Zhao Benshan's daughter recently stated he has fully retired from showbiz, dispelling illness rumors. His exit from the Spring Festival Gala stemmed from team changes, concept differences and stable career plans.
Zhao Benshan’s daughter, Qiuqiu, recently stated publicly that her father, Zhao Benshan, had long since completely retired from the entertainment industry, and that previous rumors regarding his serious illness were unfounded.Upon hearing this news, many longtime fans were quite surprised. For years, various rumors have swirled around Zhao Benshan’s sudden withdrawal from the Spring Festival Gala, and it has always been difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.
In his early years, Zhao Benshan’s consistent lineup for the Spring Festival Gala was widely praised within the industry. With He Qingkui in charge of scriptwriting and Gao Xiumin and Song Dandan starring as the comedy duo, many of the skits they presented at that time were must-see programs for audiences across the country on New Year’s Eve.However, a series of tragedies struck one after another. He Qingkui first suffered the loss of his son; before he had time to recover emotionally, Gao Xiumin suddenly passed away, leaving a void in the core partnership that had been so well-suited to Zhao Benshan’s creative style. Compounded by subsequent adjustments to the Spring Festival Gala’s review standards,which shifted the focus toward positive and uplifting themes—a direction that diverged from Zhao Benshan’s consistent creative approach of drawing genuine resonance by reflecting the everyday lives of the masses. For several consecutive years, the works he submitted failed to pass the review process, and the programs he had spent immense effort preparing ultimately could not make it onto the Spring Festival Gala stage. These successive setbacks inevitably left him feeling deeply frustrated.
The rumors that had previously circulated—such as claims that Zhao Benshan had a falling out with the production team or that he could not take the stage without Song Dandan as his co-star—now appear to be inconsistent with the actual timeline. In fact, Zhao Benshan was getting on in years at the time and could no longer withstand the grueling, back-to-back rehearsals required for the Spring Festival Gala. At the same time, the operations of Benshan Media, which he led, had already gotten on track,and the *Rural Love* series had gained a broad nationwide audience. With all conditions in place, it was only natural for him to step down from the Spring Festival Gala stage; claims that he was wronged or forced to leave are entirely baseless.
Essentially, the core team behind the long-term collaboration has disbanded; my creative vision no longer aligns with the current platform’s requirements; and, having found a more stable career path, it was only natural to choose to shift the dynamics of my life and work.Many people who have gone through similar life experiences can relate to this deeply: partners you’ve worked with for years will inevitably part ways one day, and when the projects you want to pursue run into practical obstacles—especially when you already have a stable fallback option—there’s naturally no need to cling stubbornly to past attachments.
If they were in Zhao Benshan’s shoes back then, most people would likely have made the same choice. Once you reach a certain age, living a stable and fulfilling life is far more important than some illusory sense of prestige.
If you also find this sentiment particularly resonant, why not share this post with old friends who watched Zhao Benshan’s Spring Festival Gala skits with you? Getting together to reminisce about the good old days when you’d all gather around the TV to wait for the show to air is a rare and cherished memory.
