On September 11th, CCTV announced that an actor Li Moumou is under detention for using prostitutes.
Why Li Moumou instead of Li Yifeng ? The official press usually does not divulge the real name and will use Moumou instead. You’ll find it translated as ‘Such and such’
All of sudden, the name Li Yifeng is everywhere. Just like me, some people on Twitter asked, who is Li Yifeng? He is an actor with some movies, TV shows and song albums. He was ranked 43rd among the 100 on Forbes China Celebrities list. (Here is 2021 Top ten to check how many you don’t know. )
So, why the excitement?
Well, because just last year, he was playing Mao Zedong in a revolutionary (aka CCP propaganda) movie The Pioneer. The movie was made for the 100 year anniversary of CCP. He was also a ‘brand ambassador’ for the Ministry of State Security.
That is what makes him famous and the current arrest became a big melon. Someone playing Mao should not use prostitute.
Some Twitter user gave more background on Li Yifeng:
Li Yifeng is gay. (Someone offered more information suggesting that he might be bi.)
Unofficial news say that at some point he had high security protection (by the government). No negative message about him was allowed on social media.
That he is arrested for using prostitutes is very interesting because: he is very much liked by the people high up, he got many protections, he is never on any entertainment program and never tried to attract social media traffic. There is no negative rumour, no news that shocks people, he lived in a big community (implying that he is privileged), why is he sacrificed all of sudden?
And he is charged for “prostitutes”, normally used for political offenders, not for “drugs” which is used for celebrity.
People also circulate his attempt to deny the charge on Weibo on September 10th. Some speculated that he thought the people high up who like him will save him again this time.
Now, every movie/ads featuring Li Yifeng is taken off the shelves. He is gone. That is what happened when you use prostitute in China.
The timing of it got noticed by many. Remember the posts on Xinjiang lockdown disaster? We mentioned it in our last newsletter. Since Sept. 9th, people noticed that Weibo was actively taking down posts about the Xinjiang lockdown disaster.
So, some commented on the ‘perfect’ timing.
“I have some public opinions that I need to divert, get me a criminal.”
“Which type?”
“Domestic entertainment.”
“Which class?”
“First class.”
“First class? What level of public opinions?”
“Not a big deal. Just the timing is not good. Holidays, congress…..”
“Let me see …. First class, here are some. Which one do you want?”
“Him. He did it within half a year. The time is good for writing the official announcement.”
“He has been dealt with. You have to ask the high up.”
“No problem.”
So, Chinese social media is flooded with discussion on the melon of Li Yifeng. So much so that some people complained:
I don’t want to read about Li Yifeng, I don’t want to read about any celebrity. There are always more important things happening than celebrities, but I have no choice. I am forced to read about Li Yifeng, as I am forced not to read other important news.
Soon, a rumour on another actor was spreading on social media, this time it is about Wang Yibo. He is currently ranked number 2 by Forbes China Celebrities list. (Well, now you know at least one of the top 10)
The rumour alleges that Wang uses prostitutes, is a sex worker himself, and is paid to be exclusive for an executive of a famous corporation. Yehua Entertainment, the company that Wang works for issued a public announcement denying the rumour and reported the case to the police. They also explained that “Mr. Wang Yibo abides by the law and does not know Mr “Li Moumou” at all.”
Today, Wang is like Li. He also plays propaganda role for CCP, in a movie that is scheduled to be released on Oct. 1st, during the China national day holiday, called Born to Fly. You can see a trailer on YouTube (no English subtitle yet). It is considered a Chinese version of Top Gun.
Here are some reports in news media outside China explaining what was ‘trending’ on social media in China.
New York Times reported: “Just Bread and Noodles: China’s COVID Lockdown Distress Hits Xinjiang”.
In recent days, complaints from Yining have generated a surge of online comments in China. Uyghurs abroad have also shared messages describing poor conditions in quarantine facilities for residents suspected of having had close contact with infected people in Yining, which Uyghurs call Ghulja.
Guardian reported: “Xinjiang lockdown: Chinese censors drown out posts about food and medicine shortages”.
Chinese censors have reportedly been ordered to flood social media with innocuous posts about Xinjiang to drown out mounting complaints of food and medication shortages in a region under lockdown for more than a month.
China Digital Times gave much from details: “Minitrue: Flood Weibo Comments on Xinjiang Prefecture’s Lockdown”.
All internet commentary organizational work units must carry out comment flooding work at the relevant times, and must not finish it behind or ahead of schedule. The time period in question is from 8 pm to 10 pm tonight!
Comment flooding must be carried out in accordance with procedure. At the same time, take steps to protect yourself, and do not touch on the pandemic situation, pandemic volunteers, pandemic prevention policies, etc.
There are no subject matter restrictions. Content may include domestic life, daily parenting, cooking, or personal moods. All internet commentary personnel should post once per hour (twice in total), but not in rapid succession! Repeat: not in rapid succession!
All personnel should keep their work confidential and avoid posting this notice to Weibo in the course of their comment-flooding activities. If any such posts are discovered, relevant work units will be held responsible!
Despite censorship and residents’ fears of speaking out, there has been an explosion of Weibo posts about Yili’s lockdown over the past few days. A now-censored accounting of those posts documented how a hashtag related to the Yili COVID outbreak appeared at one point in over 100 new posts per minute. One big-name blogger shared screenshots of the dozens of DMs she had received from Yili residents begging for help. Her post received nearly 40,000 comments. The Super Topic also filled with testaments to the emotional impact of seeing residents’ pleas for help. “Scrolling the Yili Super Topic for an hour has made me revise my worldview,” wrote one Weibo user. Even some normally staid government accounts began to post with unusual emotional intensity. Unlike other government Weibo accounts, which routinely close down or censor their comment sections, the Xinjiang Procuratorate’s official account vowed that it would refuse to do so: “Your Procuratorate swears it will not shut down the comment section. We stand forever with the people!” By censoring “negative news” and flooding social media with “positive energy”, authorities appear to be attempting to wrest back control over the narrative about Yili’s pandemic from those living through it.
I don’t know if the Xinjiang lockdown disaster is indeed the reason Li Yifeng got “cancelled” by CCP, but it all made sense to me.
‘Return To Dust’ was supposed to be in the cinema until end of the month, as its box office performance is getting better each day. But it is reported to be forced out of the cinemas.
We discussed the movie in newsletter 90.