Amid the controversy surrounding his 2018 photos, Chinese actor Zhang Zhehan has now been blocked by almost all of social media, video websites and music platforms in China.
Chinese music platform NetEase and QQ Music were revealed to have removed Zhang’s music from their respective platforms, while streaming site Youku has also deleted his name from the cast of the wuxia TV series, “Word of Honour”.
On the other hand, Weibo and Douyin have also suspended Zhang’s accounts, claiming that his behaviour is harmful on the society.
Additionally, as many as 25 companies including Longines, Pandora and Lanvin dropped the actor as brand ambassador.
Such treatment came following a statement from China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) calling for his boycott, after he was revealed to have taken photos at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo back in 2018 – a site where some of Japan’s worst war criminals are honoured and interred. CAPA stressed that ignorance should not be an excuse for an actor like Zhang, who should understand history.
It is noted that Zhang has already released a statement of apology last week, stressing that he loves his motherland and is not at all pro-Japanese as accused.
(Photo Source: South China Morning Post, QQ)