China floods: Celebrities Wang Yibo and Han Hong accused of using the Henan disaster to profit
- Actor Wang Yibo and former PLA singer Han Hong were both on the front line of the floods in Henan
- However, many online questioned their motives and accused them of exploiting the disaster for PR benefit
Chinese actor Wang Yibo and former PLA singer Han Hong have been mired in controversy this week as some have labelled their charity work at the front line of the floods in Henan province “just for show”.
Han, one of China’s most well-known singers, went with a team from her charity foundation and Wang on Thursday to Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, to deliver supplies to a local children’s hospital. They then went to nearby Gongyi, where the team provided free medical services to trapped locals, a Weibo post from the charity said last week.
In videos published by entertainment blogs, Wang is seen standing in knee-deep water, throwing packaged food up to locals trapped in a building. In other pictures, he is seen on a lifeboat, as it went house to house searching for survivors. The lifeboat and life jacket he wore had the words “Fuyang Zhongqing”, the name of a grass-roots rescue team.
Wang, who was born in Luoyang, Henan province in 1997, first found fame as a member of the Chinese boy band Uniq, before embarking on a solo singing career and branching into acting. He is best known for his work on the television shows Gank Your Heart, The Untamed, and Legend of Fei.
However, the gestures soon drew criticism from the public.
