Makeup-wearing general in Chinese period drama stirs controversy

BEIJING - The heavily made-up appearance of a general in a popular Chinese period drama has recently sparked controversy in China, with a media outlet associated with the country's military criticizing the character's depiction as "far from the true spirit of a soldier."

Zhang Linghe, who plays the male leading role in the drama "Pursuit of Jade," streamed online from March, has been dubbed "a foundation-wearing general" as the character maintains a flawless complexion even on the battlefield, leading some netizens to joke that he "applies makeup at 4 a.m. to fight at 6 a.m."