Chinese baritone singer Liu Keqing is facing a dilemma as he bears a striking resemblance to the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, causing him a great deal of trouble. Liu recently shared on his social media the post titled “The Dilemma of My Face,” where he recounted the past five years of constantly changing his profile photos on Douyin due to his “irregular appearance,” resulting in a sharp decline in his income.
On May 22, Liu Keqing, who has garnered attention on the internet for his resemblance to Xi Jinping, posted in his circle of friends discussing his experience over the past five years, where his income decreased due to constant changes in his profile picture because of his “irregular appearance.”
He mentioned that his Douyin account profile picture was deleted again, with a warning message stating, “Your account’s personal information has been restricted from modification for 30 days.” At the same time, his Douyin cover picture was once again removed.
Liu Keqing expressed, “Every time I get deleted, I have to change to a new profile picture. I always carefully select a simple and ordinary photo from my current daily life, trying to appear as plain and common as possible. This time it had been almost a year since I was last deleted or warned. But just the day before yesterday, I got deleted and warned again for the same reason, and this time the punishment is not being able to show my face for 30 days!”
He asked, “Friends, do you think my current face still violates the rules? (See the first picture from the day before yesterday) What kind of photo wouldn’t violate the rules? Why is it that five years ago, my face that was completely fine has suddenly become a face constantly being warned? Every time I get deleted, I take a new photo. This time I was happy because it had been a long time since I was last deleted, but now I’ve been deleted again, and I can’t show my face for 30 days!”
He further complained, “Originally, because I’m not financially well off (with four children), I wanted to make money to support my family by selling vocal music classes through live streaming. However, major platforms have banned me from live streaming, so I lost the opportunity to earn money through online live streams, and I still haven’t made any money until now. Earning money by singing beautifully is not much, and with this face issue, my chances are even slimmer! What should I do? Can anyone give me some attention?”
Liu Keqing had previously complained several times on social media about being warned for his “irregular appearance.”
On May 10, 2020, Liu Keqing posted on Douyin saying his account was suspended because his profile picture was reported as “irregular,” and it was a verified report, so he had to provide personal identification documents again for reexamination. This was the third time his account had been suspended due to his “irregular appearance.”
During an interview with the “Apple Daily” in the past, Liu Keqing revealed that Douyin notified him that someone reported his profile picture as not matching reality and requested personal identification and other personal information for verification. The reason being the profile picture not matching reality was because some people thought he was impersonating Xi Jinping.
He then changed his profile picture to a performance-style photo, and the issue was largely resolved, with his Douyin account returning to normal.
In September 2019, Liu Keqing’s tutorial videos received 370,000 likes in two days. However, many netizens commented that he looked a lot like Xi Jinping, leading to his videos being blocked on Douyin.
Since Xi Jinping took office more than a decade ago, China’s political and economic situation has been in a serious crisis, with reports of his declining influence circulating since last year. By openly claiming to be under pressure, Liu Keqing has attracted attention.
Overseas netizens commented, “In the past, you couldn’t mention the emperor’s name, now faces are also sensitive.” “This should be given high attention; I reckon even trying to live stream on foreign platforms would be obstructed.” “Why doesn’t the Zhongnanhai hire a stand-in?” “My friend’s teacher laughed at me, but I remember he’s abroad.”
Public records show that Liu Keqing entered the Central Conservatory of Music Opera Performance Department in 1978, then went to the United States for further studies, held concerts in various European countries, resided in Germany, and had a cultural and trade company in Beijing.