A growing controversy in China’s entertainment industry has put 17 actors at risk of an alleged “quiet ban,” with young actor He Changxi reportedly at the center of the issue.
According to Sina, the controversy surfaced when the drama Pursuit of Jade 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 beforehand.
It was only after the series aired and He Changxi noticed that his face had been replaced that his side reacted angrily. The actor subsequently deleted all promotional posts related to Pursuit of Jade from his social media accounts.
On Chinese social media platform Weibo, rumors quickly spread suggesting that He Changxi had been quietly banned from appearing in film and television projects. The speculation claims the alleged ban is linked to reports about his same-sex relationship and involvement in boys’ love (BL) productions.
In January, He Changxi was rumored to be dating his co-star Su Yiyang after photos circulated online showing the two spending time together at home. There were also reports that the pair had participated in a BL drama titled Chu San De Liu Yi Er Tong Jie.
The project was reportedly filmed outside mainland China before being released domestically as a foreign production, a method sometimes used to bypass strict local content regulations.
A similar strategy had previously been used by the production team of Revenged Love, where actors such as Zi Yu, Tian Xuning, Zhan Xuan, and Liu Xuancheng who are all mainland Chinese performers worked on a project produced in Taiwan before it was later distributed in China.
However, a list circulating on Weibo claims that 17 actors may face unofficial industry restrictions for participating in BL or girls’ love (GL) dramas filmed overseas. The allegations suggest these activities violate regulations set by China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA).
According to the rumors, authorities consider such overseas productions to be attempts to circumvent domestic restrictions on same-sex romance content and potentially evade regulatory oversight, including tax-related 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 rumored 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 “quiet ban.” While affected celebrities may still participate in commercial endorsements, promotional events, or performances, their opportunities to appear in television dramas or major screen productions become extremely limited.
China maintains strict control over content involving same-sex romance. Several high-profile dramas such as Chasing the Light, Immortality, Beacon Fire Gold, Winner is King, and Eternal Faith were completed but have never been released due to regulatory issues.
More recently, series such as Revenged 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