Soliciting meaning explained as major brands cut ties with Chinese actor Li Yifeng

Chinese actor Li Yifeng has suffered a professional loss after several major brands severed ties with the star after reports of him soliciting prostitutes went viral.

As per the South China Morning Post, the 35-year-old was held by Beijing Police, who later posted a statement on social media. The statement read:

“The person confessed to visiting prostitutes multiple times and has been placed under administrative detention.”

As per Merriam-Webster, the word solicit means to approach someone with a request or plea.

Soliciting prostitution is against the laws of China and usually results in a 10 to 15 day administrative imprisonment. If the offense is trivial, the sentence might be reduced to five days or less.

Authorities did not reveal Li's full name, but CCTV footage confirmed that the actor had been taken into custody. As of writing, no other details have been revealed by the police.

After news of Li Yifeng being held into custody went viral, 11 brands announced they were cutting their ties with the star. These included major brands like Prada, L'Oreal Paris, Remy Martin, Zhenguoli, Budweiser, Luk Fook Jewelry, Sensodyne and Panerai.

The star was announced as the Italian luxury brand Prada's brand ambassador in 2021, and even walked its fall 2022 repeat show in Beijing in August.

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Li Yifeng's reps denied rumors surrounding his personal and professional life

As per Global Times, Li Yifeng's studio issued an official statement claiming that the internet rumors surrounding his life were not true. They added that the reports "have been maliciously fabricated to spread rumors by people with ulterior motives."

Yifeng also posted a statement denying the rumors and stating that the alleged claims have not only caused emotional damage to him but also affected his professional life.

Via Global Times, he wrote:

"I hope Li Yifeng will live on in his film and television work, will live responsibly and will also live in the social responsibility of today's youth, instead of living among lawsuits and fighting against malicious rumors."

According to state-backed local media, those posts were quickly removed, and similar search phrases were also deleted.

The Huading Awards organizing committee has revoked the star's titles of Best Actor in China's Top 100 TV Dramas and The National Audience's Favorite Movie Star after the alleged claims.

Li Yifeng has joined the list of Chinese personalities like Kris Wu, Deng Lun, Zhao Wei and Zheng Shuang who have come under the radar for their personal and financial misconducts.

Li Yifeng rose to prominence after starring in several popular television shows. His career highlight till now has been the 2021 historical drama film, The Pioneer, directed by Xu Zhanxiong, where played he role of Mao Zedong.

In 2018, he won the award for Best Actor at the China TV Golden Eagle Award for his acting as a spy agent in period drama Sparrow.