There’s a list of 25 celebrities going around online that’s allegedly on the official blacklist by the government for various reasons like questionable morals. While the list itself is still purely a rumor, it includes “tainted” stars who have gotten into huge scandals recently, many of whom saw their names scrubbed from cast lists and their works taken down. And It looks even drama posters didn’t escape the chopping block for celebs deemed persona non grata in China.
Case in point, actor Zhang Zhehan whose visits to controversial war related shrines in Japan led to a huge boycott of his career was a casualty as the thumbnail poster for his hit drama Word of Honor 山河令 on the website Douban now only feature Simon Gong Jun. Honestly it’s weird to think about Simon’s Wen Kexing without Zhang Zhehan’s Zhou Zishu.
Likewise, other actors have found themselves in the same boat. Romance in the Rain 情深深雨蒙蒙 which starred Vicki Zhao Wei saw the actress’ face erased from the show’s poster on Douban. Weirdly, even co-star Ruby Lin seems to have gotten the ax as her image has also been cropped out. It leaves just the boys – Alec Su and Leo Ku in the finished picture. If you didn’t know any better, you might even think Romance in the Rain is just between the two male characters appearing on the poster.
As for Zhao’s Wei’s breakthrough role in the massive hit My Fair Princess 还珠格格, the actress didn’t fare any better even if she did portray the titular Princess Pearl. The series’ current poster on their Douban page now only features Ruby Lin with Vicki’s name also scratched out.
Zheng Shuang on the other hand whose surrogacy and abandonment scandal blew up the entire industry earlier in the year also got cropped out of the Love O2O 微微一笑很倾城 poster which now only features her co-star Yang Yang.
Mind though that not all posters have been already “updated”, but I imagine it will just be a matter of time. Zhang Zhehan’s Legend of Yun Xi 芸汐传 for example has his image still intact and his name still on the roster. As far as Kris Wu who is front and center in the L.O.R.D. 2 poster, he too has not been scrapped just yet.
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Seriously
This stupidity to the extreme. China isn’t perfect no country or person is, none of these actors committed any horrendous crimes. Lol a whole country cacelling actors what a waste of resources.
Boohoo
Is abandoning a child not horrendous? Why did she have to order children from a surrogate and abandon it because she has changed her mind and doesn’t want the children anymore? The foster care system has failed many in the past. Do you realize the type of situation those children will be in, because she and her ex couldn’t get their sheet together and did this?
Bunny
What’s going on with Vicky Zhao Wei? I love her and I haven’t heard anything wrong with her? At least recently.
Childish
Childish. How can I expect a society of such “glass heart” people to lead the world? They don’t even trust themselves to differentiate between real world and fiction?
Anon
You are the childish one, as childish as your name. These actions are just punishments for something wrong the actors have done – rape, preying on underaged girls, tax evasion, market manipulation, insider trading, betraying their nation’s and forefathers’ sacrifice and sufferings …… That’s the reality, not the imaginary heroic character that you see on screen. You are the one who cannot differentiate fiction from reality.
Childish
Most, if not all of these dramas have already been taken off the shelf. What’s the point of them changing the poster? It’s just too funny.
Anon
Maybe your point of view is limited but they have the right to make the rules in their own country. You don’t know China has this ancient saying ? – when they want to remove a weed, they remove it completely, right down to the end of the roots, even though nobody sees the roots. If you think that is funny, then just laugh, if it gives you a bit of joy in your life.
Deborah Roderick
Exactly. Yet xio zahn is a great actor, has done nothing wrong.. disliked by a director intent on ruining his career. Dand if you do, dang if you don’t
Boohoo
So that their faces and names won’t be the first thing people see when people research the show online. Some people will remember them because they watched their shows previously or knew them before their scandal but many of the newer generation won’t know them because they have been erased. An artist without an imdb page is a cannon fodder.
Boohoo
So that their faces and names won’t be the first thing people see when researching a show. An artist without an imdb page is a cannon fodder. Their online presence being erased and their removal from their acting union is equal to them getting downgraded to cannon fodder level in the entertainment world.
Kai
I really don’t understand what is the point of taking down the poster that has their face in it, like they are literally on every episode, whole series, even one of them is the main character. Wtf are they gonna do next?blurred their faces like one of those porn anime?
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H a
It is childlish to cut the names from the cast ,the poster it o.k but not the cast name is a big no
laihonn
I don’t understand the point of editing the posters but Hawick Lau’s 抓住彩虹的男人 The Cage of Love edited version had 2 guys staring at each other. With the name of the series and the edited poster, if anyone don’t know any better, they would think it’s a BL series.
http://ent.people.com.cn/n/2015/0601/c86955-27087667.html
Peach
As if they committed a serious crime, I think they gone too far to blacklist those celebs they are humans too and make mistakes…can we give them a 2nd chance for them to realize and to correct there mistakes?
Daniel Jackson
I don’t know much about the celebrities mentioned. I don’t know much about most celebrities outside their characters portrayed and how I see their skill. One thing I am fairly sure about is that actors, actresses, producers, and directors producing dramas and films in China are at a disadvantage on the world stage because of censoring. I absolutely adore some of the work I’ve seen but feel many times that it could have been better particularly when something has been noticeably altered for whatever reason. This isn’t a ctitism of their government form but an observation. I love some of the stories and actors I’ve seen and think they are some of the best. However, I also think it’s difficult for them to be competitive on the world stage because they are being censored too much to begin with. I thought that before any big crackdown on their celebrities and industry. Do any of these celebrities deserve to be criticized or canceled for their actions or mistakes? I don’t know them personally and follow almost none of their personal lives nor have i seen many of them publicly outside their work so I definitely don’t know. If completely canceled for some mistakes how can they ever hope to truly learn from them or improve or be given an opportunity to makeup for them? I guess this is all I have to say for now.