(Video) Several Chinese Celebrities Join Zhao Pinlin in Speaking Out Over Unpaid Variety Show Fees

Zhao Pinlin Leads Growing Chorus as More Stars Speak Out Over Unpaid Variety Show Fees. (Credits: Sina)

The spotlight has shifted away from the stage and onto the production office after Chinese singer and actor Zhao Pinlin publicly questioned unpaid fees linked to the variety programme Perfect Singer. What began as a single social media post has quickly grown into one of the entertainment industry's biggest talking points this week, with a growing number of performers sharing similar experiences and raising fresh questions about how television productions handle payments behind the scenes.

The discussion gathered pace after Zhao Pinlin posted on Weibo, directly addressing director Xiong Zhihao, better known online as Yang Yang Yang. Zhao claimed that payments dating back more than a year, reportedly worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, had yet to arrive. 

He also alleged that money borrowed from one of his friends remained outstanding, adding another layer to an already complicated dispute. His post immediately attracted widespread attention across Chinese social media, where fans and fellow entertainers flooded the comments.

Soon afterwards, several artists including Lu Yi, Zuo Qibo, Wang Jingwen, Zheng Renyu, Wei Hongyu and others publicly shared their own experiences. Many claimed they were still waiting for professional fees connected to productions overseen by the same director. 

Some explained they had privately sought updates for months before deciding to speak publicly, saying repeated assurances about future payments never materialised. It appears patience eventually reached its expiry date.

Singer Lu Yi revealed that she even covered payments for members of her own team while waiting for production funds to arrive. According to her statement, the explanation repeatedly offered was that previous payments would be settled once funding from a new programme became available.

Unfortunately, the latest project reportedly stalled before reaching that point, leaving those earlier commitments unresolved. It is the sort of financial domino effect nobody wants to see, especially when everyone involved simply expected to be paid for work already completed.

Attention has also turned towards the music competition Perfect Singer, officially titled Perfect Singer Battle Season, where several of the reported payment concerns originated. 

Zhao Pinlin served as one of the programme's stage representatives, while Lu Yi appeared as a guest performer. As of Thursday evening, neither the programme nor director Xiong Zhihao had publicly responded to the latest round of individual claims surrounding the reported unpaid fees.

The issue became even more complicated after another production linked to the same director, Open for Business, announced that filming had officially stopped following reported funding difficulties. 

Xiong Zhihao released a statement saying the project's financial chain had broken down, making it impossible to continue filming, complete post-production or release the programme. 

Days earlier, actor Liu Ye's studio confirmed he would no longer participate in future recordings, citing payment obligations that had not been fulfilled under the cooperation agreement.

As more cast members came forward, several entertainers who had already completed filming for Open for Business joked that they had unintentionally become the programme's "unpaid seven". Behind the humour, however, sat genuine frustration. 

Some participants said they had even considered supporting promotional activities themselves despite the uncertainty surrounding production. It is one of those situations where the script unexpectedly changes genres halfway through, except nobody signed up for a financial drama.

The controversy widened again after singers Li Zhenning and Su Xunlun alleged that the director had privately approached fans to borrow money. Both artists expressed disappointment, saying supporters should never be placed in uncomfortable situations involving financial requests. 

Li Zhenning wrote that while he could tolerate many setbacks during production, involving fans crossed a line that should never have been approached. Su Xunlun echoed similar concerns, saying he had initially chosen not to comment publicly about his own unpaid work before learning about the reported interactions involving supporters.

The renewed attention has also revived discussion surrounding Xiong Zhihao's financial challenges. In 2025, the director openly discussed significant production debts linked to previous projects. 

Public corporate records have since shown changes in staffing levels at one associated media company alongside enforcement actions and spending restrictions recorded against the business and its representative. Those developments are now being revisited by online observers as they attempt to understand how the current situation unfolded.

The situation highlights wider concerns about payment practices within parts of the television production industry. The long-standing approach of completing filming before settling professional fees relies heavily on trust between producers, performers and crew. When funding problems emerge, that trust can quickly become difficult to rebuild, especially for younger or mid-career artists who often have fewer financial safeguards than established stars.

Fans praised Zhao Pinlin for speaking publicly after reportedly attempting to resolve matters privately for months, while others expressed support for the artists who shared similar experiences.