A growing controversy in China’s entertainment industry has put 17 actors at risk “silent ban”, with young actor He Changxi at the center of the matter.
According to Sina, the controversy emerged when the drama broke out Jade Chase aired and viewers discovered that He Changxi’s role had been unexpectedly replaced using AI technology. His face was digitally swapped with that of fellow actor Zhu Zanjin. The production team reportedly made the change without informing He Changxi in advance.
It was only after the series aired and He Changxi noticed that his face had been replaced that his side reacted angrily. The actor later deleted all promotional posts related to Jade Chase from his social media accounts.
Rumors quickly spread on the Chinese social media platform Weibo suggesting that He Changxi had done it silently banned from appearing in film and television projects. Speculations claim that the alleged ban is linked to reports about him homosexual relationship and involvement in male love productions (BL).
In January, He Changxi was rumored to be dating his co-star Su Yiyang after photos showing the two spending time together at home circulated online. There were also reports that the couple had participated in a BL drama titled Chu San De Liu Yi Er Tong Jie.
The project was reportedly filmed outside of mainland China before being released domestically as a film foreign production, a method sometimes used to circumvent strict local content regulations.
A similar strategy was previously used by the production team of Avenged lovewhere actors such as Zi Yu, Tian Xuning, Zhan Xuan and Liu Xuancheng, all mainland Chinese artists, worked on a project produced in Taiwan before it was later released in China.
However, a list circulating on Weibo claims that they could face 17 actors unofficial industry restrictions for participating in BL or girls’ love (GL) dramas filmed abroad. The allegations suggest these activities violate regulations established by the China National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA).
According to reports, authorities view such foreign productions as attempts to circumvent domestic restrictions on same-sex romantic content and potentially evade regulatory scrutiny, including tax compliance. As a result, production teams may attempt to minimize risks by removing or replacing actors involved in controversial projects.
In addition to He Changxi, the list includes actors Yun Qi, Hao Yiran (To my shore), Qiu Dingjie, Huang Xing, Li Peien and Jiang Heng (ABO Desire), among others.
According to Sina, this type of restriction is often referred to as a “silent ban”. While interested celebrities can still participate in commercial endorsements, promotional events or shows, their opportunities to appear in major television dramas or film productions become extremely limited.
China maintains tight control over content featuring same-sex romance. Several high profile dramas like Chasing the light, Immortality, Golden fire lighthouse, The winner is the kingAND Eternal faith they were completed but were never released due to regulatory issues.
More recently, series like Avenged love AND The Spirealm were removed shortly after their release, highlighting the continued tightening of regulations surrounding BL-themed productions in the Chinese entertainment industry.
Sources: TP
