It's no secret that the entertainment industry can be incredibly merciless, and there's no guarantee of continued work even after landing a breakthrough role in a blockbuster hit.

Recently, Chinese actor Han Dong, best known for his role as the Ninth Prince in the 2011 hit period drama Scarlet Heart, made headlines after a clip from one of his livestreams went viral.

During the livestream, the 45-year-old was asked why he was no longer acting and he surprisingly became emotional.

Han Dong revealed that he has struggled in recent years to secure roles in mainstream television dramas and currently receives no offers for long-form TV series.

The actor shared that he now relies on short-form dramas and livestreaming to make ends meet.

He also said that restrictions on his livestream traffic have made it difficult to attract viewers, and poor viewership numbers have left him discouraged. At one point, he even joked about quitting Douyin altogether.

On top of that, the actor revealed that he is burdened with a monthly mortgage payment of over 20,000 yuan (S$4,000).

As he spoke about his situation, he became visibly emotional, removed his glasses, and wiped away tears. The topic "Han Dong tearfully says he has no acting jobs" then quickly began trending on Weibo on June 4.

After facing a dramatic decline in his career last year, Han Dong — who quit a job at a large corporation and moved to Beijing in 2005 to pursue his dream of becoming an actor — attempted to transition into livestream e-commerce and vertical short dramas.

However, the income has reportedly not been enough to cover his living expenses.

He admitted during the livestream that although he films 20 to 30 short-drama scenes a day, the pay is low and audience reception has been poor.

His latest series, Bin Bian You Duo Zhi Zi Fei, reportedly received a rating below 3 on the platform where it was released.

While netizens were busy discussing Han Dong's plight, the actor unexpectedly took to Weibo on June 4 to clarify the situation.

"Although it's been a long time since I've appeared on the trending charts, I was excited at first glance but I looked more closely and felt like the sky had fallen," he wrote.

He went on to explain that the viral clip was merely part of a joking interaction with viewers during his livestream.

"For friends who didn't watch the full livestream and don't know the context: Don't actually believe it!!! I didn't cry!!! I can't sing or dance, so I was just putting on a 'performance'!!!" he insisted.

Photos: Han Dong/Douyin, DramaPanda