Controversial Chinese actress Angelababy is gradually resuming her public activities after being banned by the mainland authorities for flying to Paris to watch an adult show.
The Shanghai-born star, who is a Hong Kong resident and whose major fan base is in the mainland, received the “soft ban” after she went to France in 2023 to watch the racy Crazy Horse Paris cabaret.
At the end of July, the TV costume drama Xiang Si Ling in which Angelababy plays a leading role received broadcast approval from the mainland authorities, meaning the ban on her was lifted, according to a report in the news outlet Sohu.
The presence of the 35-year-old model and actress – whose real name is Yang Ying – at the Paris show was seen by the authorities to be an act of support for a pornographic event.
Although the Chinese government did not slam her publicly for attending the show she disappeared from public view.
She was forbidden from using Weibo and Douyin, the two major social media platforms in China, for three months.
Also, some domestic companies terminated their advertisement partnerships with her.
At the end of last year Zhejiang TV did not invite her to join the latest season of the popular program Running Man, in which she had participated as an important guest for a decade.
At least five movies and TV series starring Angelababy finished shooting last year and are still pending approval for release by the authorities.
In recent months the actress has been gingerly returning to public view by posting occasionally on Weibo, where she has 100 million flowers.
In June, an advertisement for the shoe brand Hong Qing Ting, for whom Angelababy is product ambassador, was released.
She also joined a live-streaming session to sell goods with top online celebrity Xin Ba at the end of June.
Angelababy was once called the most beautiful female star on the mainland despite facing criticism for her poor performing skills.
She triggered a controversy in 2022 after a video of her smoking at a private gathering was revealed online.
Angelababy married the first-tier Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming in 2015 and divorced him seven years later. They have a seven-year-old son.
