17-3-2024 (BEIJING) A former preschool teacher, who rose to prominence last year for her heartwarming rendition of children’s songs in an online video, has recently found herself embroiled in a distressing ordeal involving malicious online accusations of involvement in pornography.
The individual, identified by her surname Huang, previously served as a music instructor at a nursery school located in Wuhan, situated in the Hubei province of central China.
Her journey to fame commenced in April 2023 when a video clip surfaced, showcasing her teaching young children a song named “Small Small Garden” while employing expressive hand gestures. The video swiftly garnered immense popularity across mainland Chinese social media platforms, amassing over 7 million likes on Huang’s Douyin account alone.
Captivated by her charming smile and her endearing demeanor, viewers likened her to the girl next door, while praising the enchanting simplicity of the song she imparted to her pupils, describing it as “magical and captivating.”
Subsequent to attaining online celebrity status, boasting a following of 7.6 million, Huang chose to depart from her role at the kindergarten. Presently, she devotes her time to sharing video clips of children’s songs and frequently engages in live-streaming sessions. Adding to her life changes, she welcomed a baby towards the end of the previous year.
However, on February 28, Huang disclosed in a video that she had encountered distressing rumours circulating about her online, causing considerable psychological distress to both herself and her family, as reported by news outlet The Cover.
An individual using the pseudonym “Tianwang” purported in a chat group that he had engaged in paid sexual encounters with Huang. According to an online chat record, the person claimed, “At first, she pretended to be a pure girl. But after I increased the price to 30,000 yuan (US$4,200) per night, she agreed to have sex with me.”
In another distressing incident, a video emerged wherein Huang’s face had been digitally affixed to a naked body, prompting inappropriate comments from viewers.
Initially, Huang chose to dismiss the rumours, asserting her belief that “a clean hand needs no washing.” However, she subsequently opted to take a different course of action.
“I calmed down. The internet is still governed by law, so I collected the evidence and reported the case to the police,” she declared in her video statement.
“Internet users are not obliged to be responsible for what they said, but I should be responsible for my own life,” Huang asserted.
Instances of online rumour-mongering are not uncommon in China. Last year, a man in the southeastern province of Guangdong received a one-year jail sentence for disseminating fake news online regarding a supposed “gold-digger” marrying an elderly tycoon, accompanied by fabricated photos of a young woman with her grandfather.
