The Chinese media know how to satisfy the taste buds of the public. This is the reason why several media outlets have been hyping the so-called non-existent "Bromance" between the makes stars in the Chinese film industry.
Bromance sells in China and that is why the Chinese media outlets, with the consent of the celebrities involved in the act has been portraying the alleged romance between two male stars, only few of whom are gay, according to Sixth Tone.
There are a number of supposed bromances being instigated by Chinese media in the past. For example, the event organizers of China's 2015 Domestic Television Series Awards Ceremony deliberately made two popular make television stars sit together. The actors concerned, Wallace Huo and Hu Ge, sat next to each other throughout the event just to hype up their friendship in from of the people, which media acting as a source of fuel.
The duo also appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Chinese edition magazine. The two actors really know how to play along when they are interviewed about being together. However, Wallance recently announced that he is in a relationship with a woman.
The fake display of Bromance is not just restricted to the media industry. Some celebrities in Chine deliberately try to fake their sexuality just to increase their popularity among their fans. This is evident from the fact that pop singer Wilber Pan used China's microblogging platform called Weibo to publish a photo of him holding hands with another man under a Christmas tree.
This became a topic of discussion on Weibo and several media outlets did not hold themselves back from covering the story. However, Pan later cleared that the two men in the picture were him and his younger brother.
Heterosexual Chinese celebrities playing along their sexuality by throwing hints at people is a common practice. However, they do not come out openly probably because of conservative Chinese society and tradition.
In an era where gay marriage is being legalized in the United States, the acceptance of homosexuality in China still remains a question. In fact, it is largely considered as morally unacceptable, according to a study conducted by the Pew Center in 2013.
According to the study, 13 percent Chinese believe that homosexuality is morally acceptable and 17 percent believe that it is not a moral issue. However, a whopping 61 percent of the population questioned believed that it is unacceptable.
Films directed in China that contain homosexual content are banned in the country. But the media industry still keeps hyping up fake bromance in China.
The following video talks about China's decision to ban gay online drama show "Addicted".