Zhao Liying’s 'The City Maker' Stirred Up Drama of Its Own Over Unpaid Wages

Looks like the behind-the-scenes of Zhao Liying and Huang Xiaoming’s new drama, The City Maker (《造城者》), has been more dramatic than the show itself.

The buzz kicked off when several extras took to social media claiming the production owed them wages stretching back months. 

Some said they’d waited four or five months for payment after filming wrapped, with no word from the higher-ups. 

The frustration boiled over with screenshots of chat logs where cast members warned, half-jokingly, they might call the police—or at least corner the director if their pay didn’t show up.

One of the more vocal voices in the controversy, Zhuang Hongyong, executive director of Fujian Yiying Film and Television Media, revealed to reporters that wages were supposed to be settled 15–30 days after filming wrapped. 

But instead of a smooth process, he claimed the assistant director and finance team spent months passing the buck. "Everyone was blaming someone else," he said.

Four Months, No Pay: Extras Call Out Zhao Liying Drama for Wage Delays

The issue wasn’t new either. Back in January—just before Lunar New Year—some netizens had already been complaining about unpaid wages. 

March saw even more posts from those claiming to be part of the crew, saying they were still waiting for what was promised.

Considering The City Maker is led by two of China's biggest stars, fans weren't impressed. 

"A-list actors, massive budget... and yet you can’t pay background actors on time?" one fan posted. Some were outright fuming.

That said, others weren’t convinced by the drama off-screen. 

A few pointed out that the proof shown online was thin, and speculated the payment problems could’ve been caused by third-party contractors rather than the main production crew—or even that the drama’s stars had nothing to do with it.

Then, just when it all seemed a bit too tense, Huang Xiaoming dropped a bit of comic relief. 

In late March, he posted a surreal group dinner photo where every face—yes, all fifteen—had been AI-ed into either his or Zhao Liying’s. 

“We finished filming, someone said to ‘edit the group photo’... and this is what they came up with,” he explained. “Now try guessing which one's the real me and which is the real Zhao Liying.”

An update:

While that helped lighten the mood online, it didn’t distract from the bigger issue. Thankfully, as of this week, it seems to have been resolved. 

According to a follow-up from one of the affected parties, the payments were finally made, and everyone’s now been paid in full.

So, all’s well that ends well—for now. 

But fans and industry watchers are definitely keeping an eye on how big productions like this treat their crew. After all, flashy AI edits and celebrity selfies are nice, but fair wages? That’s the real magic.