KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Chinese police have detained actor Li Yifeng for soliciting sex workers on multiple occasions.
Beijing police released a statement on the 35-year-old, identified by his surname Li, Global Times reported.
This was contrary to the announcement by Li's studio on Saturday night, saying that comments about his personal life on the Internet were only rumors.
The actor, who played Mao Zedong in The Pioneer, was detained under criminal charges for soliciting prostitution which he reportedly also confessed to.
At least 11 brands including Zhenguoli under Mengniu, Prada, Luk Fook Jewelry, Panerai, Sensodyne and RemyMartin have announced the termination of their partnership with Li since.
Search results about Li in Budweiser and L'Oreal accounts on Weibo, which were previously endorsed by Li ended with no results.
The organising committee of the Huading Awards announced in Macao on Sunday said that it has removed Li’s titles of "Best Actor in China's Top 100 TV Dramas" and "The National Audience's Favorite Movie Star" he took home at the 22nd Huading Awards.
Li, who has more than 36 million followers in Sina Weibo, was initially announced to be one of the celebrities to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala on CCTV on Saturday night, but his name was later deleted from the programme.
Social media users also noticed that the official Weibo account of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate had deleted all information related to Li on Saturday.
Li previously served as the promotional ambassador for the activities of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, participating in the shooting of music videos, among other publicity work.
In October last year, Chinese pianist Li Yundi waschina arrested for soliciting the services of sex workers.
Soliciting a prostitute/ sex worker and selling sex are illegal in China, and those found guilty may face up to 15 days' detention and a maximum fine of 5,000 yuan (RM3,248).
