Recording videos for the birthday celebration of Baiying in northern Myanmar, actor Du Xudong apologizes due to personal friendship, I did not verify, reflecting what problems? What warning does it give?
Recently, a news about several celebrities recording birthday wishes for the son of the Bai family, one of the four major families in northern Myanmar has sparked a heated discussion on the internet The circulated video appears to have been filmed at a birthday banquet, with the video playing on a large screen in the center of the stage, featuring the presence of many celebrity and internet personalities On the 14th, some artist agents responded to explain that many people would approach celebrities to record such videos, and there are people specialized in selling these videos in the market The media has previously conducted an investigation into this industry and found that it has formed a complete industrial chain On the evening of the 17th, actor Du Xudong apologized on his personal social media for previously recording a birthday video for the Bai family members of the scam gang in northern Myanmar In the video, he stated that this incident happened a long time ago, and without verifying the background of the Bai family, he had agreed to record the video under the request of a friend due to personal relationships He now deeply realizes his mistake and will use it as a warning, restraining his words and actions in the future Previously recorded a birthday video for Bai Yingcang in northern Myanmar, Du Xudong apologizes Hindered by personal relationships, failed to conduct verification
The Truth Behind Celebrity Birthday Blessing Scam
Beijing, November 19 (Liu Yue) - A birthday banquet, a VCR, has put a group of “veteran actors” in the spotlight.
Recently, the topic of “several celebrities wishing Bai Yingcang, son of Bai Suocheng from the four major families in Myanmar” has sparked hot discussions on the internet. In the circulated video, a birthday VCR was played on the big screen of the banquet hall, and many celebrities and internet celebrities shouted birthday blessings into the camera, including famous people such as Beny Chan, Du Xudong, and Hou Yaohua.
On the evening of November 17, Du Xudong recorded a video to apologize to the public. He stated that the whole thing stemmed from a request from a friend a long time ago. At that time, due to face-saving, he cooperated to record this video. He apologized to the audience, admitting that he did not verify the background of the person and felt deep regret for the consequences caused now.
On November 18, another actor apologized for this incident and his video made it to the hot search. Hong Kong actor Cao Chalie released a video on his personal account apologizing for celebrating the birthday of the telephone fraud leader in Northern Myanmar. Cao Chalie said that he accepted the job under the persuasion of his agent and was not informed of the specific purpose of the video in advance. He mentioned that he had to earn money for a living and to eat. He hoped that everyone would forgive his behavior.
Is it illegal for celebrities to “celebrate” with fraudsters?
Who is Bai Yingcang?
According to reports from multiple media outlets, Bai Yingcang is the son of Bai Suocheng, one of the four major families in Northern Myanmar. He is the general manager of Baisheng Group (Baisheng Casino) and the founder of Cangsheng Technology Fraud Park.
Who are Du Xudong and Cao Chalie?
Du Xudong is a Chinese mainland actor and a national first-class actor. He has starred in many well-known TV dramas such as “The Grand Mansion Gate,” “The Great Song Judicial Officer,” “Dr. Rhapsody,” “The New Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” and more. Cao Chalie is a Hong Kong actor who has appeared in “82 Housemates” and “Police Story.”
“There needs to be a thorough investigation” “How many innocent people have they harmed, and they celebrated for him?” “Even if they don’t know each other, it is difficult to convince the public without punishment” … Some people have expressed doubts about Du Xudong’s words: a fraud leader and a famous actor, two identities that seem to be unrelated, how can they be connected based on “personal relationships”? Some people sympathize with Cao Chalie: as a person of a certain age, you have to support your old age and livelihood, and he was brave enough to admit that he received money.
Other netizens are concerned about whether their actions are illegal.
“First of all, if the content of the video only includes birthday blessings, and celebrities are not aware of the possibility of illegal activities that others may engage in beforehand, then the act of recording and the content of the recording itself do not violate the law,” said Wu Zikun, a lawyer from Beijing Star Power Law Firm.
“If the content of the video recorded by the celebrity does not fall within or has clearly exceeded the scope of birthday blessings, and the individual or company that obtained the video is engaged in illegal activities, then the specific situation of the celebrity recording the video should be analyzed. This includes whether the celebrity knew about the illegal activities of the person being recorded, whether the content of the recording is substantially related to the illegal activities, etc., and there needs to be corresponding evidence to determine whether the celebrity’s recording constitutes a joint crime.”
At the same time, Wu Zikun emphasized that as celebrities with higher social influence and a large number of fans, they should maintain a stricter sense of social responsibility. They should cherish their own reputation and not use legality as a standard to measure their behavior.
“Although the act of recording birthday blessing videos for illegal criminal subjects itself may not be considered illegal, as the situation intensifies, it will inevitably have a serious negative impact on the public image of celebrities. Therefore, when celebrities record any videos, audios, or other materials for public consumption, they should exercise strict discretion and caution. This is not only their responsibility for their public image but also their responsibility for the potential social impact of their behavior.”
“As long as there is enough money, celebrities can send blessings to your mom”
“Can I get Du Xudong to record a video? How much does he charge?”
“1500.”
“Can he say my mom’s name?”
“Yes, he can.”
The above conversation took place between a journalist and a customer service representative of a store on an e-commerce platform called “Huayang Media.” The store’s homepage features many celebrity artists such as Wang Yibo, Qi Qin, and Tang Guoqiang, with the slogan “Senior agents connect directly with celebrities for recording.” During the communication, the representative told the journalist that as long as the money is paid, they can immediately customize the recording script to include specific names and arrange for the celebrity to film.
“Huayang Media” is not an exception. On various e-commerce platforms, a search using the keywords “celebrity blessings” reveals numerous merchants offering such services. There are countless options available, with various styles.
“Recording various kinds of blessing videos with faded celebrities has become a complete industry chain. Many times, it is done through intermediary companies in bulk. The celebrities themselves may not actually know the “blessed” individuals,” revealed an industry insider to a journalist.
The insider mentioned that these blessings usually follow a fixed template, and more money is charged for longer scripts. If the consumer has a sufficient budget, celebrities may also sing. “Who wouldn’t want to earn this money? It’s easy and simple. Especially in recent years, it has been difficult for many veteran artists in the entertainment industry, and they rely on this to make a living.”
Is it just making a living or a way to make a fortune? Wang Qi (pseudonym), who specializes in artist management, gave the journalist a different answer.
“How much does it cost for Du Xudong to record a video?”
“20,000 yuan.”
“That’s too expensive.”
“Expensive, but safe. We’re both well-known. They can’t find us.”
Wang Qi told the journalist that as long as “money is not an issue,” everything can be negotiated. Compared to the online store, Wang Qi’s services come at a premium, but he confidently said, “As long as money is not an issue, I can try to get it done.”
To validate his credibility, Wang Qi bombarded the journalist with a series of “cases,” which included wedding blessing VCRs recorded by renowned artists such as Guo Donglin, Song Xiaobao, Sun Nan, Wu Qixian, Zhang Xinzhe, and Guan Xiaotong.
“These are all wedding blessing videos recorded by them personally for me. There are over 100, but I won’t show you all of them.”
The cases provided by Wang Qi. WeChat screenshot
According to Wang Qi, the content that celebrities can record includes wedding blessings, birthday blessings, product endorsements, company blessings, and corporate blessings. The specific price is determined based on the content to be recorded. Wang Qi, who exudes a strong presence, listed a series of artists, covering the old, the middle-aged, and the young, including actors, singers, comedians, well-known hosts, creating a lineup comparable to a luxurious evening party.
“Can we use Xianyu (a third-party trading platform)?”
“No, only WeChat transfer or Alipay.”
“When celebrities record wedding blessing videos for others, it only represents their good wishes for their married life and does not authorize the use of their image, voice, or other personality rights. If someone uses a video recorded by a celebrity for their own business promotion and profit-making without obtaining the celebrity’s authorized permission, it may violate the relevant provisions of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China and infringe on the celebrity’s portrait rights, voice rights, and other personality rights,” explained Wu Zikun.
He further pointed out, “The act of charging for customized celebrity videos can actually be seen as the sale of goods and services. Even if the seller requests payment through WeChat, Alipay, or other methods, they should still declare and pay the corresponding taxes in accordance with Chinese law. If the seller hides income or underreports and pays less, they may be involved in tax evasion.”
Renowned celebrity teams debunk the recording of such videos
Regarding the list of artists provided by Wang Qi, the journalist contacted the team of Guan Xiaotong and Tan Jianci.
“Is it really possible for people to believe this? It’s so fake,” responded a staff member of Tan Jianci’s team. “It’s absurd, we’ll have our legal department investigate.”
Huo Dongjie, an agent representing Guan Xiaotong, straightforwardly said, “It’s completely fake, such a thing doesn’t exist. We won’t provide such a channel.”
He recalled that a few years ago, someone invited Guan Xiaotong to join a certain platform where she could quote a price to record videos for others, but after evaluation, the team declined. “It’s impossible to earn money through this. We are actors, and our main business is to complete our performing arts work.”
Regarding the “Guan Xiaotong wedding blessing” video provided by Wang Qi, Huo Dongjie said, “It could only be for people who are part of our immediate team, close friends, and relatives who say they need Xiaotong to record a blessing video. If we know them, we might record it, but even so, we won’t charge any money.”
“It is generally only shown at weddings and not used anywhere else. This is something that everyone in the industry knows. This is clearly a scam,” Huo Dongjie suspected that these videos recorded by celebrities, based on “personal relationships,” are being intercepted and saved by someone with ulterior motives to use as bait for scams. It is also possible that those who receive these blessings use them as “examples” to deceive people and make money.
“If someone deceives others for money related to this transaction and fails to deliver the promised ‘goods’ even after receiving the price, the seller’s behavior may violate relevant provisions of Chinese law, including Article 224 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, and may be accused of contract fraud and other civil infringement acts that infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Depending on the actual circumstances, consumers can consider filing complaints with consumer associations, industrial and commercial departments, or file civil lawsuits or report to public security agencies to protect their own legal rights and interests,” confirmed Wu Zikun.