LayarHijau – Chinese actor Hou Minghao has come under public scrutiny after being questioned by police over an alleged traffic violation. The incident occurred after he leaned his upper body out of a moving car window to greet fans following the completion of a filming schedule in Yongkang, Zhejiang Province.
According to Chinese media reports, “Hou Minghao questioned over traffic violation” became a trending topic on Weibo on August 6. The controversy stemmed from an online report claiming that, in the early hours of August 2, 2026, Hou leaned out of the window of the moving vehicle he was riding in. The driver of the vehicle was also accused of failing to stop him from doing so.
A screenshot circulating online showed a response from the Yongkang Public Security Bureau. Traffic police confirmed that they had summoned both Hou Minghao and the driver of the vehicle for questioning and provided them with road safety education.
Both were also required to sign a road safety commitment letter promising to comply with traffic regulations and practice safe travel. On the afternoon of August 6, local traffic police confirmed that the incident had indeed taken place but declined to disclose further details.
Hou reportedly acknowledged the matter and said he would comply with traffic laws in the future.
What initially appeared to be a single incident involving Hou’s fan service quickly turned into a heated conflict between fan communities.
Many Weibo users claimed the report against Hou was a retaliatory move by fans of actress Esther Yu, who is currently starring alongside him in the upcoming fantasy drama Nian Xiang Si (念相思). The accusations surfaced after both fandoms had already clashed over a recent laser pointer controversy.
In response, some Hou Minghao fans resurfaced Esther Yu’s past controversies involving traffic and public safety, including allegations related to traffic violations and fans blocking fire access routes. They argued that Hou’s recent string of negative trending topics was the result of coordinated malicious reporting by Esther Yu’s supporters.
Others, however, pointed out that leaning out of a moving car window is indeed a traffic violation and said responsibility should not be shifted to anyone else.
The rivalry between the two fandoms intensified after the laser pointer incident on August 3. Esther Yu was seen with a green light spot on her face while leaving the filming set in Hengdian, prompting some of her fans to accuse Hou Minghao’s supporters of deliberately aiming a laser pointer at her eyes.
Hou Minghao’s fans denied the allegation and instead claimed the incident had been staged to fuel online attacks against the actor on his birthday. Hou’s studio later announced that it had collected evidence and reserved the right to pursue legal action over what it described as false accusations.
Amid the ongoing fan war, another rumor surfaced on Friday (August 7) and quickly trended on Weibo. Several entertainment accounts claimed that filming for Nian Xiang Si would be suspended starting on August 10. The rumor alleged that the decision was prompted by tensions between the teams representing the male and female leads and even claimed that the production was discussing replacing Hou Minghao as the drama’s male lead.
As of Friday night (August 7), however, neither the production team of Nian Xiang Si, Hou Minghao’s studio, nor Esther Yu’s studio had issued any statement regarding the rumor. The claims about the filming suspension and the alleged recasting of the male lead also remain unverified.
