The East’s rising star power

CAN a man be so handsome that millions of women, young and old, around the world have become obsessed with him?

That seems to be the case with Chinese actor Zhang Linghe (pic), who has shot to international stardom with the costume drama, Pursuit of Jade. Just mention his name and the eyes of all my female friends will widen with giddy delight and enthusiastic nods and squeals of “He’s soooo handsome!”

There are of course many extremely good-looking and popular actors from other East Asian countries like Japan – Yokohama Ryusei, Sakaguchi Kentaro, Yamashita Tomohisa – and from South Korea – Cha Eun-woo, Hyun Bin, Park Bo-gum – and lots more.

But none has struck the popularity stakes globally like Zhang.

I, too, am quite smitten by him. But as a long-time consumer of Asian entertainment, I have also seen other actors becoming extremely popular after a hit drama, only to fade as new dramas take over.

It’s quite unusual that four months on, Zhang is still holding pole position, and it’s thanks to the drama and him spreading westward.

That is what I find most interesting; how Western audiences, or rather non-Asian Western women, have become enamoured of Zhang, too.

This is especially so when in the not-so-distant past, Asian male good looks, especially of K-pop idols, were ridiculed as effeminate with slanted eyes, too much plastic surgery and make-up.

Well, what do you know? Thanks to streaming sites like Netflix, audiences everywhere have become exposed to Asian entertainment like never before, and bam! the scales have fallen from their eyes.

By “Asian”, I am referring to East Asians, not people from the Indian subcontinent because the latter’s good looks differ greatly with their larger wide-set eyes, thick eyebrows, prominent noses and added hirsuteness, hence they look a bit more like Caucasians.

Through the dramas and movies, Western audiences are not just exposed to handsome Asian men but also to how the stories are told, especially the romances that focus on character development that slowly builds up the relationship between the couple before their first kiss.

This is unlike Western romances that often have the couple getting physically intimate almost immediately.

And the Asian male protagonists are usually packaged like Prince Charming – tall, smart, educated, respectful of women and of course blessed with good looks, with floppy hair and perfect skin.

Singapore aesthetic doctor Siew Tuck Wah explains why Zhang’s face has wowed so many. First are his large and well-proportioned, youthful and alert eyes. Next, his well-defined and structured jawline that signals masculinity. Third, clear and blemish-free skin that signals health.

Dr Siew adds that Zhang’s face is not overly rugged or soft, meaning his face has structure and refinement, a balance that makes him universally appealing.

He suspects Zhang might have had treatments done to his skin, but notes that if so, it’s done very naturally.

One more standout facial feature not raised by Dr Siew is Zhang’s lips that are naturally rosy red. Dr Siew says Zhang looks best in period dramas because the hair is styled to show all his best features.

Well, I think Zhang is also very dishy in the modern drama The Best Thing, in which he played a traditional medicine doctor, but it’s true he was sensational in Pursuit of Jade.

Zhang, who is 29, is admired not just for beauty but his brains, too. He graduated from Nanjing Normal University with a degree in electrical engineering. He fronted a well-received documentary series, The Answer Is Earth, that is said to be a personal project because of his engineering background as it explores China’s low-carbon transition and renewable energy sector.

While many Korean actors have long been popular, Chinese dudes are pretty much on par now with the likes of Zhang, Xiao Zhan, Wu Lei, Yang Yang, Chen Xingxu, Li Yunrui ... I really could go on.

There are many East Asian actresses who have also become well known, and that’s evident from how both male and female actors and celebrities have become ambassadors for many brands.

And that is another cultural phenomenon that is worth noting. Until the turn of the century, we in Asia would usually see famous white people paid to promote all sorts of goods to us.

I am reminded of the 2003 movie, Lost in Translation, that starred Bill Murray as a washed-up American movie star who travels to Tokyo to promote Suntory whiskey. Even then, when most Asians were still in awe of the West’s hard and soft power, especially the United States, it struck me as ironic that the film premised on a fading white actor being regarded as an effective salesman for an Asian product.

Then there was Brad Pitt’s Heineken’s 2005 commercial showing him trying to buy beer while being chased by the paparazzi. It was a huge hit.

Twenty years on, Kim Taehyung, better known as V, a member of the South Korean superstar group BTS, is the global ambassador of the most iconic US drink, Coca-Cola, for its Zero campaign.

In 2026, another BTS member, Jungkook, is the global ambassador. His limited-edition, Jung Kook for Calvin Klein (CKJK) capsule line, which features underwear and apparel, sold out in minutes across multiple global markets.

Indeed, Jungkook is widely acknowledged as an “elite brand multiplier” because his endorsement of any brand dramatically increases visibility, prestige and most importantly, sky-rocketing sales.

Many other Asian stars, including from Thailand, have been appointed ambassadors of high fashion and retail labels.

Thai actor Metawin Opas‑­iamkajorn represents Prada, Chinese actor Song Weilong (whose good looks and rosy lips are said to be on par with Zhang) is Gucci and Omega ambassador, Korean actor Cha Eun-woo signed for Saint Laurent and jewellery brand Chaumet. The list goes on.

This is truly the Asian century in so many ways. The flow of influence is being reversed, or is at least becoming a two-way traffic.

I do not deny there is still much good coming from the West. What we are seeing is a definitive shift from Western dominance to a multipolar world.

Experts have nicely described it as not merely a “decline of the West”, but rather the rise of Asia’s own confidence in its soft power as well as its economic and scientific capabilities.

And who’s the poster boy for it? Zhang Linghe!

The views expressed here are the writer’s own. Read the full article at thestar.com.my.