Photo: screenshot from Sina Weibo

Morni Chang, an actor and TV mogul from the island of Taiwan, wept during a recent livestream liquor promotion after viewers accused him of selling out.

The 64-year-old TV mogul was taking part in a livestream selling Moutai liquor on Sina Weibo on Friday, but the chat quickly became heated as some commenters accused him of trying to sell fake liquor. He eventually broke down after a chat comment said: "you will lose your virtue in old age for doing this."

"You've lost your morals as an actor," read one comment from another viewer.

"I've been working hard in this industry for three decades and all I wanted to do is to show my fans another part of me during this livestream," Chang said, apologizing in front of the camera while wiping his tears away with a napkin. "I feel sad that you said that to me."

The topic "feel sorry for Morni Chang" began trending on Sina Weibo after the livestream, earning more than 110 million views and countless discussions. A majority of netizens expressed sympathy and understanding toward Chang, with many saying that "Chang should be worthy of respect as long as he makes money with his own hands."

Chang hasn't responded to the accusations that the liquor being sold was not actually Moutai brand liquor.

Chang gained a swathe of fans after starring in the Chinese TV drama My Best Friend's Story in December 2020. He currently has 2.2 million followers on his official Douyin account. According to a March report from Taiwan media, the star earned nearly 16 million yuan ($2.48 million) in advertising revenue during the first quarter of 2021 through the channel. 

Chang is not the first Taiwan star to become emotional due to negative chat comments during a livestream promotion. 

Chang Ting, another Taiwan actress, once drew criticism from viewers for kicking off a livestreaming commerce show on May 22, the same day that famous Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping died. 

The livestreaming commerce business has been booming in China recently. According to a 2021 report from Nanfang Finance, Viya, known as the country's millionaire "livestreaming queen," sold 22 billion yuan in online goods during the second half of 2020.

Global Times