Xin Zhilei, born in 1986, is a familiar face to the Asian public. She rose to fame with her role as Consort Jia in the hit drama Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (2018). He later built a solid career with notable projects such as Blossoms Shanghai, The Unseen Sister and Joy of Life.
In 2025, Xin Zhilei made headlines in Chinese entertainment by reaching a major milestone at the Venice Film Festival, where she won the Best Actress award for her performance in The Sun Rises on Us All. She has also been nicknamed the “Chinese version of Song Hye Kyo” thanks to her elegant graphics, pouty lips and sophisticated aura.
However, shortly after gaining fame through Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace, Xin Zhilei became involved in a controversy over her attitude towards the staff, which significantly affected her public image at the time.
In 2019, during the filming of the project Yes, I Do! together with Bao Beier, Xin Zhilei had to eat smelly tofu during a street scene. What could have been a normal filming moment became controversial when bystanders captured what happened immediately after the scene ended.
Unable to tolerate the strong smell, the actress was seen casually spitting the food she had chewed directly into her assistant’s hand.
The act shocked many viewers when the clip circulated online. Netizens criticized her for being rude, disrespectful and lacking manners. Many accused her of having a “celebrity attitude”, questioning why she didn’t wait for a bag, cup or tissue before unwrapping the food, and called on her to apologize to the staff involved. The incident dealt a severe blow to his previously refined and elegant image.
Faced with a wave of backlash, Xin Zhilei issued a public apology and promised to reflect on his behavior. True to her word, she has not been involved in similar controversies regarding her treatment of staff in the past seven years.
Currently, Xin Zhilei is known as one of the most generous employers in China’s entertainment industry. According to Sohu, staff working for the award-winning actress earn a minimum salary of 30,000 yuan, excluding holiday bonuses. This is significantly higher than the industry average, where celebrity staff salaries typically range between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan.
Sources: K14
