Over the course of just four months, leading Chinese actress and singer Yu Shuxin (aka Esther Yu) 虞书欣 has lost more than three million followers across major social platforms. What began as a swirl of entertainment gossip has grown into a broader public debate.
From August 2025 to the present day, Yu Shuxin’s total following plunged from over 24 million to roughly 21.1 million, with Douyin becoming the epicenter of the decline, at times losing more than 100,000 in a single day. During this same period, Yu has remained almost entirely silent: her personal accounts have gone dormant for more than three months, leaving only a studio-issued Mid-Autumn Festival greeting that was widely criticized as an attempt to cloak ongoing controversies in warm, familial imagery.
The backlash is fueled by three major lines of dispute. The first centers on allegations of workplace bullying. Zhang Haoyue publicly accused Yu of verbally humiliating her during the 2016 variety show Grade One Graduation, including mocking her appearance as “spider goblin”, and of participating in group exclusion that allegedly contributed to Zhang’s depression and eventual exit from the industry. Zhang has demanded that unedited footage be released, but no such material has been provided.
The second controversy comes from scrutiny of Yu’s family businesses. Yu’s father, Yu Pijie, has been accused of acquiring equity in a state-owned enterprise at a suspiciously low price, prompting speculation about the possible loss of up to 1.5 billion yuan in state assets. In another case, a joint venture in which he is involved reported an unusually low tax burden of just 0.34%, far below the industry average of around 24%, drawing speculation of tax evasion. Civil court documents have also revealed that he was connected to private loans with an annual interest rate of 42%, above the legal ceiling, further fueling criticism.
Finally, Yu herself has faced a set of behavioral controversies, including being cited by traffic police for reversing on a highway emergency lane and accusations of using her birthday event to divert attention from her father’s loan-related court hearing.
Yu’s strategy of avoiding public engagement has, in many ways, amplified the fallout. Trust has eroded as she released only legal statements aimed at countering what her team called fabricated rumors, without addressing the most serious allegations involving state assets and taxation. State media have publicly criticized the selective spotlighting of glamour while neglecting responsibility. Commercial repercussions have followed: brands have quietly removed content featuring her or postponed collaborations, and several acting projects have stalled. Broadcasters and official media outlets have scrubbed her standalone content, underscoring the mounting reputational cost.
Loyal fans argue that Yu should avoid “self-incrimination traps” and emphasize that her family’s business issues should remain separate from her personal identity as an artist. They point to strong sales data, such as rapid digital album revenue and fast-selling merchandise, to demonstrate continued support. Meanwhile, skeptics have called for formal investigations into the flow of state-owned assets and unusually low tax figures, with some even submitting reports to disciplinary authorities. They contend that celebrities with major public influence must uphold higher standards of transparency.
Some of the online reactions are as follows:
“Did the Yu family think that staying silent would make everything go away? No, everyone remembers.”
“Personal lending over 2 million yuan counts as illegal lending.”
“They keep staying silent while people keep boycotting them. A thorough investigation is the only way to clear Yu Shuxin’s name.”
“Why doesn’t Yu Shuxin respond? No celebrity can stay silent for this long, right?”
“How is she still not banned?”
“Whether Yu Shuxin can get through this with silence doesn’t depend on fans controlling comments or legal statements, but on whether she can face the public’s desire for truth, after all, the spotlight that highlights fame and fortune will eventually reveal responsibility.”
“The bought followers are really steady. Real followers just drop slowly.”
“She hasn’t responded from beginning to end. Birthday party, new drama airing, none of it is affected, haha.”
“Can she leave the entertainment industry or not?”
“Stay silent and be boycotted for life.”
“She really doesn’t care about her future or her fans. She’d rather stay silent than respond.”
“I’ve never liked her.”
“No one wants to hear fans defend her. People only want a fair and honest answer.”
