Liu Yuning as Wei Shao and Song Zu Er as Xiao Qiao begin their sweet moment in a night festival scene in ‘The Prisoner of Beauty’ (Photo from MyDramaList)
Liu Yuning is in several wǔxiá (martial hero) dramas, of which three are streaming on Netflix: The Legend of Anle (2023), The Story of the Pearl Girl (2024), and The Prisoner of Beauty (2025). But it’s in The Prisoner of Beauty that viewers—domestic and international—take enthusiastic notice of Yuning. He plays the lead Wei Shao, head of the Wei clan.
Adapted from Peng Lai Ke’s web novel Zhe Yao, the 36-episode series is criticized for losing focus towards the end. On the contrary, it stayed the course with its two-part storyline.
The first part backgrounds the Wei and Qiao clan feud, political conflicts in the Yanzhou and Rongjun regions, Wei Shao’s reason to avenge the deaths of his grandfather, his father and brother, and his political marriage to Xiao Qiao (Song Zu Er).
The second part shows the changes in how Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao regard each other, from loathing to love, and becoming allies against enemies and perfidious relatives.
The portrayal of Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao is one reason the series reels you in. Yuning and Zu Er’s attitude and micro expressions stoke viewers to follow their wit and repartee. Doing away with the banal shouting and snarling to project Wei Shao’s aggressiveness, Yuning projects menace and brutality by gripping Xiao Qiao’s wrist or grabbing her by the neck, yet in some moments subtly baring Wei Shao’s compassionate side.
Zu Er’s Xiao Qiao holds her ground against Wei Shao when proving her innocence or arguing a point. A rankled Wei Shao walking away when Xiao Qiao outwits him is one of the funny moments in the series. Xiao Qiao is a thinker vis-à-vis her pretentious male relatives, grasping her family’s grievous crime against the Wei family and the need to atone for it. Amazingly, she’s loyal to Wei Shao, unlike Su E Huang, Wei Shao’s childhood friend, who betrays him and exploits everyone else.
Costume design is another reason for continuous viewership. Yuning’s statuesque frame—6’ 3”—is wrapped in the regal elegance of the Ivan Ai-designed black-gold battle armor and robes
A second wedding for Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao—from foes to friends, then lovers (Photo from MyDramaList)
Costume design is another reason for continuous viewership. Yuning’s statuesque frame—he stands at 6’ 3”—is wrapped in the regal elegance of the Ivan Ai-designed black-gold battle armor and robes with striking black, gold, red, and white accents. Xiao Qiao’s outfits, from everyday wear to the wedding dress and ceremonial robes, are equally stunning.
War-ready Wei Shao and Wei Liang (Photo from MyDramaList)
Romance is the third compelling reason. Wei Shao and Xian Qiao’s love affair moves away from the ephemeral coup de foudre, lending the series some verisimilitude. Their love grows as they discover each other’s weaknesses and traumas, leading to an understanding of who they are. They begin to trust each other as their emotional ties deepen.
Love’s silliness is played up with the couple’s petty misunderstandings. Wei Shao gifting Xiao Qiao with 500 warhorses and thinking it’s romantic is hilarious, as well as bringing the astrologer along to their stargazing rendezvous, then sending her away while he and the astrologer stay to admire the stars.
Wei Shao with his generals (Photo from @liuyuning.universe)
Juxtaposed with Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao’s rollercoaster romance is the steady relationship of Wei Liang, one of Wei Shao’s generals, and Xiao Tao, the handmaid of Xiao Qiao. In the beginning, they mirror their lord and lady’s mistrust, but later affirm their feelings with love tokens. Wei Liang gives her the custom-made sword keepsake that Wei Shao gave him (Wei Shao gave his men miniature golden replicas of their weapons) and an orchid. Xiao Tao, in return, gives Wei Liang a heart-protecting breastplate that he handles with utmost care.
The generals as friends give the drama its light comic moments. (Photo from MyDramaList)
The breastplate makes up another funny moment as Wei Shao becomes moody and petulant. It triggers his jealousy, expecting it to be Xiao Qiao’s gift to him as a token of her affection.
The secondary cast completes the appeal of the series. Wei Shao is surrounded by Wei Liang, Wei Qu, Wei Xiao, and Wei Duo, his generals, and Gongsun Yang, his adviser. They’re all trustworthy, follow his orders, and are loyal to him and to each other.
Gongsun and the intrepid generals are foils to Wei Shao, much like Captain Li Shang’s men are to him in the 1998 Disney film Mulan. Wei Shao and Li Shang are quick-witted leaders, but, compared to their underlings, clueless about romance. Wei Liang is the K-drama twin of Yao, Li Shang’s soldier. They’re tough and aggressive, but are mushy with their sweethearts. Yao is head over heels in love with Princess Mei, while Wei Liang is smitten with Xiao Tao.
Heightening the comedy is the generals’ banter: They’re like high school kids
Heightening the comedy is the generals’ banter: They’re like high school kids teasing Wei Liang, the only one with a girlfriend among them. But their ribbing turns to chiding when they’re with Wei Shao. The generals and Yang scold Wei Shao for his heartlessness in reprimanding Xiao Qiao for her “insubordination” instead of being gratefully happy that she saved him and his men from death on the battlefield.
The Prisoner of Beauty has impressive viewership numbers, and Yuning has topped the ranking of actors. MyAsianDrama, an FB blog on Chinese entertainment, says the V-Pulse July 22 Top 10 C-drama Artists in Global Markets ranked Yuning no. 1 globally and no. 2 in China. The August 3 V-Pulse list showed Yuning at no. 2 globally (after actress Zhao Lusi) and no. 4 in China. (V-Pulse focuses on Chinese entertainment content and ranks actors’ popularity based on analyses of social media conversations, fan-driven content, etc.)
Weibo’s Popularity Heat Index of Male Celebrities pinned Yuning at no. 1 on July 17. Yuning’s personal Weibo account drew 4.5 million visits on August 5, while his studio, LYN Studio, received 1.15 million visits, overtaking popular influencers and making him a “traffic star,” adds MyAsianDrama. (Chinese traffic stars are celebrities who are popular online, with a large fan base, and drive significant digital traffic.)
Google says the series has had 1.1 billion views per Maoyan Data since airing in May, while Kuyun Data registered 23.59 million playbacks per episode on its premiere, making it no. 1 for TV series premieres in 2025. (Maoyan and Kuyun analyze consumer data to determine the most popular Chinese dramas, films, and variety shows.) And website ratings on a scale of 1 to 10—1 being the worst and 10 the best—registered 8.9 on MyDramaList, 7.8 on IMDb, and 9.8 on Rakuten Viki.
Liu Yuning’s Wuhan concert combines high fashion and grand stage design. (Photo from @liuyuning.universe)
Although The Prisoner of Beauty has ended its run, Yuning remains on top of the world, blazing through the concert scene with his Universe concert tour. It’s his first in six years after a 2020 Wuhan concert was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, says FB’s Liu Yu Ning’s Drama Vlog.
Yuning started out as a street performer after finishing vocational high school in Liaoning Province before becoming an actor, says Google. In 2014, he and his friends formed Modern Brothers, with him as lead singer. A year later they joined the platform YY Live Streaming and covered songs for three years.
Yuning started out as a street performer after finishing vocational high school
In 2018, Yuning began singing the original soundtrack (OST) of Chinese dramas, making him the OST King. He sang his dramas’ OSTs: May the Light for The Legend of Anle; Only Wish for The Story of Pearl Girl; and Blazing Moon for The Prisoner of Beauty. He also sang the OST of dramas like Liu Xueyi’s Kill Me, Love Me; Song Wei Long’s The Seven Relics of III Omen; Tan Song Yun’s Brocade Odyssey; Wang Xingyue’s The Wanted Detective; and Yang Yang’s Fireworks of my Heart.
When he went solo, Yuning’s debut album Ten won the Media Recommended Album award in the 2020 Chinese Top 10 Music Awards, and his second extended play (EP) Listen Ning was named Most Popular EP at the 2021 Chinese Top 10 Music Awards.
This year, he remodeled China’s concert scene by adding haute couture fashion to the successful mix of vocal talent and stage production. YouTube channel Bing Bong Media devoted to Chinese entertainment says Yuning wearing high-fashion outfits underscored two things: first, the speed with which he got couture debut deals after his debut in the 2025 Paris Fashion Week, and second, the brands’ confidence in his marketability and image.
Liu Yuning’s bespoke outfit and shield by Marrknull (Photo from @liuyuning.universe)
Custom-tailored by Mélique Street (Photo from @liuyuning.universe)
Yuima Nakazato F/W 2025 Haute Couture Look 9 (Photo from @liuyuning.universe)
Bing Bong Media adds that the outfits by Dickson Lim, Marrknull by Wang Wei and Tim Shi, Mélique Street by Marina Meliksetova, Robert Wun, and Yuima Nakazato were Yuning’s way of surprising the audience.
Stories about Yuning are widespread online, especially how his grandparents raised him, how he worked as chef and waiter just to make ends meet, and how an untreated collapsed lung had him at death’s door until his boss helped him get the needed surgery. The new stories about Yuning are talking about him elevating idol-fan interactions.
Stories about Yuning are widespread, especially how his grandparents raised him…. and how an untreated collapsed lung had him at death’s door
According to Chinese Entertainment News (CEN), Yuning did two livestreams. One was an hour-long affair where he answered questions and shared backstage stories right after his Shenzen concert, which racked up 120 million views in a single day. The fans said the post-concert streaming was a “soft landing from high emotions.” An earlier livestream was done during the concert, which garnered 4 million views, with Yuning singing Thinking of You to fans who couldn’t attend the concert, says CEN.
Adds CEN, “Fans onsite were given ginger tea, ponchos, and towels, prompting a fan to remark that Yuning isn’t a superstar bending down, but a loved one coming home.”
Another is Yuning’s tribute to a late fan that had admirers teary-eyed and a “hater” saying it’s a mere PR gimmick. Seat 9 in row 22 in his Shenzhen concerts was reserved for a 17-year-old fan (with fan club number 229) who passed away in 2019, says 8days.sg. A bouquet of white roses and lilies—ordered by Yuning’s team 10 days before the show—and a glow light stick were on the seat. Yuning promised to leave a seat for her in every concert after learning of her regret at not being able to support Modern Brothers anymore.
Meanwhile, Yuning’s fans have raised the ante for loyalty. FB blog Liu Yu Ning by Elizabeth Constantin says 4,000 of the 5,000 fans who bought tickets to the cancelled Wuhan concert never had their tickets refunded. They waited for Yuning’s new show, to which they were given a discount.
Yuning is a genuine person, going by the online articles, fan postings, etc., which is refreshing. He values truth (he’s quick to debunk rumors), appreciates his fans, and thinks of others. The latter point is why he’s hesitant to make films. He worries about the financial risks, especially if his involvement would cause a loss for the producers, says overseasidol.com, adding that Yuning sees acting as not merely appearing on screen, but a mix of experience, growth, and responsibility toward the creative team and the audience.
Yuning’s levelheadedness has endeared himself to the world. He will continue to do so because whether he’s Wei Shao on the battlefield or crooning on stage, he’s always in character: true to himself and his fans.
