Chinese actor Zhang Yiyang stabs 16-year-old girlfriend to death after she snubs him, gets executed by firing squad in first-ever celebrity death sentence
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
A violent birthday
The execution
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Manipulation and abuse
Who Was Zhang Yiyang?
Chinese actor and singer Zhang Yiyang became the first celebrity in mainland China to be executed for a violent crime, following his conviction for the premeditated murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend. The 33-year-old was executed by firing squad on December 18, 2024, though news of the execution only became public in July 2025, according to Chinese media and judicial sources. The actor lured his girlfriend to a remote forest in Xingping City under the pretense of celebrating his birthday. When she expressed a desire to end their relationship, he attacked her with a folding knife.According to the official verdict from the Xianyang Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi Province, the murder took place on February 26, 2022, Zhang's birthday. The court revealed that Zhang stabbed her multiple times in the neck, severing her carotid artery and windpipe, which led to instant death by hemorrhage and asphyxiation. The brutal assault was described as 'extremely violent, deliberate, and socially harmful.'Zhang then attempted to stage the scene to look like a suicide and fled. He later tried to take his own life at a hotel but survived and was arrested shortly after by local authorities.Zhang's execution, carried out by firing squad, a method still sanctioned under Chinese law, was not publicly disclosed at the time. The case only came to light in July 2025, prompting an outpouring of reactions on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Douban.Netizens expressed outrage over the fact that Zhang's work, including films and music, remained publicly accessible even after his conviction and execution. Many called for him to be formally added to the government's blacklist of disgraced public figures, which bars artists from being featured in media or earning royalties from their work.While capital punishment remains legal in China for crimes like murder, executions of public figures are exceedingly rare. Zhang's execution signals a harsh precedent, and perhaps a turning point, in how China deals with celebrity crimes.As of now, Chinese authorities have made no formal announcement regarding the removal of Zhang's existing media, nor has his name appeared on official state blacklists.The court also highlighted that Zhang had a long pattern of emotional abuse and psychological manipulation over the victim, including threats of suicide to prevent her from leaving him. Reports indicated that the two had been in a relationship since September 2021, despite the victim being underage.Prosecutors labeled the murder as intentional homicide, arguing that the actor had shown no genuine remorse and had tried to obstruct justice. His appeals to both the provincial High Court and the Supreme People's Court were rejected.Zhang Yiyang was a relatively obscure but rising figure in the entertainment world, often referred to as an '18th-tier' actor. He trained under Hong Kong director Li Wenlong and had released a few albums, including Crying Man. He also appeared in low-budget films such as The Sound of Music (音疗大师), which ironically premiered just months after his execution.He was awarded a "Golden Shang New-Star Actor" prize early in his career but never achieved mainstream fame.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Boys II Planet'; Jaejoong's comment about trainees goes viral - netizens criticise the show for being ‘insensitive'
The recently released survival variety show 'Boys II Planet' has seen a lot of viral moments right from the first episode. Now, one of the judge's comments during the panel of the show has brought forth a wave of criticism from netizens online. Judges' comments during 'Boys II Planet' criticised Recently, videos of the judges' panel's comments during one of the recent episodes of 'Boys II Planet' have been going viral online. Netizens have been criticising them for certain comments that were made about the trainees while their performances were judged. The judges continually kept commenting on the contestants' weight while they were being judged on their performance and skills, which garnered strong reactions from netizens all around the world. Specifically, Jaejoong's comment about a contestant's weight went viral. During the show, the 40-year-old idol commented on how one of the trainees should lose weight to perform and even commented about their visual appeal as well. He commented, 'When you were dancing, I could tell your experience in your body control, but if you were lighter, you have the skills to show much better performances'. Netizens react to comments about weight Many took to their social media accounts to express their disdain over the matter and shared how the trainee's skills should be the reason for judging them and ranking them. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 10 Signs Your Dog Loves You More Than Anything Liseer Read More Undo Many found the comments to be unnecessary and insensitive as well. One person commented, 'Mnet is just rage-baiting atp. It's like they're doing this on purpose to gain views and attention. Producing a survival show to form a 'global' boy group only to disrespect and be racist to foreign trainees, especially to Chinese ones. I hope this show flops badly', while another shared, 'jaejoong needs to stop projecting his traumas.. like how are you going to say this to boystory members out of all idols…' Recently, the show was criticised yet again after videos and footage of the Chinese members went viral online. During training, one of the Chinese trainees was unable to properly speak in Korean and was called out for not knowing the language, even though he joined the show to become a part of a Chinese boy group itself.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
China suppressing coverage of deadly attacks. Some people complaining online
Late last month, a car struck children near an elementary school in an outlying district of Beijing, according to a Chinese news report. A four-sentence police statement said a 35-year-old male driver hit pedestrians due to 'improper operation' of the car. It didn't mention the school or that the victims included children. Photos of the aftermath, which showed a half-dozen people lying in the street, were scrubbed from China's closely controlled internet. 'We need the truth,' said one post on Weibo, a leading social media platform similar to X. The ruling Communist Party has expanded information control since leader Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, seeing it as a way to prevent unrest. More and more topics, from negative news about the economy to LGBTQ+ identity, have become subject to some form of censorship. In the past half year, mass attacks — in which a person kills or injures multiple people with a vehicle or knife — appear to have been added to the list. Some people in China are pushing back, complaining online in at least two cases in recent months after drivers hit pedestrians. The government may be trying to prevent copycat crimes, experts have said. Another motivation could be local authorities wanting to cover up when they fail to do so. There was a spate of attacks last fall, but it's difficult to gauge whether they are increasing, given the dearth of information. The attacks weren't always a taboo topic. In the past, authorities released the basic details. Typically, the assailant was described as taking out their anger on society, often over financial losses. That appears to have changed following a particularly horrific case in November that killed 35 people in Zhuhai in southern China. Authorities said the driver was upset about a divorce settlement. Orders came from the very top — from Xi — to take steps to prevent similar attacks. Eight days later, an SUV hit students arriving at an elementary school in Hunan province. The number of injured — 30 children and adults — wasn't made public until nearly a month later when the driver was sentenced. The clampdown on information has tightened further since. In April, reports circulated online that a car had run into people outside a primary school in Jinhua city. At least three provincial state media outlets posted stories — but they were quickly taken down. To date, authorities haven't released any information. Twelve days later, a fast-moving car veered off a street and into people at a bus stop in the city of Tengzhou in eastern China. Authorities said nothing. Videos of the May 4 crash were taken down from social media. The next day, online criticism of the silence began to appear. People said the police should release basic information such as the driver's identity and the number of casualties. A few defended the police, saying it happened on a holiday. 'If a few such precedents are set, and more local governments follow this way in the future, the rules of information disclosure may not be upheld and may be compromised,' Hu Xijin, the former editor of a state-owned newspaper, warned in a social media post. Local governments want to cover up news that reflects badly on them or their polices, said Jennifer Pan, a Stanford University professor who researches how political censorship and information manipulation work in the digital age. The central government sometimes has other priorities. 'When the issue gains attention despite local censorship efforts, the center has an incentive to preserve the legitimacy of the overall system through responsiveness and acknowledgement of the event and underlying issues,' she said in an email response. The details came out 48 hours after the crash. Six people had died, and it had not been an intentional attack: The driver was drunk, a state media report said. Since then, local authorities, at least in two cases in Beijing, seem to be taking a new approach: Issue a report quickly but with scant details. Eleven days after the drunk driving case, a car hit people outside an elementary school in Beijing on May 15. The Beijing Traffic Police issued a report within a few hours but left out that the location was near a school. It said only that four people had been injured when a car sideswiped pedestrians on Jian'an West Road, and that the driver had been detained. Authorities appeared to impose an information shutdown that evening. Police were stationed along the stretch of road and a person who appeared to be a neighborhood watch volunteer cautioned people in a nearby residential compound not to speak to strangers. Six weeks later, posts appeared online on June 26 saying a car had hit children in Miyun, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) northwest of central Beijing. One well-reputed media outlet, Caixin, reached area shop owners who said that children had been hit, and a hospital that confirmed it was treating some child victims. Whether it was an intentional act remains unclear.
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Former ED officer in Bengaluru gets three-year jail for Rs 5 lakh bribe
BENGALURU: The Special Court for CBI Cases has sentenced a former Enforcement Officer of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Lalit Bazad, to three years of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Bazad was found guilty of extorting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for defreezing the bank account of a finance firm under ED investigation for links to Chinese loan apps. 'While awarding the sentence, this court should bear in mind the expectations of society to prevent corruption in public office by providing prompt conviction and stern sentence,' observed Judge Manjunath Sangreshi, Principal Special Judge for CBI Cases. At the time of sentencing, Bazad was serving as an inspector in GST and Central Excise, Chennai Zone. The CBI had filed a charge sheet against him under Section 384 of the IPC and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the CBI, on January 20 and 28, 2021, Mikhil Innani, Managing Director and CEO of M/s Apollo Finvest India Ltd., along with Diksha and Harish Innani, visited the ED office in Bengaluru. During this time, Bazad allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh from Mikhil to close the case against Apollo Finvest. He also threatened to drag the case for at least 10 years and ruin the company's name and business if the amount was not paid. Eventually, Bazad managed to extort Rs 5 lakh, which was delivered by Manavendra Bhati on the night of February 9, 2021, at a pub in J.P. Nagar. The transaction was captured on CCTV.
