Zhang Linghe, the “Foundation Liquid General”, has become extremely popular: Has the portrayal of real characters in Chinese historical dramas really been undermined by modern fan culture aesthetics?

A promotional still of Chinese actor Zhang Linghe from the 2026 costume drama Zhu Yu. His flawless makeup and clean armour in battle scenes have led critics to label him the  Foundation General . (Source: Lianhe Zaobao)

In March 2026, a long-awaited historical drama titled “Ji Yu” was officially broadcast in China. However, this drama unexpectedly sparked controversy. In a scene depicting a battle on the battlefield showcasing the heroic demeanor of a male general, the male protagonist Zhang Linghe appeared on the screen with an elaborate makeup and exquisite costume. This abrupt styling arrangement immediately drew attention and discussion from netizens. Subsequently, this phenomenon quickly escalated to the level of social norms. According to CNA, this topic quickly gained the attention of major media outlets. Relevant media from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army published articles to comment and criticize the drama for not fulfilling its social responsibility of portraying masculinity. In response to the criticism, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television held a symposium on the healthy aesthetic of TV dramas. A scene that was originally limited to being a topic for discussion in the comment section and in the chat bubbles eventually led to a collective judgment by the authorities on the “beauty-oriented supremacy” in the entertainment industry.

Figure 2: Screenshot of a 27 March 2026 post by Jun Zheng Ping Studio. The commentary argues that excessively refined portrayals of generals diminish the military‘s representation of strength and responsibility. (Source: J https://s.weibo.com/weibo?q=钧正平工作室)

It is worth noting that the general officer role played by Zhang Linghe remained consistently with a uniform complexion and neat hairstyle, wearing immaculate armor throughout the war scenes and various continuous battles and injuries. This performance, which resembled a runway show on the stage while in battle, became the core of the audience’s ridicule. Some comments have clearly pointed out that it is not a matter of the actor’s own image, but rather whether a perfect appearance should be maintained when portraying such a general who fights bravely, and the feasibility of character creation.

However, such similar makeup issues do not occur randomly. In the current market of film and television character styling, the personal image management of idols and actors is often more important than the presentation of the authenticity of the role, and directors and production teams, in order to maintain or emphasize the advantages of the actor’s appearance, usually maintain the perfection of the styling. As a result, ancient costume idol dramas have transformed into aesthetic settings that prioritize appearance over reality. Because the audience’s aesthetic expectations for idol dramas are the actor’s own appearance level, rather than watching real battle scenes, when a drama has both an idol actor and wants to present a war theme, a very comical contradiction product like the “foundation liquid general” will emerge.

But the label of “foundation liquid general” was initially proposed spontaneously by netizens, not officially named by an authority. Initially, there was a very vivid joke in the comments, “If Zhang Linghe goes to war at 6:00, he will have to get ready for makeup at 4:00.” This kind of vivid joke then continuously spread and was reinterpreted, eventually solidifying into a unified nickname. In summary, this phenomenon, which appeared in the audience’s comments and then spread repeatedly and variably, eventually became a common topic of official media. It is a typical case of user-generated tags, where viewers criticize a certain industry phenomenon in an informal and humorous way.

However, the explosive spread of this topic cannot merely be explained as the audience’s direct and pointed criticism of contemporary pain points. Instead, in today’s content recommendation mechanism of short video platforms, if the content has a higher interaction volume, it is more likely to be pushed to more users. The content with such strong entertainment value, like the “foundation liquid general” with a very memorable point, instinctively attracts a larger number of likes, comments, and reposts. This high interaction result triggers the recommendation algorithm, thus causing this topic to shift from the entertainment section to the social news section, ultimately attracting the attention of official media. In summary, the originally marginal audience joke was expanded by the platform’s traffic distribution logic, transforming this event into a news event involving the participation of the entire public. During this process, the algorithm is not an impartial channel but a co-conspirator in the mechanism of this event’s outbreak.

Therefore, the “foundation liquid general” topic is not merely a question of whether the ancient costume aesthetics are distorted, but reveals the deep interaction between contemporary hot topics and platform dissemination. On the one hand, the character portrayal is distorted by the logic of prioritizing appearance level. On the other hand, this platform’s recommendation algorithm transforms the audience’s emotions and discussions into serious public issues. These two influences interweave, making an originally marginal comment area joke evolve into a phenomenon reflecting cultural values and dissemination mechanisms. This controversy not only reflects the distortion of contemporary aesthetics but also reveals the internal operation mechanism of the platform.