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| Rumours of Actress’s Death on Hengdian Short Drama Set Go Viral, Netizens Outraged at Gruelling Filming Conditions |
The supposed fatal accident quickly went viral on Weibo, with bloggers and Xiaohongshu users fanning the flames, but as of now there’s been no official confirmation. Cover News, via Sohu, reached out to Hengdian police, who responded that they had not received any reports of such an accident on a set. The outlet also tried to get hold of the blogger “Suibianzhuichui” who first spread the claim, as well as Xiaohongshu users “Shanxindeliang” and “Xinkouhu Ms. Zhou,” but none gave a reply.
A short drama director interviewed by Cover News admitted he’d seen the rumour making rounds in WeChat Moments, but could not verify its origin. Meanwhile, a male actor who lives in Hengdian echoed the confusion, saying bluntly, “I don’t know whether this is true or not.”
Despite the uncertainty, the rumour has laid bare the deep concerns about working conditions in China’s booming short drama industry. These bite-sized dramas have exploded in popularity thanks to lightning-fast production cycles and the money-making craze of live-stream product sales by the actors themselves. But this speedy approach comes at a steep cost: sky-high stress, brutal working hours, barely any sleep, and filming in punishing heat.
One clip going round on Weibo showed a costumed actor collapsing, apparently from heat stroke, and being frantically helped by the crew with bottled water and fans to cool down. Online commenters were quick to slam the industry’s attitude, questioning, “Do they really have to film period dramas in the middle of summer when it’s 40 degrees?”
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Other furious netizens piled on:
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“They film through the night, then have to go live selling products with no sleep.”
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“Everyone brings heart meds on set just in case.”
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“Even if the death rumour’s false, this work style will kill someone sooner or later.”
A Weibo user under the name “悸戀天使” shared a video showing an actor being carried to the shade while receiving first aid after passing out in a heavy costume, with worried crew surrounding him. The user added, “No clue if the lead actress actually died, but the male actor’s heat stroke and vomiting are real.”
While the police have made clear they’ve received no reports of any such fatal accident, the wider conversation about the short drama industry’s “hellish mode” of production is still hitting home. Many former crew members have described working 24-hour shifts with only a couple of hours’ rest, surviving on caffeine and painkillers.
The rapid spread of the rumour also highlights another problem: how quickly social media can run away with unverified, sensational claims when the entertainment industry is so tight-lipped and lacking transparency.
For now, there’s no solid evidence confirming any deaths or comas on the Hengdian set — but the uproar proves that, rumour or not, many believe a disaster is only a matter of time if the industry keeps grinding people down like this.