(SINGAPORE, 12.06.2025) Following the exposures of two young Chinese women who had got ahead in life at a young age because their fathers had helped smooth their way up by pulling shady strings and a third one who flaunted her background with a pair of expensive ear-rings, causing her father to be investigated for his suspicious wealth, the latest limelight falls on a rising star Naernaxi (那尔那茜).
A witch hunt for women with helpful dad seems to be in full throttle, noted a Chinese influencer, pointing to Naernaxi as the latest to join the slate. The 35-year-old is of Mongol ethnicity and has recently gained fame in playing a woman warrior in the three-part Chinese mythological movie Feng Shen (封神) or Investiture of the Gods。
“Naernaxi not only successfully portrayed a heroic woman warrior imbued with intelligence and courage, but also handled the complex fight scenes and delicate moments with ease, showcasing extraordinary acting skills,” one netizen praised the 35-year-old actress who hails from Inner Mongolia for her performance in Feng Shen.
However, now strident calls have arisen online demanding investigations on whether she had unfairly taken up a special slot back in 2008 that let her take the national college entrance examination (高考) and be admitted at lower scores. She was alleged to have been helped along by her father, who then held a key position in China Central Television (CCTV 中国中央电视台), China’s predominant television broadcaster. That slot would otherwise have gone to someone from an underprivileged family.
This latest hunt ironically was triggered by CCTV, which on June 6 suddenly deleted the name of Naernaxi from a list of celebrities whose names were gathered as well-wishers to candidates across China who had just finished the national college entrance examination, reported the 163.cm news website.
Two days later a netizen pointed out that Naernaxi was disqualified from the list as she had not taken the exam in 2008 as a student from Beijing where she studied, but as a candidate under the “targeted enrolment and training” policy (定向委培) of her native Inner Mongolia.
The policy is a special channel established by the Chinese government to support students from underprivileged regions with limited educational resources. It allows them to get admitted to college with lower scores and comes with a guaranteed job in their native home upon graduation. They must fulfil the agreement.
Naernaxi however not only swooped up a slot but did not take up her job in Inner Mongolia after graduating from Shanghai Theater Academy, going abroad instead to advance her studies. She returned to work with the academy, reported Sina.com, thus breaching the policy’s agreement.
Naernaxi and her team have not made any public response to the controversy. The Shanghai Theatre Academy has also not issued any statement.
The Naernaxi case followed the exposure of Ms Jiang Yurong, who delivered Harvard’s commencement speech late last month and was subsequently discovered to have entered the university through her father’s personal ties with the institution.
Earlier there was an economics graduate Dong Xiying who was appointed surgeon in China’s topmost hospital without being adequately trained. Her father was found to have links with the hospital.
Last month, an actress Huang Yangdiantian from Ya’an, Sichuan province, attracted widespread discussion after she wore a pair of Graff diamond earrings worth 2.3 million yuan (about US$315,000) at her school’s coming-of-age ceremony.
The incident sparked interest in her family background. Subsequently, police in Ya’an announced that her father had been placed under investigation for allegedly engaging in commercial activities when he was a public servant.
