Chinese actress Yan Xuejing's douyin account is barred from gaining new followers on January 11, 2026. Photo:VCG

Chinese actress Yan Xuejing apologized on Sunday in her WeChat Moments for her previous "acting to be poor" remarks during a livestream session. Her son also issued an apology on Douyin on Monday.

Yan's apology came after she drew rising skepticism and criticism for complaining during a livestream session that her son's family earns "only a few hundred thousand yuan" (tens of thousands of US dollars) a year and struggles to make ends meet.

In the apology post, Yan said, "With a heavy heart, I sincerely apologize. In the first couple of days after the livestream, I was shocked. Seeing so many people talking about me, my first reaction was surprise and feeling wronged. But after gathering the courage to carefully read the criticism, I was suddenly awakened."

Yan said in the post, "The criticism isn't about 'Yan Xuejing saying the wrong thing,' but about 'how did Yan Xuejing become like this.' When I realized this, I began to seriously reflect on myself. It's not just a matter of 'saying something wrong' or 'not being careful,' but a serious deviation in my thinking."

Yan noted that she grew up in an ordinary family, nurtured by the people around her, and the everyday life that shaped her artistic journey. She always thought she would remember her roots, but over time, as she became accustomed to people's applause, she unintentionally developed a sense of "superiority" and forgot her past.

After the apology statement gained traction online, some netizens commented: "It's not about realizing the mistake, it's about realizing economic loss," and "If there was no fallout, no brand partnerships lost, no platform restrictions, would we still be waiting for an apology?" 

However, other netizens said, "Getting up from where you fell is the true mark of resilience."

Yan Xuejing's son, Lin Aofei, also posted an apology on Douyin on Monday, saying, "Mom made the mistake, but I'll take the blame! Thank you for your supervision and criticism! We were wrong. We apologize again: sorry!"

Previously, public reaction to Yan's remarks of "being poor" has been mixed, and many netizens questioned the claim. Some Weibo users said her words show that the actress has been "out of touch with ordinary people" for long, and argued that she "should not complain to ordinary people," noting that her family's income is much higher than most households in Beijing, where the actress and her son dwell.

On Saturday, the Global Times found that Yan Xuejing's accounts on social media platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou were barred from gaining new followers, and on Sunday, a Chinese company terminated product endorsement cooperation with Yan.

On Sunday, Dihua MSG and Food, a company from Northeast China's Liaoning Province, issued a statement, saying that it had taken note of recent online discussions involving its food brand "Zuo Xiang Yuan" and its endorser Yan Xuejing, and the company understood the public's concerns.

After careful internal assessment, the company has decided to terminate its endorsement cooperation with Yan, effective immediately, the company said in the statement.

Public data show that actress Yan Xuejing, born in 1972, is best known for her roles in TV series "Liu Laogen" and "My Mother Tian Xiaocao". Her son, Lin Aofei, is also an actor, and they previously appeared together in a TV series. Yan also brought her son and daughter-in-law onto the stage of several reality shows in the past.



Global Times