Chinese tech executive Chen Shaojie, founder and CEO of Douyu, said to be held ‘incommunicado’ after authorities find porn on popular live-streaming platform

Chen, 39, has vanished from sight for weeks and could neither be contacted nor located by his colleagues, according to a report by Cover News

Nasdaq-listed Douyu said its operations remain normal, but did not comment on its missing chief executive

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DouYu chief executive Chen Shaojie’s disappearance comes several months after China’s internet watchdog launched a rare on-site inspection of the firm’s local arm in central Hubei province to address “serious” problems, including pornography. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:47pm, 6 Nov 2023Updated: 2:58pm, 22 Nov 2023

The founder and chief executive of Tencent Holdings-backed Douyu International Holdings, Chen Shaojie, has been held “incommunicado” by Chinese authorities for weeks, according to local media reports, months after online censors allegedly uncovered pornographic content on the popular video game live-streaming platform.

Chen, 39, has vanished from sight for weeks and could neither be contacted nor located by his colleagues, according to a report posted on Monday on Cover News, the digital platform of Chengdu-based West China City Daily.

When someone becomes incommunicado in mainland China, it typically means that the person has either been taken away by authorities for an inquiry or “to assist in an investigation”. In Chen’s case, no Chinese authority has provided any information about his disappearance.

In an emailed statement to the Post on Monday, Nasdaq-listed Douyu said its operations remain normal, but did not comment on its missing chief executive. Chen’s last public appearance was in August for Douyu’s second-quarter results conference call.

Douyu International Holdings founder and chief executive Chen Shaojie, third from left, poses for pictures next to Chinese video-gaming live streamer Liu Mou outside the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York City during the company’s initial public offering on July 17, 2019. Photo: Shutterstock

Chen’s unexplained situation is reminiscent of the sudden disappearance of China Renaissance Holdings chairman Bao Fan earlier this year, which grabbed headlines and fanned speculation about the reasons why he went missing.

China Renaissance said Bao was still “cooperating” in an unspecified investigation launched by mainland Chinese authorities, according to a report by the Post in August. Authorities have not provided further details about Bao’s situation.

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