Well-known Chinese actress Yuan Li filed a lawsuit against Sina Weibo on December 29, 2025, accusing the platform of unreasonably shutting down her Weibo account with over 14 million followers. Her lawyer demanded that Sina Weibo restore the account within 7 working days, provide a written explanation for the suspension, and present evidence of the alleged violations.
According to a circulating lawyer’s letter, Beijing Kaimen Law Firm, commissioned by Yuan Li (real name: Yuan Li), filed a lawsuit against Beijing Weimeng Chuangke Network Technology Co., Ltd. (Sina Weibo) regarding the suspension and ban of her Weibo account on December 29.
The lawsuit stated that Yuan Li’s Weibo account, registered on March 8, 2010, with 14.69 million followers, mainly posted updates on public welfare progress and charity activities. However, in March 2020, the account was permanently shut down and banned without prior notice, specific details of the violation, or avenues for appeal.
The lawyer’s letter alleged that the suspension of Yuan Li’s Weibo account severely affected her charity foundation, as numerous philanthropists were unable to contact her, damaging her public welfare image and personal reputation. Yuan Li accused Weibo of not adhering to legal procedures in the ban, demanding the account be reinstated for normal use within 7 working days, requesting a written explanation for the suspension, and the provision of evidence.
Yuan Li, 54 years old, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy’s Acting Department, starred in various films and TV series such as “Iron Teeth Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan,” “Marriage Defender,” and “Da Shanghai.” However, she gradually withdrew from the entertainment industry to dedicate more time and energy to China’s rural pneumoconiosis charity work.
Known for her outspokenness, Yuan Li frequently spoke up for marginalized groups on Weibo, attracting frequent censorship and online attacks by the Chinese Communist Party and internet trolls. Some say that attacking Yuan Li has become a job for many.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Yuan Li’s Weibo account was reportedly silenced by officials due to her speaking out on pandemic-related issues. The platform notified her: “Your account will be permanently banned because the content you recently posted violates relevant laws and regulations.”
At one point online, a post attributed to Yuan Li on July 28 indicated, “From Weibo to Douyin, to Video Number, and then to Xiaohongshu, all accounts banned. Only WeChat Moments remain for me. In the era of video and the internet, this is equivalent to imprisonment.”
Yuan Li expressed puzzlement, questioning why her account was suspended without apparent reason and emphasizing her efforts to prove her identity repeatedly without success. She asked, “Why was my account suspended for no reason? Am I a bad person? Are they trying to push us ‘new blacklisted groups’ to an extreme?” She concluded by stating her intention to seek legal counsel.
In a separate post at the time, Yuan Li revealed, “If not for the people I have helped that touched me, I would really want to leave, to a place of freedom, elegance, and love. I cannot keep loving people without being loved in return.” She also mentioned calling a friend to express her desire to leave.
In the past, Yuan Li had been temporarily banned from Weibo several times, such as in 2017 when she participated in the Zhejiang TV show “Birth of an Actor.” Before the program aired, Yuan Li disclosed on Weibo that the director asked her to act as if she were eliminated. She criticized the program for deception, failure to sign a contract, and not paying service fees.
Her series of posts attracted widespread attention and astonishment from netizens. The public learned that she was eliminated not due to lack of acting skills but because the program’s director instructed her to play the role of being eliminated. After exposing the program’s deceit, Yuan Li stated, “The posting function on Weibo has been disabled, not allowing me to express myself. Just a show, but to this extent? A series of lies.” She resorted to using images to vent her anger.