‘Money justifies everything’: row as China actor pays fine so daughter can pick fruit

Wang Chuanjun, one of China’s most celebrated actors has sparked controversy and debate by paying a fine to park security guard to allow his daughter to pick fruit from a tree.

Having starred in top-rated TV dramas and films, Wang is best known for his portrayal of Sekitani Kamiya in the romantic comedy TV series iPartment, which enjoyed the highest ratings in China during its broadcast.

In 2018, he gained wider acclaim for his role as a leukaemia patient in the blockbuster Dying to Survive, which grossed more than three billion yuan (US$420 million) at the box office.

To authentically depict his character’s frailty and desperation in one significant scene, he reportedly underwent two days and nights without sleep.

However, on November 5, the hashtag “Wang Chuanjun paying a fine for his daughter to pick persimmons” trended on social media, together with a video showing him and his daughter strolling in an undisclosed park.

The video captured the moment when the little girl, captivated by the persimmons hanging from a tree, was lifted onto Wang’s shoulders to reach them.