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Crosstalk star 'faked' illnesses in commericals
By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-03 08:27
A Beijing crosstalk actor and talk show host has come under fire for lending his star power to the promotion of fake medicines. The China Advertising Association (CAA), which oversees the country's advertising industry, said 64-year-old Hou Yaohua breached his responsibility to the public when he appeared in 10 TV commercials for unregistered medicines and medical equipment. The national television network CCTV yesterday showed clips from two of Hou's commercials, and METRO found four of the other advertisements online. All six productions show Hou, playing himself, praising the products. Li Fangwu, director of legal affairs of the CAA, said the 10 commercials of products ranging from sexual performance pills to blood pressure monitors are now banned nationwide because they featured a professional actor promoting products that he did not use and were unregistered. "Authorities from nine provinces have also confiscated the products after consumers' complaints," the official said. Li said celebrities must not perform as if they were ill in advertisement. "All commercials are considered as misinforming consumers if they have hired actors to play the roles of experts and consumers for the purpose of promoting fake products," said Li. But Hou said he had done nothing wrong. "I have no memory of these commercials, but I will have to check later," the actor told Beijing Youth Daily on Sunday evening. "There is the chance that advertisers have illegally used my footage and images for commercial promotions." Hou denied he suffered problems with high blood pressure, even though he starred in an advertisement promoting medicine for the condition. "Let's say that I did promote high blood pressure medicines, do I have to be a high blood pressure patient to make the ad?" the actor said. Li Decheng, a senior lawyer with the All China Lawyers' Association, said celebrities should be considered lying if they are not the users of the products they promote in commercials. While the nation's new food safety law stipulates that celebrities are also responsible for the substandard food products they speak for, there is no law regulating liabilities in other products, including medicines. The lack of an effective regulation has led to a number of cases involving Beijing celebrities. Guo Degang, Beijing's big time crosstalk star, was put on a trial in 2007 after he made his advertising debut for an unlicensed manufacturer which sold a diet drug. The artist reportedly paid back some of his 2 million yuan ($292,900) appearance fee as a fine for the illegal commercial appearance. Sun Guitian, a veteran actress, has also been criticized for faking different illnesses for different advertisers. The 66-year-old Beijing-based artist has suffered teeth inflammation, rheumatism, as well as lung, kidney and heart illnesses, in different commercials using her real identity. The actress has denied she faked the illnesses and defended that she had "many health problems". (China Daily 11/03/2009 page25) |
