Mainland Chinese singer-songwriter Wanting Qu’s mother, Zhang Mingjie, former director of the Harbin City Urbanization Construction Leading Group Office, was previously accused of bribery and abuse of power. She has now been sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life, and had all her personal assets confiscated.
Zhang Mingjie was implicated in a corruption case involving a staggering 350 million Chinese yuan, including the misappropriation of resettlement funds for many workers. Consequently, the case has garnered widespread attention. Recently, Wanting Qu, who rarely speaks out, posted on her personal Instagram account, stating that she has been “vegetarian for the past four years.” This post became a trending topic on Weibo, with some netizens criticizing her with comments like, “Feasting on human suffering blood buns.”
In a video uploaded to her personal Instagram account on Sunday, Wanting Qu explained that she has abstained from consuming milk and meat for four consecutive years. She expressed, “Once I understood the cruelty to animals and the environmental impact of food choices and took the time to understand health and nutrition, I knew I could survive and thrive in this world.” The topic “Wanting Qu’s post” quickly soared to the top of Weibo’s trending list, sparking discussions among netizens:
“Causing thousands of households to suffer, skipping a bite of meat means nothing.”
“The so-called talented women are shaped by their mothers who feast on human blood buns.”
“Eggs? Egg tarts? All baked desserts contain eggs and milk, cheese.”
“Hypocrisy to the extreme. Not returning the embezzled money, not returning the hard-earned money of laid-off workers, letting her mother, who eats people’s blood buns, serve a life sentence, and she talks about being vegetarian.”
It is known that after her mother, Zhang Mingjie, was implicated in the massive corruption case, Wanting Qu has been living in Canada, rarely making public appearances and not returning to China. Regarding her decision not to return, Wanting Qu explained, “It’s not that I don’t want to see my mom. I miss her more than anyone else. The main reason is that after the COVID-19 outbreak, quarantine for a round trip to China takes at least a month. Although it’s lifted now, I don’t know how to breathe in an environment full of malice towards me. People in my hometown have a serious misunderstanding of me. It’s sad.”
In 2012, Wanting Qu gained nationwide fame with her song “You Exist in My Song,” which became popular within six months of its release and led her to perform at the 2013 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. However, in 2014, Wanting Qu’s mother, Zhang Mingjie, was reported for corruption, and on November 17, 2021, she was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life, and had all her personal assets confiscated.