How desperate do you have to be to resort to desperate measures? A 38-year-old Chinese director found himself at rock-bottom during the pandemic. As he was struggling to make ends meet, he decided to ditch the moral high ground for the sake of making some quick cash.
Chen Juhui (沈居辉) was a director who graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy (上海戏剧学院). His works include “Tonglin Bird (同林鸟)”, “The Heavenly Dream Of The Hibiscus (天梦之木槿花开)” and “The Vanished Murderer (消失的凶手)”. He was arrested on 23rd June this year for filming pornographic videos.
Chen initially ran a media company. However, thanks to the pandemic, his company’s revenue took a sharp decline. When his friend heard about his troubles, he proposed an idea; filming pornography. They decided one would be in charge of filming and editing, the other would be responsible for finding actors and scripts. In October 2020, they officially began their operation.
Their first actress was a 30-year-old woman surnamed Mei (美). According to Mei, Chen had told her the films would be recorded by a legal company. He added that the films would be released overseas and it was not illegal. Mei believed him, at least until a friend reposted a video of her on WeChat. “I panicked and (went) to Director Chen to (ask about it),” she said. Chen voided her worries by saying the films had been sent overseas but must have made its way back to China. With her concerns soothed, Mei continued filming more pornographic videos.
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Chen supposedly made 30,000 yuan (roughly RM19,000) per video. Since his business took off in October, he has made a profit of nearly 1 million yuan. However, he didn’t predict his downfall on 23rd June. Apparently, Chen’s activities were only noticed because a 12-year-old boy was watching the pornographic videos. The boy’s mother noticed her son spending money on a certain app and thought she was being scammed. She reported the issue to the police and when they investigated, it was discovered that Chen’s operation is in Shanghai.
Chen was arrested at his home in Shanghai with Mei and another actress. The police reported the incident on their Weibo. Netizens later realised it was Chen as his Weibo stopped being updated around the same time news of the arrest went out. It’s a pity as his last Weibo post in May reports that his film “Riding the Wind, Riding the Moon and Traveling with Worries (乘風乘月乘憂去)” won three awards, including best director and best film.
The esteemed director isn’t the only one who’s scandal was revealed by the police. International pianist Li Yundi (李云迪)’s prostitution issue was divulged just last week in almost the same manner.
Sources: Weibo, China Press (1)(2), Sound of Hope, Epoch Times
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