30-year-old Word of Honor actor Zhang Zhehan was one of China’s hottest stars to become persona non grata overnight when old photos of him visiting controversial war shrines in Japan were discovered and circulated online.
Following that, all of Zhang’s upcoming projects and endorsement contracts were terminated, resulting in an estimated financial loss of 50mil yuan (SGD10.5mil).
The actor-singer’s past shows, music and social media platforms were taken down or removed without any mention of his name. Zhang’s scandal had put the companies he used to work with in a tight spot.
Weibo users recently shared photos of a warehouse packed to the ceiling with cartons of Yanjing Beer which used to have Zhang as their celebrity ambassador, according to 8days.sg.
The issue is that all the beer cans have Zhang’s face printed on them. And now, since most brands in the country would not touch him with a ten-foot pole, it is highly unlikely that those products will ever be found on shelves and may just be discarded.
Due to that, it has been estimated that Yanjing Beer may lose at least 100mil yuan (SGD21mil).
Netizens certainly had a lot to say about the matter.
Many applauded Yanjing Beer for their decision (despite, you know, their massive losses and the insane wastage of perfectly good booze), while others took pity on them.
Comments include: “Who would’ve thought you could still meet a demon after choosing someone from China as your spokesperson”, “They are really too unlucky”, “The beer has done nothing wrong”, “What a pity, find a way to remove his picture”, “Don’t waste it”, and “Just squash the can after you’ve finished drinking it”.
Born May 11, 1991, Zhang Zhehan is an actor and singer from China. His first major role was Wei Ying in the Chinese historical drama Legend of Ban Shu (2015).
Zhang Zhehan was best known for his role as the cold and aloof prince, Long Feiye in another historical romance drama, Legend of Yunxi (2018). /TISG