Chinese Actress Liu Xiaoqing, 68, Plays A 17-Year-Old In Movie. For Real

There’s been quite a bit of buzz surrounding Chinese war movie Ice Sniper 2 since its release on major video platforms such as iQiyi and Tencent on July 8.

Adapted from the historical war drama Suppress Bandits in Northeast, the film tells the story of guerrilla forces led by hero Yang Jianfeng targeting the bandit forces, led by Dan Niang, after the Siping Campaign in 1947.

The film has been met with mixed reviews, mostly criticism directed at Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing, 68, who plays 17-year-old Dan Niang.

Yes, you read that right. She’s playing someone a quarter her age.

Netizens expressed their disbelief at the casting, saying that regardless of how ageless Xiaoqing looks, it is a real stretch for a “grandma to become a young girl”.

There is also no way she can convincingly play a 17-year-old.

“Are there no more young actors in this world?” questioned one netizen.’

The miscasting caused such a stir that “71-year-old Liu Xiaoqing acting as a girl” started trending on Weibo’s hot search.

To make matters worse, the actors who plays her father and husband are almost 20 years younger than her.

“A 71-year-old daughter [with] a 53-year-old father [who has] a 52-year-old son-in-law, this is really too much. Please let the elderly actors play roles appropriate for their age,” commented one netizen.

Another asked: “When an actress who is almost 70-year-old with false teeth and face, calls an actor younger than herself ‘Dad,’ it’s quite amusing. Is this film a cover for money laundering?”