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Chinese stars Lei Jiayin (left), Zhang Yishan (middle) and Rayzha Alimjan (right) were among some of the top-tier celebrities who attended a moral training class organised by China's National Radio and Television Administration. Photo: Handout
People & CultureTrending in China

Dozens of Chinese celebrities attend morality class amid backdrop of high-profile Kris Wu rape case

  • The class reportedly covered ethics and morals, Chinese law as well as the history of the Communist Party
  • Kris Wu is accused of date raping multiple women using alcohol
Fame and celebrity
Alice Yan
Alice Yanin Shanghai
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Dozens of mainland entertainers, including some of the country’s most famous people, took part in an “ethical training session” hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) amid a rape case involving Kris Wu, one of the most famous men in China.

The two-day class took place in Beijing last month and pictures of the event were circulated online this week.

Sixty-four Chinese entertainers attended the gathering, and the NRTA did not explain why or how these stars were selected or if the course was compulsory.
An ethics training class that featured dozens of Chinese celebrities has gone viral online. Photo: Handout

Big names among the participants were Lei Jiayin, famous for his role in The First Half of My Life, Zhang Yishan from The Deer and the Cauldron and Rayzha Alimjan, who has become a public figure in changing society’s perceptions about depression.

The session was titled: “Training Class for Promoting the Production of High-quality TV Series”. The content included professional ethics, law and regulations and the Communist Party’s history.

Zhu Yonglei, vice director of the NRTA, told the participants to “advocate both the moral code and artistic morals,” according to an article by the NRTA on WeChat.

In China, the news struck a nerve because Wu was charged with rape on Monday after multiple women accused him of date rape. Any positive mention of Wu has essentially been scrubbed from the internet in China.

“It’s ironic that they are so highly paid but they are learning about basic morals,” one user wrote on Weibo.

Lin Yongjian, an actor in mainland China, was one of the trainers of the training sessions. Photo: Handout

Another said: “It’s a useless course. These people will not behave themselves when they are offered huge money or other temptations.”

The China Netcasting Services Association, a government-backed industry organisation, said mainland video platforms should remove all of Wu’s works.

“We shouldn’t provide any job opportunities or platforms for people who display illegal or immoral behaviour,” it said on WeChat on Tuesday.

“Some stars do not follow professional ethics. They’ve crossed the line of law or moral standards … They should be severely punished and should pay the price,” said the association.

Photos of the ethics training class struck a nerve on the Chinese internet. Photo: Handout

Mango TV, a Hunan-based TV station famous for its entertainment programmes, said 80 artists had signed a letter it created that promised to boycott unlawful or unethical acts, shabby performances or distorting facts.

Last weekend, actor Zhang Zhehan was criticised because he took a photograph at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honours people who died in wars fighting for Japan, but it has become extremely controversial in the aftermath of World War II.

Chinese singer Huo Zun declared his retirement from the industry last week after his ex-girlfriend said he had cheated on her throughout their nine-year relationship.

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