Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang accused of sexual assault

Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang (also known as Gavin Gao) has been arrested following a woman’s claims that he, along with another man, sexually assaulted her in a room at the Shangri-La Hotel Sydney.

His latest post on his Weibo account was one where he declared that he recently wrapped filming for Anaya’s Romance, a romance drama which also stars his wife, Xuan Dong, along with actors Zheng Yin and Zheng Yawen.

According to Australian media, the 36-year-old woman, whose identity is not known by the media at press time, accused the 35-year-old men of sexually assaulting her in the upscale hotel on Monday. She called the police after the alleged attack.

Both Yunxiang and the other man, only known to the press as Jing Wang, were detained on Tuesday and remain in police custody. On Wednesday, they made a brief appearance at the Central Local Court through a video link from prison.

Their lawyer has shared that they will be pleading not guilty and are looking to apply for bail at a later date. The case is slated to be heard in court in June.

His work studio has since issued a statement, which reads, “We thank everyone for the concern and care that you’ve showed towards our artiste, Gao Yunxiang. With regards to the issue that various media outlets that have been reporting today, our studio would like to clarify the following: Our artiste, Gao Yunxiang, was in Australia for work-related matters and has been accused by someone he was working with (of sexual assault).”

It continued, “Following which, there has been some untruths being spread on the internet. Currently, the Australian police are investigating, and we hope that everyone can avoid speculating about this issue before investigations conclude. We’re deeply apologetic towards the distress or worry that we might have caused to Gao Yunxiang’s fans. We will respect the truth and the law, so we hope that everyone awaits the verdict patiently. Thank you for your concern!”

Xuan Dong reposted the statement on her timeline with a short statement, “I’m sorry to have made everyone worry. I believe in him.”

Yunxiang shot to fame in the mainland after starring in historical drama The Legend of Mi Yue, where he played a leading character named Zhai Li, who was the King of Yiqu. He tied the knot in 2011, and the pair welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2016.

Photos: PBE Media