A recent social media post by Hong Kong actor Dickson Yu (Ding Tze-long), featuring him and fellow celebrities Jinny Ng (Wu Ruo-hi) and Joey Thye (Dai Cho-yi) celebrating a business class flight upgrade, triggered widespread backlash online, prompting a late-night apology from the actor. The controversy ignited among mainland Chinese netizens who characterized the content as tone-deaf and ostentatious, leading the incident to quickly become a trending topic across Chinese social media and reignite discussions about celebrity conduct.
The storm began on Tuesday when Yu shared a short video across his platforms documenting the trio’s journey to Australia for the filming of a variety show, Their Australian Driving Holiday. The initial scenes showed the three appearing weary as they walked through an airport security zone toward their gate, overlaid with the text: “How to survive a 10-hour flight in economy.” The footage then immediately transitioned to a joyful scene of the stars comfortably asleep in business class seats, concluding with the explicit on-screen caption, “Don’t fly economy.” Compounding the perceived insult, Yu captioned the post with the phrase: “Sorry not sorry.”
The comment section rapidly filled with criticism from users who accused the stars of showing off wealth and displaying insensitivity toward passengers who routinely travel in economy class, with some commentators branding the actions as “lacking virtue.” The speed and intensity of the negative reaction underscore the high scrutiny celebrities face regarding wealth display and public image standards in mainland China.
Actor Responds, Denies Intent to Flaunt Status
In the early hours of Wednesday, Yu posted a video apology on his Instagram account to address the fallout. He acknowledged the video had become popular, but noted it had gained “black popularity”—a term for notoriety stemming from controversy.
“The video was roughly about the three of us travelling to film a variety show, and we ended up not flying economy but taking business class, which caused everyone to feel we were flaunting our wealth, and for that, we genuinely apologize,” Yu said in the video statement.
He strongly maintained that neither he nor his co-stars harbored any intention of showing off, but conceded that their actions had unintentionally generated negative emotions among viewers. “We don’t believe that just because we didn’t intend harm, the matter is closed,” he explained, acknowledging the significant public reaction reflected a failure in their foresight and attention to detail.
The Complexities of Celebrity Content Creation
Yu used the opportunity to reflect on the nature of “showing off,” arguing that truly affluent individuals do not need to flaunt their wealth. He insisted that the post had no deeper “value output” but was designed strictly for entertainment value.
“While our intention was not malicious, the fact that it generated such a large reaction means we didn’t think things through clearly enough; we learn from experience,” he concluded, offering a final apology for the disturbance.
This incident highlights the tightrope walked by public figures producing social media content, particularly when travel and lifestyle upgrades are involved. While stars often share aspirational content, the public often demands parity and humility, emphasizing the delicate balance between professional entertainment and personal conduct. Moving forward, entertainment industry figures are expected to exercise greater caution to avoid content perceived as divisive or dismissive of the experiences of the general public.
