Recently in Beijing, mainland Chinese actress Yu Menglong tragically passed away after falling from a building, raising many doubts and concerns among the public. In response to the growing public outcry, the Chinese authorities have enforced the strictest “celebrity gossip ban” in history in an attempt to suppress discussion.
Experts believe that the unusual behavior of authorities in covering up the truth indicates a complex background to the event, possibly involving interests at higher levels. Observers point out that people are no longer afraid to voice out their opinions, highlighting the severity of the crisis in governance.
On the early morning of September 11, the 37-year-old well-known actress Yu Menglong fell to her death from a building in the Yangguang Shangdong residential area in Beijing. Shockingly, the police announced within 12 hours that they had ruled out any criminal suspicion, attributing it to a “falling accident after drinking.” This conclusion quickly sparked heated discussions online, with many netizens expressing doubts about the swift closure of the case.
Following Yu Menglong’s passing, artists such as Gao Taiyu, Wen Yifan, Wang Yang, Liu Ruilin, Wang Qiang, Aifujeni, and others paid tribute, and programs she was supposed to appear in were postponed as well.
However, speculation regarding the cause of Yu Menglong’s death has escalated online. There are rumors suggesting that she was deliberately intoxicated by insiders, leading to involvement in a sexual assault and murder case implicating a certain “big shot,” with some pointing fingers at a particular producer. There were even whispers involving a secret child of Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi or a member of the influential Huang family.
As the event stirred discussions, the authorities began to “put out the fire,” and their abnormal reactions further deepened public suspicions.
Scholar Wu Zuolai, currently in the United States, in an interview with Dajiyuan, expressed that the core suspicion in the Yu Menglong incident lies in the unusual speed and intensity of the authorities’ response in covering up the truth. He emphasized, “If it were just an ordinary accident, the investigation results should have been made public long ago in a transparent manner. The rapid closure of the case and the suppression of discussion indicate that there are deeper waters beneath the surface, possibly involving high-level interests.”
Wu Zuolai further analyzed that such a large-scale cover-up requires meticulous operations from top to bottom. He pointed out, “From high-level officials to the public security system, orders need to be passed down at every level to achieve such efficient control of public opinion. The circulating recordings and revelations online further validate that there are undisclosed secrets behind the incident.” He urged relevant departments to release the investigation results transparently to address public concerns.
Regarding the stern measures taken by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), Wu Zuolai believes this is a result of direct intervention from high-level authorities. He stated, “Similar incidents often involve sensitive individuals or interest groups whom the authorities are not willing to publicly acknowledge. Taiwan’s financial influencer has compared this case to the ‘Project Prime Minister’s Son car accident’ a decade ago, which might have some validity, pointing towards secretive power struggles within elite families.”
Notably, against the backdrop of continued public outcry, the CAC has taken successive actions to control information dissemination through high-pressure means.
On September 11, the CAC summoned Xiaohongshu, a social media platform, for “promoting personal and trivial matters of celebrities and improper information” on its trending list, issuing a public warning and demanding strict action against those responsible.
As the event continues to unfold, on September 20, the CAC again cracked down on mainstream platforms like Weibo and Kuaishou, criticizing them for failing to fulfill their responsibilities in managing content, leading to the trending list being “filled with inappropriate information.” These series of measures are being referred to as the CAC’s strictest “celebrity gossip ban” in history.
It is worth mentioning that the CAC is overseen by Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee responsible for propaganda, further fueling speculation among the public about the involvement of privileged backgrounds behind the incident.
Simultaneously, discussions on several social media platforms have been heavily restricted, with numerous related posts being deleted and some accounts being banned. Hong Kong artist Chen Xiaodong’s post expressing support on Xiaohongshu was promptly deleted, indicating the authorities’ tight control over public opinion.
Despite official attempts to quell the storm through censorship tactics, public doubts have not subsided but rather intensified.
On September 21, the Beijing police released a related notice reiterating that Yu Menglong’s death was a “falling accident after drinking,” and stated that three individuals spreading rumors were taken into compulsory measures. The announcement emphasized that the investigation results had been acknowledged by the family, with Yu Menglong’s mother expressing no objections through the studio’s statement.
Although the “Yu Menglong Studio” issued a statement on September 16 in her mother’s name reiterating the police’s conclusion and calling for an end to speculation, the statement was deemed to lack genuine grief and was more reminiscent of a public relations draft, failing to quiet the public discussion and instead causing greater controversy.
A user on Xiaohongshu, Lin Beichuan, revealed that Yu Menglong’s family was forced to sign a letter of understanding, but the post was swiftly deleted. Prior to this, Yu Menglong’s cousin had exposed suspicions about the incident online but was subsequently banned from continuing to voice out.
A Guangzhou resident, Bai Min (pseudonym), analyzed the situation from a mother’s perspective and found the credibility of the statement to be extremely low. She questioned, “How could a single mother who lost her only son easily accept the conclusion of ‘suicide after drinking?’ The statement’s emotionless wording does not resemble the voice of a grieving mother but appears more like official wording.” Bai Min’s son was previously unjustly sentenced by the authorities.
Bai Min told Dajiyuan that the punitive actions by the CAC have clear political motivations behind them. She stated, “Such extensive control necessarily involves direct orders from high-level authorities, indicating a high level of anxiety among the authorities about public opinion. They fear that exposing the truth may lead to stronger social backlash.” She believes that the handling of this incident follows a similar pattern to the handling of the son of a high-ranking official in a car accident many years ago, suggesting an organized cover-up scheme.
Although authorities have attempted to restrict discussions through post deletions and account bans, netizens have not backed down. They have turned to leaving comments on official accounts such as CCTV news and CCTV’s website, strongly demanding a “thorough investigation into the September 11 Beijing male celebrity falling incident.” However, CCTV quickly disabled the comment function in an attempt to completely cut off the public’s voice.
A Beijing youth, Chen Feng (pseudonym), observed that the public’s attention to the event reflects basic demands for safety. “In the current economic downturn and challenging job market, the patience of ordinary people has reached its limit. They no longer stay silent like in the past but choose to speak out with the truth.”
Chen Feng particularly noted a shift in mentality among the younger generation, stating, “Many young people say they have no family burden and no weaknesses to be exploited. After their parents pass away, they will ‘stand alone,’ daring to confront oppressive policies head-on.” This “fearlessness” is spreading among young people, posing a new challenge to the authorities’ governance.