The Chinese entertainment industry is currently facing a major upheaval due to the implementation of a new policy in actor billing. The rules, initiated by the art authorities, require the ordering of actors' names in film and drama projects to be structured based on the number of character strokes in their surnames—a move aimed at curbing ego battles among stars that often occur when competing for billing order.
In addition to simplifying categories into just three groups—Leading Actor, Supporting Actor, and Guest Actor—the regulation also bans the addition of special titles, which production houses often used as loopholes to favor certain actors. The proposal was initially pushed by veteran actress Zhang Kaili as a member of the China Television Artists Association (CTAA), hoping that performers would refocus on acting quality rather than mere billing status.
However, the implementation of this rule has instead caused new chaos. Many A-list actors feel disadvantaged because their billing in film credits is now below junior actors or supporting cast members simply due to the difference in the number of strokes in their names. A case like that of popular actress Yang Mi has come into the spotlight, where she had to be listed after her junior colleagues, despite carrying a much heavier workload on set.
Sharp criticism has flowed from industry professionals. Some argue that this policy is unrealistic and fails to consider an actor's actual contribution and commercial value in a project. In fact, a senior staff member at a major production house called the rule a policy that goes against market forces and predicted it would be hard to sustain, as it is seen as harming the professional structure that has been built over many years in the Chinese film industry.
