Age-shaming comments directed at Zhou Xun continue to rise in number

Chinese actress Zhou Xun made headlines recently – for all the wrong reasons – as she was widely criticised for taking on the role of a 15-year-old in the period drama Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace.

The actress can’t catch a break. Although she has yet to publicly address these comments, a recent interview she did was floated online and in it she declared that she is not worried about getting on in her years as she feels that age does not play a big factor in her ability to get casted for future projects.

However, the heat has not eased off. As the drama continues to air, many viewers have pointed out that the props and costumes in the series pale in comparison to many other palace dramas, with many saying that the “unrealistic” and “cheap-looking” set has caused them to be unconvinced that what they are watching is taking place in the imperial palace.

Some even went as far to claim that most of the budget of the drama has gone into post-production, adding that Zhou Xun’s smoother-than-usual skin in the drama looks like it was edited so that she will look younger.

After comparison photos were uploaded online, netizens continued to post negative comments such as “her skin is really bad”, “you can tell that she’s left her youth behind years ago” and “even if they were to smooth her skin even more, she still won’t look good”.

Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace has been plagued with negative comments since its debut, not only because of its seemingly low production cost, but also because the scriptwriter has taken liberties with historical facts. Some pointed out that the Qianlong Emperor (played by Wallace Huo) was enamoured with Ruyi right off the bat, and some even went as far as to call it “offensive” that they distorted history in this manner.

Photos: PBE Media

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So what if Zhou Xun, 43, is playing a 15-year-old in ‘Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace’?
‘Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace’ debuts to mixed reviews