Ever since China tightened regulations on their celebrities in the entertainment industry, the slightest mistake can be a career ending move. Unfortunately, another celebrated star has just fallen to the entertainment crackdown.
International pianist Li Yundi (李云迪) has been the apple of China’s eye for a while. However, last night (21st October), an unexpected news spread like wildfire. The revered pianist was apparently arrested on the suspicion of soliciting a prostitute!
Chaoyang police reported on Weibo that they had caught a couple involved in prostitution in a Chaoyang residential area. According to the report, a 29-year-old woman surnamed Chen and a 39-year-old man surnamed Li had been arrested. The couple had admitted to the misdemeanor and were detained as per the law.
However, people started suspecting Li’s identity when the police posted a photo of piano keys. “The world is indeed more than black and white, but we must distinguish between (the two). This absolutely cannot be (mistaken)…” they wrote. The rumours were soon confirmed when Chinese media openly announced that the pianist had been arrested.
According to the police, Chaoyang residents had lodged reports of Li meeting prostitutes at a fixed time. The police staked out his place and eventually caught him in the act, leading to his arrest. They also discovered money transfer records on their WeChat accounts.
Many netizens have expressed disappointment and anger at the pianist’s behaviour. Several have followed Li’s career since his rise to fame in 2000 when he won the Frederic Chopin international piano competition at 18. However, his fame won’t be able to save him from the crackdown. “Li Yundi’s Weibo certification has changed,” a netizen noted, referring to his verified personal tags. “It seems he will no longer be able to (continue his career in China) in the future. (He was) very talented, (what) a pity!”
Aside from losing his verified tags, the pianist has also been systematically cut loose from the entertainment scene. This includes variety show “Call Me By Fire (披荆斩棘的哥哥)” which has delisted the episodes containing Li. The news comes as a blow since he was recently invited to participate in an upcoming performance.
His scandal also came as a surprise to Malaysian influencer Cathryn Li (李元玲). Apparently, the “Piano Goddess” was once rumoured to have an intimate relationship with him. According to her Instagram stories, the influencer had been playing video games when the netizens started asking her if the news was true.
“I was shot too,” she responded. “Please don’t ask me. I have no comment.” Cathryn only stated that he was a very talented pianist and he was very nice. In regards to their relationship, the influencer maintained that it had been a teacher-student relationship. She clarified that they had never crossed that boundary.
Li’s actions have started a chain effect with no end in sight. Aside from his shredded reputation, it is clear that China will not tolerate such behaviour from their artists anymore.
Netizens do find it ironic that Li’s prostitution scandal followed months after Kris Wu (吴亦凡) was arrested on suspicion of rape. Some even claimed Kris had mentioned Li’s prostitution before, but it was overlooked in light of his own scandal.
Sources: Xuan (1)(2), South China Morning Post, Global Times, Weibo (1)(2)
