Man Changes His Chinese Name ’Cos It Sounds Like Kris Wu’s, Says It “Greatly Affected” His Work & Life
The man, who directs and edits radio and TV shows, called Kris “a well-known rapist” and “a representative of the violations of society’s good morals”.
What would you do if you happened to share a name with a disgraced celebrity whose arrest on suspicion of rape made headlines all over the world?
For one guy in China, having the Chinese name Wu Yifan, which is almost exactly the same as that of Chinese-Canadian pop idol Kris Wu (except the characters and tones for “Yi” are different), has apparently had such a negative impact on him that he had it changed.
Kris, 30, has been accused of multiple sex crimes and is currently locked up at the detention centre as he awaits his verdict, which is expected to be reached some time early next year.
According to reports, the man now formerly known as Wu Yifan hails from Nanling, Anhui, is in his 20s, and works in the media industry.
He recently went down to the police station to submit an application for a name change, saying that Kris is “a representative of the violations of society’s good morals” and that having a name that is pronounced similarly as “a well-known rapist’s” has “greatly affected” his work and life.
The man added that he is worried that it might “cause trouble and hidden dangers to the future development” of his job, which involves directing and editing radio and television shows.
While it’s reportedly not easy to change one’s name in China (unlike in Taiwan, it seems), the man’s request was quickly approved, and he is now known as Wu Moulin.
“My life has a new beginning,” he declared after receiving his new identity card.
Netizens seemed largely supportive of his decision to take on a new moniker.
One said that they also know someone by the name of Wu Yifan who has been subjected to a lot of jokes and ridicule ever since Kris’ scandal blew up.
In fact, even online gamers with “Wu Yifan” in their usernames have not been spared from malicious attacks from bullies (seriously, some people have nothing better to do).
As a result, over 2,600 players have changed their usernames.
Photos: Kris Wu/Instagram, 青流视频/Weibo
