Chinese Douyin influencer Feng Xiaoyi was recently permanently banned from the platform. Some believe that the ban was due to the Chinese government’s new stance against “sissy and effeminate” male celebs.

The new initiative is meant to ensure that any form of media or entertainment produced in China will “uphold Chinese culture”.

Feng Xiaoyi shot to fame on Douyin after posting videos of himself, typically dressed in a fluffly white jacket, hamming it up for the camera. In one video, the influencer, whose age is unknown, eats from a jar of canned peaches in syrup.

In the video, which appeared to be heavily filtered, Feng Xiaoyi pouts, before saying: “Let’s eat some peaches” in a baby voice. He then goes on to try a spoonful, before wincing and saying: “It's so cold!” in the same tone. The 49-second video reportedly received 500,000 likes in just three days.

Then, on August 24, Feng Xiaoyi’s Douyin account was permanently banned for “consistently putting on the image of being pitiful, publicising harmful content that encourages minors to donate money [to him], and having a negative effect on society”.

Following the ban, a number of netizens took to the internet to debate on the move.

A number celebrated the ban, sharing that they had actively reported Feng Xiaoyi’s account in order to get it banned. They criticised the influencer for “being more feminine than a girl”, and described Feng Xiaoyi’s videos as “useless and in poor taste”.

Some also voiced out their fear that Feng Xiaoyi’s videos will “mislead impressionable teens”.

However, there were those who found the ban too high-handed.

“After seeing his videos, I feel like puking, but I am strongly against permanently banning him [from Douyin],” one netizen wrote.

In any case, one month after being banned from the platform, Feng Xiaoyi attempted to stage his grand return. This time, the influencer posted a more somber video where he apologised for his past actions.

“I wish to apologise to everyone for my past actions. It’s my fault. I should have said those irresponsible words. Please, can everyone forgive me, I’ve truly learnt my lesson,” he said in the video.

Though he was dressed in the same fiuffy white jacket, Feng Xiaoyi appeared to have turned down the intensity of the filters and wore a black mask to hide his face.

According to Chinese media, he also uploaded another video where he sports a crew cut and is wearing a military uniform. However, it appears that his new account has been taken down once again, with a search on Douyin turning up no results.

Photos: hk01, Baidu Baike, 我不吃香菜/YouTube