Was Yang Mi disrespectful to her seniors and openly arrogant, leading to the organizers stripping her of a major award?

In early February 2026, Yang Mi faced intense criticism for her "disrespectful" behavior towards senior actors. Her failure at the Hong Kong Film Awards shook the image of the "leading actress of the 1985 generation" amidst a wave of boycotts. Her overly arrogant behavior is pushing her into a major crisis.

The "handshake" moment that went viral: Arrogance or lack of tact?

The incident originated at an entertainment event on February 8, 2026, when the renowned actress Li Bingbing approached the guest seating area to greet her juniors. While actress Xin Zhilei immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to shake hands, Yang Mi surprised everyone by remaining seated. She only slightly tilted her head and returned the gesture with a polite smile.

This contrast was immediately scrutinized by netizens. Many argued that in a highly etiquette-conscious environment like the Chinese entertainment industry, Yang Mi's act of "sitting while entertaining guests" was a display of arrogance and disrespect towards senior figures with long-standing positions. Although fans tried to defend her, suggesting it might have been a camera angle error or an inconvenience with her attire, the phrase "Yang Mi is too arrogant" still dominated online forums, severely damaging the refined and elegant image she had painstakingly cultivated over the years.

"Opening champagne midway" and the slap in the face from the Golden Horse Awards.

Yang Mi's bad luck didn't stop there. When the nominations for the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards were officially announced on the afternoon of February 10th, a unique and ironic situation occurred: Before the Best Supporting Actress award was announced, numerous bloggers and fans simultaneously posted congratulatory messages, even releasing posters with the message "Yang Mi nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards."

However, when the official announcement was made, Yang Mi's name was completely absent. This "premature celebration" turned the actress into the target of ridicule from fans. Many used the phrase "opening champagne midway" to mock the excessive confidence of Yang Mi's media team. Furthermore, the fact that many accounts simultaneously used the phrase "Very sudden, very shocking, very helpless" to demand an explanation from the organizers further fueled public outrage, suggesting that the actress's team was deliberately using their media influence to pressure a prestigious award ceremony after not achieving the desired results.

The consequences of a "one step ahead" approach to communication.

This isn't the first time Yang Mi has been embroiled in controversy due to her team's work. Previously, at the Weibo Gala on February 5th, the uproar over her central seating position (C-position) also highlighted the actress's tendency to dominate public opinion early on. Even before the show was settled, topics asserting her status had already topped search trends, leading the organizers to issue an apology for the seating arrangement error.

The coincidence between the controversy surrounding her C-position and her failure at the Hong Kong Film Awards reveals a major flaw in Yang Mi's image-building strategy. Constantly promoting her acting progress in projects like "Harbin 1944" and "The Fox Spirit Matchmaker," yet receiving mixed reviews, shows a disconnect between her abilities and the media attention. Instead of focusing on honing her skills to convincingly win major awards, her overemphasis on star status and attitude is putting Yang Mi at odds with both the public and the judging panels.

Duong Mich was vindicated for winning a place, Tieu Chien's fan attitude shocked social media An Lâm14:34:20 08/02/2026The seating arrangement incident at the 2026 Weibo Festival has created a heated war of words among fandoms, pushing Duong Mich into the center of criticism before the Organizing Committee (BTC) officially admitted its fault.