On January 9, QQ reported that actor Wang Xing, after being successfully rescued, has not returned to China yet but is assisting Thai authorities in their investigation. Wang Xing’s case, where he was lured and sold across the Thailand-Myanmar border, has caused an uproar in China. Currently, over 500 families of missing victims are submitting petitions for rescue.
According to QQ, based on information from the victims’ families, police have identified a suspect named Yan Shi Liu, who is accused of tricking over 500 lesser-known artists into going to Thailand to film movies. Investigations revealed the individual’s real name is Yan Jun Feng.
In 2015, Yan Shi Liu began working at Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang, China, the largest film studio in the world. Initially, he worked as a martial arts stunt actor but later transitioned to behind-the-scenes roles, posing as a recruiter for extras and minor actors to gather personal information.
Currently, Hengdian has around 200,000 unknown actors waiting for opportunities daily. Due to the decline in the film industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, incomes for extras have dwindled. Capitalizing on their desperation to make money and achieve success, Yan Shi Liu introduced opportunities to film in Thailand.
He promised free travel, accommodation, and living expenses covered by the film crews, luring many victims, including actors, makeup artists, models, and lighting technicians. Once they arrived in Thailand, they lost all contact with the outside world.
QQ reports that Yan Jun Feng’s long-standing work at Hengdian made him well-acquainted with the struggling extras—those at the bottom of the entertainment industry. He exploited their lack of knowledge and strong desire for a better life to find victims.
Currently, Yan Jun Feng has fled abroad, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Media investigations into his social media accounts revealed that Yan Jun Feng presented himself as a professional broker for film crew jobs to deceive naïve actors.
There is speculation that Yan Jun Feng may be directly involved in a larger human trafficking network. However, he could also be a victim himself, whose identity was exploited by the criminal organization to commit further scams.
On social media, the public is urging Chinese authorities to crack down on this scam network that tricks artists into going abroad for film projects, only to be sold. The repeated cases of Chinese artists falling into these traps highlight the existence of an underground criminal group in the nation.
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