Photo: Screenshot of Weibo video

 
Chinese stars Wu Xuanyi and Jin Zihan were criticized by the China Cetacean Alliance on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Sunday for kissing dolphins while wearing lipstick. Many audiences indicated the action can harm the animals as the cosmetics contain man-made substances. 

The two celebrities interacted with the marine mammal for shooting an episode of Dragon TV’s variety show Perfect Summer. The China Cetacean Alliance tagged the two celebrities on Sina Weibo in a post indicating that the cetaceans were brutally caught at Japan’s “bloody dolphin killing cove.” The post also sarcastically accused the aquarium of encouraging commercial animal performances, saying it was adding another brick to the wild whaling and dolphin hunting industry. 

The issue soon became a hot topic on Chinese social media. Supporting the China Cetacean Alliance’s stance, some Chinese netizens specified their zero tolerance of commercial animal performances, saying they refused to go aquariums and indicated that it should be common knowledge that cosmetics can harm animals. 

“They are lovely living creatures, not tools for entertainment. If you truly appreciate animals in the ocean, please do not go to the aquarium,” one netizen commented on Sina Weibo on Tuesday. 

“It is the common knowledge, isn’t it? I read it in a book when I was in high school. It said to not allow animals to get close to chemical substances…” one netizen posted on Sina Weibo. 

There were also some netizens who saw the issue with more sympathy for the celebrities, and placed the responsibility for the action on the production team of the show as well as the aquarium. 

“Why are we all picking on them [the two stars], the aquarium is responsible too. It cannot get away from this…” wrote one netizen on Sina Weibo.  

“I feel sad for the two girls. It was scripted by the production team of the show,” posted another. 

While waiting for a statement from the two celebrities and Dragon TV, more and more netizens started to call for public figures and cultural productions to undertake more social responsibilities.

“As celebrities, they are exposed to the public more than ordinary people are. Being criticized is another way to say a problem has been noticed and needs to be addressed soon,” commented one Sina Weibo user.