Zhang Linghe Skyrockets to Fame, Gains 10 Million Followers – Allegedly Charges 57,000 RMB for Photos

Chinese drama heartthrob Zhang Linghe has surged in popularity this year with “The Journey of Jade,” amassing tens of millions of new followers. His recent project, “This Second of Overheating,” has also sparked a buzz. Recently, rumors spread that in the past, a private photo with Zhang cost 40,000 RMB (about 24,000 MYR), and after “The Journey of Jade” aired, the price doubled—now soaring as high as 95,000 RMB (about 57,000 MYR). Following this, a blogger named Li Dengke, who once managed entertainment industry artists, went live to share that he once tried to arrange a photo for a friend with Zhang Linghe, but was refused by Zhang’s team. Netizens misunderstood that Zhang was privately charging for photos, and even refused to make exceptions for industry insiders, causing many to mock Zhang for being stingy and triggering his fans to step up and reveal the truth.

Zhang Linghe’s fans clarified that the widely circulated “photo price list” was not set by Zhang or his studio, but hyped up by ticket scalpers acting as middlemen. Scalpers took advantage of Zhang’s rising popularity after “The Journey of Jade” to drive up prices, and some offers were even outright scams. Fans also collected and shared many publicly available candid photos Zhang has taken with fans in the past—all were chance meetings, taken for free, and Zhang was always approachable and friendly, fully disproving the rumor that he charged for private photos.

The heated discussion about photo pricing rocketed to the top of trending topics and was clearly intended to damage Zhang’s image. Fans quickly investigated and found that the account which first spread the rumor about Zhang’s photo fees appeared to be operated by a fan of actress Lu Yuxiao, who is signed to the same agency. Lu Yuxiao’s fans were reportedly upset about her upcoming collaboration with Zhang Linghe on the new drama “Thorny Tang,” which had been met with harsh opposition and insults from Zhang’s fans—they supposedly started this rumor as retaliation, further dampening expectations for “Thorny Tang.”

At the same time, Zhang Linghe’s fans were upset with Li Dengke for “kicking someone when they’re down” during his livestream. Li Dengke later clarified that his intent in sharing the anecdote was to illustrate how strictly Zhang’s studio manages access—even an industry insider like himself was turned away—thus disproving the rumor that Zhang charges for photo ops. Li speculated that the rumored price might refer to the average cost involved if one were to purchase a Zhang Linghe-endorsed brand product and get a photo at a commercial event, but he was misinterpreted as being malicious and even accused of conspiring with Lu Yuxiao’s fans, which he called entirely unjust.