On the night of May 21st in Macau, the 2026 Asian Art Film Festival ended with a landslide victory for the film Gezhi city. Directed by Kong Sheng, the film became one of the biggest winners of the night, taking home 3 major awards: Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Director.
The most talked about moment was the announcement of Xiao Zhan as Best Lead Actor, the highest award for male performers in the main competition Golden Haiyan.
This win is particularly significant because it marks Xiao Zhan’s first nomination at an international film festival as a lead film actor, and also his first Best Actor title at an Asian regional awards event.
The role that changed everything
In Gezhi cityXiao Zhan plays Mo De Xian, a working-class installer living in Nanjing during the war. Unlike the charming idol-style characters, Mo De Xian is not written as a perfect hero. He is normal, shy, focused on survival and just wants to protect his family in a chaotic era. That simplicity became the hardest part of the role.
To play Mo De
Many viewers who have seen the film have described it as Xiao Zhan’s most mature performance since he started acting. He is also said to have lost weight for the role, appeared nearly bare-faced for much of the film, and practiced the Nanjing dialect to make the character more realistic.
Several close-up scenes reportedly left strong impressions due to the quiet yet powerful way Xiao Zhan handled emotions, especially when Mo De Xian was forced to choose between personal survival and responsibility towards others.
A 75 day reward streak
Xiao Zhan’s victory at the Golden Haiyan also closes what the Chinese media described as 75 days “harvest season” for the actor. In March, he won Best TV Actor at the SMG TV Series Quality Awards for his role as Zang Hai in The Legend of Zang Hai.
In late April, he was honored again at the Beijing College Student Film Festival, winning the award for Most Popular Actor Among Students Gezhi city. Now, with the Golden Haiyan Award for Best Leading Actor, Xiao Zhan has collected 3 major acting awards in a short period of time. Chinese media calls it a full-scale transition from television to cinema for the post-90s actor.
The victory wasn’t just about Xiao Zhan. Gezhi city it also demonstrated the strength of its creative team. Director Kong Sheng was praised for his deep, humanistic storytelling, while screenwriter Lan Xiaolong received recognition for a script that explores war through the eyes of ordinary people rather than traditional heroic spectacle.
The film avoids the typical commercial war film formula. Instead, it uses a slower pace, layered psychology, and realistic details to create emotional weight. According to Chinese media reports cited in the source, the film earned more than 412 million yuan despite not being released during the peak Lunar New Year period. It also received high ratings on domestic platforms and secured 6 nominations at the Golden Haiyan Awards before winning 3 major awards.
Weibo explodes due to Xiao Zhan’s victory
After the ceremony, keywords related to Xiao Zhan and De Xian Jin Zhi it quickly climbed Weibo’s search rankings. Her red carpet appearance in Macau also went viral. Wearing an all-black Saint Laurent look, Xiao Zhan caught attention with a smile as she turned towards fans.
The entertainment media has noted that Xiao Zhan’s continued influence is no longer based solely on his huge fandom. Instead, he is starting to build stronger professional credibility through deeper and more challenging roles.
In his acceptance speech, Xiao Zhan said he wanted to say thank you “the tenacity that only belongs to Mo De Xian,” explaining that the character made his efforts feel rewarded. He also expressed gratitude to director Kong Sheng, screenwriter Lan Xiaolong and the entire production team.
Sources: Saostar
