Hong Kong director Wong Jing targeted after criticizing China’s top stars for lacking acting skills

Wong Jing’s blunt verdict on China’s biggest stars has turned the Hong Kong director into the target of the debate he started. In social-media posts and interviews, Wong said, “China’s top stars cannot act,” a remark that quickly drew widespread attention.

His argument went beyond attacking individual performers. Wong described a two-tier pattern in Chinese productions: leading men and women bring the audience and online traffic, while supporting actors deliver the performances that give a production its quality. The criticism challenges the familiar division in which leads are expected to generate attention and supporting players are expected to carry the acting.

Many commentators agreed with Wong and said he had exposed a failing in the entertainment business. They argued that audiences should look at an industry that treats performers as disposable products, rather than reducing the issue to insults aimed at individual actors.

Others considered his view too sweeping. They pointed to younger Chinese stars including Xiao Zhan and Jackson Yee, saying some have improved their acting or received awards. That response stressed that the industry should not be judged by one broad accusation.

Wong himself then became part of the criticism. Some commentators noted that he operates within the same commercial system and that his past productions also depended on traffic stars. They said his point might have merit, but questioned whether he was using the controversy to generate attention.

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China’s top stars cannot act.