On the morning of February 9, the news on a peculiar Chinese idol group named Sha48 shocked various netizen all over the world. Initially, many assumed that Sha48 was affiliated to SNH48, the Chinese “branch” of the famous Japanese Idol group Akb48. However, in reality, the two groups have no bonds.
Sha48 debuted at the beginning of 2023, originally perceived as a group of girls based on their glamorous and refined teaser images. At the time of their teaser release, the fans noticed anything unusual and impatiently anticipated their official debut after seeing the youth and fascinating graphics of the members in promotional posters.
However, during the first live performance of Sha48, the audience was amazed to discover that a member not only seemed very different from the teaser images, but he also seemed distinctly male. It was soon revealed that this member, called Lingdang, was actually a male. The agency had deliberately designed it in female clothes to attract public attention to the group.
Following the exhibition of the male member of Sha48, the group faced widespread criticism from the public. Between the repercussions, the agency issued an official declaration, which he said, “From the beginning, we have never explicitly affected through the media channels that Sha48 was a group of girls. In addition, none of the members ever said to be part of a group of girls. ”
In the meantime, as regards the similarity of the name of their group with the Top Girl Group in China SNH48, the representative of Sha48 clarified, “Sha stand for Shanghai, China. The number 48 was included because we aspire to follow in the footsteps of Akb48 and SNH48. ”
Despite the controversy, Lingdang remains an active member of Sha48. Over the past two years, he has continued to perform together with the four female members in live performances and fans’ meetings. Sha48 published a song entitled “Like You” last year, and in 2024 they attracted attention by hosting a fan event to celebrate their first anniversary.
The promotional images of Lingdang have been strongly modified to improve its female appearance. However, in a photo, the Netizen could identify his visible apple of Adam.
