Meng Ziyi plays Shen Xihe in Hundred Flowers Kill - Photo: Weibo
On reality TV shows, Meng Ziyi scored points with her humorous moments, winning the hearts of the general audience. When acting in films, she consistently achieved remarkable success.
Standing at the center of public scrutiny, what kind of "track record" does Meng Ziyi actually have?
All four films starring female leads made it to the top five.
With "Hundred Flowers Killing" successfully ranking on Tencent Video 's new user acquisition chart for the year during its broadcast, Meng Ziyi achieved a remarkable feat: In four years, she has had four dramas starring her as the female lead on Tencent Video, all of which ranked on the chart, achieving a 100% success rate.
In 2023, "The Tale of the Lily Flower " was a B-grade project with a relatively low budget but achieved broadcasting success equivalent to an S-grade project. After 24 days of airing, the film ranked among the top five, with an average viewership per episode on the Yunhe platform exceeding 20.46 million.
The story of Hua Liuli stars Xu Zhengxi (Ji Yuanzu) and Meng Ziyi (Hua Liuli) - Photo: Weibo
In 2024, the A-rated project " Ninefold Heaven" achieved a rating equivalent to S+. After 9 days of broadcasting, its popularity surpassed 30,000; on the 12th day, it entered the annual rankings. The average viewership per episode on the two platforms, Yunhe and, exceeded 46 million, also achieved a 7.8 rating on Douban.
In 2025, Dao Hoa Anh Giang Son's popularity surpassed 26,000, ranking 4th in terms of new user acquisition on the first day of the year.
By 2026, the S-rated blockbuster " Hundred Flowers Killing" had surpassed 28,000 views. After 27 days on air, the drama successfully entered the top 5 rankings, becoming a prime example of a single actress carrying a drama on her own.
Hundred Flowers Killing Trailer
"Hundred Flowers Killing" also helped to further demonstrate Meng Ziyi's ability to "carry the show." Her character , Shen Xihe, achieved over 100 million character popularity views just 18 minutes after the show aired.
After the series ended, this number exceeded 226 million, topping the July viewership charts and ranking 4th overall for the year.
The drama topped Tencent Entertainment's July drama popularity chart, Maoyan's July drama popularity chart, KuYun's July viewership chart, and Dengta's July historical drama chart.
The paid viewership figures were also impressive. Fans booked over 108,800 group tickets, helping the film rank 5th in the annual paid weekly box office and top the exclusive historical idol drama category.
The international market also recorded positive results. Hundred Flowers Killing topped the popularity charts across the region on WeTV, topped the Chinese-language film charts in Taiwan and Hong Kong on Disney+, and ranked second globally in overseas popularity according to V-Pulse - Photo: Weibo
The most remarkable aspect of this track record is that Meng Ziyi's work is not dependent on the project's level. From low-budget B-grade films to S-grade blockbusters, regardless of budget or crew configuration, her works tend to achieve high return on investment.
Therefore, she is known in the industry as "a high-profit actress, not limited by the scale of the project."
Does Mạnh Tử Nghĩa only act in period dramas?
Many viewers are questioning whether Meng Ziyi is getting stuck in the archetype of the noble beauty often seen in idol-themed historical dramas.
However, if you peel back the historical facade, you can see that these female protagonists actually possess completely different personalities and life paths.
In the story of Hoa Luu Ly, Hoa Luu Ly is the daughter of a military general, skilled at feigning weakness to conceal her true strength, and is both mischievous and adorable.
Dou Zhao in "Ninefold Heaven" experiences many life events, possessing a patient, profound personality and always proactively planning for the future.
In "Peach Blossoms Reflecting the Mountains and Rivers," Jiang Taohua is a princess sent as part of a peace treaty , gradually finding a way to survive in the heart of enemy territory.
In Hundred Flowers Killing, Meng Ziyi plays two roles. Gu Qingzhi in her previous life was gentle and patient; while Shen Xihe after reincarnation is calm, decisive, and uses the art of incense to orchestrate political maneuvering. - Photo: Weibo
Before the debate, Meng Ziyi did not shy away from the issue, admitting that audiences might get tired of similar characters, and refused many offers to star in historical dramas of the same type.
She cut her hair short, took on roles in the modern detective drama *Three Lines of Obsession* and the modern romance *Endless Summer*, proactively stepping out of her comfort zone to expand into new genres.
On the one hand, Meng Ziyi continues to refine existing scripts; on the other hand, she actively seeks breakthroughs in genre. This level of discernment is actually not commonly seen in high-profile actresses.