“Gentlemen of East 8th” Removed From Streaming Platforms

Since airing in late August, Chinese drama Gentlemen of East 8^th <東八區的先生們> has been steeped in sexual harassment controversy. After Hans Zhang Han (張翰) received criticism for grabbing actress Xiaochen Wang’s (王晓晨) bra strap and touching her chest, the drama has finally been removed from streaming platforms.

As Zhang Han is also the producer and scriptwriter for the drama, his behavior stirred extensive outcries of disrespect towards women. The drama offended viewers with its sexist and crude dialogue. For example, Zhang Han’s character said in one scene, “Skinny [women] are better looking, although fat ones are more useful.” His comment, “Women are the scariest type of animal after getting hurt. They can bleed for thousands of years without dying,” was regarded as a disrespectful comment towards menstruation.

Viewers slammed the drama with only a 2.4 rating on Douban, and expressed disbelief at how these scenes passed China’s strict censorship. Thousands of netizens protested on social media and demanded Gentlemen of East 8^th to be pulled from broadcast.

Although the drama’s final episode was aired on September 19, it was removed from all streaming platforms on September 26. The cast has been instructed to remain silent on the issue and not respond to any public inquiries.

Source: On.cc