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Yating Yang

Canada-based Chinese singer Wanting Qu’s recent X post promoting veganism has reignited memories of her mother’s crimes of corruption, sparking an online backlash in China and around the world.
Qu, 40, rose to fame as a pop singer and was once known as the de facto first lady of Vancouver during her relationship with then-mayor Gregor Robertson from 2015 to 2017.
Her hits You Exist in My Song and Drenched, which featured in a 2012 Hong Kong romantic comedy directed by Pang Ho-cheung, catapulted her to stardom.
However, her reputation faced a sharp downturn following a corruption scandal involving her mother Zhang Mingjie, which resulted in Zhang being sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2021.

The scandal included the slashing of employee severance payments, scrapped pensions, and the loss of other legal benefits for workers.
Zhang refused to admit her guilt and Qu frequently proclaimed her mother’s innocence on social media, fuelling public anger.
Many people believe Qu’s decade-long music education and subsequent pop career in Canada were financed by money her mother acquired through corruption.
In the recent post on X, formerly Twitter, in which Qu promoted her vegan lifestyle, the backlash continued, with many people mentioning her mother’s imprisonment.
Her latest post follows a tweet on X – last year in which she asked the question: “If you drink cow’s milk, what does the calf drink? A mother cow’s milk belongs to her calf – not you!!!”
The response to both posts has been overwhelmingly negative, with many people expressing fury over her mother’s crimes that left hundreds of workers out of pocket.
“Heard you’re in Canada doing nothing, but urging Chinese people not to eat meat, eggs, or dairy,” read one response.
“Do you know how often prisoners in China eat meat? How about cancelling your mum’s prison meals of meat, eggs, and dairy, and let her survive on coarse grain buns and pickles until death?”
Labelling such comments as cyberbullying, Qu said: “Kind people speak kindly, evil people speak harshly. Only low-level people use such cyberbullying language.”
Qu’s response has done little to mitigate the criticism.
In China, her post continues to face an intense backlash and harsh condemnation on mainland social media.
“The most ironic thing in the world is Qu Wanting, who pretends to care about animals while her family enjoys the profits of exploiting workers,” one person said.
“Besides self-delusion, every time she appears in the public eye, she only reminds people of the families she victimised. The public will not accept it,” another said.

“If I remember correctly, Qu’s mother not only embezzled funds meant for laid-off workers in Harbin but also turned off their heating in winter where temperatures can drop to -30°C,” a third said.
“Her mother swindled 350 million yuan (US$49 million) to fund her luxurious life abroad, while 566 families were destroyed because of her. And she has the audacity to think she has the right to a voice,” commented a fourth.


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China singer Wanting Qu triggers savage backlash for sharing vegan life online, outrage over jailed mother’s crimes

Canada-based China pop star Wanting Qu has faced a barrage of criticism about the corruption crimes of her jailed mother after she made posts about her veganism online. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Weibo

Singer Wanting Qu shot to fame after her songs featured in a 2012 Hong Kong romantic comedy directed by Pang Ho-cheung. Photo: Instagram/@wantingq

The singer’s comments online about her vegan lifestyle have prompted many people on social media to allege that her success has been funded by the corrupt proceeds of her jailed mother. Photo: Instagram/@wantingq

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Singer rises to fame in 2012, has hits, dubbed Vancouver’s first lady in 2015
Jailed mother’s corruption leaves hundreds of workers out of pocket


Canada-based China pop star’s posts about veganism and animal cruelty have infuriated those who think she should keep out of the spotlight after her mother’s corruption crimes affected hundreds of people.


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China singer Wanting Qu triggers savage backlash for sharing vegan life online, outrage over jailed mother’s crimes

Singer rises to fame in 2012, has hits, dubbed Vancouver’s first lady in 2015 Jailed mother’s corruption leaves hundreds of workers out of pocket

Singer rises to fame in 2012, has hits, dubbed Vancouver’s first lady in 2015

Jailed mother’s corruption leaves hundreds of workers out of pocket