On January 4, actor Marcus Li Mingde (李明德) became the unexpected center of attention, skyrocketing to the top of Weibo’s hot search with the top 3 hashtags: Li Mingde comments, Li Mingde exposes entertainment circle, and Ma Tianyu Li Mingde. The up-and-coming actor just stirred up a storm in Chinese entertainment with candid posts calling out the The Triple Echo of Time 三人行 production crew and seemingly throwing shade at lead actor Ma Tianyu without explicitly naming him.
Firing Rounds at the Industry
The actor shared a “farewell letter” dated December 28 where he thanked the crew and said goodbye. As of the writing of this post, the actor has already posted 9 times on social media starting from a curt “haha” in the afternoon, the “farewell letter” a few hours later to many more, not to mention his many replies to Netizens’ comments, touching upon Zhang Songwen’s allegations, giving Tian Xiwei a nod as someone who deserves to get popular, and so on. Some muse, you could probably ask him any question about the industry and he’d spill the beans as his posts quickly turned into sharp criticisms of the industry, leaving netizens stunned.
While some fans posted support and expressed worry telling him to protect himself, others warned that he shouldn’t comment on other celebrities as it may bring him trouble. Another comment told the actor to calm down as there’s no way he can fight against capital backing, but he replied, “How many are they with capital? How many are we who live on paychecks?”
He also wrote, “If, I mean if, there are no young actors who dare to stand up and tell the truth… then how can we create characters?… If I am ** like this~ then it means: I was really right. I am willing to take the lead, because if there are no such people, the works you will watch in the future will be excrement~#actor##”
Allegations of Unprofessionalism and Favoritism
In one of his posts, Li Mingde accused The Triple Echo of Time crew of mistreatment and highlighting unprofessional behavior from a lead actor. He recounted waiting in freezing conditions during filming in Changchun because the male lead arrived late and refused to participate in essential script readings.
The actor also accused the production team of prioritizing the male lead’s convenience at the expense of others, delaying the shoot. Li Mingde hinted at deeper tensions within the team, alleging attempts to sabotage his career. According to him, there were behind-the-scenes moves to block him from portraying his role as Zhao Zuoyou. He expressed frustration over these power dynamics, suggesting favoritism.
One of the most striking parts of Li Mingde’s posts was his defiant tone. He made it clear he wouldn’t be intimidated by threats, boldly declaring, “I’m barefoot while you’re wearing shoes,” implying he had nothing to lose and would fight back. This statement resonated with fans, who applauded his courage.
Terminates Contract with Li Mingde
In a statement released the same night on January 4, the production team of The Triple Echo of Time addressed the controversy surrounding Marcus Li Mingde’s accusations. They provided a detailed rebuttal and announced the termination of their contract with the actor, citing multiple violations.
The production team accused Li Mingde of failing to adhere to the agreed schedule for costume fittings and script readings, leaving the set without notice, and damaging hotel property. These actions allegedly caused significant delays in filming and disrupted the crew’s operations.
The statement categorically denied the accusations Li Mingde made in his posts. They emphasized that no lead actor arrived late. Li Mingde claimed he had to endure freezing temperatures while waiting for a co-star. The production team refuted this, asserting that no such delay occurred. The crew stated they had always recognized Li Mingde’s suitability for the role of Zhao Zuoyou and would not have taken the significant financial hit of replacing him after seven days of filming if not for his repeated breaches of conduct.
The statement concluded by thanking fans for their attention and the hard work of the crew, noting that this would be their only response to the controversy. They extended well wishes to Li Mingde while hoping the efforts of everyone involved in the production would eventually be appreciated.
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Kai
He sounded exactly like the self-entitled young brats we have in our company. Expecting to be rewarded and treated with baby gloves before they even prove their worth to the company. Sorry, not impressed
iamannon
idk…i mean i get what you mean but the c-ent entertainment is full of shady practices. people need to speak up.
Kai
Many large multinational companies have very shady practices too. If you had work in one at a reasonably senior level, you would had see the dirt behind the polished glass. All entertainment industries from almost every country have shady practices too; some have very shady practices indeed. Nothing special about C-entertainment industry in this regard.
anon
I agreed Multinational companies do have shady practices but it doesn’t mean, one should make ‘Normalized’ this shady practice as something common. Also, I can’t agree the way you mentioned the actor self-entitled just because he spoke up for himself and his thought about the dirt in entertainment industry.
As for me, there is no need to prove one’s worth for rotten company, unless you turned to be dirtier and worsen person in order to reach the top.
Coralie
Maybe gen z and later gens will riot against these bad industry practices and actually DO something about them rather than accepting the status quo and accept being taken for granted because they’re lower on the totem pole.
Our parent’s gen was all about working hard to dig ourselves out of poverty. But the way inequity has grown in these decades, the rich can stay rich for multiple generations without issues while the poor will need to take at least 6 generations to get to that level. And most have to give up life outside of work to make a living. How is that fair? As more people become self aware of the rat race that is corporate/ebiz, the less they’ll stand for it. Which only benefits all of us collectively. Better benefits, more value given to each person, and less work. Anyone who snarks at these changes as if it’s synonymous with ‘laziness,’ I bet would LOVE to work 9-9-6. Or work 24/7.
I, myself, am tired of these greedy corporate overlords and unmitigated capitalism which reduces human labor to a number and an object. Plenty of Euro countries work less than Asia and America and are doing significantly well. Work doesn’t have to encompass our entire life – it wasn’t meant to!