Beijing-born Hongkong veteran star Liu Xuehua has been acting since the 1970s, and is one of the most famous actresses of her generation.

She was also known as the 'Queen of Tears', thanks to her roles in the many tear-jerking TV adaptations of acclaimed Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao's works. Dramas like 1986’s Many Enchanting Nights (Ji Du Xi Yang Hong) and Lovers Under The Rain (Yan Yu Meng Meng) as well as 1987's You Can't Tell Him (Ting Yuan Shen Shen) come to mind.

Although the 62-year-old, who lives alone in Shanghai, hasn’t acted much in recent years, she remains one of the most respected thespians in the industry.

Just don't ask influencers who she is.

Xuehua is currently starring in Chinese reality show Summer Refuge, where young influencers move into the homes of senior citizens who live alone.

Enter Xuehua, whose husband, Taiwanese Golden Horse Award-winning screenwriter Deng Yukun, passed away a decade ago. She also has no kids.

She decided to hide her identity from her two young housemates as she was afraid that they would feel pressured to be living with a celebrity. Instead, she introduced herself as a housewife named Li An.

Although both the influencers, who are in their 20s, found her “very familiar” and asked if she was a celeb, Xuehua assured them that she was just a regular homemaker. She only revealed her white lie after spending some time with them.

Netizens who watched the show were shocked to see how such an iconic actress wasn’t recognised immediately by the two influencers, lamenting the fact that “youngsters nowadays only care about idol actors”.

Photos: PBE Media