Song Zu Er's comeback was "suppressed", paired with an "ugly" male lead, losing chemistry?

Since its airing, Kneeling , starring Song Zu Er, has set many impressive records in the film industry. Originally a heartbreaking film that would make audiences cry, fans were surprised by the male lead's unsightly appearance.

In the historical drama Kneeling that is causing a stir in the Chinese film community, Song Zu Er gave an excellent performance as the female lead, Xiao Qiao - a character with a complex, multi-dimensional inner life.

As the youngest daughter of the Qiao family, Xiao Qiao is a model woman who dares to shoulder the responsibility of protecting her family in times of turmoil. Facing the danger of destruction, she proactively marries General Wei Shao in exchange for peace and safety for the Qiao family.

Tong To Nhi made the audience "touch" the character - a young woman who seemed fragile but was resilient, brave and full of strategy.

Her acting is considered to be rich in emotion, especially in scenes facing family pressure or emotional conflicts. She uses her eyes, expressions and dialogue rhythm very delicately, making the audience not only feel Tieu Kieu's intelligence but also clearly see her silent sacrifice.

Not only impressing with her acting, Tong To Nhi also scored absolute points in terms of image. With her elegant ancient costume, delicate costumes and gentle temperament, she was likened to stepping out of the pages of an ancient book.

The combination of beauty and charisma helps Song Zu'er breathe life into the character, making Xiao Qiao one of the most impressive ancient female characters on Chinese screens in 2025. Critics say she is an "irreplaceable" choice for this role.

Besides Song Zu'er's beauty and extremely delicate acting, people were also dissatisfied when she had to act with an 'ugly' male lead. The male lead Wei Shao in the original novel was a majestic and imposing general, described with "sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes" . However, Liu Yu Ning with monolids, high cheekbones and an appearance likened to "a mouse" did not satisfy that ideal image. Netizens quickly gave him the teasing title: "Ugly ancient idol".

The comparison with the male god images that have made waves in the historical genre such as Xiang Yu by He Rundong or Yi Liankai by Han Dongjun clearly shows an aesthetic gap.

Many viewers believe that Liu Yuning lacks the heroic spirit and the "oppressive feeling" necessary for a war general. In particular, his scenes with the female lead Xiao Qiao (Song Zu Er) were criticized by fans for being so disharmonious that some joked that filters and elevators were needed to fix the difference in appearance.

When the market is saturated with "soulless beauties", "deviation" is sometimes the way out for characters with depth. Liu Yu Ning is not perfect, but it is that imperfection that brings authenticity to a Wei Shao born from smoke, bloo.d and hatred.

However, it is undeniable that technical and expressive issues are still weaknesses. Some audiences reflect that the dialogue is stiff, the emotions are lacking in layers, and the eyes are sometimes lifeless, especially when standing next to veteran actors. The cumbersome costumes and the disjointed fightin.g scenes make the character images lack weight.

His height of 1m90 and his cold eyes like steel bring a dignity that needs no embellishment. The scene where Wei Shao shed tears but still tried to stay calm when he learned that his mother poisoned his lover, or the transformation from tough to gentle when facing Tieu Kieu, was considered by many to be a profound and sophisticated performance.

Liu Yuning was also praised for his serious investment: he trained to gain muscle, performed most of his own action scenes, and even improvised scenes where he injured himself while acting. He didn't just play a general, he lived like a general.

The story of Stooping Back has not yet come to an end. The controversy over Liu Yuning's portrayal of Wei Shao has not yet subsided. But one thing that cannot be denied is that this role has created a serious dialogue in the film industry. As audiences gradually lose inspiration for "realistic" faces thanks to editing, perhaps it is time for the market to learn to be more tolerant of "imperfect beauty", and put faith in real acting.

Song Zu Er 'overthrew' Zhao Lu Si and Ngu Thu Han at the same time, was the 95 generation 'rewritten'? Mỹ Hoa11:10:38 17/05/2025After the tax evasion scanda.l that severely damaged her image, Song Zu Er suddenly made a spectacular comeback with the movie Kneeling. After only 3 days of airing, the work in which she plays the main character has achieved extremely impressive results on Tencent.