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| Favourite for Weeks? No, Amigo. Yang Yang's Injury-Time Screamer Overtakes Rival Zhang Linghe to Claim Prestigious Award! (Credits: Weibo) |
No lead is safe when passionate fans decide to make one final push. That was exactly the story of this year's Seoul International Drama Awards Asia Star Award, where Yang Yang produced a stunning last-minute comeback to overtake Zhang Linghe, ending one of the closest and most talked-about popularity races of the year. After trailing for almost the entire voting period, the actor crossed the finish line first thanks to an extraordinary surge in the final hours.
The fan-voted Asia Star Award completed its voting period on July 14 ahead of the 21st Seoul International Drama Awards, which will be held on October 8 at KBS Hall in Seoul. Unlike the ceremony's professionally judged categories, the Asia Star Award is decided entirely by public votes, making it a pure test of fan support, organisation and determination rather than a judging panel's assessment.
For nearly a month, Zhang Linghe looked untouchable. Riding the popularity of historical drama Pursuit of Jade, the actor remained comfortably at the top of the rankings for 29 consecutive days.
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With more than 1.2 million votes and a healthy advantage over his closest rival, many supporters had already begun treating the result as a formality. As it turns out, the voting page had other ideas.
Everything changed during the final 24 hours. Yang Yang's supporters launched an intense voting drive that completely transformed the leaderboard. Vote after vote poured in until the gap disappeared, then widened in the opposite direction.
By the time voting officially closed, Yang Yang had amassed roughly 1.37 million votes, equivalent to 48.18 per cent of all ballots cast, while Zhang Linghe finished with around 1.22 million votes, or 41.59 per cent. What had looked like a comfortable victory suddenly became a dramatic comeback, with Yang Yang winning by approximately 150,000 votes.
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| Yang Yang Stuns Fans After Overtaking Zhang Linghe in Final Hours of Asia Star Award Voting |
Fans quickly described the result as a classic "never celebrate too early" moment. After weeks of chasing, Yang Yang's fandom produced one final sprint that many online compared to scoring a winning goal in stoppage time. Just when everyone thought the match was over, someone remembered there was still extra time on the clock.
The victory has also been viewed as another reminder of Yang Yang's enduring popularity. His performance in fantasy drama The Immortal Ascension Season 1 has generated significant attention this year, while his fanbase once again demonstrated remarkable organisation during a high-pressure online campaign.
Many supporters celebrated the win as proof that the actor's appeal remains exceptionally strong despite fierce competition from a new generation of stars.
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Meanwhile, discussion around Zhang Linghe has centred on a different achievement. Although he narrowly missed out on the popularity prize, the actor has attracted widespread attention for progressing in the professional competition through Pursuit of Jade.
Much of the online conversation over recent weeks focused on his recognition in the international competition, with promotional campaigns highlighting his place among Chinese actors competing in the judging categories.
Interestingly, some Cnetz pointed out that this narrative unintentionally overshadowed Yang Yang's own professional achievement. While many headlines focused almost exclusively on Zhang Linghe's judging category progress, Yang Yang has also advanced into the preliminary selection for Best Actor thanks to The Immortal Ascension.
His qualification received far less attention, leading some casual viewers to mistakenly believe he was competing only in the popularity award.
That difference has fuelled plenty of debate across entertainment circles. Some observers argue that the contrast reflects different publicity strategies rather than different levels of achievement.
ICYMI: Yang Yang vs Zhang Linghe Rivalry Has Been Going on for a Long Time
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Zhang Linghe's promotional focus has leaned heavily towards international recognition and critical competition, while Yang Yang has largely allowed his existing popularity and fan support to speak for themselves. Different routes, different headlines and, inevitably, different public perceptions.
Of course, the two awards are judged using entirely separate standards. The Asia Star Award is determined solely through fan voting and reflects public popularity and international fandom.
Categories such as Best Actor, however, are decided by an international jury that evaluates productions based on factors including artistic quality, overseas distribution, audience reach and overall impact. Winning one category does not automatically predict success in the other.
Yang Yang's supporters hailed the comeback as one of the year's most satisfying voting victories, praising the fandom's teamwork and determination. Many joked that sleep became optional during the final night as supporters refreshed voting pages with Olympic-level commitment.
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Supporters of Zhang Linghe, meanwhile, reminded everyone that leading for almost an entire month is hardly a disappointing achievement and stressed that the actor remains firmly in contention for professionally judged honours.
They took a more balanced approach, saying the rivalry has been entertaining precisely because both actors continue to perform strongly in different areas of the industry rather than directly competing on identical criteria.
With the official ceremony still scheduled for October, attention now shifts towards the professional awards, where judges rather than online voters will have the final say. Whether Yang Yang can add another trophy to his collection or Zhang Linghe secures recognition from the judging panel remains one of the biggest talking points heading into the Seoul International Drama Awards.