LayarHijau – Chinese BL drama Revenged Love (逆爱) has sparked an unexpected controversy after its two lead actors, Tian Xuning and Ziyu, were rumored to be facing a soft ban in China. While some speculated that Tian Xuning’s personal scandals triggered the ban, industry insiders suggest the real reason is their overwhelming popularity, which has caught the attention of authorities wary of the BL genre’s growing influence.
In the past month alone, the pair dominated over 500 trending searches on Weibo, surpassing top stars like Liu Yuning of A Dream Within A Dream (书卷一梦) and Xiao Zhan of Legend of Zang Hai (藏海传). Their rise, fueled by the BL storyline, reportedly crossed a sensitive cultural red line, prompting action from government regulators. Despite China’s ban on BL dramas, Revenged Love initially aired overseas, targeting surrounding regions. However, Chinese fans used VPNs to watch it, creating an unstoppable viewing frenzy.
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Their runaway popularity even eclipsed this summer’s highly anticipated releases like A Dream Within A Dream, In the Name of Blossom (锦绣芳华), and The Princess’s Gambit (桃花映江山), putting Revenged Love at the very center of entertainment discussions.
Tian Xuning and Ziyu became overnight sensations, especially among fujoshi, a term referring to female fans who enjoy the boy’s love (BL) genre. BL is a fictional genre depicting romantic relationships between male characters, written and marketed mainly for a female audience. These fans are far from passive; they create fan art, write fan fiction, and passionately support on-screen couple chemistry (commonly known as CPs).
But rumors of a soft ban soon followed. Reports claimed Tian Xuning had been replaced in his upcoming drama One Day in July (七月的一天), and his appearances on the popular variety show Hello, Saturday (你好，星期六) were allegedly removed. Ziyu was said to have his short-term endorsements paused, and his own scheduled appearance on the same variety show abruptly canceled.
Some believe Tian Xuning’s complicated personal life only worsened the situation. He was accused of having a child out of wedlock—claims he firmly denied—and linked to several women including influencers Susu, Ruoruo, Junjun, and short drama actress Fujisawa Wen. Although these alleged affairs remain unproven, the negative publicity has already damaged his image. On July 11, after days of silence, Tian Xuning addressed the rumors, declaring he is single and childless. He apologized for his personal matters taking up public attention and stated that his legal team is now handling the spread of false information.
However, industry watchers say the real trigger for the ban was their massive popularity. Netizens counted that Tian Xuning appeared on trending lists 536 times in one month, followed closely by Ziyu at 503. For comparison, Liu Yuning of A Dream Within A Dream ranked third with only 150 appearances, while stars like Xiao Zhan and Zeng Shunxi trailed far behind. Their constant domination of the charts reportedly alarmed authorities, who allegedly took action to “cool down” the hype.
A soft ban refers to an unofficial, temporary restriction where actors’ scenes are quietly removed, variety show appearances canceled, and endorsements paused—without any formal announcement. It’s an industry tactic used to curb excessive public attention without openly blacklisting the stars.
Chinese media reported that Tian Xuning and Ziyu may face a short-term soft ban, but the exact duration remains unclear. Meanwhile, Revenged Love producer and well-known BL author Chai Jidan is also rumored to be under scrutiny. Despite bypassing China’s BL ban by airing overseas, Revenged Love’s overwhelming domestic popularity may have forced regulators to step in, Upmedia wrote.
Still, some fans believe the soft ban rumors are baseless. Tian Xuning’s name remains on the production list of One Day in July, and recent schedule changes in Xiamen were likely due to heavy rain, not casting changes. Ziyu also appeared as planned on the variety show Smile Cafe Shop No. 1 (微笑一号店), with no disruption to his activities. Some netizens speculate that rivals may have spread the soft ban rumors to suppress their meteoric rise in the entertainment industry.
