Woman, Once China's 'Most Beautiful Fugitive', Banned From Social Media

A Chinese woman, once labelled the country's "most beautiful fugitive", has been banned from social media after she used her livestreams to promote anti-fraud awareness and share details about her criminal past.

Qing Chenjingliang, 26, from Sichuan province, shot to national fame in 2018 when police released a wanted poster, The South China Morning Post reported. She had been part of a 10-member fraud ring that posed as bar workers to lure victims online on the pretext of romance or friendship, eventually forcing them into spending large sums of money, sometimes using threats or violence.

Qing, who had been expelled from school as a teenager due to poor academic performance, said she was drawn into the scam by her boyfriend. The group's total fraud amounted to more than 1.4 million yuan (over Rs 1.6 crore). After months on the run, Qing surrendered and was sentenced to one year and two months in prison.

During her prison term, Qing underwent ideological education, legal training and labour reform.

Following her release in November 2021, Qing opened a bubble tea shop in her hometown and appeared in a police-led anti-fraud campaign video. Critics said the video risked sending the message that "beauty equals justice".

In March, Qing launched a social media account using her full name and her viral 2018 wanted photo as her profile picture. Her bio read, "I was a headline figure in 2018 news. Now I have turned over a new leaf." Within days, she gained nearly 10,000 followers.

She live-streamed twice a day, discussing her time in prison and warning viewers about scams.

"I want to start over and help ordinary people avoid being scammed," she said, often referring to her past. She warned followers against falling for nightlife scams. "Do not believe in something for nothing," she said.

Qing also told her followers she had served her full sentence. "Getting a sentence reduction is very difficult," she would say.

On April 27, her account was abruptly shut down, all videos removed, and her profile rendered unsearchable. The platform later explained the ban, saying it prohibits users from exploiting prison or criminal histories for attention or financial gain.