qi Wei and Yuan Shanshan became the latest names spark controversy online.
Clips showing Cannes security staff warning and reportedly urging the two actresses to move on the red carpet spread rapidly across all social media platforms.
Qi Wei attended Cannes on the third day of the festival and appeared on the red carpet wearing a classic front design dress with an open back detail that highlighted part of her bare back.
However, while near the stairway area of ​​the red carpet, Qi Wei allegedly spent too much time posing and interacting with the cameras, leading a security staff member to personally approach her and ask her to move on. In front of the embarrassing situationas reported by the actress he laughed nervously before quickly leaving the area.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shanshan was reportedly seen walking away from the red carpet on both days she attended the event for spending too much time posing without moving.
She also attracted attention for allegedly ignoring Cannes’ stated dress code, emphasizing elegance and formality, appearing in a more revealing outfit during her appearance on day three.
Despite her bold stylistic choicesthe international media reportedly showed little interest in photographing the actress. Photos of the events circulating online appeared to show many photographers lowering their cameras as Yuan Shanshan posed.
Who are Qi Wei and Yuan Shanshan?
Qi Wei, born in 1984, is known for works such as The beauty’s rival in the palace, April StarAND Return. In 2024, she appeared in the hit reality show Sisters making waves and became one of the most popular contestants.
Qi Wei has long been praised for her doll-like images and pale skin. However, he also coped public concern last year after appearing noticeably different following extreme weight loss and alleged cosmetic proceduresleading to Harsh comments online about her appearance.
In her personal life, Qi Wei is married to actor Lee Seung Hyun. The couple celebrated their wedding in Las Vegas in September 2014 after a romantic proposal in Saipan. They remain very active in Chinese entertainment.
Yuan Shanshan, born in 1987, was once considered one of the Prominent beauties from the Beijing Film Academy’s 2005 class. It was heavily promoted by famous screenwriter Yu Zheng along with stars such as Yang Mi and Zhao Liying.
However, unlike her fellow actresses, Yuan Shanshan struggled to become a top-tier celebrity and often faced criticism for her acting skills. She was heavily criticized for her performance as Ren Yingying in Swordsmanwith some viewers even calling for her to leave the entertainment industry.
The actress has also been involved in several controversies regarding her behavior towards colleagues. That was an accident attracted a negative reaction implicated Yuan by publicly mentioning actress Zhang Xiaofei’s snoring habits despite Zhang’s visible discomfort.
In another controversial appearance on Sisters Who Make Waves Season 2 in 2020, viewers criticized Yuan Shanshan for pointing out and bluntly criticizing actress Zhang Xinyu on camera.
As a result, Yuan Shanshan has often been labeled by Chinese netizens as one of the most disliked female celebrities in C-entertainment.
Sources: K14
