In 2019, Chinese actor Peng Yuchang (second from left) collaborated with Taiwanese artist Wang Dalu (center) on a movie that sparked controversy over billing order.
The National Radio and Television Administration of China issued new regulations regarding the “billing order” issue among actors, stating that publicity should follow the order of actors’ surnames based on stroke count.
On March 13, Feng Shengyong, the director of the Television Department of the Administration, announced at the “2026 China TV Production Industry Conference” that there is a need for strict regulation surrounding the persistent issue of actors “competing for billing order”.
Additionally, to provide opportunities for new actors, those ranked in the top billing must include newcomers.
A Chinese film industry worker, who requested anonymity, stated to BBC Chinese that the “billing order battle” has evolved from an unspoken consensus to that of contractual benefits; it no longer just involves actors but also directors, screenwriters, and core personnel.
He believes the government’s new regulations could improve the chaos, but future results will also depend on production companies and platforms cooperating to impose necessary penalties for negative behaviors.
In mainland China’s entertainment circle, “billing order” refers to the sequence of actors listed in the opening and ending credits of films and promotional materials. The “first position” is reserved for the leading actor.
This order originally indicated the actor’s importance or role in the film; however, it has gradually become a metric for evaluating an actor’s status and commercial value.
In film promotions, the order of actors suggests their ranking and commercial worth.
From “role arrangement” to “traffic battles”
The term “billing order” originates from Japan. In the Japanese entertainment industry, the “first position” refers to the lead actor, who can only compete for the Best Actor award but must also bear the responsibility for the film’s reputation and viewership.
In China, “billing order” has transformed into the ranking of actors. A mainland film critic has observed that in previous decades, billing was mainly based on the significance of roles—such as in the classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” where the actor list would feature Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and Cao Cao in that order.
Later, billing began to highlight the shift in an actor’s standing. In 1998, the iconic drama “My Fair Princess” gained popularity in Asia, with the “first position” going to Zhang Tielin as “Qianlong” followed by Zhao Wei as “Xiaoyanzi” and Lin Xinru as “Ziweiying”.
By the next year’s sequel, Zhang Tielin retained the top billing, but Lin Xinru’s rank had surpassed Zhao Wei’s. The critic noted that this change reflected Taiwanese producers wanting to support their own artists.
With the rise of traffic culture, the “billing order battle” escalated—fans criticized on social media, and management teams entered the fray to negotiate for statuses—this “competition” for billing order is dubbed “tearing billing”.
A Chinese film industry worker expressed to BBC Chinese that the contest for billing order poses genuine challenges and direct impacts for film companies.
He explained that in terms of business clauses and remuneration, management companies demand corresponding fees based on billing order. Production teams must accommodate the billing order in areas such as rest areas, nanny vans, meals, and accommodations, providing different levels of hospitality.
This has led to significant negative behavioral impacts due to the fierce competition for resources, increasing actual production costs for film companies and platform businesses.
In 2019, actor Peng Yuchang and Taiwanese artist Wang Dalu collaborated on the film “A Little Wish.” Peng’s studio expressed dissatisfaction regarding Wang’s top billing and subsequently terminated their contract with the production team. The production clarified that both actors were indeed “Male Leads” and acknowledged their misstep, promising to hold responsible personnel accountable.
In the opening credits of the film “Kung Fu Dunk,” the names of Jackie Chan and Jet Li are presented side by side.
Fan Frenzies or Actors’ Obstacles
In response to the dissatisfaction and criticism from fans and management companies, production teams have implemented numerous solutions, like parallel positioning for co-leads, annotating with “Lead Actress/Actor” in parentheses, and sorting by surname initials or appearance order.
Additionally, some production teams have subdivided leading roles into “starring roles,” “special appearances,” “co-starring roles,” and “guest appearances.”
Authorities have also intervened. In 2021, the Administration implemented the “TV Series Master Copy Production Norms,” requiring production teams to clarify billing order during contracts.
Chinese producer Mu Xiaoyong has stated that the important business clauses in actors’ contracts include work hours, remuneration, and billing order.
However, the tangled issue of billing competition remains challenging to resolve, directly affecting actors.
In 2025, Chinese actress Bai Lu candidly expressed that the billing issue affects collaboration among actors. “Sometimes, the actors I wish to work with end up not being able to,” she emphasized, advocating for reverence in performance and the abolishment of billing competition.
Moreover, actor Liu Yuning was reported to have refrained from accepting roles for over a year due to his insistence on being top-billed. He later clarified, “If I were concerned about vanity, I wouldn’t be here today.” He stressed that an actor’s value does not stem from ranking; rather, even if he were in the fifth position, it would still be an honor that no one could take away from him—what shouldn’t be his, also would not remain in first position.
Zhang Kaili, vice president of the China Actors Association, suggested that the National Radio and Television Administration should establish a unified signing system and defining standards to allow actors to return to the essence of acting.
Four Years Apart, New Regulations Emerge
Four years later, the National Radio and Television Administration issued new regulations—this was a follow-up after multiple members of the National Committee discussed the need to regulate the “tearing billing” phenomena in early March this year.
At that time, director Liu Jiacheng described the detrimental trend of “tearing billing” disrupting the creative environment and urged actors to focus on character research and script interpretation. He recommended industry norms to decide the ranking of actors based on their performance completion in the role.
Likewise, Zhang Kaili suggested that the Administration should draft the “Management Measures for Actors’ Billing in the Film Industry,” standardizing the billing system and defining standards, allowing actors to return to the essence of performance.
Zhang recommended that the order of billing should be based on the role’s significance and appearances to eliminate an emphasis on traffic alone, while also banning exaggerated and meaningless titles. She considered that placing emphasis on billing competition detracts from focus on creating and refining works.
On March 24, People’s Daily published commentaries indicating that governance against the “billing contention” phenomena is imperative, but the methods need thorough consideration. The commentary suggested that the approach of “sorting by surname strokes” could avoid conflicts, but it would render billing meaningless in terms of role importance and artistic contribution. Some netizens believe the new regulation could break the monopolization of traffic and resources, yet are concerned whether “newcomers” will ultimately depend on “capital inclusion.” “If the policies are not implemented effectively, it could result in new inequalities, which would be a lament for the entire industry.”