Zhang Yimou's muse is causing a sensation.

TPO - Liu Haocun has overcome public prejudice and hatred with his talent, creating a sensation in the film "The Leading Role".

Báo Tiền Phong•20/05/2026

According to QQ , the drama starring Liu Haocun, Zhang Jiayi (formerly known as Zhang Jiayi), and Qin Hailu is currently ranked #1 in ratings in China. Viewership on CCTV1 exceeded 4%, ranking first among dramas airing in 2026 and second in the history of Chinese television dramas, according to the CVB scale.

The successful work also helped Liu Haocun gain the love and recognition of her talent from the audience. Prior to this, both she and the project, in terms of the lead role, had been boycotted.

The past haunts me relentlessly.

When the new film was released, the female lead, Liu Haocun, faced intense backlash from the audience. Liu Haocun has a pleasant, innocent, and adorable appearance that easily wins people over. However, her family was involved in a major scandal, which negatively impacted the actress's reputation.

Liu Haocun's parents used to run a dance center, but in 2014, they were involved in a lawsuit after a young student suffered partial paralysis due to faulty teaching methods. Notably, the actress's parents failed to provide adequate compensation, causing a major controversy.

Liu Haocun's parents were involved in an accident that injured a dance student.

Currently, seeing Liu Haocun showcasing his outstanding dance talent, shining brighter and receiving major film opportunities and earning a lot of money, audiences feel indignant and angry. They believe that since Liu Haocun's parents ruined a girl's life, the actress should also face the consequences.

Liu Haocun also sparked controversy by claiming she rose to fame through her own merit, without any "backing" or patronage. Audiences criticized her for being arrogant and ungrateful to director Zhang Yimou, who discovered and promoted her. Liu Haocun was also criticized for her low emotional intelligence, unclear and incoherent interview responses, and lack of depth in her content.

Furthermore, the film's creative director, Zhang Yimou, who is also Liu Haocun's mentor, became embroiled in controversy for designing the dance performance "Impressions of Liu Sanjie" on the Li River in Guilin, China. In this scene, the female dancers wore skin-colored bodysuits, easily leading viewers to imagine nudity, like a group of nude women playing in the water.

Many opinions suggest that the content is offensive, distorts the image of traditional culture, and exploits ethnic customs to attract viewers with sensitive elements. Some even compare the performance to the Chinese version of Crazy Horse – a strip club show.

The film, "The Main Character," initially received many negative reviews from audiences, with quite a few people calling for a boycott.

The film was initially boycotted by audiences due to the production team's numerous scandals.

A historic comeback.

However, as the series progressed, the main characters became increasingly captivating to viewers and received very high praise for their cinematography, storytelling, and acting.

In particular, Liu Haocun's performance exploded on Chinese social media. Her discussion index on the Weixin app reached nearly 200 million (100 million is considered very popular). Topics on Weibo also received thousands of compliments and tens of millions of views.

Liu Haocun plays the role of Yi Qin'e, a talented young girl in the performing arts. Under the tutelage of her uncle (Zhang Jiayi), and through arduous training and overcoming the ups and downs of the era, she rises from a shepherdess to become a famous opera singer in the Qin Kang era.

Liu Haocun's performance was outstanding, with some even suggesting she would sweep all the awards for her role as Yi Qin'e.

The film is not only about the life and career of Uc Tan Nga, but also a portrayal of a traditional Chinese art form, while conveying a message about preserving and passing on the flame of passion to future generations.

The role of Yu Qin'e is truly not easy to play. The actress must have a certain level of dance training and emotionally rich acting to portray the challenging and arduous life of the female protagonist. Just the spinning scene alone is enough to make viewers dizzy, and this difficult dance technique could be a challenge for 90% of young Chinese actresses today.

Only Liu Haocun, who graduated top of his class in Folk Dance from the Beijing Dance Academy in 2016, is capable of portraying the role of Yi Qin'e.

Liu Haocun's impressive dance skills have earned him admiration from viewers.

Liu Haocun's acting ability as "the cunning woman" is a highlight of the film. Liu Haocun possesses both a stubborn and arrogant demeanor, yet also a pure and fragile innocence that makes viewers want to protect her. Her crying scenes also received high praise for touching the audience's emotions.

Therefore, audiences gradually abandoned their prejudices and animosity towards Liu Haocun and recognized her acting talent and her efforts in embodying the character.