In a surprising turn of events, it looks like Vicki Zhao Wei (趙薇) is being banned from most of the major Chinese video platforms. Netizens first took notice of this last night.
According to numerous reports, the 45-year-old’s name has been removed from a bunch of popular movies, television shows, and talk shows that she’s been involved in. These platforms include Tencent Video, iQiyi and Youku.
Not only has the Zhao Wei hashtag been removed from Weibo – similar to what happened to Kris Wu and Zhang Zhehan. A blogger also shared that the actress is no longer credited in her famous dramas such as “Han Zhu Gei Gei” part 1-2, “Deep Love & Rain”, “Painted Ski”, “Moment in Peking”, “The Epic of a Woman”, “Tiger Mom”, “My Fair Princess” and more.
In addition, fans also noted that TV show “Trump Card” has removed 2 episodes in which Zhao Wei appeared as a guest. “Chinese Restaurant” is also being asked to take off any episodes affiliated to the Chinese billionaire actress. Several platforms did confirm that they received the request for the removal at a short notice, but no clear reason was given.
What really happened?
Since then, many netizens have been trending topics like “What’s happening with Zhao Wei” and “Zhao Wei was removed from many of her works”. While we’re still unsure why she’s become a target, some suggest that it might be due to her connection to Jack Ma and Alibaba.
Others also suspect that she’s being punished since Zhang Zhehan is signed under her agency. In case you didn’t know, Zhang Zhehan came under fire for taking photos at the controversial Yasukuni and Nogi shrines in Tokyo. The Chinese consider both places taboo as they are associated with Japanese militarism.
Is this an indication that Zhao Wei’s career in showbiz is headed down the same path as Zhang Zhehan? Time will tell. In the meantime, we still want more answers.
Sources: Global Times, Kbizoom.
