Chinese Actor Li Yifeng Detained In Beijing On Charges Of Alleged Solicitation; Major Brands Cut Ties

deadline.com:

Chinese actor Li Yifeng, whose feature credits include The Pioneer, Hi, Mom and My People My Homeland, has been detained by police in Beijing for allegedly soliciting prostitutes on multiple occasions.Citing a Sunday post on the Weibo account of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the Global Times reports that Li was arrested under criminal charges, and confessed to the crime.

The bureau did not disclose his full name in its post, though CCTV later said it had confirmed that it was the actor, citing sources from “authoritative channels.”Earlier, Li’s studio had issued a statement saying that some internet comments about his personal life were simply rumors.

Li had also reportedly posted on Weibo, where he has over 60 million followers, saying the rumors had caused him emotional damage and affected his ongoing businesses.Those posts were shortly deleted, and related search terms also disappeared, state-backed local media said.Several brands including Prada, Sensodyne and RemyMartin terminated their partnerships with Li in the last day, according to their official Weibo accounts; none provided an explanation.Further, China Daily reported that the organizing committee of the Huading Awards said it has rescinded the actor’s titles of “Best Actor in China’s Top 100 TV Dramas” and “The National Audience’s Favorite Movie Star.”China has increasingly targeted celebrities for alleged misbehavior and in late 2021 began a fresh crackdown to discourage what authorities consider unhealthy attention and “chaotic” fan culture.

At the time, Weibo suspended thousands of accounts for fan clubs and entertainment news.Li most recently played Mao Zedong in 2021 historical drama The Pioneer.