51-Year-Old He Rundong Experiences a Resurgence in Popularity, Gaining Nearly 2 Million Followers and Securing Numerous National-Level Brand Collaborations
Without a new drama release, variety show appearances, or even frequent Weibo posts, 51-year-old He Rundong has unexpectedly become popular again, attracting a surge in brand collaborations. This revival began in April 2024, thanks to his portrayal of Xiang Yu, the "Hegemon King of Western Chu," in the 2012 drama "Chu Han Legendary."
Third-party data shows that his Douyin account gained 1.989 million followers in the past 30 days, with his total follower count soaring from 3 million to nearly 5 million. Within half a month, he has secured six national-level brand collaborations, including Honor of Kings, JD.com, Alipay, Anmuxi, and Yanghe Shares, earning him the nickname "the first person to achieve a comeback with zero cost."
The catalyst for this unexpected surge in popularity was the hit historical drama "Chasing Jade." In the drama, the general Wu Anhou, played by Zhang Linghe, remains impeccably groomed, fair-skinned, and with spotless armor after regaining his general status, drawing criticism from netizens who labeled him the "Foundation General." This controversy quickly escalated, even prompting official media to criticize "worship of appearance."
Amidst the criticism, netizens began comparing clips of He Rundong's portrayal of Xiang Yu in "Chu Han Legendary" from 2012. The Xiang Yu in those scenes—covered in blood, with worn armor, dark skin, and defined muscles—stood in stark contrast to the current "refined general." Netizens hailed He Rundong's version of Xiang Yu as the "pinnacle of historical military generals," with related fan-made videos exceeding 1.2 billion views in a single day, and the topic dominating social media.
This comeback is essentially a belated tribute from the audience to "professionalism." When filming "Chu Han Legendary" in 2012, He Rundong gained 20 kilograms (approximately 44 pounds) to reach 95 kilograms (approximately 209 pounds) to better portray Xiang Yu, practicing wielding a halberd thousands of times each day while tied with a 10-kilogram (approximately 22-pound) sandbag. During filming, he wore nearly 25 kilograms (approximately 55 pounds) of solid metal armor and filmed battle scenes in -17°C (approximately 1.4°F) weather without a stunt double for three weeks.
He once said, "The audience has discerning eyes, and a stunt double will definitely be noticeable. I won't let the audience feel it's inauthentic." These efforts, once considered "self-inflicted hardship," were finally rewarded with views and real money from younger audiences 14 years later.
As popularity soared, brand collaborations followed.
According to statistics from Blue Whale News, He Rundong has secured collaborations with several national-level brands, including Honor of Kings, JD.com, Alipay, Anmuxi, and Yanghe Shares, in the past half month.
JD.com leveraged Xiang Yu's "hometown" in Shujian to not only invite He Rundong "home" but also recreate the nearly 25-kilogram Xiang Yu armor from that time. Anmuxi directly announced He Rundong as their "Super Delicious Ambassador."
More dramatically, due to the brand name "Ba Wang" (Hegemon King) containing the word "霸王," a large number of netizens flooded the official account of Ba Wang Tea Ji, urging the brand to invite He Rundong as a spokesperson, with some even creating mock-up images of "Ba Wang" tea cups. Ba Wang Tea Ji's customer service responded, stating that they had "made a detailed record" of the matter.
On April 18th, He Rundong donned the Xiang Yu armor again after 14 years, appearing at the Shujian Olympic Sports Center to support the Su Chao League. He entered on a chariot, recreating the classic line "I am the Hegemon King of Western Chu, where are the young men of Shujian?" The video clip quickly went viral.
Faced with this sudden surge in popularity, He Rundong's reaction was remarkably calm. He admitted to receiving many work offers but described life as "a series of choices," choosing to focus on directing. He revealed that he hadn't yet watched "Chasing Jade" and responded cautiously and rationally to Zhang Linghe's being labeled the "Foundation General": "Different dramas, different genres, cannot be compared."
Looking back at his career choices, He Rundong's path into directing wasn't a whim. During the peak of his popularity as an actor in 2017 with the hit drama "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace," he resolutely turned down advertisements and film offers to pursue a career in directing, and his directorial debut, "The Memory of Over the Wall," later won the Golden Bell Award for Best Director.
51-year-old He Rundong experienced a resurgence in popularity 14 years after his role as "Xiang Yu," gaining nearly 2 million followers and securing six brand collaborations in half a month. Do you think this is a case of "talent finally being recognized," or "simply benefiting from the lack of competition"?