Zhang Yiyang: The first Chinese celebrity sentenced to capital punishment

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Channel News Asia reported in mid-2025 that the Chinese government had confirmed the execution of the Chinese celebrity Zhang Yiyang. He had been sentenced to death and executed in December 2024. What exactly happened for him to be the first Chinese star to face the death penalty, and why was his case hidden until six months later?

Content warning: This gallery contains mentions of violence and death.

All images in this gallery are from Weibo, unless otherwise stated.

Who was Zhang Yiyang?

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Zhang Yiyang was a Chinese celebrity known for his acting, singing, songwriting, and directorial work. It was only posthumously in 2025 that he was known for being a criminal, for murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2022, reports Lianhe Zaobao.

Dropping out

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

After being emotionally moved upon hearing a love ballad, Zhang Yiyang decided to pursue his childhood dreams of becoming a singer, Baidu. He dropped out of school to participate in reality TV competitions, just for a shot at fame.

Beginnings as a singer

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Zhang Yiyang first struck fame when he participated in the reality TV competition show ‘Happy to Move’ and won third place in the competition in 2012. Netease reports that it was also three years later, in 2015, he released his debut song and album, ‘Crying Man’.

More competitions

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Winning third place was not enough for Zhang Yiyang, and he went on to participate in another competition show, ‘The Next Idol’. Netease, too, reports that he did not win anything in the second reality TV show he participated in, but it did bring him some fame and set the foundations for more stardom.

Image: Baidu

From singer to actor

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

After his time in ‘The Next Idol’, Zhang Yiyang went on to release another album titled ‘Has Anyone Told You’ in 2018. That same year, he was cast in the film ‘Dragon Soul’.

Acting not a one-time thing

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

According to Baidu, acting was not a one-off thing for Zhang Yiyang, as he also went on to continue being an actor and starred in the film ‘The Sound Therapist’.

Image: Baidu

Did not quit on singing

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Even as he was acting, Zhang Yiyang still continued to write and perform his own music and had released twelve albums up until his death. His last album release was in September 2020, titled ‘The Frivolous Years’.

Directorial debut

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Zhang Yiyang proved to also have quite the talent in show business, as Netease reports that he had even managed to make his directorial debut in directing the film ‘Dream Chaser’ in 2011. He had also acted in his film.

A dark side

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Despite his flourishing career, Zhang Yiyang’s dark side had ultimately led to him committing a grievous crime which would end with his own death under the Chinese capital punishment. In 2022, he had been arrested for the murder of his then 16-year-old girlfriend, reports Channel News Asia.

Dated with large age difference

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

The same Channel News Asia report stated that the relationship between Zhang Yiyang and his teen girlfriend then already had a sinister beginning, as the star was dating her while she was fifteen and he was a mature man at 29 in 2021.

Rocky relationship

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Channel News Asia reported that the relationship was consistently rocky, and Zhang Yiyang frequently threatened to end his life whenever a breakup was mentioned.

Image: Baidu

A plot against her

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Lianhe Zaobao reports in more detail that Zhang Yiyang had plotted to murder his girlfriend under the pretext of celebrating his birthday on February 26, 2022. He lured her to meet him in a forest, where they had a fight and he stabbed her.

Image: Baidu

Attempted to end his life

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

The Star states that afterwards, Zhang Yiyang fled and attempted to end his life when he took refuge in a hotel room. The attempt failed as hotel staff had alerted the police after witnessing his strange behaviour, and he was promptly arrested and his crime was uncovered.

No mercy under the law

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

According to The Star, Chinese officials denied the fallen star's request for leniency and sentenced Zhang Yiyang to death due to the premeditated nature of his crime and after considering the dynamics of his relationship with his victim. The execution of his sentence took place on December 18, 2024.

Netizen anger

Zhang Yiyang death by capital punishment, Who was Zhang Yiyang?, Dropping out, Beginnings as a singer, More competitions, From singer to actor, Acting not a one-time thing, Did not quit on singing, Directorial debut, A dark side, Dated with large age difference, Rocky relationship, A plot against her, Attempted to end his life, No mercy under the law, Netizen anger

Lianhe Zaobao reports that Chinese netizens were outraged at the posthumous release of Zhang Yiyang's film, ‘The Sound of Music’, in March 2025. It had been approved by the authorities despite his criminal past and sentencing.

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