Exposing the Reality Behind the Proposal of former EXO’s Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang

This Chinese celebrity couple is facing public backlash.

In late April, news of Huang Zitao proposing to his “muse” Xu Yiyang after nearly 4 years together sparked a frenzy in China. At a time when their romantic relationship was under public scrutiny, both stars remained silent. 

However, it later emerged, through mutual acquaintances, that the proposal was staged. The images leaked from the couple’s supposed engagement were actually behind-the-scenes footage from a reality TV show produced by Huang Zitao.

A few days after the truth was exposed by Sina, Huang Zitao’s reps suddenly broke their silence regarding his proposal to Xu Yiyang. In response to inquiries from the media, Huang Zitao’s side neither confirmed nor denied the reports, instead vaguely stating that it was a “private matter” for the artists and declined further comment.

Interestingly, despite the proposal being debunked, keywords related to the alleged romance between Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang continued to dominate Weibo searches: “Did Huang Zitao successfully propose to Xu Yiyang?”, “Does it count as a proposal if colleagues do it?”, “Huang Zitao caresses Xu Yiyang’s cheek”, “Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang make their first public appearance together after the proposal rumors”, “Huang Zitao advises Xu Yiyang not to point fingers”.

Their names consistently appeared in the top searches on Weibo, leading many netizens to criticize them for fabricating drama and excessively chasing clout.

Across social media platforms, numerous netizens expressed frustration with the couple’s exploitation of their relationship for attention. There was a collective call for Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang to stop “acting”, with some fans even announcing to unstan Huang Zitao. 

Suspicions regarding a relationship between Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang have been circulating since 2020. Xu Yiyang, an artist under Huang Zitao’s L.TAO Entertainment, has been the focus of the male singer’s affection. 

Notably, when Xu Yiyang participated in “Chuang 2020”, Huang Zitao actively campaigned for her, urging viewers to vote for her as a judge. For a period, Huang Zitao’s social media account exclusively followed Xu Yiyang.

Over the past year, they have consistently shared photos of their dates, and there have been reports of Huang Zitao introducing Xu Yiyang to his family. Recently, the couple took a trip to Yunnan Province, China, where Huang Zitao was seen doting on Xu Yiyang and displaying signs of jealousy when a male fan expressed admiration for her.

According to Sina, Huang Zitao and Xu Yiyang are not the first couple to resort to publicity stunts to enhance their fame. Previously, Anita Yuen and Julian Cheung faced accusations of staging three weddings on television shows. 

Similarly, Christy Chung and Shawn Zhang would periodically create marital conflicts, publicly airing their grievances on social media. This cycle of controversy, divorce, and reconciliation has become a predictable pattern for such Chinese celebrity couples.

Source: K14