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| Old Photo of Zhang Ruonan at Hupu HQ Triggers Online Controversy Over Gender Stereotypes (Sina/Weibo) |
It’s 2025, and Zhang Ruonan’s name is once again lighting up Weibo—but not because of a new drama or rom-com teaser. Nope, this time it’s an old photo from 2021 that’s come back to bite, dragging the actress into a fresh round of online backlash.
The pic? A seemingly innocent snapshot taken at Hupu HQ during her film promo run for On Your Wedding Day (你的婚礼). But thanks to the hashtag #ZhangRuonanSweepingTheFloorAtHupu going viral, it’s become the centre of a very 2025-style online reckoning.
📸 The Photo That Sparked It All
The fuss started when Weibo users reposted a photo of Zhang standing in front of Hupu’s now-removed “culture wall”—a once-proud feature inside the company's Shanghai office that was meant to show off the site’s energetic community spirit.
It featured catchy slogans like “Compete for MVP” and “Full of Energy”—nothing too wild on the surface. But dig a little deeper, and you’d find some questionable forum quotes printed right on the wall, the kind of thing that might’ve passed as edgy banter back in the day, but now raises major eyebrows.
Think stuff like “How would you rate these legs?” or “Marry me, goddess!”—phrases lifted from Hupu’s famously male-heavy forums. What was once shrugged off as locker-room humour is now being called out for what many see as casual objectification. And with Zhang Ruonan front and centre in front of it—pure, demure, everyone’s idea of a ‘first love’ lead—it’s caused a real stir.
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🧱 Hupu’s “Culture Wall”: Icon or Ick?
Originally slapped up as a feel-good wall of hype meant to showcase user interaction, the culture wall featured snippets of real online comments from Hupu netizens. But while the platform’s ops team swore they’d filtered out the dodgy stuff, clearly a few less-than-flattering quotes slipped through the cracks.
It’s worth noting that Hupu has long been known for its male-dominated, sports-first forums—but it’s since evolved into a broader lifestyle and entertainment platform. Still, the bro-heavy humour hasn’t exactly evolved with it. In 2023, the wall was quietly removed, likely in an attempt to clean up the brand’s image, but not before a few celeb promo photos—including Zhang’s—had already been taken there.
👑 From “Innocent Sweetheart” to Hupu’s Top Goddess
What makes this whole thing extra spicy? The timing. Zhang Ruonan just made the top three in Hupu’s 2024 Goddess Contest—a fan-voted showdown that celebrates the site’s most admired female celebs. It’s a major status marker on the platform, and Zhang’s soft, unbothered visuals clearly struck a chord with the lads. Some even compared her to early-2000s Gao Yuanyuan vibes—clean, nostalgic, effortlessly gorgeous.
But critics reckon this goddess crown now carries extra baggage. Can you really celebrate a “first love” icon on a platform known for cheeky one-liners and the occasional sexist undertone? Is her rise in Hupu rankings unintentionally giving the platform a pass on its culture issues?
🗣️ Studio Says “Calm Down”—Netizens Say “Not So Fast”
Zhang’s studio released a short statement saying she wasn’t aware of the specifics on the wall and was just doing standard promo work. Which, fair. After all, it’s not like she personally selected the background or read every bit of text printed on it.
Hupu, for their part, already ditched the wall back in 2023 after growing criticism about its tone. Still, that hasn’t stopped netizens from reopening old wounds. Some pointed fingers at Zhang’s perceived lack of awareness, while others dragged up unrelated incidents—like the time her fanbase name “楠朋友” (Nan Pengyou) caused confusion for sounding like “boyfriend.” That whole mess led to her team allegedly shifting blame onto fans, something that’s now being recycled in this controversy as part of a “she never takes responsibility” narrative.
💬 Mixed Bag on Weibo
As with all things celebrity + internet + gender politics, Weibo is split. Supporters rushed to her defence:
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“She was just promoting a movie. It’s a stretch to hold her responsible for Hupu’s wall.”
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“That photo’s from 2021—people weren’t clocking this stuff the same way back then.”
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“Zhang Ruonan’s been nothing but elegant and professional. This is just noise.”
But others weren’t quite so forgiving:
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“If you benefit from being Hupu’s goddess, you should at least acknowledge the problematic side of that platform.”
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“Her team always tries to play innocent but never really takes action when things go south.”
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“Why is it always the fans who get blamed? That Nan Pengyou drama still stings.”
🌏 What This Says About China’s Changing Social Landscape
The real story here isn’t just about one photo—it’s about shifting standards. The kind of online culture that used to get a pass is now being re-evaluated through a sharper, more socially conscious lens. What once passed for cheeky banter is now being viewed with a more critical eye—especially when women’s images are involved.
Zhang Ruonan, whether she likes it or not, has become a symbol in that shift. Her situation shows just how tricky it is for modern celebs to navigate legacy media moments in an era where screenshots are forever and public standards are evolving fast.