What’s trending?
Chinese American singer-songwriter Wang Leehom (王力宏) has been accused of having extramarital affairs, soliciting sex workers, being an absent parent, and shielding assets obtained during the eight-year marriage, according to his wife of eight years Lee Jinglei (李靓蕾).
On microblogging platform Weibo, related hashtags, including “李靓蕾发长文回应 (Lee Jinglei responds with a long article)”, “王力宏回应 (Wang Leehom responds to Lee’s accusations)”, “王力宏道歉 (Wang Leehom apologizes),” have received more than 10 billion views as of Monday.
What’s the story?
Wang Leehom, a prominent Chinese American singer-songwriter in the Chinese pop industry, confirmed on Weibo and Facebook on Wednesday that he had split from Lee due to differing plans for the future.
Lee released a long article on Weibo and Instagram two days after Wang’s announcement, saying that she was emotionally abused by Wang and his family during the marriage, adding that he cheated on her and neglected their children. In addition, she said Wang tried to manipulate public opinion to maintain his good image and protect his own reputation, while leaving her hanging.
Friday’s post was commented on more than 700,000 times and received over 10 million likes on Weibo as of Monday.
Lee’s words went viral and spurred public indignation on Weibo quickly, causing some brands to drop Wang’s commercial sponsorships.
Shortly after Lee’s around 5,000 word message, Japanese auto brand Infiniti said in a statement that it will terminate its relationship with Wang. This was followed by Chow Tai Seng Jewelry announcing on Saturday that its advertising cooperation agreement with Wang had expired on Nov. 30 and would not be renewed.
Subsequently, Wang’s father posted a handwritten letter on Weibo on Sunday, claiming that Lee used her pregnancy to force Wang to marry her. He also alleged that amid the marital dispute, Lee asked Wang to pay hundreds of millions of Taiwan dollars in alimony.
Lee rejected the accusations from Wang’s father Sunday and said that she will take legal action to defend her reputation if Wang didn’t apologize before 3 p.m. that day.
On Monday, Wang made an apology on Weibo and Facebook, saying “I solemnly apologize to my parents, Jinglei and my children.” He also announced that he will suspend his work engagements.
“I will transfer the apartment where the children live now to Lee Jinglei. I will also participate in the whole process of raising and educating the children,” said in his Weibo post.
Named “king of Chinese pop” by CNN In 2018, Wang is known for his ballads, hip-hop and R&B style music. He started his career in Taiwan in 1995 with the release of his first Mandopop album and has released dozens of albums since then.
What are people saying online?
The public row has aroused a lively debate, with millions of netizens discussing it online. One netizen said she used one of Wang’s songs as the subject matter of her graduation paper, but had to revise it since the allegations surfaced.
China Women News, a leading state-run newspaper aiming to protect the rights of women and children, commented that an “open and inclusive society can accept new and different musical styles, but it does not mean that it can accept indulgent and extravagant private lives.”
A commentary published Sunday on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party’s internal anti-graft body, also weighed in on the incident, saying that “words and deeds of public figures are concerned by the public, and their every move will have an impact on the society. If acting recklessly, they won't be respected by others and will end up paying a penalty.”
One user on the Chinese social networking platform, Douban, said the news helped create more awareness of female childbearing and the value of housewives.
Contact reporter Li Hang (hangli@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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