China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has issued a warning to Chinese media not to publicise celebrities who are "scandalous", "offensive" or have criminal records.
According to a Lianhe Wanbao report, the directive could be triggered by Hong Kong actress Gillian Chung's TV interview about the Edison Chen nude photo scandal in March this year.
An article posted on SARFT's website on May 6 says that programmes attempting to attract audiences by re-visiting the sex scandal cause "psychological damage" to the persons involved, and is "unhealthy" for the public.
There has been no official word on which celebrities are considered "scandalous" or "offensive", but sources from the media industry say there is an unofficial blacklist.
Who is on the list?
Besides the obvious suspects like Edison Chen, Gillian Ching and Cecilia Chung, Chinese actresses Fan Bing Bing, Tang Wei, Vicky Zhao and Alyssa Chia are apparently also persona non grata.
It is well known that Tang Wei stepped on the toes of Chinese authorities with her politically controversial and sexually explicit role as the lover of a traitor in Lee Ang's "Lust, Caution". Her appearance at the Hong Kong Film Awards was even edited from the Chinese broadcast of the event.
Fan Bing Bing, another up and coming Chinese actress, has also been censured for explicit scenes in a 2007 film Lost in Beijing, in which she stars with Hong Kong actor Tony Leong Kar Wai. The movie went through five rounds of editing before it was allowed to be screened in China.
But a month after its release, it was abruptly pulled and authorities asked the stars in the movie to "undergo strict re-education and deep reflection".
Vicky Zhao has yet to incur the wrath of the censorship board but triggered widespread public ire when she posed in a Japanese flag for a magazine photo shoot in 2001.
Zhao Wei is a Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao.She is considered one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China (四小花旦), along with Xu Jinglei, Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun.
After being chosen to work as an extra on a filming set, Zhao developed a passion for acting. While studying at Beijing Film Academy, Zhao participated in various film projects. Zhao's breakout role as a leading actress was in Princess Pearl, a television series. In 1999, after Princess Pearl was broadcast, Zhao also began a singing career with her first album, Swallow. After her breakthrough, Zhao has been involved in numerous controversies about her personal and professional lives, including posing in a dress resembling a Japanese war flag.
Throughout her career, Zhao has engaged herself in more varied roles, such as Lu Yiping in Romance in the Rain, a policewoman named An Xin in Jade Goddess of Mercy, the playful Qu Ran in A Time to Love, and the gentle, intelligent Yao Mulan Moment in Peking. She has also remained active in her music, recording several albums since her debut in 1999.
Taiwanese actress Alyssa Chia has been embroiled in scandal since her much publicised split with husband Charles Sun. He allegedly took their four-year-old daughter away after they argued and hinted that she was having an affair.
Victor Huang, who was seen holding hands with Taiwanese singer and host Annie Yi (estranged wife of Harlem Yu) last year could also be on the list, as his interview with a Hunan television channel was cancelled at the last minute.
Annie Yi (Chinese: 伊能静; pinyin: Yī Néngjìng; Japanese: Inō Shizuka) is an actress from Republic of China (Taiwan). Born on March 4, 1969 in Taipei with the birthname of Wu Jingyi (吳靜怡), she changed her name after her mother remarried a Japanese man and then simplified it to Yi Neng Jing upon returning to Taiwan in 1988 to launch her singing career. She speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Japanese, English, and a little French.
She married Harlem Yu (庾澄慶), a fellow Taiwanese singer and television personality, in the United States on 14 February 2000. Her height is 5'3" 1/2. She gave birth to Harrison on March 16, 2002 with husband Harlem Yu. There have been rumours of marital difficulties.They officially announced their divorce on 20 March 2009.
Former actress Liu Xiaoqing is allegedly on the list after she was charged for tax evasion.
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