Li Yifeng: Chinese celebrities list who got arrested in Dragon's attempt to control its entertainment industry

Sith the arrest of Yifeng, the ruling Chinese communist government has made it clear that it will go to any extent to regulate and control the entertainment industry of the 'dragon' nation.

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In a shocking development, one of the biggest actors in China Li Yifeng was arrested by the authorities for allegedly soliciting prostitutes. Li Yifeng's arrest has raised many eyebrows in China as the actor in 2021 played the role of Communist leader Mao Zedong in one of his movies. On Sunday, 35-year-old, Li Yifeng was detained in Beijing and the State media in its statement said that the actor has confessed to his crimes of soliciting prostitutes. Following Li Yifeng's arrest many brands cut ties with the actor including Prada, Sensodyne, a toothpaste unit of UK-based Haleon, and Zhenguoli, a beverage brand of dairy giant China Mengniu Dairy Co. Interestingly, the arrest of Li Yifeng has once again raise question on Chinese dictatorial administration who has in the open announced it was 'clean' the entertainment industry. Now, with the arrest of Li, the ruling Chinese communist government has made it clear that it will go to any extent to regulate and control the entertainment industry of the 'dragon' nation. So here's a list of Chinese actors and celebrities who were arrested-

Li Yundi

Known as China's 'Piano Prince', Li Yundi was arrested for hiring a prostitute. Li was allegedly caught with her by the Beijing Police on a tip-off. Interestingly, Chinese state run media had then published a report that Li has confessed his crimes of being involved in illegal activity. At just 18, Li became the youngest pianist - and the first Chinese person - to win first prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000. Later, he was called China's 'Piano Prince' affectionately. He was arrested in 2021.

Jiang Jinfu

Chinese movie actor Jiang Jinfu was detained by Japan Police after his alleged girlfriend filed a complaint about the alleged assault, prompting an investigation. Jiang had turned himself in to the Tokyo Police. As per the Police official statement, Jiang allegedly beat his girlfriend on her face, arms and shoulders. The couple lived together at his Tokyo apartment at the time but then apparently broke up. Jiang was living in Tokyo since April to study Japanese.

Kris Wu

'The Pioneer' fame Chinese actor Li Yifeng arrested for soliciting prostitutes; Details Inside

In 2021, Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu was arrested on suspicion of rape. Reportedly, Beijing Police said the investigation centred on online allegations that Kris had 'deceived young women multiple times into having sexual relations'. However, Kris had denied all the allegations leveled against him. It is pertinent to mention here that Beijing Police came into action after multiple women took to their social media and accused the Chinese pop star of duping them in order to form a physical relationship.

Fan Bingbing

In 2021, Chinese mega star Fan Bingbing was fined around 883 million yuan ($129m) for tax evasion and other offenses. Fan was linked to a government probe into how celebrities reported earnings in their contracts. Some film stars were alleged to have used so-called 'yin-yang contracts' - a practice where one contract sets out an actor's real earnings, and another detail a lower figure, with the latter submitted to the tax authorities. Fan is one of China's most influential celebrities and in 2020 topped Forbes magazine's list of top Chinese celebrities with an income of around 300 million yuan ($43m).

What is China's crackdown on its own entertainment industry?

China has ordered sweeping actions to clean up the entertainment industry, with the broadcast regulator moving to ban film stars with “incorrect" politics, cap salaries and rein in celebrity fan culture. China's President Xi Jinping ordered a clean-up of the entertainment industry. China’s broadcast regulator also started moving to limit entertainers’ salaries, rein in fandom culture, and ban film stars with 'incorrect' politics. The crackdown began in June when the Cyberspace Administration of China posted a statement on its official website. It said that fans had been fighting and spreading rumours online, which “disrupted the pure and healthy online ecosystem”.

On September 2, television companies and internet platforms were told to “strictly control the selection of programme actors and guests, by making sure they have a correct political stance, good conduct, high artistic level and strong social credit,” according to a statement from the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA).


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