The world of Chinese show business is reeling from another scandal. At the end of August, 22-year-old Chinese actress Xiao Qiong wrote on her blog that director Yang Yichao had hinted to her that she could get a leading role in the TV drama Painter Village if she slept with him.

 

Xiao said she was furious and refused pointblank. She poured her anger into her blog which immediately stirred hot debate on the Internet.

 

"Do I have to go to bed with somebody to get a part in a TV drama?" Xiao said in her blog. "I just want to improve my acting, but how difficult it is to be an actress!"

 

Netizens are divided on the scandal. Some claim that China's show business has become seamy and lawless with more and more scandals about so-called "hidden rules" involving sex and money hitting newspaper headlines.

 

Others believe that by making up and publicizing the story Xiao can quickly become well-known.

 

Director Yang Yichao issued a statement via his lawyer on September 1, saying Xiao's action constitutes a libel that has seriously damaged his reputation.

 

Yang is demanding an apology from Xiao as well as one million yuan (US$125,000) in compensation. The case has not yet come to court.

 

Is "sex for roles" prevalent?

 

"In Chinese show business it happens all the time," said veteran cameraman Cheng, "The 'casting couch' is a well-known phenomenon. Assistant directors may demand sexual favors from inexperienced actresses in return for roles in film s or TV dramas."

 

Everyone in the entertainment field knows the rules and more or less accepts them, said Cheng, who added that if someone is cheated by the dirty trade and gains nothing, he or she may reveal the hidden practice out of anger.

 

Cheng said hundreds of thousands of girls dream of becoming stars in China and assistant directors in charge of casting selection often take advantage of their wish to become famous by demanding sex.

 

"It's widespread. You have to adapt to the rules, no matter how ridiculous or offensive they are, in order to get ahead in show business," Cheng admitted.

 

A fashion designer surnamed Li who claims to have inside stories estimates that "sex for roles" affects at least 60 percent of aspiring young talents in the field.

 

Li said unknown actresses who desperately dream of fame are often victims of the hidden rules.

 

She said dozens of actresses wait at the gate of Beijing Film Studio everyday for roles to be offered by passing film directors.

 

Actresses are not the only victims of the hidden rules. Actors and male models also face the same pressures.

 

A Hong Kong model once confessed to the media that male models sometimes have to make extra "sacrifices" to get modeling opportunities they dream of.

 

He said a film producer once hinted to him that if he became her lover, he could get the leading role in a film .

 

"About 20 percent of male models have had this kind of experience, and the phenomenon is more common on the Chinese mainland than in Hong Kong or Taiwan," he revealed, adding that it's high time the air of the entertainment world should be purified.

 

Return of morality

 

"Hidden rules such as sex in exchange for an exciting opportunity prevail not only in show business but in other fields as well," said Xue, a teacher at Beijing Film Academy.

 

But show business attracts public attention because it involves pretty girls and shining stars, Xue said.

 

"The law can only deal with things that can be proved. If there are no witnesses, a plaintiff who claims he or she was humiliated by someone else cannot provide evidence in court, which makes it difficult for the court to hand down a decision," said Li Yunqiu, associate professor at China University of Political Science and Law.

 

Li said sexual harassment cases are very personal and hard to prove without evidence.

 

Wei Yingmin, professor at the philosophy department of Peking University, said people in show business should work hard to improve themselves and be honest instead of soliciting roles through immoral means, and decision-makers in the entertainment field must also contribute to cleaning the air of the sector.

 

"Show business people must boycott immoral practices in the field or else the dirty hidden rules cannot be swept away," Wei suggested.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2006)