Overseasidol.com — The Chinese drama Pursuit of Jade officially premiered on March 6 and quickly gained attention among viewers.
However, the series starring rising actress Tian Xiwei has recently become the center of online controversy.
Several viewers noticed something unusual about the character Song Yan, the former fiancé of the female lead in the story.
The role was originally played by actor He Changxi, but in the broadcast version, audiences claimed that his face appeared to have been replaced with that of another actor, Zhu Zanjin.
The discovery sparked speculation that the production team used AI face-swapping technology to alter the actor’s appearance in certain scenes.
Some viewers pointed out that the facial expressions and contours looked unnatural, which made several scenes appear visually inconsistent.
Interestingly, before the drama aired, He Changxi had promoted the project on social media when filming wrapped.
However, after the series began streaming and the controversy emerged, fans noticed that the character of Song Yan now seemed to be portrayed by Zhu Zanjin instead.
Online discussions soon began speculating about the possible reason behind the change.
One widely circulated rumor suggests that He Changxi may have been affected by industry regulations in China related to actors participating in productions with same-sex romance themes.
In previous years, after the BL drama Inverse Love gained massive popularity through overseas broadcasts, reports surfaced that new restrictions were introduced in China’s television industry.
These policies were believed to limit actors involved in BL-themed productions from appearing in certain television programs.
He Changxi reportedly participated in a BL web drama project titled Children’s Day on June 1st of the Third Year of Junior High School last year, which some speculate could be the reason he was replaced in Pursuit of Jade.
Industry observers believe the production team may have decided to digitally replace the actor in order to ensure the drama could pass broadcasting regulations and remain eligible for television distribution.
As of now, He Changxi’s studio has not released an official statement regarding the controversy.
However, fans noticed that all posts related to Pursuit of Jade have been removed from the studio’s social media accounts.
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