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| He Hongshan Kissed?! The Saliva-Allergic Star Leaves Viewers Gasping in The Prisoner of Beauty |
Now here’s something we didn’t have on the 2025 drama bingo card: He Hongshan — the queen of icy glances and scheming second leads — filming a legit kiss scene. And no, this isn’t a fever dream. The 38-year-old baby-faced beauty, best known for her sharp role as Consort Mei in Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace, is flipping the script in the hit costume drama The Prisoner of Beauty.
In the series, He Hongshan plays Da Qiao, big sis to the female lead, Xiao Qiao. But don’t think she’s just sitting on the sidelines giving sisterly advice. Oh no — she’s neck-deep in her own steamy plot, falling head over heels for Bi Zhi, a servant from the stables played by Zhou Lula. It’s a classic forbidden romance, class differences and all — and it’s Da Qiao’s choices that ultimately push her little sister into marrying into the powerful Wei family. Talk about butterfly effect.
But what’s really got netizens buzzing isn’t just the plot twist. It’s the fact that He Hongshan actually filmed a kissing scene — and anyone who’s followed her career knows how huge that is.
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You see, He Hongshan has long struggled with a rare condition: she’s allergic to saliva. No joke. During promotions for The Glory (where she had a smaller role), she casually dropped that even the tiniest bit of contact with someone’s saliva — say, from a kiss scene — causes her skin to flare up with angry rashes. Sounds like a nightmare for any actor, right? Especially in an industry obsessed with passionate love arcs and romantic face-mashing.
Because of that, she’s usually stayed far away from kissy stuff. In fact, most of her past roles have leaned heavily villainous — icy mistresses, calculating exes, the woman everyone loves to hate. Villains don’t need to snog their way through a script, which worked out pretty well for her... until now.
But in The Prisoner of Beauty, He Hongshan’s Da Qiao doesn’t just pine from a distance. She takes the plunge — quite literally — into a gentle, emotionally charged kiss with Bi Zhi. The scene’s soft, heartfelt, and caught viewers totally off guard.
One fan on Weibo nailed the mood perfectly:
💬 “Didn’t think we’d see a He Hongshan kiss scene in this lifetime. Legend behaviour.”
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Others joked that maybe the power of true love conquered the allergy. Or maybe it was a very clever editing trick, we’ll never know. Either way, the commitment is real — and fans are loving it.
What’s also got people talking? He Hongshan’s age-defying visuals. Sis is 38, but in the drama she plays a woman in her twenties — and pulls it off effortlessly. Fresh-faced, luminous skin, and a natural elegance that makes her Da Qiao feel grounded, graceful, and real. None of that jarring age-gap feeling either — if you didn’t Google her age, you’d never clock it.
More importantly, her performance in The Prisoner of Beauty is being praised for its emotional nuance. Gone is the cold schemer vibe — instead, we get a layered, loving character trying to carve her own path in a rigid society. It’s subtle, it’s heartfelt, and honestly, it’s a breath of fresh air.
For He Hongshan, this could mark a turning point — not just for breaking out of her “villain-only” typecasting, but for showing she’s still got plenty of range (and surprises) up her sleeve.
Kiss scenes may have been off the table before, but clearly, she’s not afraid to challenge her limits when the story calls for it. And if the audience reaction is anything to go by, it was well worth it