China actor known for playing 'domineering CEO' characters now sells vegetables after AI took his jobs

Chinese actor Xu Peng now works as a vegetable seller in his hometown.

The 30-year-old, known for playing domineering CEOs in microdramas, was recently revealed to have lost acting jobs due to the artificial intelligence (AI) microdrama boom.

Xu Peng — who graduated from Central Academy of Drama and has also starred in series such as Blood River (2025) and A Journey to Love (2023) — landed several leading roles in microdramas in 2025, when the industry was at its peak.

By 2026, with AI-produced microdramas now in the picture, he reportedly went from having packed schedules with 15 hours of filming per day to zero roles within a month.

In the first quarter of 2026 alone, approximately 128,000 microdramas were reportedly released in China, with 95 per cent of them being AI-produced.

In March 2026, Xu Peng filmed his last short drama and returned to his hometown in rural Shandong.

Since then, his daily routine starts with riding his family's electric vehicle to the market, where he sells produce grown by his grandfather.

While his relatives were surprised by his move, fans came down to visit and take photos with him.

According to Chinese media, Xu Peng has expressed that he's unfazed by the change: "Acting is just another job. If there are no roles for me to play, I'll find other ways to make a living."

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com