According to the media, actress Jia Ling was once a "pillar" of the Lunar New Year Gala "Xuan Van" on China Central Television - CCTV. In 2010, the comedy performance "Dai thoai bien dau" with Bai Kai-nan helped audiences across the country remember this girl with a round face and dimples.
8 years later, she almost became a "fixed scene" of New Year's Eve. In 2015, Jia Ling's performance "Happy Street" exploded social networks, the line "I am not a bun, I am a Want Want milk bun" is still a classic catchphrase today.
But after the success of the movie "Xin hao, Ly Hoan Anh" with a revenue of 5.4 billion RMB, from 2023, Gia Linh suddenly disappeared from the list of Xuan Van artists. More surprisingly, even when the Xuan Van 2025 crew wrote a separate script for her, she still refused.
Many people say Jia Ling is "price gouging", "arrogant". But in reality, rejecting Xuan Van is one of the steps that the 44-year-old actress and director took to personally tear down the label of "national comedian", becoming a "box office security director".
Jia Ling once shared that Xuan Van's many-month training schedule completely conflicts with her film composition rhythm.
A patch was edited up to 30 times, and in the end the audience still laughed at the first version," she complained about Xuan Van's composing pressure. At that time, Gia Linh realized that she wanted to leave behind "settling things", instead of chasing after instant laughter.
In 2016, Dai Oan Giai Tri company founded by Gia Linh signed contracts with Truong Tieu Phi, Hua Quan Thong... which were once valued at 2 billion CNY. But in September 2024, the company suddenly announced that it would not extend contracts with key artists, and Gia Linh withdrew from all management positions.
The wave of criticism of Jia Ling "crossing the bridge to pull out the board" rushed in. However, business registration information shows that Dai Oan Giai Tri was not dissolved at all, but completed the share restructuring in May 2025 - Jia Ling holds 100% of the shares, her father Jia Van Dien takes over management, the company completely transforms into a studio (office) for her personal creation.
Jia Ling also surprised by losing 50kg in just 1 year. Tet 2024, she surprised the audience when she appeared in the movie "Hot and Passionate" (Yolo) with a slim figure.
The audience argued, saying she "takes weight loss as a marketing trick". Some people watched her early gameshow clips and sighed "she has changed already".
But Jia Ling frankly admitted that now, she pays more attention to her own emotions and no longer tries to live up to other people's expectations.
Previously, I relied on appearance to win over the audience, but now I receive respect through my work," the actress said.
Leaving the domestic stage, Jia Ling is busy with new roles. In 2025, Sony Pictures bought the copyright to remake the English version of "Xin hao, Ly Hoan Anh", appointing Jia Ling as a curator.
At the same time, the global release rights of "Hot Passion" were also purchased by Sony, expected to be released in more than 2,000 North American theaters in 2026.
From the title "Chinese comedian", Jia Ling is now praised by international media as an "extraordinary Chinese woman".
As of 2025, "Xin chao, Ly Hoan Anh" reached 5.413 billion RMB, "Nong bong cuong nhiet" exceeded 3.46 billion RMB, helping Jia Ling become the highest-grossing female director in Chinese cinema history.
The new work "Conmemoration of the Open Flower" with a multi-level theme will be considered a "test" for Jia Ling's transformation.
