• "If ancient wars had Wi-Fi, this general would be livestreaming his makeup routine before every battle. ‘Hello everyone, today I'm using a limited-edition cushion foundation, watch me crush both the enemy and my double eyelid tape.'"
• "Audiences are fed up with these unrealistically refined aesthetics. We may never have seen a general from ancient history, but we've have seen students doing military training under the scorching sun. After just one month, even the fairest skin turns bronze. So how can they expect me to believe that a general who has fought for years would have a face as pale and delicate as jade?"
• "When it comes to aesthetics, there's no absolute right or wrong. Some people say the styling in Pursuit of Jade will negatively affect young people's aesthetic sense, but I think that's an old-fashioned, out-of-touch way of thinking. You're trying to impose your own standards on someone else's freedom."
Source: Zhihu
Dai Yuegui, commentator for The Paper: “What audiences abhor is not the makeup, but the fakeness. When styling undermines a character's credibility, this aesthetic approach has failed. In recent years, male leads in many historical costume dramas have adopted this flawless look, and such perfection has erased the diversity of characters. The ‘foundation general’ controversy shows how audiences are already fed up with this monotonous aesthetic.”
Source: The Paper website
Editorial from the Tianjin Daily: “In some period dramas, history has been reduced to an empty backdrop. Plots and narratives entirely revolve around crafting charming idols. The story gives way to appearance- driven values. Only by replacing powder-laden façades with fully fleshed out characters can TV dramas become richer and more meaningful.”
Source: Tianjin Daily website
Party-run Zhejiang Daily:“Portraying a fair-skinned, delicate-looking general is not inherently a problem in film and television. What audiences cannot tolerate is the sacrifice of narrative logic and credibility for the sake of highlighting a good-looking hero. If costume dramas continue to focus on ‘flawless beauty,’ it’s only a matter of time before the genre is totally replaced by AI.”
Source: Zhejiang Daily website
The perfectly sculpted cheekbones and flawless armor of an ancient general portrayed in a Chinese historical drama has ignited a heated discussion nationwide about art, masculinity and what it means to be a hero.
The debate began with a viral clip of actor Zhang Linhe, who plays battle-hardened general Xie Zheng in the hit costume drama Pursuit of Jade, which aired in March 2026. In the scene, he charges into a bloody battlefield with porcelain skin, gleaming lips and immaculate hair. The overly polished look prompted netizens to dub him a "foundation general," joking that he "wakes up at 4 am to put on makeup before a 6 am battle."
On March 25, the hashtag "foundation general" topped Sina Weibo's trending list. Many criticized such portrayals for undermining the essence of heroic figures. Supporters argued that in the original novel, Xie Zheng is described as a "scholarly general," and that Zhang's portrayal is faithful to the source material.
The controversy reflects an increasingly common phenomenon in the Chinese entertainment industry often described as "appearance worship" in idol dramas, where visual appeal is prioritized over narrative and character authenticity.
The debate quickly moved beyond social media. On March 27, the People's Liberation Army Daily-affiliated media outlet Jun Zhengping Studio questioned whether the portrayal could convey meaningful ideals of masculinity and heroism. Party newspaper the People's Daily linked the controversy to a deeper "emptiness" in the genre. In response, the actor's supporters countered that Pursuit of Jade is a romantic costume drama set in a fictional time period, not a serious historical epic, which they enjoy watching for the attractive leads and romantic storylines, not gritty realism.
On April 2, the National Radio and Television Administration, China's television regulator, held a seminar urging creators to focus less on celebrity appeal and more on storytelling and authentic performance.
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