LayarHijau— Chinese social media platform Weibo has been buzzing over claims that actress Meng Ziyi scored 512 points in China’s national college entrance examination, the gaokao. The discussions flared up after a photo allegedly showing her score sheet spread online. A 512 score was considered notably high at that time, prompting comments like, “Turns out she’s secretly a genius,” and “So she’s not dumb after all.”
According to Phoenix Entertainment, the circulating post stated that in 2013, Meng Ziyi took the gaokao as an arts-track student and achieved 512 points. The score was said to appear in a promotional brochure for an arts training institution. Compared with the 2013 cutoff score for top-tier liberal arts programs in Jilin Province—510 points—people claimed that not only did she surpass the usual 300-point requirement for arts majors, she even crossed the threshold for top regular majors.
However, the exam sheet shared online has never been officially verified. Rumors about Meng Ziyi’s academic background have long piqued public curiosity. Some online posts allege she once studied science at the prestigious Changchun No. 11 High School and even earned awards in math competitions, with teachers praising her for exceptional talent.
To pursue her dream of entering the entertainment industry, she reportedly switched from science to humanities and received admission offers from the Beijing Film Academy, the Central Academy of Drama, and the Communication University of China.
This information sharply contrasts with the persona she often displays on variety shows, where she appears clumsy and slow to react. Some viewers have labeled her as “not very smart.” After the score photo went viral, those same netizens felt misled by a “variety show effect,” speculating that she might actually be a gifted actress pretending to be foolish. Fans countered that she simply has low emotional sensitivity, which doesn’t mean she lacks intelligence.
On December 4, Meng Ziyi’s studio finally issued a statement addressing the issue: “The recent information about her college entrance exam score is completely untrue. Little Lemons (her fandom name), please do not believe or spread these claims.”
Among netizens, there is suspicion that the rumor may have been fabricated by parties hoping to lure prospective students to enroll in arts training courses while trapping the actress in a misleading narrative. Many praised the studio for clarifying the situation quickly before a “genius student” image could backfire.
Meng Ziyi previously shared on the show Wonderland that going to university changed her life. “If I hadn’t been admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, I wouldn’t have become an actress. Getting into college was the turning point,” she said.
She is currently enjoying rising popularity thanks to the costume drama Blossom, in which she stars opposite Li Yunrui. Their on-screen pairing, known to fans as Yunqian Mengrao, has fueled rumors that the two may be close off-screen as well.
