Yao Chen reluctantly comments on being asked to sing and dance for promoting new drama, sparking discussion.

Mainland Chinese actress Yao Chen and Taiwanese artist Jia Jingwen co-starred in the medical beauty workplace drama “In the Name of Beauty,” which is currently airing. Yao Chen recently spoke in an interview about the challenges of promoting the new drama, mentioning that actors are often asked to dance, sing, or record short videos during promotional events, leading her to comment, “We don’t even know what we’re doing.” This discussion became a hot topic and sparked debates among netizens.

Public information shows that “In the Name of Beauty” focuses on the reunion of plastic surgeon Qiao Yang (played by Yao Chen) and Zhou Jingwen (played by Jia Jingwen) at “Ge Mu Plastic Surgery Hospital” ten years later. The two characters transition from arch-enemies to partners, engaging in a thrilling medical beauty workplace confrontation. The plot revolves around issues such as “appearance anxiety,” “black market beauty treatments,” “domestic violence trauma,” and “gender bias,” reflecting the contradictions between medicine and reality, as well as the struggles of medical personnel.

Yao Chen and Jia Jingwen’s collaboration on stage sheds light on the pitfalls of underground beauty clinics, the risks of excessive cosmetic procedures leading to disfigurement, and the secondary harm inflicted on patients due to online violence.

Despite the drama receiving positive reviews and good viewership on various platforms in mainland China since its premiere, with discussions on Weibo surpassing 87 million, Yao Chen recently expressed the challenges of promoting the series. She mentioned encountering awkward situations when participating in promotional activities as an actress, such as being asked to dance, sing, or record short video clips during roadshows.

According to reports from mainland Chinese media, during a promotional event for “In the Name of Beauty,” Yao Chen and Jia Jingwen were requested to perform a dance routine to a popular Korean singer Lee Heejin’s song, causing some awkwardness and leading to playful criticism from netizens that their dance was humorous, creating an exuberantly explosive atmosphere at the venue.

Yao Chen stated that publicity staff claimed that this type of publicity tactic was more “down-to-earth” and that recording short videos would add fuel to the upcoming drama and allow more people to see it. However, Yao Chen expressed reservations about this lively promotional approach. She candidly stated that while such activities draw attention, they are far removed from the artistic value of the work itself, resulting in fewer discussions about the series and weakening the audience’s enthusiasm for analyzing the production.

After the video of “Yao Chen says actors dancing and singing is awkward” was exposed, it became a hot search trend on April 11. Some netizens expressed sympathy for Yao Chen, urging to not make actors uncomfortable by dancing, stating that it has no relevance to the work. Others remarked that while there may be better ways to promote, singing and dancing currently generate high enthusiasm, reflecting on the helplessness behind the glamour.